10 minute read
COOKING WITH FIRE
COOKING WITHFIRE
CANTINA 18' s CHEF JASON SMITH GIVES 18 SEABOARD A RESOUNDING SECOND ACT
BY KURT DUSTERBERG. PHOTOS BY BRUCE D E BOER.
hen Jason Smith was a kid, there were subtle forces at work within his family, nudging him toward his purpose and place in adult life. He remembers meals at random restaurants when he shuttled back and forth between his mother’s home in Raleigh and his father’s home in Wilmington. He recalls the delights that came from his grandmothers’ kitchens. Those memories helped lay the foundation for Smith’s professional life. W The local restaurateur apprenticed with top chefs in the finedining world before opening his own restaurants. He worked at Raleigh’s 42nd Street Oyster Bar and Durham’s Magnolia Grill before venturing to Peninsula Grill in Charleston, South Carolina, and Gramercy Tavern in New York City. He made his way back to the Triangle in 2006 and opened his firstrestaurant, 18 Seaboard. Four years later, he opened Cantina 18 in Cameron Village (recently rebranded as the Village District), where he grew up riding his bike and eating lunch at Burger King with his grandmother. In 2014, Harvest 18 was up and running in Durham. And while 18 Seaboard closed in July 2019 due to developers buying Smith out of his contract, its menu is enjoying a second act at Smith’s other two restaurants. When he’s not working, Smith cooks for his wife Lauren, daughter Sutton (13), and son Lawson (8). But they all share his love for dining out, especially on their frequent trips to North Carolina’s beaches. Smith’s story is one of hard work and the usual ups and downs of the restaurant business. He shared with us how that kind of experience has allowed him to push through the pandemic and still see brighter days ahead.
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT
Chef Jason Smith. Smith turns the wahoo for his Grilled Wahoo Tacos with Street Corn Salsa and Cabbage. (See recipe on page 25.) Smith slices the skirt steak for the fajitas. (See recipe on page 23.) Smith grills watermelon for his Pickled Shrimp and Grilled Watermelon Salad. (See recipe on page 24.) Fallon's Flowers arranged a colorful, menu-enhancing bouquet for the festivities.
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Bon appétit!
Do you remember where you first got a feel for cooking
Both of my grandmothers were excellent cooks—both Southern, of course. My Grandmother Smith was a little more rustic, more down-home. My Grandmother Lloyd is still living at 91 and can still cook. She was a little more “Southern Living.” Both of them could make desserts. My Grandmother Lloyd is an excellent dessert cook. I always loved food. The other thing I really loved was when my dad and I would commute back and forth from Raleigh—we would stop at different places. Back then, you took [U.S. Route] 421. We’d go off the beaten path a little bit to find places, whether it was a McDonald’s or th Green Top Inn or Stephenson’s Bar-B-Q. That was always exciting to me. To this day, going out to eat—it’s almost like before you go out to eat is more exciting than actually eating. It’s like an adventure.
All of your restaurants have 18 in the name. Where did that come from?
When we opened 18 Seaboard, we named it after the address—18 Seaboard Avenue—and we adopted 18 as our lucky number. But there’s no luck in the restaurant business, just hard work. We’re kind of happy rolling 18s for now.
Chefs and restaurants have taken on an elevated status in recent years. Are you happy to see your industry held in such high regard?
The independent, full-service restaurant community is a pretty neat thing and I like being a part of it. I enjoy the entrepreneur side of it—the leadership side of it— interacting with co-workers, customers, the purveyors. All of those conversations are really engaging and healthy.
Restaurants felt the brunt of COVID-19. How have your businesses weathered the tough times?
Being a chef is different than it was before. The pandemic has really set the industry back, as you can imagine. I think it’s going to be a long time before we really see [improvement], and it makes me sad because the staffin crisis is not just the unemployment benefits that hav taken place. There are so many talented, passionate young people who have left the industry and probably aren’t coming back.
How did you come up with a plan to survive the shutdown?
I woke up one day and decided to do curbside, and I pulled out some of the Seaboard dishes. So I went to Harvest, prepped about five dishes, transported them ove here (to Cantina) and put it on social media. It put some
wind in our sails. There were Seaboard customers who were picking up Seaboard food and they were excited we had it. Seaboard has been the gift that keeps on giving.
I know you like cooking on a wood-fir d grill, and there are more people who can cook that way from their own backyard. How did you develop that interest?
At Seaboard, I knew I wanted a wood-fir d grill. It was kind of the heartbeat of the restaurant for a long time. At Harvest, we still have a wood-fir d grill, and we have a very similar menu as Seaboard. The salmon cooks up really well. We put the meatloaf on the wood-fir d grill, and it eats like a steak. I always liked cooking on fire. I like camping and bein outdoors. Our backyard is pretty wooded. When we added the fire pit, it was going to be just for fires, but when added the grill grate on top of it, it cooked like a champ! It’s an awesome grill. I’ve cooked on it 50 or 60 times. I have a lot of fun with it, getting the kids around the fire us pulling some wood from falling timber in the woods behind us. I just like the flavor of it
What’s the process of coming up with a new recipe?
I think of it as being inspired. Some of it is what’s in season. I like having stuff that’s fresh and fun. I’m a lot more of a function over form guy. I didn’t want any of my restaurants to be an intellectual test, and I want everybody to feel welcome. Seaboard had that menu. I don’t mind a little nuance here and there, but the protein that’s in the center of the plate on my dish? You’re going to be able to see it.
PERSONALIZE YOUR SUMMER SOIREE MENU
Hosting a summer gathering but don’t feel like cooking? Hire a personal chef, then sit back and watch the magic happen. Here are a few personal chefs who service the Triangle.
CHEF MARIO’S
Mario Huante 919.781.4141 chefmario.com
ELITE PERSONAL CHEFS
864.430.0925 elitepersonalchefs.com
THE FOOD FAIRY
919.759.5649 foodfairy.com
KATT IN THE KITCHEN
919.260.1530 kattinthekitchen.com
KRISTEN RUSSELL
Plant-based personal chef chefkristenr.com
LOVE AT FIRST BITE
Brian Adornetto 919.999.7598 loveatfirstbite.ne
MIXING MAMA
Chef Lovee 800.515.6046 mixingmama.com
TASTE BUDS
Jimmy Eskridge 919.812.9617 tastebudsnc.com
ZACKI’S CULINARY CREATIONS
919.360.7744 zackisculinarycreations.com
OR … HAVE IT DELIVERED!
Check out these services to enjoy the convenience of a personal chef-created meal delivered to your doorstep.
CATERING WORKS
919.828.5932 cateringworks.com/specials/ family-meals
TASTEFULLY SERVED
919.760.5134 tastefully-served.com
FIRE PIT RECIPES
Summer is a great time to take the party outdoors. Whether you’re gathering with friends for a full fire pit menu, or making s’mores for the kids to munch on during an outdoor movie, fire-grilled fare puts a tasty twist on summer fun. Chef Jason Smith of Cantina 18 and Harvest 18 knows his way around the grill grate. His fire pit–grilled creations will wow your guests and make for a memorable summer evening.
GRILLED SKIRT STEAK FAJITAS Ingredients
2 pounds of trimmed skirt steak (about 1 whole steak), cut crosswise into 5- to 6-inch pieces Steak fajita marinade (see recipe below) 1 large red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch-wide strips 1 large yellow bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch-wide strips 1 white or yellow onion, cut into ½-inch slices 12–16 fresh flour or corn tortillas, hot Enough canola oil to brush on top of the vegetables
Directions
Set aside ½ cup of the marinade to brush on the vegetables. Use the remaining marinade for the steak, and let it soak for 4–6 hours. Get your grill hot then cook the steak to your desired temperature. While the steak cooks, sauté the vegetables brushed with marinade in a little bit of oil until softened, for about 4 minutes. Once the steak is cooked, heat the skillet pan over the fi e pit. Lay the vegetables on the bottom of the skillet pan and, once grilled, lay them on top of the warm tortillas, then top them with the grilled skirt steak. Tip: Give your fajitas the extra smoke effect by splashing a small amount of water onto the skillet, then placing the tortillas on the skillet before serving them.
Steak Fajita Marinade Ingredients
½ cup of soy sauce ½ cup of lime juice from 6–8 limes ½ cup of canola oil ¼ cup of packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons of ground cumin seed 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon of chili powder 3 medium cloves of garlic, fiely minced
Directions
Mix all ingredients together, then reserve ½ cup of it to brush on top of the vegetables. Use the rest of it to marinate the skirt steak.
2 watermelon slices, grilled till charred on the outside 3 cups of arugula 1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved A handful of fresh basil Basil honey vinaigrette (see recipe below) Pickled shrimp (see recipe below)
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and serve.
Pickled Shrimp Ingredients
1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp 2 cups of finely sliced yellow onions 2 cups of rice wine vinegar 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil 2 lemons, thinly sliced Juice from ½ of a fresh-squeezed lemon 8 bay leaves, crushed 2 teaspoons of minced garlic 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt 2 teaspoons of celery seeds 2 teaspoons of red pepper flake
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the shrimp. Remove the pot from heat and let them cook for 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp and add them to the marinade. Cover them and make sure they are submerged for at least 4–6 hours; then they will be ready to serve. Pickled shrimp keeps for 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Basil Honey Vinaigrette Ingredients
¼ cup of rice wine vinegar ½ shallot, finely mince 2 tablespoons of honey 4 basil leaves, cut with a thin chiffonade technique ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine all items except for the olive oil and whisk vigorously. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerated, simply re-whisk all ingredients together.
GRILLED WAHOO TACOS WITH STREET CORN SALSA AND CABBAGE Ingredients
1 whole wahoo filet, skinne and cut into 2-inch chunks and marinated (see marinade recipe below) Flour tortillas of choice ½ head of cabbage, shredded finel Street corn salsa (see recipe below) Fresh limes to squeeze on top
Directions
Layer grilled wahoo on a tortilla with corn salsa on the bottom and cabbage on top.
Fish Marinade Ingredients
18 cloves of garlic 1½ onions, quartered 1½ red bell peppers, quartered ¾ cup of olive oil ¾ cup of rice wine vinegar 3 tablespoons of paprika 3 tablespoons of chili powder 3 teaspoons of salt 1½ teaspoons of black pepper 3 bunches of cilantro, chopped roughly 3 tablespoons of lime juice 2 limes, cut into rounds
Directions
Blend all items together, except for the lime rounds, and place them in a bowl. Add the fish and marinate it anywhere from 6–8 hours. Grill over an open flame till there is a nice char on the outside— about 4 minutes.
Street Corn Salsa Ingredients
6 ears of roasted corn 2 diced jalapeños 1 red onion, diced 1 bunch of cilantro, diced 2 tablespoons of Valentina hot sauce 3 tablespoons of paprika, chili powder and cayenne combined 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar 4 cups of Duke’s mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and serve right away or chill.
