StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine: Issue 30 (Boston)

ISSUE 30 | BOSTON

DEAR BOSTON

SURVIVING WITH 420 EMPTY SEATS

SEASON TO CHANGE

DIFFERENT WORLD WINE JUST SAY NO TO PLEXIGLASS

$5.00 ISBN 978-1-7357675-0-5

50500>

9 781735 767505

Š 2018 Nestle Waters North America Inc.

Chefs know that place impacts taste.

Each source carries the nuances of its place of origin, bears its own terroir.

With its smooth, velvety taste, Acqua Panna from the hills of Tuscany and S.Pellegrino, naturally filtered by the Italian Alps, have been enhancing the flavors of the most exceptional dishes for centuries.

Chefs trust ingredients straight from the source to make the most memorable meals.

Chefs trust Acqua Panna and S. Pellegrino.

THE FINE DINING WATERS THE FINE DINING WATERS

For more visit: www.sanpellegrino.com/us

THE FINE DINING WATERSTHE FINE DINING WA

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In This Issue 10

16 36

SEASON TO CHANGE

Pastry Chef Mary Edinger held on to her job at Season To Taste as it necessarily transformed to Season To Go. She found she missed fine dining almost as much as she missed her colleagues.

DEAR BOSTON

A message from Ana Sortun

42 8

52

64

SURVIVING WITH 420 EMPTY SEATS

How Chef Ciro Fodera of Capo pivoted his high-volume behemoth to a successful delivery-only operation.

42

YES, I’M AN OWNER

Bartender and worker/owner at the cooperatively run Tanám, Kyisha Davenport shares her experiences and thoughts on women of color in hospitality leadership and breaking into bartending as a Black woman in Boston.

On the cover: Kit Collins is a multimedia artist based in Medford, Massachusetts. She specializes in illustration, custom art, site-specific murals, product design, cartooning, and teaching workshops. In addition to the cover, she designed the map on p. 86. @kitschcollin

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BOSTON VOICES

In June, we reached out to the more than 75 hospitality professionals whom we had the pleasure and privilege of meeting during the several months leading up to the pandemic. We asked, “How are you holding up?” These are some of their responses.

DIFFERENT WORLD WINE

Rising Star Sommelier Jaimie Puckett checked in with fellow rockstar Boston Somms Charlie Gaeta, Haley Fortier, and Dustin Cutler to see how they’re navigating the covid crisis and planning for an uncertain future.

JUST SAY NO TO PLEXIGLASS

Co-owner of Pammy’s with her husband, Chef Chris Willis, Pam Willis talks restaurant design challenges and other restaurateur concerns in a post coronavirus world.

4

LETTER FROM TEAM STARCHEFS

6

COMFORT NOTEBOOK

8

BY THE NUMBERS

14

RISING STARS AND THE CAUSES THEY SUPPORT

82

I SUPPORT

85

AD GUIDE

86

RISING STARS MAP

34

17 12 20 24 27 31

34 17 39

CHEFS MICHAEL BERGIN formerly of The Salty Pig

72

ICE CREAM MAKER ALYSSA LIEBERMAN New City Microcreamery

SOPHIE GEES Oleana

74

56

SUSTAINABILITY CHARLIE FOSTER Woods Hill

PÂTISSIÈRE HANA QUON Cafe Madeleine

77

MICHAEL LOMBARDI SRV & KEVIN O’DONNELL Giusto Newport (formerly of SRV)

58

RESTAURATEUR TIFFANI FAISON Big Heart Hospitality

KOJI ALCHEMIST RICH SHIH OurCookQuest

80

62

BRIAN PASZKO Alcove

SOMMELIERS LAUREN FRIEL Rebel Rebel

ROASTER ROBERT RODRIGUEZ formerly of Night Shift Coffee

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63

MENTOR JAMIE BISSONNETTE Toro, Coppa, & Little Donkey

GAME CHANGER TRACY CHANG PAGU

66

BARTENDERS WILL PIQUETTE Alcove

68

RYAN LOTZ Traveler Street Hospitality

JOSH ELLIOTT Toro NATHAN GOULD

formerly of O Ya

JEREMY KEAN Brassica Kitchen + Cafe

COMMUNITY SĀSHA COLEMAN & ELLIE TIGLAO Tanám

46 49

PASTRY CHEFS MICHELLE BOLAND formerly of Oak+Rowan

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JAIMIE PUCKETT Boulud

formerly of Bar

StarChefs Rising Stars Supporters Symrise, Steelite International, Vitamix Commercial, Niman Ranch, S.Pellegrino, Kikkoman USA, True Aussie Lamb, Wines from Spain, Butter of Europe, TCHO Chocolate, St. Supéry, Centerline by Hobart, Compass Group, Fresh Origins, Lone Mountain Wagyu, Savencia Cheese USA, Corto Olive Co., Buffalo Trace

Letter from Team StarChefs MOVING THE INDUSTRY FORWARD FOR 25 YEARS StarChefs' mission is to serve as a catalyst for culinary professionals to succeed at the highest possible standard, and to give them the tools they need to meet and overcome the many challenges they face.

Antoinette Bruno CEO

Will Blunt MANAGING PARTNER

Sean Kenniff DEPUTY EDITOR

Nicole Borden MARKETING MANAGER

Erin Lettera PR & SOCIAL MEDIA

Jaclyn Warren PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Olivia Hebrand MARKETING COORDINATOR Ivy Croteau ASSOCIATE MARKETING MANAGER Becki Kozel DESIGN DIRECTOR

Amelia Schwartz EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Julia Abanavas CULINARY AMBASSADOR Stefon Kelly DESIGNER

Julia Pinto EDITORIAL INTERN

During the coronavirus lockdown and the tidal wave of shit that followed, StarChefs was among the fortunate. After several precarious weeks, we returned to work. Our team is a bit smaller, sadly, and there was so much to figure out—it was disorienting, like a free fall. But Boston saved us. We scrapped the original outline for this magazine. It was irrelevant. We reached out to Boston chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders, somms, roasters, ice cream makers, and one koji alchemist, and found we were even more inspired than when we first met and ate with them—no masks or plexiglass required. During this time of crisis, Boston has shown what it’s made of: generosity, ingenuity, and perseverance—and plenty chicken parm.

At Pammy’s, Pam and Chris Willis initially pivoted to parms and Italian heroes. But more than that, during the transition, employees who were unable to collect unemployment remained on the Willis’ payroll—even when there was no work to be done. Mary Edinger not only hung on to her job as pastry chef and baker at Season To Taste as it transformed into Season To Go, but she thrived. At Capo, Chef Ciro Fodera managed to make an incredibly successful transition to pick-up and delivery, while managing to keep almost his entire precoronavirus staff on payroll. Wine folks figured out how to continue to bring wine and wine experiences to the people, like Charlie Geata of Big Heart Hospitality. Others became active in their communities, like Rising Star Tracy Chang who co-founded two nonprofits. (Flip to p. 14 to see how Boston is supporting it’s communities.) Inspired by her Boston peers, Ana Sortun has a message for you on p. 16. And we posted a flurry of heartfelt messages on the Boston Voices bulletin board at the center of this magazine.

During the Beforetimes, Boston was a leader in terms of transparent accounting, profit sharing, and worker-owned cooperative work places. We hope that continues. Led by women of color, Tanám is a prime example. We talked to Tanám Worker/Owner and Bartender Kyisha Davenport about racism, anti-racism, and navigating the industry as a black woman. We hope Boston takes her lead. Check out her thoughts and experiences on p. 42. At a time when we have lost so much, Davenport shows us what the industry has to gain from black women leaders.

StarChefs stands with the Black Lives Matter movement and for equality for all QT/BIPOC in the industry. In these pages we have always strived for diversity and inclusion. Too often we’ve fallen short.

But we’ll never give up. You can hold us accountable to that.

For advertising and special event opportunities please contact us at market@starchefsinc.com or call 212.966. 7575.

For subscription inquiries, email subscribe@starchefsinc.com.

PUBLISHED BY STARCHEFS, INC. COPYRIGHT © 2020

Hospitality never left us. It just looks a little different now. All the progress that chefs have made, especially during the last couple decades—becoming leaders not only of kitchens and restaurants, but of neighborhoods on up to global leadership, as with the heroic José Andrés—has been leading to this. This is the moment hospitality professionals were preparing for. It’s time to make things better, and make the hospitality industry an example for everyone. The work has already begun in Boston.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCE THE BOOK OR PORTIONS THEREOF IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER. STARCHEFS 217 HAVEMEYER STREET, 3RD FLOOR, BROOKLYN, NY 11211 (212) 966 - 3775 | STARCHEFS.COM

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Team StarChefs

Comfort Notebook A TALE OF TWO PIZZAS

During such a chaotic time, few foods provide comfort like the noble pizza.

It’s also a great way to utilize that sourdough starter many chefs took home to feed like a class pet during the lockdown. “My wife’s favorite food is pizza,” says Pastry Chef Brian Mercury of Puritan & Company. “We could eat pizza every day and not be upset.” But after being furloughed, Mercury decided to avoid delivery fees by creating his own pies. For hours, he watched Youtube videos of heavy Italian men tossing dough, and settled on a Roman-Sicilian hybrid. The 24-hour fermented dough becomes focaccialike, but thinner, more sour, and with an airy, open crumb. Assembly: cheese first (ricotta, parm, mozz), followed by San Marzano tomato sauce, and, lastly, basil and garlic. Now that Puritan & Co. is back in service, guests can order Mercury’s pizza every Thursday. While Mercury’s pizza was a want, Chef Marc Sheehan’s pizza was a need. “I struggled with not having been home to cook dinner in ten years,” says the Loyal Nine chef.

With limited equipment and ingredients, Sheehan turned to the upsidedown cast iron pizza. He starts with the toppings, like leftover cabbage and potatoes sautéed in beef fat, then adds mozz (or whatever), and caps it with a yeasted rye dough, just ’cause. Bake it. Flip it. Slice it. Eat more pizza.

A HANKERING FOR DIM SUM

With a home pantry full of lacto-fermented produce and a little free time, Chef/Baker Kat Bayle was in search of a new project. “I was looking for something that takes a lot of time and has a lot of steps,” she says. After a sudden craving for dim sum, it hit her: dumplings. Although Bayle has made dumplings in the Field & Vine kitchen, doing it at home, with no fancy equipment, is a whole new ball game. She starts by making a basic dumpling dough, rolls it out, scales, divides, and rolls again into small rounds. With the help of her boyfriend, she fills the dumplings with whatever she’s got on hand. Ultra-fragrant lacto-fermented ramps, for instance, were combined with Szechuan-style shrimp for a play on shrimp and chive dumplings. “They were the fastest we’ve ever shaped because they were so fucking smelly, but the flavor was amazing,” says Bayle. Dumplings are not only a quarantine hobby for Bayle, they have become a blank slate for flavor experimentation—flavors that will join her upon her return to the Field & Vine kitchen.

FROM THE GROUND UP

The mandated closure of restaurants forced Stillwater Chef/Owner Sarah Wade to furlough the majority of her staff. This left Wade running Stillwater’s delivery and to-go program on her own. During the little time she spent cooking at home, she’d rely on her box of Walden Local Meat.

The farm co-op delivers monthly collections of local meat, from ossobuco to ham hocks. But what really comes in handy is their assortment of ground meat. Wade grabs ground pork, beef, veal—whatever’s in the freezer—for quick and easy meatballs. “I can always put a fun twist on [the meatballs],” says Wade. “I love ground lamb with feta and oregano, and buffalo chicken meatballs are always delicious.” She zhuzhes them up with white wine sauce, throws them over some rice, or eats them plain—whatever she has time for. Meatballs wait for no woman.

P H OTO S : J A C LY N WA R R E N

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Raised with care and so much more... ®

“

Niman Ranch Beef has always stood for the same commitment to quality, professionalism and excellence that we strive for in our restaurants and I esteem as a Chef. I feel fortunate to have worked with Niman Ranch for over a decade and we look forward to many more.

“

“

Niman Ranch allows me to have a customized meat program in my restaurant for the 100+ experiences we offer.

James Beard Award Best Chef Northwest, Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Chef” and Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 under 40”

Chef Eric Rivera Addo - Seattle, WA Eater Seattle’s 2018 Chef of the Year

“

“

The Niman Ranch Program is a great addition to the select group of cattle ranchers and beef producers we work with at FlintCreek Cattle Co. We admire Niman Ranch’s continuous commitment to working with small ranches who are dedicated to growing some of the most humanly raised, hormone free, Angus beef the United States has to offer.

We often talk about how the restaurant industry is really a people industry.

It’s all about the people who cook and serve you every day. Niman Ranch is all about the farmers.

When you have farmers who really care, you see the difference.

“

Chef Rachel Yang Relay Restaurant Group Seattle, WA

“

James Beard Award Nomination Best Chef Northwest, 2015 StarChefs Rising Star Restaurateurs Award

Chef Eric Donnelly FlintCreek Cattle Co. Seattle, WA

@NimanRanch

“

Chef Jason Wilson Fire & Vine Hospitality Seattle, WA

Learn why the country’s most celebrated chefs choose Niman Ranch at NimanRanch.com

BOSTON 2020

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Bagels Have Not Gone Extinct In Boston

by Amelia Schwartz At Bagelsaurus in Cambridge, Owner and Baker Mary Ting Hyatt is still fermenting, shaping, boiling, and baking hundreds of sourdough bagels a day.

Though these days, the operation is looking a bit different.

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

When the shelter-in-place order was instituted in Boston, Ting Hyatt closed shop. “I thought we were closing for a week, maybe two,” says Ting Hyatt. “I remained hopeful longer than some, but then reality finally set in.” April 1st, Bagelsaurus began doing weekly “stock-your-freezer” sales featuring pre-ordered bagel bundles with a mixed baker’s dozen plus two choices of cream cheese. They sold out in two minutes.

The sale increased to twice a week, then thrice, with additional market items available for sale. By the end of May, Bagelsaurus opened daily with its regular (now limited) menu, available only for pre-order and pick-up. Here are the numbers that make Bagelsaurus roar.

2,500

BY T H E N UM BERS

On average, pounds of flour currently used in a week

1,700

On average, bagels sold per weekend day, pre-coronavirus

AND

Current average of bagels sold per weekday during limited (W/Th/F) operations

350

pounds of cream cheese currently sold in a week (a notable increase from before the coronavirus, due to bulk orders)

90

Additional minutes currently required to shape and bake a day’s worth of bagels, due to less staff, social distancing, and other precautions

30

Age, in years, of sourdough starter

24

Hours bagel dough is fermented

16

Bagel varieties pre-coronavirus, including pretzel, seeded wheat, black olive, onion, deli rye, cheddar garlic, chocolate-chip pretzel, plus the usual suspects and bialys

9

Open hours per day, pre-coronavirus (reduced currently to 7 in order to devote more time to prepping and cleaning)

7

Sandwich varieties, pre-coronavirus. 5 are now currently available (most popular is The Classic Jumbo: fried egg, cheddar, mustard butter)

3

Days it takes to make a batch of bagels

2

Times per day the sourdough starter is fed

1

Reduction in staff due to coronavirus -25

Percent change in sales from pre-coronavirus era to June BOSTON 2020

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SEASON TO CHANGE

by Amelia Schwartz/Illustration by Becki Kozel

On Tuesday, March 24th, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced that non-essential businesses, including restaurants, had to close their doors to customers. On May 8th, fine dining restaurant, The Table at Season To Taste, announced they would close their doors, permanently.

“When we shut down for what we thought would be two weeks back in March, we left all our tools wrapped up in the kitchen,” Edinger says.

Dejected, she kept cooking. As the only Season To Taste employee who worked for both the restaurant and catering aspects of the business, Edinger made it out of The Table’s closure with a job, albeit, a very different one. With large gatherings prohibited and offices closed, Season To Taste rebranded as Season To Go. “I’ve stayed on with this newly branded branch of the company, making desserts for the to-go menu at night and being a one woman bakery on the weekends, doing breakfast pastries out the front door of the old restaurant space.”

