CheF proFiLe: BouChon's CuLture For exCeLLenCe

Bouchon’s new executive chef, Nate Van Etten (left), and chef de cuisine, Vicken Tavitian. Popular house starters (right): Tutti Frutti Farms heirloom tomato salad with rustic country pate, all paired with Margerum Wine Company Rose.

A culture for excellence

by Jeff mIller

What’s the toughest challenge for a restaurant? Attracting customers? Creating a delicious menu? Those count, for sure, but topping the list is getting and keeping a great crew . And one of the best ways to do that is to hire good people, bring them along, and then promote them to key positions when the time is right .

That’s the story of Mitchell Sjerven, who started as a dishwasher at age 16 in Minnesota, worked his way up, and eventually created bouchon, rated by many as the best restaurant in Santa Barbara . It’s also the story of bouchon’s new executive chef, Nate Van Etten, and chef de cuisine, Vicken Tavitian, both of whom have stepped up the in-house ladder .

Promoting from within is “absolutely” better for morale, Sjerven said . “That’s always my intention . It inspires people . One day it could be them .”

Chef Van Etten agrees wholeheartedly . “Bring in somebody new to tell you what to do in your restaurant and morale can go south pretty fast,” he said .

Van Etten follows in the footsteps of Greg Murphy, bouchon’s executive chef for 13 years before moving to Ventura in March . For his long service and long notice of the plan to move, Murphy left under the best of terms . “I’m extremely grateful to him,” Sjerven said .

Van Etten also has reason for Murphy gratitude . He worked as a chef at nearby Petit Valentien for 14 years before deciding to try something else . “Maybe even construction,” Van Etten said . Then, out of the blue, came a call from Murphy . “Word was out on the street . That was

nice .” And so, Van Etten came on board at bouchon, working his way up to sous chef and now exec .

The owner describes Van Etten’s style as less is more . “Inexperienced chefs try to compensate for their lack of experience with lots of ingredients .” Sjerven said . Such crutches “can lead to truffle oil on everything .”

To the contrary, Van Etten “just wants it to be correct,” Sjerven said . “He’s not pretentious . He avoids the trends, the items where the ingredients aren’t pronounceable . That aligns with my philosophy perfectly .”

The new chef de cuisine, Tavitian, is in tune too . “Vicken is great,” Sjerven said . “He’s been with me four years, and he’s really into food as well . His charge is to make sure every meal comes out right every time . He and Nate work very well together .”

What’s Van Etten’s favorite item to prepare at bouchon? “I love charcuterie,” he said . “And I really love slow-braised dishes, like pork shanks and short ribs . Things that take time I find I enjoy more .”

And then there are the experiences that takes all day . Those are the “Foodie Strolls,” during which a few diners accompany Van Etten on a ramble through a farmers’ market, watching him select items for that night’s menu . He brings a paring knife along, so strollers can taste the difference between, say, a regular tomato and an heirloom . Then that night they come to bouchon to dine on the ingredients they witnessed going into the wagon .

“A lot of people, surprisingly, don’t know how to cook at all,” Van Etten said . “It’s hard to fathom . They were just never taught to take the time and enjoy the process .” The Foodie Strolls truly show the “farm to plate aspect,” Van Etten said . “The

connection and camaraderie and support of people who work hard to bring good produce to them .” (Van Etten said he was a shy person in the past, but the Strolls have “pushed me past that .”)

Van Etten’s restaurant career began at age 16, at a KFC in Manteca, CA . Now he’s 39 and the executive chef at the restaurant rated the best in Santa Barbara by many reviewers . The trick to thriving in the kitchen, is “keeping passionate about it,” he said . “When it becomes work it’s no good .” And like his ingredients, his goal is simple . “My goal is to be recognized as good at my job,” Van Etten said .

The Foodie Strolls truly show the “farm to plate aspect,” Van Etten said. “The connection and camaraderie and support of people who work hard to bring good produce to them."

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