Jeff Bekavac

When Jeff Bekavac steps onto the front porch of his home — with 5-month old baby Bowen Bekavac on his hip and a rotund grunting drooling bulldog named Basil at his feet, clean shaven, smiling sweetly and looking years younger than his 35 — it is hard to imagine him ever becoming one of those egocentric primetime chefs, much less the possibility of him taking a swing at one. For a decade or so (aside from a brief stint as a Central Market chef) he’s worked alongside Nick Badovinus — the chef whose company, Flavor Hook, includes Off-Site Kitchen, Tried and True, Town Hearth and Neighborhood Services (with locations on Preston, Lovers and, soon, in Addison), where Bekavac reigns as executive chef. His name did pop up amid some minor chef-on-chef contro- versy, after D Magazine led a feature story with an anecdote about a reported late-night row involving polarizing chef John Tesar, Badovinus and Bekavac. But that only served to add a hint of spice to his otherwise-clean repute. His smoked sausage in 2012 and 2013 received rave reviews from the judges presiding over Meat Fight, a National MS Society fundraiser that has raised $70,000 in its two years. Basically, despite his humble front, he’s a big deal.

What’s in your fridge at home?

Leftovers from the Memorial Day party. [The Grape chef] Brian Luscher’s hot dogs. For the party I did dips, dogs and drinks. There’s a smoked salmon platter from TJ’s Seafood. I’ve been friends with owner John Alexis since I was in high school. He brought me the salmon. He’s a great guy. I always have yogurt. My wife makes these super tasty little key lime pies. Those are in there. Tequila pops in the freezer I have a lot of beer in the beer fridge.

What kind of beer is in the beer fridge?

I am a big Lakewood Brewery fan. Not just saying that because it’s local. It’s a local favorite though. Lakewood Lager and Till & Toil are staples. Lots of Lone Star. Classic. There are a lot of Capri Suns. My wife is going to kill me for showing y’all this.

What does your wife do for a living?

She is an emergency room nurse at Parkland. That is why we have Carmen [the sitter] to watch Bowen. Sometimes when I am complaining — like, ‘Oh my gosh, this dummy burned a burger’ — she’ll say, ‘I helped a guy whose arm was cut off.’ It puts a lot of things in perspective.

Where do you grocery shop?

Still loyal to Central Market, where I worked for about a year and a half. I go to Whole Foods on Preston Royal; it’s so close for me, but other than that I will hit the Tom Thumb.

Must-have items in home kitchen?

Peanut butter. Not like fancy peanut butter. JIF extra crunchy. Always. Oatmeal because I eat it every morning. No particular brand. Horizon milk. Nutella. Blue Bell Vanilla. I have a sweet tooth.

Essential kitchen gadget?

My KitchenAid mixer because you use it for so many things whether making pasta, using it as a meat grinder or baking with it. That and my zester. I use it a lot for cheese, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg ...

What is your guilty pleasure food?

Spaghetti and meatballs. Pasta. I could eat it every meal of the week. No gluten-free, carb-free for me. It was a staple that my mom made. That and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

If you could cook for any person — dead or alive — who would it be and what would you make them?

Oh man. That is a tough question. You know what? I know it sounds, eh, but I would cook for my grandparents because I think that they would be really happy with what I have done. I would make them a big steak, mashed potatoes and probably a big chocolate cake — simple, classic.

The perfect sandwich?

Probably nice toasted sourdough from the Village Baking Company — they do our bread and I love that sourdough. Mustard, spicy. Crispy smoked bacon, fresh tomato, lettuce, avocado and, depending on my mood, a fried egg.

When did the fried egg start getting put on everything?

I don’t know. But I love it. It gives food such a richness, and when you get that yolk, it’s like instant mayonnaise, another topping, so versatile. My wife absolutely hates the egg.

TV shows?

I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows. I do watch ‘Parks and Rec.’ When we did Meat Fight, Ron Swanson was a judge. I love him. I watch ‘Game of Thrones,’ but I am behind so don’t tell me. I like ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Mad Men’ — mostly shows that run Sunday nights because that is when I am home, and I like HGTV.

What are your thoughts on the cooking shows?

Well, I guess I like ‘Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares’, because it is a simple formula that he uses every time. All the shows are the same. It is funny to watch the people and the drama. I enjoyed the crazy lady from Phoenix last year who went viral; that was a riot. There are people out there that are just nuts. But gener- ally I don’t watch a lot of food TV. I try to decompress. Now the DVR is full of the entire Bravo network lineup, for my wife. ‘Real Housewives’ kind of thing.

Well, she works in the Parkland ER. She needs to decompress, too, right? Absolutely. She definitely needs to decompress.

Favorite sports teams?

Anybody will tell you, I am a huge college football fan. A&M. College football is my favorite thing in the entire world but all the Dallas teams. I grew up in Coppell in the mid-’90s so Cowboys — I went to school with coaches’ kids. Stars, Mavs, Rangers, I love them.

Ideal vacation?

We went to St. John’s last summer with my wife’s family. We want to go back. Going to a beach. On our honeymoon we went to Zihuatanejo

The beach in ‘Shawshank’?

Yes. It is an old fishing village. Looks beautiful, just like in the movie.

Anywhere you would travel just for the cuisine?

Spain and Italy are the top-two I would like to visit.

For the spaghetti and meatballs?

Haha. Exactly. No, but I love to just study the flavor profiles in the di erent regions.

Worst food trends right now?

Food is so interesting now because people are so infatuated with food, but everyone is a critic. It’s not a trend in cuisine, but the food world — the people cooking the food, the others, the bartender, servers — are subject to everyone on the internet with an opinion.

The Yelpers? They can hurt.

What bothers me, the hardest thing, is when they don’t say anything to you when you have a chance to fix it and they go write something. If you are not happy with something, you don’t have to be a jerk. Allow us to fix the problem. I think sometimes the people posting don’t realize they are writing about humans. Everyone has an opinion on food, though. It can be like politics. Politics, religion, food.

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity