others in supporting a bold, new initiative. by DaryL CarSOn

M E E T T H E C H E F

CREATIVE COMFORT FOOD

by SUE CUShMAN PHOTOS AlliSoN NiCkEll

The Cru Café, a locals’ and foodie favorite in Charleston, South Carolina, can be found in an 18th century, single-family style home on Pinckney Street. The setting is classic yet inviting, just like the fare. Cru Café along with Cru Catering offer the best in upscale, comfort food—think mac ’n cheese with crawfish—along with a wine list tailored to the varied menu and rich desserts.

“When it comes to food, I like to play the field,” says chef and owner John Zucker. “That’s what makes the combination of a catering business and a restaurant perfect for me—I can’t be loyal to just one genre.”

The food from Cru is probably best described as “eclectic modern American Cuisine,” so-called because of the Italian, Asian, Southern, Southwestern, and Caribbean influences that are so evident in Zucker’s style. “One of my favorite things about being a chef,” he says, “is working directly with people—sitting down one-on-one to create a custom menu that is interesting and innovative.”

The chef is also a big fan of sustainable seafood and a firm believer in its culinary and environmental benefits. Zucker is an honorary partner of The South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. The program is designed to promote the use of local and sustainable seafood in South Carolina’s restaurants. It helps ensure that consumers have fish for the future by educating participating chefs about sustainable seafood issues and promoting local seafood products. It also works to educate the public and encourages consumers to dine at partner restaurants.

The program is guided by an interdisciplinary and diverse steering committee, ensuring that it balances the needs of the environment with the world population’s need for seafood. Chef Zucker adheres to these guidelines and it reflects in the dishes he serves. Zucker’s fish are less than 24 hours old when they arrive in his kitchen, thanks to a relationship with a local seafood supplier. The results are divine.

Former executive chef for Sonoma Café and Wine Bar in Charleston, today Zucker is one of the most sought-after restaurant consultants in the Southeast. He returned to Charleston 10 years ago to open Cru Catering, a full-service, customized catering company, and opened Cru Café, featuring upscale comfort food, eight years ago.

Zucker’s background is what makes his expertise so valuable to would-be restaurateurs and restaurant-goers alike. Zucker has 25 years experience in the hospitality industry. The top graduate of his class from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, he’s also studied under Wolfgang Puck at Spago in Las Vegas, where he adopted Puck’s rigid standards, “Do it right and use the best possible ingredients.”

It’s a motto that has helped Cru Café and Cru Catering win acclaim, both for the sustainable food they serve, and the menus they create.

Chef John Zucker–Chef and Owner, Cru Café

Four Cheese Macaroni

iNiTiAl PREP

2 qt Heavy Cream (reduced in half) 1 lb Pasta (we use orecchiette) 1 cup Pepper Jack (hand-grated) 1 cup Aged Cheddar (hand-grated) 1 cup Fontina (hand-grated) 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese (hand-grated) ¼ cup Olive Oil

FoR FiNAl CookiNG

½ cup Pepper Jack (hand-grated) ½ cup Aged Cheddar (hand-grated) ½ cup Fontina (hand-grated) ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese (hand-grated) 2 cups Crawfish Tails Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Reduce cream in half in a medium size sauce pan. Cook the pasta in salted water “el dente.” Cool down rapidly in cold water, and then drain all excess water. Coat the pasta lightly in olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside. Grate all the cheeses by hand, keeping them separate. It is important to grate all the cheese by hand. Prebought grated cheese tends to have corn starch added to the cheese. This will change the texture of your final product. When the cream is reduced, whisk in the cheeses, (all one-cup cheeses), under a low heat until fully melted. Set aside off the heat or on a very low heat to keep warm. Add together in a big mixing bowl the rest of the cheese, pasta, crawfish, and cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix very well without breaking up the pasta. Add the final ingredients to a casserole pan and then bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown on top.

Thai Seafood Risotto (Serves four)

Making the Risotto

1 ea Box Risotto (usually a one-pound box) 1 ea Whole White Onion, finely diced 2 cups White Wine 1 ¼ qt Chicken Stock (this may vary depending on the risotto) ¼ cup Olive Oil

Seafood

12 ea Mussels 4 ea U-10 Scallops 1 lb Seafood (tuna, grouper, salmon, etc.), cut into ¼-inch cubes 8 ea 21-26 Shrimp ¼ cup Olive Oil 1 cup Chicken Stock (or fish stock, or shrimp stock, this can vary) 2T Chopped Shallots 1T Chopped Garlic 2T Coconut Milk 2T Soy Sauce 1 ea Chopped Tomato (prefer Concasse) 1 ea Julienne Red Pepper 1 ea Julienne Poblano Pepper 1T Chiffonade Thai Basil ½ t Fish Sauce ¼ cup Unsalted Butter ½ t Chopped Thyme 1T Hot Sauce (or cayenne)

Over medium-high, heat a large sauce pan. Add the oil to the hot pan and then the diced onions. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the risotto and continue to sauté, STIRRING CONSTANTLY with a wooden spoon, until the risotto becomes slightly translucent. Add the white wine and continue stirring until the wine has been absorbed by the risotto. VERY IMPORTANT, always stir your risotto to help bring out the natural starches and creamy consistency of the rice. Add the chicken stock one cup at a time, continuing to stir. Always wait until the risotto has absorbed the stock before you add more. Continue this process until the rice is “el dente”. Place the almostcooked risotto on a sheet tray and spread it out to cool down. Place in the refrigerator until cool.

Heat over medium high heat a large sauté pan or a risotto sauté pan. Place all the seafood on a plate and season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the already hot sauté pan. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Add all your seafood and sear until half cooked. Remove the seafood from the pan and place on another plate. Add your tomato, julienne peppers, and risotto to the pan. Stir in, with a wooden spoon, ¼ cup of chicken stock. Always continue to stir the risotto. Then slowly add the coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, and more chicken stock. Add the seafood, continuing to stir. Last, add the basil, thyme, and butter, continuing to stir. Add more stock if needed to create a creamy consistency. All this happens with a hot pan. The risotto should still be slightly “el dente.” Arrange the seafood around the risotto in four large bowls.