Edinger’s day-to-day has been overhauled. The narrow, seasonal prix-fixe dessert menu and experimental bread service is now an ongoing list of approachable baked goods: chocolate layer cakes, peanut butter cookies, and sourdough boules. Her schedule, which used to have her in the kitchen after dark, now has Edinger coming in early, and leaving before 3pm.

The clientele has also changed, with most orders coming from local folks who happen upon Season To Go while scrolling through their delivery apps. Edinger feels isolated.

She misses the hustle and camaraderie of the open kitchen

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and the company of her fellow cooks. Even so, she’s been able to tap into what made her fall in love with baking in the first place.

“It’s stuff that I haven’t done in a while. It’s making muffins or brioche pastries or galettes or turnovers. I’m able to do something different and homey.” After a morning of baking, Edinger can poke her head out the door, suited with gloves and a mask, to sell passersby coffee and pastries. For her, it’s a welcome social interaction, contrasting sharply with the experience of handing off a packaged meal to a delivery person on a bike who rides off into the distance.

Although Edinger and Season To Taste have been through the ringer, they experimented, adapted, and learned. In July, the team decided to reopen their dine-in space (outside only, for now) as a casual gastropub. “[Chef and Owner Robert Harris] was feeling like people weren’t going to go for that more finedining atmosphere in the wake of all this and wanted to do something more accessible and neighborhood friendly at a lower price point,” Edinger says.

Still, she has hope for the future of fine dining. “People will want to celebrate. People will want to eat something that they didn't cook themselves or reheat and assemble from take-out boxes. People will want to feel taken care of.” And Edinger will be able to sit on a milk crate and bond with coworkers again, until the sun rises.

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

“If we had known we wouldn’t be returning as a team, we would have lingered longer in the back alley over beers and cigarettes. Instead, our team has tried to come to terms with our closure over Zoom calls, seeing each other’s faces by the blue light of the computer screen. This is not nearly as poetic as sitting on a circle of milk crates, in the dark, after service—shooting the shit until a delivery guy shows up and someone realizes it’s 4am,” says Pastry Chef and Baker Mary Edinger.

CHE F Although he grew up on Massachusetts’ South Shore, Michael Bergin’s heart was in Italy, homeland to his Sicilian grandfather. Bergin spent summers with his food-loving grandfather, helping out at the produce company he owned, Noe & Sons. Come high school, Bergin became a dishwasher at a local seafood restaurant called The Lobster Tail, where he worked his way up to line cook. After attending culinary school at Johnson & Wales University, Bergin moved to Washington, D.C. to cook at Kafe Leopold. In 2007, he returned to his home state and became executive sous chef at Boston’s now shuttered Sel de la Terre, followed by a post as sous chef at Chef Frank McClelland’s L’Espalier.

P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

In 2011, the opportunity to cook as part of Rising Stars alum Missy Robbins’ team at A Voce lured Bergin to New York City and reconnected him with his Italian roots. Following Robbins' exit in 2013, Bergin moved on to Michelin-starred Del Posto.

Two years later, Bergin circled back to Boston, where he joined two more Rising Stars alumni, Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, at Coppa, before opening Daniel Bojorquez’s The Fat Hen as executive chef. In 2017, Bergin took over the kitchen at South End Italian staple The Salty Pig. As executive chef, Bergin showcases modern takes and global flourishes in his exquisite fresh pasta dishes.

Michael Bergin FORMERLY OF

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THE SALTY PIG

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Sadly, the restaurant suffered a small fire in June, and guests are encouraged to head over to The Salty Pig’s sister establishment, SRV. saltypigboston / michaelbergin Favorite kitchen tool: My brass pasta cutter that I bought in Alba, Italy Tool you wish you had: All of my fatherin-law's copper pans!! They’re from the 70's and are gorgeous...great patina. They don't make them like that anymore.

Favorite cookbook: Cooking By Hand,

by Paul Bertolli. It speaks to the soul.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Rome.

Their food is influenced by so many cultures. It’s a slow food movement in a major metropolitan city.

The history leaves me enamored.

Advice to your younger self: Learn to crawl, learn to walk, then jog, then run.

Know when to slow down. This is a craft.

Build foundations. Question everything.

P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

Taleggio-Fontina Scarpinocc Chef Michael Bergin formerly of The Salty Pig Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 24 servings

METHOD

INGREDIENTS Scarpinocc Dough:

Brodo:

2 kilograms 00 pasta flour 1 kilogram durum flour 2.45 kilograms yolks

1¼ pounds Taleggio, rind removed, shredded 3 ounces Fontina 3 cups heavy cream, reduced until thickened 5 ounces yolks

Olive oil 60 grams coarsely chopped garlic 1050 grams coarsely chopped onion 400 grams coarsely chopped fennel 400 grams coarsely chopped carrot 350 grams coarsely chopped celery 4 bay leaves Salt 1 gram saffron 20 grams vadouvan 350 grams dry white wine

For the Scarpinocc:

To Assemble and Serve:

Flour

Salt Chopped hazelnuts Grated Parmesan

Scarpinocc Filling:

For the Scarpinocc Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook, combine flours, add yolks, and mix. When dough comes together, let hook knead dough for 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

to create a small, lengthwise ridge on either side of stuffed part of pasta. Using a finger, press center of pasta to form a small dimple. Pasta should look like a wrapped candy with a dimple. Transfer Scarpinocc to a sheet tray dusted with flour.

For the Scarpinocc Filling: To a food processor with cheeses, add cream and process until smooth. Add yolks and process 2 minutes, until combined.

For the Brodo: In a heavy pot, heat oil and sweat garlic, onion, fennel, carrot, and celery until tender; season with bay leaves and salt. Add saffron and vadouvan.

When fragrant, deglaze with wine. When alcohol has cooked out, add 1¾ gallons water. Simmer 2½ hours. Strain through a chinois.

For the Scarpinocc: On a floured work surface, roll out Scarpinocc Dough. Using a pasta machine, flatten dough into sheet(s) 3 to 4 millimeters thick. Cut into 2- by 3-inch rectangles. Pipe Scarpinocc Filling lengthwise down center of rectangles, leaving a ¼-inch edge of dough around circumference.

Using your finger, brush water around edges.

Bring long edges together creating a tube. Flip seam side down. Seal short ends by pressing

To Assemble and Serve: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook 7 Scarpinocc until tender; drain. In a pan over medium flame, heat Brodo to simmer. Add Scarpinocc, tossing to coat pasta. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Finish with hazelnuts and parmesan.

Olive oil provided by Corto Olive Co. BOSTON 2020

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JEREMY KEAN RECLAIM THE BLOCK BLACK VISIONS COLLECTIVE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CHARITABLE FOUNDTATIONS AND PROJECTS LISTED HERE, GO TO PAGE 82.

tiffani faison bagly

tracy chang nunu lovin' spoonfuls aspca off their plate project restore us THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK

jamie puckett AUCTION NAPA VALLEY 14

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ryan lotz more than words no kid hungry pine street inn lovin' spoonfuls

brian paszko SPAULDING REHABILITATION NETWORK

sasha coleman DAILY TABLE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS

sophie gees the lost land foundation black lives matter

kevin o'donnel

nathan gould

restaurant strong fund no kid hungry future chefs

world vision

rich shih hana quon michael bergin

RAICES PLANNED PARENTHOOD

will piquette

okra project boston black hospitality coalition

speed rack

restaurant strong fund no kid hungry

michelle boland okra project reach out for schools girl scouts community servings

josh elliott INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT COALITION BEN'S FRIENDS MASS RESTAURANTS UNITED

robert rodriguez alyssa lieberman

black lives matter

THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK SCOOPS FOR HEROES BLACK LIVES MATTER

lauren friel

michael lombardi eji necat no kid hungry

charlie foster NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM HEADING HOME MASS RESTAURANTS UNITED FOUNDATION TO BE NAMED LATER

ellie tiglao ROC UNITED UNITED STATES FEDERATION WORKERS COOPERATIVE BOSTON UJIMA PROJECT

COSECHA RISE YELLOWHAMMER FUND AL OTRO LADO RESPOND THE MARTHA P JOHNSON INSTITUTE BLACK AND PINK BOSTON PLANNED PARENTHOOD NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS COALITION TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST NATIVE WOMEN BLACK LIVES MATTER NATIONAL BAILOUT

BOSTON 2020

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DEAR BOSTON

BY ANA SORTUN - ILLUSTRATION BY JACLYN WARREN This time has been one of the biggest challenges of my life and career. I’m certain that the same goes for you and yours. I’ve never been very good at feeling wobbly or new at something. I’ve never been very good at pandemics or take-away. In fact, I’d never tried either before. I’ve felt as if a big wave has washed over me and left me full of more fear than I had room for. I had fight, I had flight, I had freeze. But I’m in it. I’m crawling through it. Still.

Some of us cooked for hospitals. Many of us jumped on take-away and managed success of it immediately. More than a few of us are closing and not coming back. A handful are still soul searching. The lucky ones now have more outdoor seats than they ever had indoors. ALL are reorganizing while we worry about our staff that cannot collect, who pay taxes but receive nothing. We take care of each other. We’re good at that. We have to be.

As customers deal with our quirky new take-out systems, it does feel like we have a little space, a little more time, and that wage gap between FOH and BOH has momentarily closed— FINALLY. We must ensure that it stays that way.

These past few months, I’ve learned more about this city of amazing chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs than I have in years. I’ve admired so many of your passionate voices through advocacy. I’m in awe that you can still lead during a time when we have no leadership at the highest levels and no answers from those in charge. I’ve listened and learned about your experiences through Zoom and Town Hall and Instagram. I’ve spent less time texting and more time talking on the phone, like the old days. There’s an urge to push for a stronger sense of community and to not suffer the consequences of a lost one. We’ve helped each other. We’re good at that. We have to be.

None of us like putting food in a box. No matter what you do, it looks better on a plate than in a plastic container.

But, I feel a sense of purpose again. We find creative ways of doing what we can, knowing that it’s not going to be like this forever. We rest assured that restaurants are too important to a vibrant city like ours.

We’ll see our dining rooms full again. We’ll hang on.

We’ll adapt. We’ll change.

We’re good at that.

We have to be.

We’re Boston.

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CHEF

B

OS

TON 20

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GAME CHANGER AWARD PR

ESE

PE

NTED

BY

LLEGRIN

O

P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

S.

Tracy Chang

PAGU

From birth, Tracy Chang had a legacy layed out for her. In the 1980’s Chang’s grandmother, ChinFun Shiue, migrated from Taiwan to Boston, where she opened several restaurants, including stalwart sushi spot Tokyo Restaurant. With cooking in her blood, Chang applied to be a host at mod omakase den O Ya— the first restaurant behind James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs Tim and Nancy Cushman—while studying finance at Boston College.

Instead of working the host stand, Chang became a stagiaire and after one month, moved on to prep to line to pastry cook.

After graduating in 2009, Chang moved to Paris to study patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu and stage with MOF Pâtissier Nicolas Bernardé. In 2011, she received a scholarship to cook at three-Michelin-star Restaurante Martín Berasategui in San Sebastian,

Spain. Chang became the “mano derecha” to Berasategui, travelling the world, managing public relations for the chef.

In 2012, she returned to Boston to care for her father (and her pug, Phoebe). Chang became a teaching fellow within Harvard University’s Science and Cooking program, and, in her spare time, collaborated with her former O Ya coworkers to create ramen pop-up Guchi’s Midnight Ramen. She went on to open her own brick and mortar in Cambridge in 2015. PAGU, a name derived from the Japanese translation of “pug,” is her translation of a soulful JapaneseSpanish restaurant, cafe, and bakery.

In 2020, Chang was a semifinalist for James Beard’s “Best Chef: Northeast.”

In the wake of the pandemic, she co-founded two nonprofits: Off Their Plate, which serves frontline

healthcare workers in nine cities nationwide and provides economic relief to restaurant workers; and Project Restore Us, providing the families of essential workers in low-income, high-covid areas with groceries packed by restaurants. tracypagu / gopagu Favorite kitchen tool: Nakiri or Santoku knife Tool you wish you had: The Nakiri knife from Hong Kong I've misplaced Favorite cookbook: Shunju: New Japanese Cuisine by Marcia Iwatate and Takashi Sugimoto Most important kitchen rule: Overcommunicate Places to visit for culinary travel: I’d love to return to Spain and Japan, specifically San Sebastian, Costa Brava, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hokkaido.

Advice to your younger self: Be humble, curious, and take risks. Ask a lot of questions.

BOSTON 2020

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Squid ink bao, fried oysters, pickled cabbage Chef Tracy Chang of PAGU Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 280 bao

INGREDIENTS Nori-Yuzu Kosho Aioli: Yield: 2 quarts

1.5 kilograms aioli 6 grams toasted nori powder 40 grams yuzu kosho Soy sauce Pickled Cabbage: 4 gallons rice vinegar 3.06 kilograms raw cane sugar 760 grams salt 4 heads purple cabbage, shredded

P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

Squid Ink Bao: 3.602 kilograms lukewarm water 202 grams squid ink 216 grams active dry yeast 1.03 kilograms lard 3.546 kilograms all-purpose flour, sifted, plus additional for dusting 3.546 kilograms bread flour, sifted 324 grams milk powder 1.27 kilograms raw cane sugar 34 grams baking powder 34 grams baking soda 169 grams salt Canola oil To Assemble and Serve: Oil for deep frying All-purpose flour Eggs Panko breadcrumbs 280 medium East Coast oysters, shucked Salt 140 shiso leaves, halved

METHOD For the Nori-Yuzu Kosho Aioli: In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Chill.

For the Pickled Cabbage: To a large, non reactive container, add vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cover and shake to dissolve solids. Chill. Add cabbage and allow to pickle 1 hour. Thoroughly drain. Transfer to quart containers. Chill.

For the Squid Ink Bao: In a nonreactive container, use an immersion blender to combine water, ink, and yeast. In a saucepan, melt lard; hold lukewarm. To the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a hook, add remaining dry ingredients. On speed 1, mix 5 minutes. Add water mixture. Mix 10 seconds. Add lard. Mix until dough is homogenous. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Flip dough. On speed 2, mix 5 minutes. Portion and shape dough into nine 1.52-kilogram balls.

Transfer to quart containers lightly coated in nonstick spray. Proof at 90째F with 55 percent humidity for 15 minutes. Rest overnight in refrigerator. On a Rondo sheeter, place 1 dough ball smooth-side down. Starting at thickness setting 27, pass dough through sheeter. Repeat, decreasing thickness by 1 notch after each pass. At notch 10, turn dough sheet 45 degrees. Finish sheeting at notch 4. Using a rolling pin, transfer dough sheet, smoothest-side up, to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Proof at 90째F with 55 percent humidity for 10 minutes. Transfer sheet tray to work surface in walkin. Using two cutting wheels, cut dough sheet into bao portions. Brush with oil and shape into bao. Transfer raw bao to a separate sheet tray for steaming.

Repeat with remaining dough. In a combination oven set to 216째F and 100 percent humidity, steam baos 10 minutes (no more than 4 sheet trays in oven at once). Keep warm.

To Assemble and Serve: In a deep fryer, heat oil to 350째F. Make a dredging station with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Dredge oysters in flour, dip in egg wash, and coat in breadcrumbs.

Fry until golden, about 1 minute; drain. Lightly salt. Make sandwiches with Squid Ink Bao, Nori-Yuzu Kosho Aioli, oyster, Pickled Cabbage, and shiso.

Soy sauce, rice vinegar, and panko breadcrumbs provided by Kikkoman USA Shiso green leaf provided by Fresh Origins

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CHE F

Josh Elliott TORO

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

Josh Elliott grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, with southern hospitality streaming through his veins like so much sweet tea. After working as a dishwasher at Pizza Hut at 16, Elliott committed to a career in the kitchen. He moved to South Florida, where he became a line cook at The Village Grille, and soon after, enrolled at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami. Meanwhile, Elliott cooked at Eos Restaurant at the Viceroy Hotel under Chef Michael Psilakis and Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriott Marquis.

He eventually became sous chef within Pubbelly, the juggernaut restaurant group from Rising Stars alum José Mendín, and then went on to open the Hilton Cabana and its restaurant L’echon Brasserie as executive chef. His last two years in Florida were spent as executive chef at the iconic Raleigh Hotel.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit, devastating the Raleigh Hotel and putting Elliott out of work. He took the opportunity to reroute his life, checking into a 60-day rehabilitation center and tackling the alcoholism that had plagued him for more than 20 years. Elliott and his family moved to Boston in 2018, where he began working for James Beard Award-winning Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette. Now as the executive chef of acclaimed Barcelona-inspired tapas restaurant, Toro, Elliott advocates for the mental health and wellbeing of restaurant workers. He’s an active member of the recovery community and looks forward to launching a Boston chapter of Ben’s Friends, a support group for hospitality professionals who are struggling with addiction. Last year Toro hosted the first sober chef dinner of it's kind on the East Coast, spreading awareness of a dining experience with nonalcoholic beverage pairings. chefjoshuaelliott / toroboston Favorite kitchen tools: Paring knife, mandolin, microplane Tool you wish you had: Tilt skillet Favorite cookbooks: Estela by Ignacio Mattos and Slow Fires by Justin Smillie and Kittie Greenwald Most important kitchen rules: Have a positive attitude, a willingness, and accountability.

What you eat on your nights off: We cook very simply at home: roast chicken, pasta, roast vegetables, lots of scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Places to visit for culinary travel: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Thailand, India, too many places Advice to your younger self: Stay positive and coachable. Never rest on today. Keep pushing.

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P H OTO : E L L I E E L L I OT T

Lamb chops, chermoula, sweet potato vinaigrette Chef Josh Elliott of Toro Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 6 to 9 servings

INGREDIENTS Chermoula Chops: 3 Australian lamb racks 2 cups coriander seeds, toasted, coarsely ground 1 cup fennel seeds, toasted, coarsely ground 1 cup cumin seeds, toasted, coarsely ground ⅓ cup black peppercorns, toasted, coarsely ground 10 pods star anise, toasted, coarsely ground ⅓ cup ground ginger ⅓ cup ground cinnamon ¼ cup cascabel chile powder Sweet Potato Vinaigrette: 3 cups Japanese sweet potato vinegar with honey ½ cup lemon juice 6 tablespoons fish sauce To Assemble and Serve: Salt Date syrup Fleur de sel Olive oil Cilantro sprig and mint leaf mix, held in ice water

METHOD For the Chermoula Chops: French ribs halfway. Cut into chops (riblets). In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make the rub. Apply rub liberally to chops. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

For the Sweet Potato Vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk to combine all ingredients.

When emulsified, transfer to a spray bottle.

To Assemble and Serve: Temper chops. Prepare and heat grill until very hot. Season chops liberally with salt.

Place chops on grill flesh side (not fat side) down. When charred (not burned), remove from grill and lightly brush chops with date syrup. Return ribs to grill to char syrup and cook until rare. Remove from grill and lightly brush chops with more syrup. Shake vinaigrette and spray on chops. Plate chops, finishing with fleur de sel and olive oil. Garnish with herbs.

Lamb racks provided by True Aussie Lamb Olive oil provided by Corto Olive Co.

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CHE F

Nathan Gould

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

FORMERLY OF

O YA

Growing up in New Jersey, Nathan Gould helped around the kitchen as his mother and grandmother cooked traditional French meals. By age 11, he was replicating their recipes best he could. In 2004, Gould enrolled at Johnson & Wales University, with a concentration in culinary nutrition and a stage with Barbara Lynch Gruppo.

Through college, he cooked for Nassau Street Caterer, the Scheide Fund, and Joss & Jules Boutique Catering back home in Princeton, eventually becoming executive chef of the latter two by 2012, as well as culinary manager for Princeton University’s dining services.

During this time, Gould earned his degree from J&W (class of ’07) and in 2009 went back to school at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to pursue a masters in sports nutrition and

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exercise science. He continued to cook on the side, working in a year’s stint as sous chef at Cruz Bay Prime, part of The Westin resort on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2013, Gould moved to another island, Martha’s Vineyard, to become executive sous chef of the Harbor View Hotel.

In less than a year, he was promoted to executive chef, bringing “island-totable” cuisine to the sprawling property.

In 2015, Gould spent one season at the Island’s historic Beach Plum Inn before relocating to Tim and Nancy Cushman’s O Ya in Boston. As chef de cuisine, Gould carries on the legacy of globallyinspired omakase. In winter 2020, he plans to open a wood-fire concept, Shelter, highlighting the bounty of Coastal New England.

ngg183 Favorite kitchen tool: My knives Tool you wish you had: Pasta extruder Favorite food resource: Wild food guidebooks Place to visit for culinary travel: Hawaii Advice to your younger self: Don’t slow down!

INGREDIENTS Evergreen Oil: 1 quart grapeseed oil 1 ounce fresh thyme 1 ounce fresh rosemary 2 ounces spruce tips 8 drops pine oil Persimmon Miso: 1 pound persimmons, peeled, seeded ¼ teaspoon citric acid 2 ounces white miso 1 teaspoon mirin Cherry Blossom Dipping Water: 1 tablespoon salted cherry blossoms ½ cup filtered water ½ cup white soy sauce To Assemble and Serve: Prepared sea bream for sushi Prepared sushi rice Myoga (Japanese ginger), thinly sliced on bias Green onion, thinly sliced Maldon salt

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

METHOD For the Evergreen Oil: Heat the water bath of an immersion circulator to 140°F. In a vacuum bag, combine all ingredients and seal. Cook sous vide 2 hours. Drain.

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

For the Persimmon Miso: To a Vitamix blender, add all the ingredients.

Purée.

For the Cherry Blossom Dipping Water: In a non reactive storage container, combine all ingredients. Allow blossoms to rehydrate for at least 1 hour before use.

Sea bream nigiri, persimmon miso, cherry blossom water

To Assemble and Serve: Dip 1 piece prepared sea bream into Cherry Blossom Dipping Water, and make nigiri.

Place in center of serving plate. Drizzle with Evergreen Oil. Finish with Persimmon Miso, myoga, onion, and salt.

Chef Nathan Gould formerly of O Ya Adapted by StarChefs

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CHEF

Jeremy Kean BRASSICA KITCHEN + CAFE

For Jeremy Kean, Brassica is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and inspired chaos and creativity. And the kitchen within, represents his chosen family.

Kean first earned his chops while working on the line at Barbara Lynch’s flagship Boston restaurant No. 9 Park. There, he discovered a sense of camaraderie and community that propelled him forward, helping him to overcome a rocky past of drug addiction and jail time. He went on to work and train around Boston, most notably cooking for James Beard Award-winning Chef Jody Adams at Rialto, and later at Parisian bistro Aquitaine with Kevin Kielbasa.

Before teaming up with Chef Philip Kruta, Kean temporarily relocated to Bali to teach Western cuisine while studying the island’s native one. He also took a detour to Northern California to help manage a cannabis and vegetable farm and to cook for the employees during the trimming season.

Upon his return to Boston, Kean and Kruta established a Jamaica Plain-based, travelling pop-up series called Whisk in 2012, offering guests a tour de force tasting menu. By 2013, the popular dinners found a regular space on Hanover Street in the North End, before moving to incubator Wink & Nod in the South End in 2014.

After a cross country motorcycle trip together (in which Kean didn’t make it all the way because his wife was pregnant with their first son), Kean and Kruta partnered with Kean’s sister Rebecca (CFO/GM/brains/all around boss) and Noah Todoroff, Beverage Director, to begin the fermentation forward, French-inspired cafe and restaurant, Brassica Kitchen. Kean has refined his unruly, big-flavored cuisine with an eye toward being a closed loop, zero waste restaurant, which feeds back into and enriches Kean’s continuously evolving fermentation program and dynamic menu.

P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

keanjeremy / brassicakitchen Favorite kitchen tool: Spoons Tool you wish you had: Combi oven Most important kitchen rule: Respect What you eat on your nights off: Chinese food… I have kids and don’t go out often.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Macau Advice to your younger self: Understand history and tradition before you question it. Then question the shit out of it.

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INGREDIENTS

Pork-clam XO sauce, fat noodles Chef Jeremy Kean of Brassica Kitchen + Cafe Adapted by StarChefs

Pork-Clam XO Sauce: 4 quarts diced pancetta, caramelized with coconut cream over charcoal 2 cups rendered bacon fat 2 quarts surf clams, roasted 20 minutes on towels, meat cut into strips, liquor reserved (squeeze those towels), patted dry 1 quart pitted Spanish olives in brine 1 quart house árbol chile paste 2 cups black vinegar 2 cups red rice vinegar 2 cups sugar Anything else that seems good

For the Pork-Clam XO Sauce: Heat oven to 350°F. In a roasting pan, combine caramelized pancetta and bacon fat. Roast 45 minutes.

Drain pancetta, reserving meat and fat separately. Roast roasted clam strips in same fat for 45 minutes.

Drain, discarding fat. Return clams to pan, along with pancetta and remaining ingredients, including olive brine and clam liquor. Roast until you’re happy with it.

To Assemble and Serve: On the center of a serving plate, place a couple Fat Noodle cylinders.

Dress generously with XO sauce. Top with cod.

Rice vinegar provided by Kikkoman USA

P H OTO : E R I N L E T T E R A

To Assemble and Serve: Fat noodles, rolled into cylinders Coconut-fried cod

METHOD

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JEREMY KEAN’S

FERMENTATION PANTRY PRIMER (For home or of fice)

Start With

Sauerkraut or kimchi provide the quickest, most successful results and are also good for your gut.

You don’t have to follow the rules; utilize scraps to prevent food waste.

Learn, experiment, and discover what you like. Figure out what works in your own environment, and, most importantly, pay attention to your percentage of salt.

Essential Tools

“Fermenting is a part of our history.

Now with the pandemic, it feels like the start of all this fermenting is a subconscious survival method.”

Resources

(1) The Art of Fermentation

by Sandor Katz: It’s beginner focused. Try a few things out and see if the passion grows.

You’ll either start living and breathing this shit or you’ll be like eh, I don’t care. (2) Instagram personalities like Richard Shih (@ ourcookquest): If you hit a wall, just send a DM. (3) Google.

Use Your Brine

Take advantage of the brines from all your 1 A fermenting crock would be ideal. ferments. Use them the same way a French chef 2 Ingredients for whatever you’ll be fermenting. would cook with wines. Great for marinades.

3 Salt.

Remember

Failing yields far larger rewards than success.

Everytime you fail, you learn something and you’re challenged to try again.

Seasonality

Flavor Booster

Reduce chicken stock, dehydrate to powder, and add a big pinch to kimchi (or whatever), make it Seasons matter for certain things. Miso is better go BAAAAAM. to start in September or October so it can slowly develop through winter, giving it time to get the science working in there that creates depth of flavor.

When it does get warmer, it starts funking up, it has If it isn’t great coming right out of the structure already. I learned that if you’re going to jar, try grilling it. Yes, grilling kimchi. make kimchi in a kitchen that's 80 degrees in Grill it, chop it up, add some butter, and summer, it must go into the fridge sooner.

SLATHER it over boiled corn.

But it really depends on preference of

Grill It

flavor. Some like their kimchi funkyyy; others like it like seasoned vegetables.

Written by Jeremy Kean Illustrations by Becki Kozel

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P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

PAST RYCHEFS CHEF

Michael Lombardi Kevin O’Donnell SRV

Before they were friends, chefs, and business partners, Kevin O’Donnell was growing up in Rhode Island while Michael Lombardi spent his childhood down the road in New Haven, Connecticut. Lombardi entered the hospitality industry during his studies at Boston University, picking up front-ofhouse gigs at area restaurants such as Legal Seafood. Graduating from The School of Management in 2008, Lombardi enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America, and, in 2009, moved to Orvieto, Italy, to cook under the tutelage of Chef Lorenzo Polegri.

Later that year, he returned to the States for a spot on the line at Mark Ladner’s Del Posto in New York.

From a young age, O’Donnell was eager to get cooking. In 2004, he enrolled at Johnson & Wales, and, after earning his degree, he too travelled to Orvieto, interning at Ristorante Zeppelin and meeting Lombardi. O’Donnell briefly returned to Rhode Island to cook at the Castle Hill Inn before returning to

Ristorante Zeppelin as sous chef. Two years later, O’Donnell relocated to New York City for the opportunity to work at Del Posto.

By 2011, Lombardi and O’Donnell had teamed up and were off to Paris to help open lauded restaurant L’Office. In 2012, the two briefly parted ways for Lombardi to join Chef Justin Hilbert’s team at Gwynnett St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and O’Donnell to become executive chef of Boston’s The Salty Pig. After years of developing a concept for a Venetianinspired bacaro restaurant and wine bar and with the help of The Salty Pig owner, Jim Cochener, they opened SRV in 2016.

The eatery won Boston Magazine’s “Best Italian Restaurant” two years in a row and was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards’ “Best New Restaurant.

O’Donnell has since moved on to become chef of Giusto Newport at Hammetts Hotel in Rhode Island. kodonnell47 / srvboston / Mlombardijr

Michael Favorite kitchen tool: Slicing knife Tool you wish you had: Rotary evaporator Favorite cookbook: Josh Niland’s The Whole Fish Cookbook is super inspiring right now.

Most important kitchen rule: Be efficient and have fun.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Sardinia Advice to your younger self: It takes more than just being good. Learn how to relate to and inspire the people around you.

Kevin Favorite kitchen tool: Chef ’s knife Tool you wish you had: Pacojet!

Favorite food resource: On Food and Cooking

by Harold McGee Most important kitchen rule: Taste everything and don't serve it if it doesn't taste good.

What you eat on your nights off: Pho or pizza Place to visit for culinary travel: Italy Advice to your younger self: Keep eating and travelling.

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Wagyu strip steak, erbazzone, sunchoke, hazelnut Chefs Michael Lombardi and Kevin O'Donnell of SRV Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 35 servings

Sunchoke Vinaigrette: 950 grams steamed and peeled sunchokes, liquid from steaming and peeling reserved 60 grams olio verde 45 grams white balsamic 19 grams salt 38 grams olive oil

METHOD For the Erbazzone: In a large pan, heat 60 grams oil and sweat garlic and onion until soft. Add stems and cook until soft. Add greens and cook until wilted. Off heat, fold in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Transfer Erbazzone filling to a sheet tray, spreading mixture evenly. When cooled completely, fold in Parmesan. In the meantime, prepare dough. To an electric pasta maker fitted with a die that produces ropes of dough, add flour, 16 grams salt, 720 grams water, and the remaining oil. Process mixture through pasta maker to produce 10 to 12 ropes of dough. Using a sheeter, hand-crank pasta maker, or a rolling pin, flatten dough until between ⅛- and 1/16-inch thick. Heat oven to 350°F. Form and stuff pies to desired shape and size (remember to fold that parm into the cooled filling first!). On a greased sheet tray, bake pies until golden brown. Keep warm.

For the Sunchoke Vinaigrette: In a food processor, combine all ingredients, including reserved liquid from sunchoke preparation. Process until mixture is a chunky but delicious vinaigrette.

For the Hazelnut Cream: In a pot over medium-low heat, combine milk, hazelnuts, and salt. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and steep 15 minutes. Strain and record weight of infused milk. Transfer milk to a Vitamix blender and sheer in 1 percent agar agar by weight. When combined, pour into a saucepan and bring to simmer.

When agar agar has hydrated, pour mixture onto a sheet tray. When cool and gel-like, transfer to blender and purée. Transfer to a siphon and charge twice.

Hazelnut Cream: 1.6 kilograms mlk 700 grams toasted hazelnuts, crushed 14 grams salt Agar agar

To Assemble and Serve: Cut 1 portion of pie in half to reveal filling and arrange on a serving plate with steak. Discharge siphon to create 3 small domes of Hazelnut Cream next to pie and steak. Garnish domes with hazelnuts. Place a couple spoonfuls of grilled sunchokes tossed in Sunchoke Vinaigrette next to steak. To finish, drizzle jus around plate.

To Assemble and Serve: 1 portion Wagyu strip steak, grilled to temperature, rested, halved Crushed toasted hazelnuts Char-grilled sunchokes, cut into chunks, warmed Veal jus, warmed

Wagyu strip steak provided by Lone Mountain Wagyu Olive oil provided by Corto Olive Co.

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P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

INGREDIENTS Erbazzone (savory pie): 210 grams olive oil, plus additional as needed 300 grams thinly sliced garlic 300 grams small diced onion 300 grams Swiss chard stems 1.5 kilograms Swiss chard greens Salt Black pepper 225 grams parsley leaves 300 grams grated Parmesan 1.6 kilograms Four Star Farms Richland flour, sifted

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P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

CHE F

Brian Paszko ALCOVE

Brian Paszko was born into a family of farmers of Polish descent in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In high school, he cooked for a local catering company which opened his eyes to technique and the aesthetics of composed dishes. Thanks to the encouragement of the company’s owner, Paszko moved to Providence to study food service management and culinary arts at Johnson & Wales. While pursuing his degree, Paszko continued to cook for Russell Morin’s Fine Catering, Chow Fun Food Group, and Hourglass Brasserie. In 2011, he became sous chef of Chef Nemo Bolin’s Cook & Brown Public House.

Seeing great potential in Paszko, Bolin suggested he spend time training on the West Coast. Paszko moved to San Francisco in 2012, becoming chef de partie of Fifth Floor restaurant, under the leadership of Rising Stars alum Chef David 34

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Bazirgan (now chef/owner of Bambara in Cambridge).

For the next two and a half years, Paszko staged at some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area, including Manresa, Atelier Crenn, Quince, SPQR, and Saison.

Collectively, these experiences shaped him into the seafood-loving, “turnip geek” that he is today.

In 2014, Paszko settled in as sous chef for Central Kitchen, finding a mentor in famed Chef and Restaurateur, Thomas McNaughton. After two years, Paszko decided to return to the East Coast. In 2016, he helped Chef Douglass Williams open award-winning Boston pasta eatery, MIDA, as sous chef, then gravitated back to California cuisine as executive sous chef of Mary Dumont’s Cultivar. Next, Paszko joined another Rising Stars alum Tom

Schlesinger-Guidelli as executive sous of his new project, Alcove. Now as chef de cuisine, Paszko blends his talents and influences to curate a regionally-sourced, seafood-centric Meditteranean menu at the historic Lovejoy Wharf space.

paszkocheffing_ / alcoveboston Favorite kitchen tool: Vitamix blender or Kuhn Rikon peeler Tool you wish you had: Imperia pasta sheeter Favorite cookbook: Craft of Cooking by Tom Colicchio Most important kitchen rule: Whatever you're doing, the end result should be delicious.

Where you eat on your nights off: The Whole Foods salad bar that is way too expensive.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Moscow Advice to your younger self: Always strive to work with great products and people.

Scallop crudo, Prosecco soubise

P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

Chef Brian Paszko of Alcove Adapted by StarChefs

INGREDIENTS

METHOD:

Prosecco Soubise:

To Assemble and Serve:

Yield: 24 servings

Yield: 1 serving

3 Spanish onions, thinly 2 small sea scallops, cut into eight pieces sliced Yuzu olive oil 1 sachet consisting of: 2 pods star anise, toasted Salt 4 cloves, toasted Fennel pollen 70 grams Prosecco 1 tablespoon Ultra Tex-3 1 teaspoon soy lecithin

Seagrapes Caviar

For the Prosecco Soubise: To a small stockpot with 600 grams water, add onions and attach and submerge sachet. Simmer until onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain onions and discard sachet. Transfer onions to Vitamix blender with Prosecco. PurĂŠe. While blending, shear in remaining ingredients. Strain through a chinois; cool.

Transfer mixture to siphon and charge twice.

To Assemble and Serve: In a bowl, season scallops with oil and salt. Into a scallop half-shell prepared for plating, discharge Prosecco Soubise, nearly filling the shell. Arrange scallops on top. Finish with fennel pollen, seagrapes, and caviar.

TenderGreens Fennel provided by Fresh Origins

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Surviv ing with 420 Empty Seats

by Erin Lettera

“When this all went down in Boston, it was right before St. Patrick’s Day, a huge day for South Boston. I had just finished writing our specials, and we had a manager meeting regarding how we were going to handle the flow of the crowd for the day, pretty standard stuff. I went out to eat with my girlfriend that night, and they had the TV’s on. The governor came on and basically just said all indoor dining is going to be canceled until further notice. I immediately broke out into a cold sweat and thought to myself, what happens now?”

Ciro Fodera is the chef de cuisine at the wildly popular, 420-seat Italian restaurant Capo in South Boston.

Capo attracts people from all over the city for it’s energetic vibes, wood-fired pizza, and classic Italian dishes. Fodera manages a kitchen staff of more than 40, turning an average of 700 covers on their busiest nights. To have an operation of this magnitude come to a screeching halt is enough to make any chef ’s skin crawl. What about the walk-in filled with product? The hours of prep just completed? And most importantly, what about the staff?

With no time to waste, the Capo team went into overdrive. They already had a small takeout system in place and immediately transitioned to takeout only. Fodera signed up for every delivery service available to supplement the system on Capo’s website and good ole fashioned phone orders.

“I have never seen the ticket machine print so aggressively. The minute we opened at 5pm, until I had to beg the managers to turn the apps off, it just kept printing tickets. At this point, we were still offering the entire menu for

takeout; insane things like tomahawk steaks and whole fish. People were still ordering these more expensive items which really threw me off. We had so many $300 tickets. The volume became impossible to manage. When you have a full restaurant, you can control the flow.

But when everyone was ordering home, the floodgates opened. ‘Fire 26 chicken parms!’ That’s something I never thought I would say. This was just the beginning.

It turned into a tsunami.”

Fodera and his team had a problem.

The wait times for takeout orders were getting longer. After much impassioned discussion, Fodera and his team came to three solutions. (1) Decrease the amount of delivery apps, (2) scale back the delivery radius, or (3) shrink the menu offered for delivery.

“We decided to scale back the radius as step one, which made things more manageable. We went from a four mile radius to a one mile radius. But then we realized the wholesale prices for ingredients in our higher end menu items were fluctuating. So what does that mean cost-wise? If filets are double the price, we aren’t making any money on them. I wanted to continue to generate a profit so I could keep all of my cooks on. And my cooks at this point are nervous. All of their second jobs are closing down entirely and they’re just waiting for the same to happen with Capo. I needed to keep my cooks safe and give them peace of mind.”

Fodera was faced with some tough decisions. The kind of decisions that define a chef. Decisions with consequences. Decisions that require leadership and empathy and every ounce

of experience a chef has built up over the course of a career. Fodera decided to scale back the menu and focus on comfort foods. And then he had to talk to the staff.

“It was the most unsure I’ve ever been about anything. I sat down with each of my cooks individually and told them I would do whatever I could to take care of them and the person next to them on the line. I let them know that it was ok to not feel safe right now and I would see to it that they would have a spot when they did feel safe. Eventually, there were some staff I had to lay off, but it was in order to generate enough revenue so they would have a spot when they came back.”

With a slightly smaller staff, a smaller delivery radius, and a scaled back takeout menu, the team began to find new ways to get product to the people. They rolled out DIY pizza and pasta kits, take-andbake cookie boxes, and easy grab-andgo items like ice cream sandwiches and drumsticks. The kits proved popular, to the tune of 200 a day. That revenue enabled Fodera to bring back a few cooks, leaving just 10 percent of the staff furloughed.

“I love my job. I love what I do. But to feel the appreciation from people having their job is some next level emotion. It’s not just supplying them with a paycheck, it’s supplying them with a means to survive and a sense of normalcy. If you can weather this storm, and just push through, it will pass. Make sure your leadership and morale are intact, because at the end of the day, the people around you are the most important.”

P H OTO S : W I L L B L U N T

ON TOP OF THE

WORLD’S FINEST CUISINE

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P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N

TANÁM

Californian Ellie Tiglao adores bringing people together through food. Her parents, both Filipino immigrants, took her on regular trips to the Tagalog region, where she fell in love with Kamayan feasts. In 2003, Tiglao attended the University of California, Riverside, where she received degrees in art history and neuroscience in 2009. A research technology job at the Massachusetts General Hospital brought Tiglao to Boston in 2010. On the weekends, she would host Kamayaninspired communal dinners, often featuring Senryu Taiko performances, Tiglao’s Japanese drumming group. These dinners shaped the Olio Culinary Collective, Tiglao’s community-focused co-op and catering company founded in 2013.

While operating Olio, Tiglao began work as a program director at East Meets West bookstore and, in addition, started consulting for Jane Doe Inc. events in 2015. She committed to cooking full-time as a personal chef at McLean Hospital in Lincoln in 2016. Meanwhile, Tiglao and her brother, RJ, started Kulinarya, a dual coast pop-up dinner series in Boston and San Francisco featuring Filipinx-American cuisine. When a space opened up in Somerville's Bow Market, Tiglao saw the

opportunity to give Olio and Kulinarya a permanent home with a new name, Tanám.

She just needed a chef and business partner.

Tiglao connected with Sāsha Coleman, who was raised in the restaurant industry.

Coleman’s grandfather is a restaurateur, and her father is a chef. Throughout her adolescence, she worked summers in her family’s Connecticut restaurants. Coleman moved to Boston to join the line at SRV, and also took business courses and did catering on the side. When she met Tiglao, Coleman jumped at the chance to join the Tanám team. She had been searching for opportunities to learn about marginalized foods, and it was rare to see it done by a woman of color. After doing a few festivals and catering events with Tiglao, Coleman recognized the potential for growth.

Tiglao, Coleman, and Bar Director Kyisha Davenport opened Tanám in 2019, with Coleman as chef and kitchen manager.

The intimate Filipinx-American restaurant is focused on culture, storytelling, and guest experience. In addition to their à la carte menu, they have biweekly storytelling 5-course storytelling dinners and kamayan “eat with your hands” feasts.

The Infatuation named Tanám one of 2019’s “Best New Restaurants,” The Boston

Globe named it “Concept of the Year,” and Eater Boston honored it with the title of “Restaurant of the Year.” pac_ahontas / tanamofficial / _archipelaga

Ellie Favorite kitchen tool: Mandolin Tool you wish you had: Food mill Favorite food resources: Relæ: A Book of Ideas and my dad Most important kitchen rule: Be on time.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Back to the Philippines; ideally, for two years; no restaurants, only markets Advice to your younger self: Rest. Not thinking about your work all the time gives you a fresh perspective.

Sāsha Favorite tool: Spoons Tool you wish you had: A juicer Favorite cookbook: The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi and David Zilber Most important kitchen rule: Keep it clean and tight.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Biscuits and black eyed peas with porcini gravy Place to visit for culinary travel: Chicago! I’d love to go to KIKKŌ and Alinea.

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Braised pork belly, ube, kabocha, dukkah Chefs Sāsha Coleman and Ellie Tiglao of Tanám Adapted by StarChefs

INGREDIENTS Braised Pork Belly: Ginger Garlic Bay leaf Black peppercorns Niman Ranch pork belly Salt Berbere spice blend Brown sugar Oil for searing Ube and Kabocha Purées: Kabocha squash Coconut milk, warmed Fish sauce Ube yam

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Dukkah: Garlic chips Toasted pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped Dried Calabrian chiles, toasted and coarsely chopped Salt

METHOD For the Braised Pork Belly: Heat oven to 350°F. Toast ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns.

Rub pork belly with salt, berbere, and brown sugar. Sear in pot, fat side down. Cover with water, add toasted ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns, and season with additional salt. Secure lid and braise pork 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving liquid separately. Chill and thinly slice pork. Pan sear slices until crisp; drain and keep warm. Skim fat from braising liquid and strain through a chinois. Reduce liquid by half. Season with additional brown sugar, berbere, and salt as needed. Keep warm.

For the Ube and Kabocha Purées: Peel, gut, and roast Kabocha until tender. Transfer to a Vitamix blender and purée, adjusting seasoning and consistency with coconut milk and fish sauce. Peel and boil ube until tender.

Transfer to a Vitamix blender and purée, adjusting seasoning and consistency with coconut milk and fish sauce. Keep warm.

For the Dukkah: In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt.

To Assemble and Serve: On a serving plate, spread some of each purée. Top with a slice of pork. Finish with Dukkah.

Pork belly provided by Niman Ranch

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Owner

At Tanám in Somerville, Kyisha Davenport is a bartender and part of the ownership cooperative that runs the worker-owned restaurant in Union Square’s Bow Market. The food and cocktails tell the story of the Filipnx-American experience.

Dining at the James Beard semifinalist spot had been interactive and communal. But since March, Tanám has been closed. Davenport, along with Chefs Ellie Tiglao and Sāsha Coleman, is working on an online interactive dining series and planning for meal delivery. We spoke with Davenport on July 10th. She was in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where she grew up. People were flocking to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Boston was in Phase 3, and, in many other parts of the country, the coronavirus was flaring up. Here’s what was on Davenport’s mind.

(The following is excerpted from our conversation with Davenport, and has been edited for space, clarity, and concision.)

By Kyisha Davenp ort as t old t o StarChefs + +Illustration by Jaclyn Warren I was drawn to Boston for my career (and for that raw bar that one time, if I'm being honest). Since I was a teenager, I’ve worked primarily in hospitality. In 2012, as a bartender at the Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn, I got into labor organizing through the hospitality trade union UNITE HERE Local 100. As a shop steward—an elected on-the-job advocate—I connected with members along the East Coast.

When the opportunity arose to organize with UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston, I moved. Not long after I started, I split, pretty painfully, from the union. I've always struggled with the dynamics of political activism within hospitality. There’s deep work to be done in listening to Black women, protecting us, and respecting our leadership.

Women of Color are not trusted to lead. We aren't afforded that straight out of the gate, like our white male counterparts are.

From the onset of Tanám, our leadership was constantly questioned by lenders, landlords, hospitality folks, and even guests. We had to explain ourselves day in and day out. "Yes, we are the managers. Yes, you are also speaking to the owners.

Yes, all three of us are worker-owners. This is our business."

These interactions happen in seconds, but when they happen multiple times in a day, it adds up.

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[After splitting from the union,] a friend, who now owns and operates her own spot, HASH in Chicago, referred me to her then current workplace. I applied as a bartender, but was told there were only server openings—all good, work is work. But I kept watching nonblack folks come in and work or pick up shifts. Managers came and went. I asked to train on the bar, even to stage. I was never directly told no, but there would be a new white person promoted, hired, and so on. It's like that in the industry, and definitely in Boston. I kept looking, and finally landed a bar gig (two, actually).

Those ended soon, too, because I spoke up about pay, tips sharing, menu development opportunities, and work safety. I found myself being moved off the bar and back onto the floor with less shifts, less income. Long after I left those jobs, old coworkers would reach out to tell me how brave I was, that I was right for speaking up, and how they admired me. Thank you, but when I needed you, where were you? The Strong Black Woman trope is alive and well in our business. We are expected to do the heavy lifting for everyone. And if we fall, well, "You go, girl! You got this!"

Part of the lived experience of Black women are the seemingly insignificant, seemingly invisible slights. We call them microaggressions, but they're actually acceptably racist behaviors.

When I bartended in the Seaport, I had very short hair, having shaved it clean off some months prior. At the heart of my culture is style, switching it up, and pulling from history and my imagination to create newness. One day, we went from short curly hair, to nearly waist-length waves. Overnight, I became that much more appealing! Guests and coworkers were so much nicer. I can still hear my manager's voice, with that mix of surprise, confusion, and… There should be a word for when you know you're being exoticized.

So that was work, and later that day, I went to an old job for a drink. It was still pretty early, moving but not busy. I grabbed a seat at the bar, my usual spot at the end. I waited, and waited. No greeting, no water. It takes a while to build a regular rapport at

"Women of Color need to be leading this industry, period."

bars, and for Black people and people of color, I think it's essential to how we go out. I thought I was safe at this place where I’d worked before. In actuality, I found myself back at square one. Imagine that.

I literally pushed myself up onto the bar, nearly leaning over the drip rail, and called the bartender, "Hey, it's me. It's Kyi." And my guy, he says, "Kyi! I didn't recognize you!" Which is all well and good, but you only serve Black people you recognize? I'm a patron. Sitting right in your face. Ready to pay you.

Why did I have to watch folks come in and be served before me? This kind of treatment is all too familiar to visibly Black and brown people.

The pandemic has forced white people to sit with themselves. Their mindset is that they’re not racist.

But racism is not always an overt or violent action.

White people had to think about the little things they do that have added up over time, and face their own racist behavior. It’s been useful for us. Folks reached out to see how we're doing and how they can help.

It was a relief. It’s extremely exhausting to show up every day and face opposition for just showing up.

We were putting out three menus from a 100-square foot kitchen every day—thoughtful, fresh, explorative menus. To do that every day and still be questioned about your skill level and your position, and be held to such a higher standard, is very frustrating.

Women of Color are not trusted to lead. I’ve been in the hospitality industry since 2009, and we aren't afforded that straight out of the gate, like our white, male counterparts are. Women of Color need to be leading this industry, period.

When we learned of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd's murders, it was interesting to witness the response and the silence within the industry. I was surprised to read posts and articles about restaurants, organizations, and individuals that have no framework or legitimate reputation for being antiracist. I joke about it: "Did you all jump on the same Zoom or something?" If you’re just now acknowledging your whiteness and your complicity in systems that protect your whiteness, and if the day you posted this stuff is the beginning for you, then you've lived nearly all your life inflicting violence on Black people and people of color, without ever being held accountable. And then you go on to donate to these large national organizations, which is all well and good, but it’s also a cop out. The Black people you are now trying to support, are not somewhere far away.

They are the very same Black people who sat at your bar, who you neglected to serve or took 30 minutes to drop a menu and a glass of water.

Boston is a diverse and deeply segregated place. There are conflicting histories behind the divisions—of solidarity, of rebellion. Black and brown people have been largely pushed to the margins of the city.

Open a copy of Boston Magazine and look at the restaurant listings. There are more than 60 Blackowned restaurants in the greater Boston metro area, yet Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan—three BOSTON 2020

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distinct, majority-Black neighborhoods—get lumped into one paragraph, one blurb. It's lazy, it's racist, and it comes from white critics' fear of the spaces we create.

There are only eight Black-owned liquor licenses in the entire city (we hold a portion of one in Somerville). The mayor called for the issue of 15 liquor licenses to minority-owned businesses that can only be transferred to other minority-owned businesses.

But when you think of the number of restaurants in Boston, we are still at a major deficit. Black food folks do not have equitable access to resources to create spaces where we can connect and build. Even our association with Black restaurants and businesses counts against us. When I moved to Boston, I was frustrated with being the only Black woman in the room.

That mental and emotional strain is hard to quantify and put into words. I thought I would be like everyone else and just make drinks. That is just not possible. The ways in which we have to navigate this industry, a lot of folks wouldn't last. Trust.

I'm sure folks think I talk about race too much. To which I say, you're lucky that I do, and for free. Speaking on injustice to bring about justice is always something I've done, and nearly always at a financial, physical, or mental cost. There is no one group, institution, entity, that is not affected by racism.

Intersectionality requires internal upheaval. It's hard work. It’s hard to have those conversations with yourself, your friends, your coworkers, your bosses, and to grapple with the fact that you did harm to people. It’s scary to have to unlearn something because it may not serve you. I understand why organizations, even those somewhat on the margins, still do harm. It’s hard to decenter yourself when all your life you've been so centered that you can't even fathom what goes on for everyone else—it’s the normality of whiteness.

If you’re a nonblack person or not a person of color, you can no longer talk without action. Feel your shame, then keep pushing.

Hire and pay BIPOC equitably. When you screw up, apologize and make it right. Accept that you do not get to decide what right is. Allocate money for racial justice work in your budget.

I and many BIPOC have found that when we start jobs, white people trip over themselves to welcome us. But any difference of opinion we may have on a practice or policy or how we've been treated, makes us a threat. And before long, we find yourself being cast out, our jobs become unbearable, our shifts cut, our erasure and blacklisting imminent.

Back in 2018, I remember introducing myself to a chef who was also opening a business in Bow Market. In short, he told me Tanám was a stupid concept and that we should come work for him when we inevitably failed. Can you imagine this white man speaking to me this way? What I resent is that two years ago I couldn’t have spoken about this. There was no support for it. We would’ve been labeled attention seekers instead of people who experienced racism in a supposedly progressive city. And even now, I don’t fully trust the industry's commitment to antiracism. Check the instagram feeds. See how many pages have gone back to business as usual after posting their black square.

As a kid, playing restaurant was one of my favorite games (next to playing “Ricki Lake,” haha), but I never saw myself owning one. President? Sure. Rockstar? Yes. What drew me to Tanám, and what has always been the bedrock of my work, is collective benefit, cooperative economics, and socio-economic justice.

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Most importantly, if you want to make an impact, you need to redistribute wealth. There is no revolution without reparations.

Hospitality is built off stolen labor—stolen lives, cultures, histories. Boston and Somerville have declared racism a public health emergency. Yet, I can't so much as get a meeting with the Somerville Arts Council to fundraise for QT/BIPOC artists. We know how to lead. We need you to financially contribute to the work we're already doing, or put us in front of the people who will. There are deep wounds that if neglected, will never heal.

Unless we address the original ‘pandemic’ of our society, none of us stands much of a chance. Despite all this, I believe we just might be ready to heal.

Support Black Trans Women to the Front: Mercédes Donnell @lawdhavemerci

gofundme.com/f/medical-transition-for-mercedes Mercédes, aka Merci D., is a Dorchester-based artist, rapper, muse, creative, and leader. To support funding for her safe and healthy medical transition, go to the link above, and follow her work on Instagram. Merci D.’s debut release, “Red Line,” is available wherever you listen to music.

Boston Ujima Project @ujimaboston

A cooperative business, arts, and investment ecosystem built by and for Boston’s working class Black community, Indigenous community, and all People of Color.

CERO (Cooperative Energy, Composting, Recycling, and Organics) @cero.coop

A cooperatively owned and operated commercial composting company based in Dorchester. Deeply rooted in Boston’s working class communities and communities of color, since 2012 CERO has led the way for community-based entrepreneurship and envisioning and developing Boston’s green economy.

Frugal Bookstore @frugalbooks

A community bookstore located in Roxbury with a passion of promoting literacy among children, teens, and adults.

The Urban Grape @urbangrape

The self-described first “progressive” wine shop. Supporters of educational opportunities for BIPOC in hospitality, Owners TJ and Hadley Douglas organize their wines by body, rather than region or grape varietal. You can find a selection of Black-owned producers, women winemakers, and biodynamic wines in store or on their website.

BarNoirBoston @barnoirboston

A QT/BIPOC Arts Collective founded by Kyisha Davenport that addresses the public health emergency of racism through direct funding, action, and the leadership of QT/BIPOC artists. You can demonstrate your support through Cash App $negrohontas or Venmo @Kyi-Davenport. To discuss fundraising, grants, and other financial and non-financial resources, reach out directly to BarNoirBoston@gmail.com.

the delicious is in the details. better cacao beans make better chocolate

tcho.com/pro • (844) 877-8246 •

@tchochocolate

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Michelle Boland FORMERLY OF

OAK + ROWAN

Originally from Groveland, Massachusetts, Michelle Boland didn’t stray far from home when she began her formal culinary training. While studying baking and pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, she cut her teeth at local bakeries D’Orsi’s and Pralines (now Sweet & Flour). After graduating in 2013, Boland baked and decorated cakes at Eat Cake! in Newburyport, Massachusetts, before becoming a pastry intern at legendary Chef Frank McClelland’s finedining institution L’Espalier, which closed in 2018 after 40 years of service. Boland moved on to the Chestnut Hill location of Davio’s, where she perfected the Italian steakhouse’s famous popovers. During her four years at Davio’s, Boland moved to the Lynnfield location.

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In 2017, Boland joined Chef Matt O’Neil for the opening of his new Salem restaurant, Ledger. For two years she stood as the executive pastry chef and helped the team earn Boston Magazine’s “Best of Boston” award for brunch in 2019. When the pastry chef position at Rising Stars alum Nancy Caswell’s Oak + Rowan opened up, Boland jumped at the opportunity to create a menu that reflects her varied experience and a global pantry.

michelleboland Favorite kitchen tool: Rubber spatula Tool you wish you had: Proofer Favorite food resource: Anything Christina Tosi Most important kitchen rule: Note on the order board when you use the last of something!

Places to visit for culinary travel: France and Italy Advice to your younger self: Take your time working in different places. Try not to move up too quickly. Find someone special to learn from.

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INGREDIENTS: Japanese Milk Bread: 952 grams bread flour, plus additional as needed 570 grams whole milk 153 grams unsalted European butter, melted 13 grams milk powder 2 large eggs 22 grams active dry yeast 163 grams sugar 20 grams salt Oil for greasing Egg wash (1:1, yolk:milk) Maldon salt Whipped Matcha Butter: 2 pounds unsalted European butter, tempered 2 teaspoons salt ½ tablespoon matcha powder Shichimi Togarashi Spice: ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 1½ tablespoons dried Mandarin orange zest 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon poppy seeds ¼ sheet kombu, ground to powder

Japanese milk bread, matcha butter, togarashi

Pastry Chef Michelle Boland formerly of Oak + Rowan Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 12 servings

METHOD: For the Japanese Milk Bread: To a pot over medium heat, add 163 grams water, 135 grams flour, 190 grams milk, butter, and milk powder.

Whisk constantly until thick paste forms and all flour has cooked out. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining milk followed by eggs. Transfer starter to bowl of small stand mixer fitted with hook. Add yeast, sugar, salt, and remaining flour. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until dough starts to form. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth, slightly sticky and pulls away from sides of bowl. Transfer dough to greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise in a warm space. Heat convection oven to 325°F. When dough doubles in size, transfer to floured work surface and portion into 1½-ounce balls. Transfer dough balls to short, 4½-inch diameter, greased coffee cups arranged on a sheet tray, placing 4 balls in each cup. Cover with plastic and allow to double in size. Brush risen dough balls with egg wash and top with generous sprinkling of Maldon. Bake 8 minutes, rotate tray, and bake 8 minutes more, until golden brown.

For the Whipped Matcha Butter: To the bowl of a small stand mixer fitted with paddle, add all ingredients. Mix until light and fluffy.

For the Shichimi Togarashi Spice: Toast and grind coriander, peppercorns, and half the sesame to a fine powder. Transfer mixture to a storage container with remaining ingredients, including whole sesame. Shake to combine.

To Assemble and Serve: On a serving plate, place “1 cup” Japanese Milk Bread (sans actual cup). Scoop 1 quenelle Whipped Matcha Butter next to bread. Top butter with generous sprinkle of Shichimi Togarashi Spice.

Butter provided by Butter of Europe

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European butter not only tastes better. It bakes better.

THE CONTENT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT REPRESENTS THE AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW ONLY AND IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR. THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY USE THAT MAY BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN.

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Sophie Gees

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P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

Raised in Natick, Massachusetts, Sophie Gees grew to love food and especially baking. Before studying sociology at nearby Smith College, she spent a summer working at Rosie’s Bakery in Wellesley. As soon as she earned her degree, Gees moved to New York City to pursue a career in cooking. In 2007, she became a pastry prep cook at fine-dining vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine, and, within a few months, was promoted to pastry sous chef. After two and a half years, Gees left the mainland for Maui, where she made sandwiches at 808 Deli along the beach. sgeesy / oleanabuzz Favorite kitchen tool: My 6-wheel pastry cutter. It fills me with joy and rapture to score with precision and ease!

Tool you wish you had: A tiny pastry-only fryer for service. But space is so SO tight!!

Favorite food resource: Pretty much any of Greg and Lucy Malouf's books for inspiration and Middle Eastern cuisine Most important kitchen rule: Say hi to all your coworkers. You're with these folks a zillion hours a week. There's not always time to ask someone how they're doing, but just smiling and recognizing individuals is such a kind and important thing to do in a kitchen.

Build that community!

Place to visit for culinary travel: Morocco!!

Advice to your younger self: Go out to eat at quality restaurants and bakeries as often as you can!

Gees returned to Massachusetts to receive her masters in gastronomy from Boston University. Meanwhile, she worked as a server and bartender at Deep Ellum and Lone Star Taco Bar. Missing the kitchen, Gees went on to work at Christy Timon’s landmark Clear Flour Bread & Bakery in Brookline, where she, “learned a hell of a lot!!” After steeping in European pastry for three years, Gees applied to be a pastry assistant at James Beard Award-winning Chef Ana Sortun’s Middleastern landmark restaurant, Oleana. Five months later, Gees was hired as pastry chef de cuisine.

Under the mentorship of James Beard Award-nominated Pastry Chef Maura Kilpatrick, and with a deep knowledge of Turkish flavors, Gees has created a colorful menu embellishing Sortun and Kilpatrick’s legacy.

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INGREDIENTS Chocolate-Olive Oil Coating: 1⅜ pounds 70 percent dark chocolate, melted 1 cup olive oil Chocolate Marquise: 12 ounces 70 percent dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 8 ounces butter, cubed 8 egg yolks 1⅓ cups powdered sugar, sifted ⅓ cup cocoa powder, sifted 1½ cups sour cream, room temperature 4 egg whites 2 tablespoons sugar Toasted sesame seeds Halva Cream: 1 pound halva, crumbled 1 ounce butter, plus additional as needed ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk 1 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon honey ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pecan Dukkah: 2 tablespoons toasted pecans, finely ground 1 tablespoon sweetened shredded coconut, toasted, finely ground 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds ¾ teaspoon ground cumin 1¼ teaspoons ground coriander ½ teaspoon salt Kataif: 4 ounces Kataif, cut into 2-inch lengths ½ cup Japanese breadcrumbs 2 ounces butter, melted ⅓ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup toasted chopped pecans ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted 1 tablespoon sugar Pear Sorbet: 1 quart pear purée 3 cups sorbet syrup 2 tablespoons lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt 1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom Pear Compote: 6 medium Warren Pears, peeled, diced small ¾ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed 1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 vanilla bean, scraped Grated zest of ½ lemon 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus additional as needed

Chocolate olive oil marquise, halva cream Pastry Chef Sophie Gees of Oleana Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 24 servings

METHOD For the Chocolate-Olive Oil Coating: In a bowl, whisk to combine chocolate and oil. Cool to around 85°F before enrobing Chocolate Marquis, or store in pints.

For the Chocolate Marquise: Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together. Off heat, whisk in yolks, followed by powdered sugar and cocoa. (If the mixture looks broken, don’t be scared, the sour cream will help it come together!) In three additions, whisk sour cream into chocolate mixture. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip egg whites until foamy.

Slowly add sugar, and whip to soft peaks. In three additions, fold meringue into chocolate mixture. Pour in a quarter-sheet tray lined with plastic wrap. Using an offset spatula, smooth the surface. Cover and freeze.

Pour ¾ cup Chocolate-Olive Oil Coating over frozen marquise. Use an offset spatula to create a smooth, thin coat. Freeze until set. Onto a chilled cutting board, flip marquise chocolate-side down. Using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped with a side towel before each cut, score marquise and cut into 24 equal-sized rectangles. Refreeze. Place a wire rack over a plasticwrap lined sheet tray. Using warm Chocolate-Olive Oil Coating in a measuring cup, enrobe 5 marquise at a time. Transfer the wire rack with freshly enrobed marquise to a separate tray and, before chocolateoil sets, top with sesame seeds. Allow to set. Using a small offset spatula, transfer the finished marquise to a parchment-lined storage container. With the help of the plastic wrap, pour the just-used chocolate-oil back into the measuring cup to re-use and enrobe the next batch of marquise. Remember to re-line tray with plastic each time. Repeat until all marquise are enrobed. Refrigerate to allow Chocolate Marquise to thaw slowly for at least two hours before service.

For the Halva Cream: Heat combination oven to 350°F at 30 percent humidity with fan on high. In a food processor, combine halva and butter. While processing, stream

in milk, scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is smooth. Transfer to a buttered loaf pan. Bake 8 minutes, until edges are slightly set and middle is still a bit wiggly. Cool to room temperature. Transfer loaf to food processor; purée. Add sour cream, honey, salt, and vanilla, and process until smooth. Pour into 1/9-pans and allow to set 2 to 3 hours before use.

For the Pecan Dukkah: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

For the Kataif: Heat combination oven to 325°F with no humidity and fan on speed 2. In a bowl, toss to combine Kataif, breadcrumbs, and butter. Add powdered sugar and salt, tossing to coat evenly. On a sheet tray, spread mixture.

Bake, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 10 to 15 Minutes. Cool. Transfer to a bowl with remaining ingredients, including ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Pecan Dukkah, tossing to break up mixture a bit.

For the Pear Sorbet: To a Vitamix blender, add all ingredients; purée. or lemon and salt. Transfer to Pacojet canisters; freeze.

Using Pacojet, process frozen pints. Transfer to 1/9-pans and refreeze for service.

Pear Compote: In a pot over medium-low heat, combine pears, sugar, salt, cardamom, vanilla, and zest; cover. When pears have softened, drain and set aside in a bowl. In a saucepot, reduce liquid until thickened and slightly caramelized.

Season liquid with lemon juice and pour over pears.

Cool completely. Adjust seasoning, as needed, with lemon and salt.

To Assemble and Serve: In the center of a serving plate, spread some Halva Cream. Place Chocolate Marquise on top. To one side, spread a little Kataif. On the opposite side, place 1 quenelle Pear Sorbet and a spoonful of Pear Compote.

Dark chocolate provided by TCHO Chocolate BOSTON 2020

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SUSTA I NA B I LI TY

Charlie Foster WOODS HILL

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Originally from Foxboro, Massachusetts, Charlie Foster studied journalism at Northeastern University, and studied abroad in Spain through a co-op program that had him working for a private family—the Guinnesses of world wide beer fame. He spent his days perfecting his Spanish tortilla technique, connecting with local farmers, and bringing the freshest local produce into the Guinness house. He returned to Boston in 2005 to finish his studies, and was hired by Rising Stars alum Ken Oringer to help open his new tapas concept, Toro. In less than a year, Foster became chef de partie of Oringer’s Clio, the landmark restaurant that ended its nearly 20 year run on New Year’s Eve, 2015.

After earning his degree, Foster took off back to Europe and staged at two-Michelin-starred Frantzen/Lindeberg in Stockholm (now threeMichelin-starred Frantzén). While on the Continent, he also staged at Michelin-starred spot In de Wulf in Belgium. In 2012, he arrived in New York City as executive sous chef of Daniel Boulud’s DBGB, and one year later, was promoted to executive chef.

In 2014, Foster connected with Kristin Canty of The Farm at Woods Hill in Bath, New Hampshire. Hoping to showcase the sustainable bounty from her farm, Canty offered Foster the executive chef role of the farm’s restaurant, Woods Hill Table in Concord. In 2017, the duo opened Adelita, an affordable outlet for the Concord community to enjoy the farm’s meats.

Now with a third restaurant on Boston’s Pier 4, Foster shares his hyper-local New American cuisine along with a message of social and environmental sustainability. woodshillpier4 / woodshilltable / adelitaconcord Favorite kitchen tool: Rational oven Tool you wish you had: None. My kitchens are full of tools.

Favorite cookbook: Relæ: A Book of Ideas by Christian F. Puglisi Most important kitchen rule: Be consistent.

Where you eat on your nights off: Any good Mexican restaurant that I can find Places to visit for culinary travel: Mexico and Italy Advice to your younger self: You’re only as good as your worst dish.

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Sunflower risotto, artichoke, pickled sweet potato

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Chef Charlie Foster of Woods Hill Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS Sunflower Seeds: 4 cups sunflower seeds 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup small diced onion 4 cloves garlic, smashed ½ cup dry white wine 2 cups vegetable stock, plus additional as needed Salt Pickled Sweet Potato: 2 cups cider vinegar ⅔ cup sugar 8 baby garnet sweet potatoes, sliced thinly on mandolin Artichoke Barigoule: 8 artichokes (24 CT), cleaned ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional as needed ½ onion, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, smashed

METHOD 1 carrot, diced large ½ lemon, thinly sliced Salt 2 sprigs parsley 2 bay leaves 4 sprigs thyme ½ cup white wine ½ cup vegetable stock Fried Artichoke: 2 cups sunflower oil, chilled Salt To Assemble and Serve: Vegetable stock 4 ounces butter, diced ¼ cup grated Parmesan ¼ cup medium diced Crucolo cheese 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives Black pepper 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, roasted

For the Sunflower Seeds: In a nonreactive storage container with a lid, soak seeds in 1 gallon water overnight at room temperature. Drain and lightly rinse seeds. In a pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and garlic. Sweat. Add seeds and cook until hot to touch, stirring as necessary. Add wine. When alcohol has cooked off, add stock a few ounces at a time until seeds are tender. Season with salt. Drain seeds, reserving separately from liquid. Transfer one-quarter of the seeds to a Vitamix blender along with the reserved liquid. If there was no liquid leftover, use additional stock. Reserve remaining seeds. Blend on high for 2 minutes, until extremely smooth. Pass through a chinois. Season with salt and set aside with reserved seeds.

For the Pickled Sweet Potato: In a saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and 1 cup water to boil. Arrange potato slices in a nonreactive container. Pour hot pickling liquid over potatoes.

Cool to room temperature.

For the Artichoke Barigoule: Set aside 2 artichokes for the Fried Artichokes.

In a pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion,

garlic, carrot, and lemon. Season with salt. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add parsley, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes. Add wine.

When alcohol has cooked off, add stock. Cover and lightly simmer until artichokes are al dente.

Drain, cool, and sear in more oil. Drain and hold for service.

For the Fried Artichokes: Into a saucepan with cold sunflower oil, shave reserved whole artichokes from barigoule. Heat over medium flame, occasionally stirring, until artichokes become brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

To Assemble and Serve: In a pan over medium heat, combine cooked sunflower seeds, sunflower seed purée, stock, and butter. Add Parmesan, stirring to combine. When mixture has reached desired risotto consistency, right before serving, finish with Crucolo, so it remains intact but warm and gooey. Add lemon juice, chives, and season with black pepper. Spoon into a serving bowl. Top with mushroom, seared artichoke from barigoule, Pickled Sweet Potato, and Fried Artichokes.

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Tiffani Faison BIG HEART HOSPITALITY

From her first job at an ice cream shop, Tiffani Faison could not see a future without hospitality. She moved from her Santa Rosa home to San Francisco and took whatever restaurant jobs she could find, serving and bartending. In 2001, Faison moved to Boston and landed a fortuitous gig as a busser at Todd English’s Bonfire. She became attracted to the chaos of the kitchen and eventually joined the line. Faison split her time between Bonfire and Olives before travelling with English’s team to open more restaurants. She left to work the line at Chef Tony Maws’ Craigie On Maine before moving to Las Vegas for Daniel Boulud Brasserie at Wynn Resort.

In 2006, Faison competed on the first season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” placing second.

Faison returned to New England as chef de cuisine of Straight Wharf in Nantucket, then reconnected with English to run 58

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Riche in New Orleans. She took a couple years off from the restaurant biz and moved to California where she worked as a private chef and a restaurant consultant.

In 2008, Faison circled back to Boston for a sous chef role at Tim and Nancy Cushman’s O Ya. One year later, she joined Michela Larson to open Rocca Kitchen & Bar as executive chef. When it shuttered in 2011, the ambitious Faison competed in “Top Chef: All-Stars” and then opened her own restaurant in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood: Southern barbecue spot, Sweet Cheeks Q. Upon its success and three-star review from The Boston Globe, Faison opened Southeast Asian-inspired Tiger Mama in 2015.

Now under the restaurant group name, Big Heart Hospitality, Faison has continued to take Fenway by storm. In 2018, she opened “adult snack bar” Fools Errand, and in 2019, the Italian-American Orfano.

Faison has received many accolades, including a 2020 James Beard nomination for “Best Chef: Northeast.” tiffanifaison / bighearthospitality Favorite tool: Spoon Tool you wish you had: Tandori oven Favorite cookbook: Dishoom by Kavi Thakrar, Naved Nasir, and Shamil Thakrar Favorite food resource: Other chefs, and travel Most important kitchen rule: Work clean.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Okra and tomato stew Place to visit for culinary travel: Southern India Advice to your younger self: Hang out with pastry chefs more often

T EA M P LAYERS

Pastry Chef Dee Steffen Chinn Before becoming executive pastry chef of Big Heart Hospitality, New Hampshirite Dee Steffen Chinn trained at The Bedford Village Inn, Topper’s at the Wauwinet Inn, Café Boulud, and No. 9 Park. She spent 11 years cooking alongside Chef Ming Tsai at Blue Ginger before joining Tiffani Faison in 2017, developing dessert menus for her four Boston restaurants.

Favorite tool: Mini rubber spatula Tool you wish you had: A sheeter Favorite cookbook: The Last Course by Claudia Fleming Most important kitchen rule: Organization is key.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Italy, France, and Southeast Asia Advice to your younger self: Take a breath. Make yourself a priority. Find people who lift you up, not put you down.

Sommelier Charlie Gaeta In 2008, Charlie Gaeta quit his New York City job at an investment firm to follow his passion for wine and hospitality. He returned to his hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts, where he bussed tables at The Blue Ox. Gaeta worked his way up to beverage director, and in 2015, became wine director of Branch Line in Watertown. After spending two years as an independent wine consultant, Gaeta accepted a position as wine director of Tiffani Faison’s restaurant group, Big Heart Hospitality, where he curates the wine lists of Sweet Cheeks Q, Tiger Mama, Fool’s Errand, and Orfano.

Favorite wine region: I've been loving the lighter-style Southern France reds from Cahors; rosés from Languedoc, in particular, Cévennes.

Most underrated varietal: RIESLING...STILL! A bit more off-the-beaten-path, Mencía Most important pairing rule: A winemaker and former sommelier once told me, “I take my wine pairings very seriously...until I don't.”

Wine region you'd most like to visit: Madeira On your nights off you drink: Ice. Cold. Rathaus Pilsner.

A wine list you admire from afar: The Morris in San Francisco Advice to your younger self: Don't be so hard on yourself.

Bartender Brian Callahan Connecticuter Brian Callahan began bartending in 2014 at Grafton Street in Harvard Square. He joined the bar team at Tiffani Faison’s Tiger Mama in 2015 and two years later, he was promoted to beverage manager of the entire restaurant group. Callahan now oversees the cocktail menus at Big Heart Hospitality’s four restaurants.

Favorite bartending resource: Death & Co’s Cocktail Codex Favorite tool: Immersion circulator Favorite cocktail to drink: Sherry Cobbler And to make: Mai Tai City whose cocktail culture you’d most like to explore : Tokyo Advice to your younger self: Just keep your head down, work hard, don’t take everything so personally, and stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing.

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INGREDIENTS: Kuri Purée: 3 medium kuri squash, halved Salt ¼ cup Sherry vinegar 1 pound butter, diced ½ cup brown sugar To Assemble and Serve: Yield: 1 serving

Salt 7 pieces black pepper maltagliati pasta Sherry Butter 4 slices roasted delicata squash ½ cup roasted and torn hen of the woods mushrooms Extra virgin olive oil Finely chopped chives Nasturtium flowers

METHOD:

To Assemble and Serve: Bring a pot of salted water to boil.

Add pasta. To a pan, add some pasta water, season with Sherry, and mount with butter to create a glossy sauce.

Add delicata and mushrooms, tossing to coat. Drain pasta and add to pan, tossing to coat. To the bottom of a serving bowl, spread some warm Kuri Purée in a circle. Layer pasta, delicata, and mushrooms onto the center of the purée. Garnish with olive oil, chives, and nasturtium.

Pairing by Sommelier Charlie Gaeta.

Chardonnay, “Rorick Vineyard,” Cruse Wine Co., Sierra Foothills, CA, 2017

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For the Kuri Purée: Heat oven to 450°F. Season interior of each squash with salt. Roast squash, seed side down, until skin is almost black. Scoop out pulp, and discard skin and any black parts. While still hot, transfer squash pulp to a Vitamix Blender with remaining ingredients.

Purée. Season with salt. Keep warm.

Maltagliati, kuri puree, delicata, hen-of-thewoods Chef Tiffani Faison of Big Heart Hospitality Adapted by StarChefs

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Enjoy Responsibly. ©2020 St. Supéry, Inc. Rutherford, CA.

Sustainably farmed, 100% estate grown, from our vineyards to your table.

Join St. Supéry this spring in celebrating sustainability in the vineyard and in the ocean.

stsupery.com/seafood

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Lauren Friel REBEL REBEL Lauren Friel established her industry bona fides making chili dogs and scooping ice cream at a local stand. With a journalism career in mind, Friel left her Amherst, New Hampshire hometown to study at Boston University, then Harvard.

But it was as a cocktail server at mainstay Eastern Standard, that Friel decided to go all in on hospitality. In 2005, she left college and by 2006 she was a cheesemonger at Savenor’s Market in Cambridge. Next, Friel landed a job at Ana Sortun’s Oleana, where she developed a nerdy fascination with fermented grape juice, becoming wine director and manager by 2011, the same year she received her advanced certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. In 2013, she was named executive beverage director of the whole group.

After years on the floor, Friel stepped back to reconnect with her love of writing. She worked as a freelance wine journalist, writing columns for ChefsFeed, Eater, Boston.com, and Thrillist. Meanwhile, she founded 62

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VinDrop, a wine consulting and education program. In 2018, Friel’s friend, chocolatière Alexandra Whisnant, encouraged her to open a shop in Somerville’s Bow Market, where she was also planning a business. And so, feminist natural wine bar Rebel Rebel was born.

Guests are told to leave “misogyny, homophobia, racism, classism, ableism, patriarchy, gender bias, and all your other bullshit at the door.”

In 2019, Friel was named “Boston’s Best Sommelier” by Boston Magazine and was nominated for Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Award for “Best Sommelier.” She also put Oleana and Chef Amanda Cohen's Dirt Candy on Wine Enthusiast’s “100 Best Wine Programs” list, and built an all-female team at Dirt Candy. She plans to open an intimate, modern wine pub with Sara Markey and Chef Andrew Brady of Field & Vine, called Dear Annie. Friel is an advocate for intersectional feminist disruption of the hospitality industry, and an avid community activist.

vin_drop / rebelrebelsomerville Favorite tool: My trusty Truetap double-stage wine key!

Tool you wish you had: A magic wand to wave and avoid the impending 100 percent wine tariffs Favorite resource: "Duck Soup" Most important FOH rule: If you're sick, stay home. Please.

Acknowledge your body—you can't work without it. Sleep.

Hydrate. Tell us what you need and we'll make it happen.

Where you eat/drink on your nights off: Field & Vine has my heart. My boyfriend and I try to eat vegetarian when we can, and Chef [Andrew] Brady makes that feel like a privilege. Plus, their wine program is bonkers-good. I do cook a lot, though. It's meditative for me, and an important part of keeping my sanity and reconnecting with myself. We have a dining room table, but I like to curl up on the floor with a bottle of wine and my babe. I realized recently that I've cooked almost exclusively soup since October, which is funny.

I feel like I've finally mastered ramen, though, so that's cool.

Place to visit for culinary travel: Anywhere, always, but...

Right now I'm hung up on getting to South America—Chile, Argentina, Brazil, in particular, because there's a burgeoning natural wine scene down there that not a lot of folks have explored. The culinary culture is something I'm eager to dive deeper into the because wine doesn't make sense out of context. South America deserves way more of the “Western” culinary world's attention than it generally receives, and I'm excited to dig into it.

Advice to your younger self: Take care of yourself. Don't drink too much. Respect your body. Travel as often as possible. Learn how to set boundaries—with your job, employers, guests. Find time to see your friends and family.

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Jaimie Puckett FORMERLY OF

BAR BOULUD

At 24, Jaimie Puckett has taken the Boston wine world by storm. But first she was a kid from Canterbury, New Hampshire, considering a career in advertising. She moved to Providence, Rhode Island, to study advertising and marketing communications at Johnson & Wales University.

During her first two years at school, Puckett worked as a strategic planner for J&W’s in-house marketing agency and as a marketing intern for both Vanuatu Coffee Roasters and Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.

In 2017, she landed a job at The Dorrance. The owner of the hulking Providence mainstay, Michael Lester, took Puckett under his wing, opening the world of wine to her. Puckett fell hard for the juice and redirected her ambitions, declaring a minor in “sommelier” (which took a little finagling because that minor had never been offered to business students before). She completed the Level 1 WSET, and, two days after graduation in 2017, flew to Napa to complete the Introductory Sommelier Course with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Puckett returned to Providence to accept an offer to run the shop BIN 312 Wine Cellars. One year later, she earned her Sommelier Certification with the Court. Equipped to educate food and beverage professionals alike, Puckett became a beverage educator at Eataly Boston. Six months later, she was promoted to restaurant beverage manager, assisting with operations at Eataly Boston’s four Italian restaurants.

In 2019, Puckett became head sommelier of the Mandarin Oriental Boston and of the restaurant within: Bar Boulud.

In 2020, just before the restaurant was forced to close due to the pandemic, Puckett became the general manager.

Currently, she is working on a personal project and is exploring other avenues within hospitality.

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j_pvd Favorite region: Etna, Sicily Favorite wine resources: Guildsomm Most important pairing rule: What grows together, goes together! What fun is to be had by exploring this theory!

On your nights off you drink: Burgundy or cocktails Wine region you'd most like to visit: The Rhône Valley Favorite hi-lo pairing: Inspired by a recently memorable brunch date at Crown Shy in Manhattan, I’d have to say breakfast pastries and vintage Champagne.

A wine list you admire from afar: Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant has held a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 1994 for their extensive list. The cellar, tucked below the charming Chappaqua, New York inn is home to some 40,000 bottles from many of the world's most revered producers and regions with impressive vintage depth represented in each region.

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Different World Wine B Y J A I M I E P U C K E T T / I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y J A C LY N W A R R E N Our industry changed overnight in Boston. Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement on March 17th that all dine-in restaurants would close, sparked an urgent, cacophonous conversation among sommeliers in the city. Some were terminated immediately, others would eventually be laid off or furloughed.

With Boston’s already small wine-service workforce, sommeliers were coming to a consensus—or dreadful realization—that this could be a “death sentence” for the restaurant sommelier as we know it.

“While my business card still reads ‘Big Heart Hospitality Wine Director,’” says Sommelier Charlie Gaeta, “I now refer to myself and the rest of my colleagues as Restaurant Workers. There is literally not one job that my team and I will

Although many restaurant workers are happy, if apprehensive, to see guests return to patios (some even indoors starting late July), the reality of service is drastically different. Patrons may be greeted by masked and gloved staff who will take their temperatures before allowing them to take a seat. Some will be turned away. Rather than being presented with a traditional menu, they’re likely to view a digital menu on their phones. And even though restaurant workers are going above and beyond to adhere to the new regulations and guidelines, it still may not be enough to drive people to the door in the first place. But as any floor somm worth her lees knows, the profession requires you to think on your feet and be creative. With fewer or no guests to serve, sommeliers are finding ways to bring wine to the people.

In March, soon after restaurants were limited to takeout, Governor Baker passed a municipal relief bill allowing takeaway for wine and beer—with restrictions. The subsequent sales pale in comparison to retail, but consumers are still very much interested in guzzling wine. Forward-thinking industry leaders like Gaeta, are taking fun, innovative approaches to selling bottles.

“At Fool's Errand, we started a pop-up wine shop on Wednesdays.

We’re selling off a lot of our French wine allocations at retail pricing: old Muscadet, Corsican whites and reds, lots of Gamay, Champagne, and Burgundy. It has been amazing to see the support from the industry and the Fenway neighborhood. We doubled down and now our Pastry Chef, Deanne Steffen Chinn, offers desserts through the Fool's window. We’re calling it ’Ice Cream Social...Distancing!’”

Gaeta, like many other wine professionals, has taken to social media to highlight these and other solutions to newfound challenges. “We’re on a very conservative spending hold right now, so I’m getting creative with how to maintain a by-theglass program by pulling some really cool stuff from our cellar at Orfano,” he says. “This weekend, we had to 86 a few BTG's, so I reached for some aged Soave and aged Cirò Rosso Classico. It's been fun pouring those types of wines for our guests.” Promoting bottle shots of these juicy gems from the patio at Orfano helps bring in additional guests at a time when Fenway has lost a lot of foot traffic.

not do to help save our beloved restaurants. I’ve swapped the fancy wine key for a mop and the suit for shorts and Nike's. My role now requires hard work, empathy, creativity, and positivity.”

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“I’ve also taken what was a pretty formal and classically formatted list and made it more casual, fun, and user-friendly,” Gaeta says.

“I ditched listing wines regionally or geographically. At Tiger Mama, we dove into our allocations that we were sitting on and released a lot of our old Riesling, the quintessential pairing for the food there. The menu, like Orfano, reads more patio-ready.”

Charlie's new wine lists for outdoor dining

ORFANO

Sprezzatura Studied, Stylish, Careless Whites Bianchi Mediterranei The Southern Italian Coast via Boylston St OG's The Great Italian White Winemakers Classic AF From Our Cellar & Their Most Classic Terroirs: Sangiovese & Nebbiolo

TIGER MAMA Half Bottles of Champ Straw Upon Request Beat The Heat Whites Summer In The City, Riesling & Spicy Food Show Some Skin Skin Macerated Whites (Whites Made like Red) All The Gamay “Wait, Wait, I'm Worried What You Just Heard Was Give Me A Lot Of Gamay. What I Said Was, Give Me All The Gamay You Have." - Ron Swanson

service to resume, Phase 4 won’t begin until there's some kind of vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.

For the furloughed sommelier, social media has also become an invaluable tool. Features like Instagram Live provide a platform for wine professionals to address any and all wine industry concerns, together. Conversation topics are limitless, and the option to host a “live chat” with a co-host from anywhere around the world is particularly useful. Far flung winemakers who can’t make their usual visits to markets to taste with somms, are making themselves available to connect digitally and speak to what’s happening in their vineyards. Bringing these conversations to a public platform allows non-industry wine consumers to engage and ask questions—offering a little taste of our former lives.

As Post 390’s doors remain closed, Wine Director Dustin Cutler looks ahead. “The scariest part for me is not the interim of being laid off, but the ‘new reality’ of what beverage programs will be,” says Cutler. “I imagine there’ll be many restaurants that are forced to rebrand themselves, to be more simple and more profitable, and understandably so. But the beverage programs that follow those rebrandings are going to require much less creativity and passion. I hope that the next few years of only focusing on dollars and cents does not discourage the next generation of sommeliers from following their dreams.”

Gaeta also has hope—mixed with a healthy dose of reality: “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. This is probably the hardest thing we’ve ever experienced as an industry. People a lot smarter than me don’t have answers. All I can do is work my absolute hardest. We have this internal hashtag at Big Heart, #thehospitalityneverstops. I don't think it has ever felt more true.”

On June 6, Massachusetts entered Phase 2 of its reopening plan, allowing for the licensed, on-premise consumption of alcohol to commence with outdoor, seated service—provided food is prepared on-site and the establishment has a retail food permit.

This was essential for wine-centric businesses like Haley Fortier’s Haley.Henry and Nathálie wine bar. After a six-week closure, those spots were able to open for patio service. (Nathálie opened on the sidewalk after difficulties receiving patio permissions from both the building and the city previously.) Fortier, the owner/ operator of the two wine bars, is leading her teams through uncharted territory by, “being as smart as we can about the resources we currently have while we’re fighting for survival with our landlords and vendors,” she says, remaining optimistic in the face of mounting obstacles.

It seems most neighboring businesses to bars and restaurants have been flexible and accommodating in regards to ad hoc patio dining. Eataly Boston has expanded their patio more than in previous years, moving onto the sidewalk of the now quiet Boylston Street. Other nearby restaurants have chosen to remain closed, even for al fresco dining. Outdoor dining has proven to be a good solution for the summer months, but the future of restaurants seems unclear come fall, when it will be too cold to dine outside. Though Phase 3 has allowed minimal indoor table BOSTON 2020

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BARTE N DE R

Will Piquette ALCOVE

Will Piquette grew up playing the violin. His passion led him to attend the Boston Conservatory, in pursuit of a professional career as a violinist. Piquette picked up a job as a barista to supplement his stringed-instrument income. Finding a new love in coffee, he dove in head first, learning about coffee sourcing and managing wholesale accounts. Piquette then began plotting his next course— directly behind a deep well of spirits—leaving those romantic nights playing his violin behind to follow his fervor for beverages.

His first foray into the restaurant business was as a barback at Island Creek Oyster Bar in Kenmore Square where he worked alongside Rising Stars alum Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli. Piquette mixed his way through the rigorous program to become a lead bartender. He then joined fellow musician-turned-bartender Nicole Lebedevitch at Yvonne’s, refining his cocktail skill sets in a high-volume environment. In an effort to gain broader experience, Piquette worked for a number of new restaurants including Tracy Chang’s PAGU, tropical-themed bar Tiki Rock, and casual American spot Backyard Betty’s (which sadly closed due to the pandemic in June).

In 2018, Piquette reconnected with Schlesinger-Guidelli, who shared a blueprint for a new restaurant, Alcove, where Piquette would serve as principal bartender. Piquette helped Alcove open in late 2018, leading the hospitality charge from behind the bar.

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will.piquette / alcoveboston Favorite bartending resource: My peers. They're always there to talk things through and create dialogue.

Favorite bartending tool: My jigger Favorite cocktail to drink/make: The daiquiri Most underrated cocktail ingredient: Ice. It's the one thing that is a constant in all cocktails.

Cocktail trend you'd most like to see: I'd like to see more honest cocktails. Everything is so ashy these days that it's refreshing to see something that's pure and true.

Cocktail culture to explore: I'm always intrigued by establishments that have stood the test of time. Some of the older bars in London and Paris have some history that I'd love to dig deeper into.

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Sabroso Fashion Bartender Will Piquette of Alcove Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS Mushroom Syrup: 100 grams dried shiitake mushrooms 2 kilograms hot water 10 grams salt 2 kilograms cane sugar To Assemble and Serve: 2 ounces blanco tequila 1 bar spoon grapefruit juice 2 dashes mole bitters Grapefruit peel

METHOD: For the Mushroom Syrup: In a pot, combine mushrooms, water, and salt. Simmer 10 minutes. Add sugar, whisking to dissolve. Cool.

Steep overnight in refrigerator. Strain.

To Assemble and Serve: To a mixing glass with ice, add tequila, juice, bitters, and ½ ounce Mushroom Syrup. Stir. Strain into double old fashioned glass with large ice cube. Garnish with grapefruit twist.

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Ryan Lotz

TRAVELER STREET HOSPITALITY Growing up on Staten Island, Ryan Lotz had one goal in mind: get out of Staten Island. In 2005, he moved to New England to study art history and business administration at Boston University. With an interest in hospitality, Lotz took a serving job at Chef Jeremy Sewall’s now shuttered Brookline restaurant, Lineage. Short on bartenders, Lotz took it upon himself to begin making gin and tonics. After quickly mastering Lineage’s entire cocktail menu, Lotz realized he had a knack for mixing and hospitality. Within months, he was promoted to bar manager. In 2011, Lotz joined the opening team of Jackson Cannon’s now awardwinning bar, The Hawthorne. He worked alongside lover-of-all-thingsTiki, Scott Marshall, who introduced Lotz to tropical drinks.

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Committed to sharing his culturally sensitive approach to Tiki, Lotz joined bartender-turned-restaurateur Ted Kilpatrick at Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant, No.9 Park in 2012. When Kilpatrick moved to New York, Lotz filled his role as bar manager, making it his own. He created the Tiki-devoted section on the cocktail menu and taught sold out Tiki and rum classes. In 2016, Colin Lynch, who was executive chef of The Barbara Lynch Gruppo at the time, recruited Lotz to run the bar program at a new spot: Bar Mezzana.

Now as bar director for Colin Lynch’s Traveler Street Hospitality group, including Bar Mezzana, Black Lamb, No Relation, and (tiki bar!) Shore Leave, Lotz leads an inclusive team of talented bartenders and continues to design cocktails with class, color, and pizzaz.

ryanlotz / barmezzana Favorite bartending resource: The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan Favorite bartending tool: Empathy Favorite cocktail to drink: Daiquiri Where you eat/drink on your nights off: Rebel Rebel, Oleana, Field & Vine, and The Table at Season to Taste Most underrated cocktail ingredient: Salt Cocktail trend you'd most like to see: A broader range of proof on cocktail menus Cocktail culture to explore: LGBTQ bars

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BARTE N DE R

Air Conditioned Eden Bartender Ryan Lotz of Shore Leave Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS Pineapple Vermouth: 1 quart coarsely chopped pineapple 500 milliliters Dolin Blanc vermouth 500 milliliters Dolin Dry vermouth To Assemble and Serve: ½ ounce Rhum JM 100 proof blanc rhum agricole ½ ounce Monkey 47 gin 1 dash Bitter Queens Bangkok Betty Thai spice bitters

METHOD:

For the Pineapple Vermouth: In a nonreactive container, macerate pineapple in vermouth for 5 days; strain.

To Assemble and Serve: In a pitcher with ice, stir to combine rhum, gin, bitters, and 2 ounces Pineapple Vermouth. Strain into chilled Nick & Nora glass.

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JustSay No to Plexiglass Pandemic Design Tips from Pam Willis

by Sean Kenniff That golden light still pours in through the large, pristine factory-style windows at Pammy’s. The lustrous beams hit those familiar places on the marble and wood tables, leather banquettes, and tiled fireplace, illuminating the fine dining space that owners Pam Willis and Chef Chris Willis designed themselves. Now they’re redesigning in a style they could have never anticipated.

“Everything has been crazy! We pivoted to takeout quickly, by March 19th. We turned a fine dining restaurant into a takeout spot, selling chicken parm and meatball heroes—stuff everyone wants to eat. We have to pivot now again to create a whole other experience.” When StarChefs spoke with Pam Willis this summer, Pammy’s was preparing to shut down, again, on July 18th, for two weeks of redesign before reopening August 3rd. “I think about what I want and expect if I’m going into a restaurant to eat, and it should be really worth it. I don't want to sit next to a shield of plexiglass and aluminum. It’s not worth it to me to eat out like that. Creativity needs to be inspired,” she says.

Willis’ creativity also provides continuity.

While shopping at a salvage yard, she procured several old windows that were once part of a steel factory, echoing those light-giving windows they already have.

And the manner in which Willis will utilize them is dual purpose. The windows will hang between tables, functioning as partitions and also creating a kind of “hallway” to guide patrons through the space.

A big beautiful communal table has always been an important part of the dining space at Pammy’s. Even though communal dining may not return for some time, Willis was not willing to get rid of it. Instead, 70

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she’s covering the table with flowers and the footprint of that table is now a flower shop. “Guests can purchase a bouquet of flowers as they leave. And we’ll occupy empty space with plants and flowers, a huge design change. All the flowers and bolognese!”

Outside the restaurant, The Willises had their eyes on a parking lot out back. But they couldn’t come to an agreement with the neighbors and decided the entrance/ exit was too unsafe for patrons anway.

“It’s going to be all wood and twinkly lights and plants—the most beautiful patio ever made behind Jersey barriers.”

“So we’re putting tables in front of the restaurant, on a busy road, with permission from the city. We’re building out the patio over the next two weeks, using Jersey barriers for safety. It’s going to be all wood and twinkly lights and plants—the most beautiful patio ever made behind Jersey barriers,” says Willis.

Pammy’s pre-pandemic capacity was 86 seats. The new indoor design will leave 40 bookable seats, and once the patio is finished, it will provide additional outdoor seating for 16. Handwashing stations will be set up throughout the space, “everywhere,” says Willis. “As a mom, I tell my kids, you need to wash your hands at least every 15 minutes, and wear your masks, and keep your fingers out of your

mouth.” Pammy’s general manager is working on a manual to codify all the new rules for the redesigned space. And since design is an integral part of the dining experience, if you’re changing the design, you’re changing the menu, or vice versa.

“We have to come up with a whole new menu that suits the restaurant now. In a way, it will be kinda more fine dining, back to our roots. The whole team is ramping up to do the best menu they've done in their entire lives. It will be a $65 set price menu. It's a new model because you can't just sit at the bar and get an app and a negroni anymore. We need to create continuity for servers, and pre-fixe style generates a higher check average,” Willis says.

In February before coronavirus hit, Pammy’s had recorded it’s best month ever. “We were on fire! Everyone was happy, the cup was overflowing. Then we had to lay off almost everyone except two managers, and employees who could not go on unemployment.” “I’ve been very conservative about reopening. Takeout was sustaining. I’m nervous to welcome people back. It’s not going to be perfect, but it will be beautiful.”

And please, no plexiglass.

Pammy's in January, 2020

ICE C REA M MA KER

Although Eastcoaster Alyssa Lieberman’s first job was behind Stop & Shop’s pastry counter, she wasn’t always certain about her future in dessertmaking. On a whim, she decided to study baking and pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University.

She spent her weekends commuting home to Charlton, Massachusetts, to cook on the line at local restaurants, such as The Whistling Swan. And before graduating, she made sure to study abroad at the École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie in Yssingeaux, France.

Lieberman then moved to Boston to intern with Pastry Chef Jared Bacheller and Rising Stars alum, Pastry Chef Jiho Kim at L’Espalier. In 2011, she took her first executive pastry chef position at Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro in Foxboro, where Executive Chef Benjamin Lacy taught her how to make her own rules.

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In 2013, Lieberman joined the James Beard Award-winning Chef Tony Maws and Rising Stars alum Chef Carl Dooley at Craigie on Main.

While there, Lieberman honed her experimental style, creating dishes such as foie gras pot de crème and mushroom parfait. Craving a more casual environment, Lieberman became executive pastry chef of New City Microcreamery in Hudson. She and her team use their one-of-kind, nitrogenprocessed ice cream as a blank canvas, playing with textures, flavors, sugar, and alcohol. Now with a second location in Cambridge, Lieberman handcrafts new flavors, toppings, and baked goods, daily. newcitymicrocreamery Favorite kitchen tool: Funky-shaped silicone molds

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Tool you wish you had: A dough sheeter! For work or for personal use, you ask? Yes. Favorite food resource: I always go back to Elements of Dessert by Francisco Migoya and The Flavor Thesaurus

by Niki Segnit.

Most important kitchen rule: Messy Station = Messy Mind What you eat on your nights off: At home, my husband makes a lot of game birds and sausage.

Place to visit for culinary travel: I would love to go to Vienna and Budapest!

Advice to your younger self: Push yourself to never take shortcuts and be honest about your mistakes and shortcomings. There is no magical opportunity waiting to make you a chef. You make yourself a chef.

Carrot cake ice cream Ice Cream Maker Alyssa Lieberman of New City Microcreamery Adapted by StarChefs Yield: 3 gallons

INGREDIENTS 100 grams invert sugar 200 grams light brown sugar 750 grams granulated sugar 75 grams dry milk solids 15 grams salt 5 grams guar gum 2½ quarts whole milk 2.5 quarts heavy cream 250 grams shaved carrot 25 grams coarsely chopped ginger 4 sticks cinnamon, lightly toasted and crushed 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed Cream cheese Small diced carrot cake, frozen, tempered 30 minutes before use Small diced roasted pineapple, frozen METHOD In a bowl, combine invert sugar, brown sugar, and 650 grams granulated sugar; reserve. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine milk solids, salt, guar gum, and remaining sugar. In a large pot over low heat, combine milk and cream. While still cold, add milk solids mixture, whisking until mostly dissolved. Add carrot, ginger, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Increase heat to medium. Whisk frequently to prevent scorching. When mixture begins to steam, whisk in the reserved invert sugar mixture. Continue whisking frequently until temperature of ice cream base is 185oF. Cool using appropriate HACCP methods. When cooled, cover and refrigerate at least 18 hours.

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In 3 to 4 batches, swirl and transfer ice cream to storage containers according to the following procedure: Add 3 to 4 scoops cream cheese to surface of ice cream, followed by one-third to one-quarter of the cake and pineapple, respectively. Splash cake in liquid nitrogen to keep firm, as necessary. Using a large rubber spatula, lightly swirl the verriagates into the ice cream. They will be swirled further as the ice cream is poured into storage containers. For batch 1, pour the lightly swirled ice cream from the bowl to storage containers while extending the rubber spatula to the bottom of the bowl and pulling it through to the surface. This will mix the plain ice cream at the bottom with the more heavily swirled ice cream at the top. Repeat 3 to 4 times with remaining verriagates, swirling as evenly as possible. Cover containers and transfer to deep freeze for a minimum of 18 hours before serving.

Smithfield pourable cream cheese provided by Savencia Cheese USA BOSTON 2020

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Strain ice cream base. Using liquid nitrogen and a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle, spin base into ice cream.

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Hana Quon CAFE MADELEINE Marylander Hana Quon always loved to cook. But it was only after she earned degrees in English and linguistics from the University of Maryland that she took a leap of faith from academia to culinaria. Quon received her pastry certification from L’Academie de Cuisine, finding the craft a good fit for her analytical mind. She then began working at Washington, D.C.’s National Harbor Resort and Convention Center, applying her newfound skills to pastry production at a massive scale.

After a year, Quon took another chance and moved to Cape Cod to work at lauded Chef Philippe Rispoli’s PB & Boulangerie Bistro in Wellfleet. It was there she met and learned classic French technique under the mentorship of Pastry Chef Frédéric Robert, a James Beard Award winner and former 74

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partner to famed restaurateur Alain Ducasse. During this time, Quon spent consecutive winters (off-seasons) mastering pastry in France, first at École Bellouet in Paris under MOF Jean-Michel Perruchon and then at Sébastien Bouillet’s pâtisserie in Lyon.

With her chops established, Quon moved to Boston, eager to showcase the exquisite joys of French pâtisserie.

At Cafe Madeleine in Boston’s South End, Quon practices the centuries old trade of a pâtissier, combining rigorous and scientific standards with an artistic and whimsical soulfulness.

Her passions include perfecting the art of viennoiserie, highlighting New England’s seasonal produce, and educating a wider audience about French pastry.

hanaquon / cafemadeleineboston Favorite kitchen tool: Sheeter Tool you wish you had: Drop TT or a chocolate panner Favorite cookbook: Grand Livre de Cuisine: Desserts et Patisserie d'Alain Ducasse by Frédéric Robert Most important kitchen rule: First in, first out Place to visit for culinary travel: Hong Kong Advice to your younger self: Focus on mastering the basics inside and out, stay humble, and take every opportunity to learn.

Buckwheat-walnut financiers

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Pâtissière Hana Quon of Cafe Madeleine Adapted by StarChefs

INGREDIENTS Yield: 3.5 kilograms of batter

580 grams shelled walnuts, toasted, ground to flour 50 grams shelled almonds, toasted, ground to flour 100 grams shelled hazelnuts, toasted, ground to flour 100 grams shelled pecans, toasted, ground to flour 125 grams all-purpose flour 130 grams freshly milled buckwheat flour 1.35 kilograms sugar 13 grams sea salt 735 grams egg whites 340 grams brown butter, room temperature (liquid) Chocolate, coarsely chopped Caramelized whole walnuts Flaky sea salt

METHOD In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, and salt. Fold in egg whites followed by brown butter. Refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 348°F. Transfer batter to piping bag, and pipe a thin layer into Financier molds. Evenly place several chocolate pieces on top of batter. Cover with additional batter until molds are three-quarters full. Bake 24 minutes. Quickly place caramelized walnut halves on top of Financiers, and sprinkle with salt.

Butter provided by Butter of Europe Chocolate provided by TCHO chocolate

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rethink cream cheese Introducing Smithfield Pourable...

Watch our video @

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dOJeumTIxLs

www.savenciacheeseusa.com

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P H OTO : W I L L B L U N T

KOJI A LCHEM IST

Rich Shih OURCOOKQUEST Thanks to his Taiwanese heritage, Rich Shih was raised on fermented foods. Straight out of college, he began his gastronomic experimenting. For fun, he’d study the locally produced magazine Cook’s Illustrated. Ever curious, he began to reach out to chef-friends to ask them how they cook his favorite dishes. To learn more, he’d visit their kitchens, voluntarily washing dishes and prepping ingredients. In 2010, Shih started his blog, OurCookQuest, to document his culinary adventures, taking a special interest in fish sauce.

During one kitchen visit, Shih learned about the process of making garum. The

funky, unique flavors blew his mind and he embarked on a fermentation journey of his own.

While he also worked as an exhibit engineer for the Museum of Food and Drink in Brooklyn, Shih was becoming known as a fermentation guru back in Boston. In 2014, Shih was requested to make koji for a “fermented foods of the world” themed dinner hosted

by Sandor Katz. Shih dove into The Everyday Fermentation Handbook, even contacting the author, Brandon Byers, for further guidance. Shih was intrigued by koji and then quickly went down a

miso-making rabbit hole, sharing his koji and miso recipes through his blog and social media. Shih also hosted cooking classes and workshops, and collaborated on pop-up dinners with local chefs. In 2019, Shih published Koji Alchemy with co-author and fellow fermentation-expert, Jeremy Umansky.

Today, when Shih isn’t working as a mechanical engineer for a space company, he continues to educate chefs and home cooks about the simplicity and importance of fermentation, through the company name, OurCookQuest. ourcookquest

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FERMENTATION WITHOUT BOUNDS Selected words from Koji Alchemist Rich Shih with recommended posts from his blog, OurCookQuest Illustrations by Becki Kozel

“I’m drawn to that aspect of fermentation and preservation where every last bit of an ingredient is used. I like to open people’s eyes to these old ideas. You can use leftover pulp, skins, scraps from vegetables and fruits to make amazake—just add water and koji.”

Recommended post: "Cucumber Amazake Shaved Ice or Ice Pops"

Cucumber amazake ice pops Koji Alchemist Rich Shih of OurCookQuest Adapted by StarChefs

INGREDIENTS

METHOD:

Jasmine rice koji Cucumbers, peeled

In a large plastic bag, combine equal parts koji and cucumbers.

Mix so cucumbers are coated in koji. Let sit at room temperature for five days.

Transfer amakaze-infused cucumbers to a Vitamix blender.

Purée. Pour purée into empty flavor ice sleeves or popsicle molds with popsicle sticks.

Freeze until solid. Push or pull the pop out and enjoy!

“A bite of a dish only happens in one specific moment. That moment is always changing. Chefs appreciate that experience. It’s so heartbreaking where the industry is now. It's tragic. If you meet with any chef today, they’re still trying to find a way to help others. Even when they’re struggling themselves.

It has inspired me. My pursuit is to help chefs, cooks, and people who cook well and share it.”

“Chefs are amazing craftspeople.

They pay attention to so many things at once. You have to spend so much of your life dedicated to it. To be enlightened by these folks and to talk to them about product, experience, and travels is what keeps me interested.”

Recommended post: "Combining Umeboshi and Hoshigaki Methods"

Recommended post: "Being Flexible with the Idea of Coffee/Tea"

“Whenever I visit chef-friends, I bring fermented products and koji, and they give me some interesting products that maybe are less desirable, possibly meant for compost or waste bins, and I play with them and bring them back.”

Recommended post: "An Infusion Inspired by Foraged Grapes"

“Take a certain ingredient understood a certain way in one culture; it’s understood differently in another. Preparations developed based on survival—how people had to survive way back when, without technology, and had to preserve everything. Through those preparations, we can see how [fermentation and other preservation methods] worked in different contexts.”

Recommended post: "Umeboshi Anything"

“I want people to appreciate how much work it takes for a chef/ cook to make a dish shine—the time, the technique, the effort, the research, the blood, sweat, and tears. Industry folks are hurting today and deserve a lot more respect and compensation for what they do.”

Recommended post: "Artichoke Scrap Tea Kombucha"

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Time and interest are what matter, and being able to parse out what is delicious and why. You begin to taste precision and adventure. It’s the attention to detail, passion, and care that drew me to [fermented foods].”

Recommended post: "Hoshigaki Anything"

ROASTE R Coffee, Rodriguez lets the coffee speak for itself, offering a range of single origins, specialty blends, and coffee subscriptions, mostly light to medium roasts, at the Everett taproom and Lovejoy Wharf cafe (cream and sugar, optional). robrod_ / nightshiftcoffee Favorite roasting tool: The Cropster Roasting Intelligence app, hands down.

It's made data logging and profile tracking for roasting an absolute breeze. They're constantly updating their platform with innovative updates that improve the roast process.

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Most important roasting rule: Don't take yourself too seriously when developing your profiles and making adjustments. Roasting coffee is all about second chances.This allows you to take your time, learn about the coffee you're roasting, and, most importantly, have fun with it.

Robert Rodriguez FORMERLY OF

NIGHT SHIFT COFFEE

Robert Rodriguez preferred coffee loaded with cream and sugar. The caffeination helped him slog through the long workdays in the fashion industry in Florida. Craving a change, he moved to Boston in search of graphic design and photography work. Struggling to find a job, he landed at Barismo Coffee Roastery in Cambridge. He spent the next year packaging coffee, before becoming a manager of one of their outlets. Having the opportunity to see the many varied facets of the coffee industry, including production, Rodriguez became fascinated by the business. Enlightened with a new perspective, his personal taste in coffee evolved along with his career.

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Rodriguez moved on to Redeye Roasters in Hingham, where he was introduced to the roasting process. After six months, he left Redeye to help open Loyal Nine, a Colonial-era inspired cafe. Although Rodriguez loved working as a barista at Loyal Nine’s third wave coffee concept, he continued to search for a company that would allow him to grow. He found just that at George Howell Coffee. During his three and a half year tenure, Rodriguez went from cashier to head roaster. In 2019, Rodriguez joined the Night Shift Brewing team, learning more about sourcing as well as mindfulness and nuance as the company launched coffee production.

Now as the head roaster of Night Shift

Most overrated coffee trend: Roasters being highly guarded about their roast profiles and roast process. We're often led to believe by a lot of the old guard in coffee that these things are precious and easily manipulated into use by our competitors to get one over on us despite profiles being largely impossible to replicate from machine to machine with enough accuracy to be a problem.

The fact is, every machine is different and there's 1,000 different ways to approach a coffee. The freedom I've had recently to share profiles and approaches with my peers across the country has opened up a ton of opportunities to look at coffee roasting from different perspectives, which has been a huge boon to quality in my opinion.

Trend you’d most like to see: More worker-owned cooperatives in the coffee industry whether that's a roaster, cafe, or a coffee-adjacent business. We're starting to see a lot of unionization in the coffee industry crop up and I think the workerowned cooperative with a flat/horizontal management model is the logical next step/parallel to unionization that's occurring with traditional top-down hierarchical businesses.

Advice to your younger self: Don't be afraid to ask and fight for what you want.

I'm often patient to a fault and have let some great opportunities slide by because I was either too scared to ask for a chance at those opportunities or felt waiting it out until it came to me was the best option. I try to avoid this as much as possible these days and push myself to go for things I think I'd be good at, but it's a process!

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The perfect cup

“I like to use a scale to weigh my coffee grounds and water used to brew. This way, I can easily recreate the exact brew. This recipe uses a 1:16.5 coffee to water brew ratio. But you can change the amount of coffee and water used to fit your taste.”

Roaster Robert Rodriguez formerly of Night Shift Coffee Adapted by StarChefs

EQUIPMENT

METHOD

Acaia Pearl coffee scale (It has a built-in timer!)

Timer (if yours isn’t built-in) Gooseneck kettle (preferably Kalita or Hario) Burr grinder (preferably Baratza Encore or Virtuoso) Kalita Wave 185 coffee brewer Kalita 185 filter, rinsed Minimum 13-ounce serving vessel (preferably Kalita or Hario mug), warmed

Fill kettle and begin heating water. If using a variable temperature electric kettle, set temperature between 205 and 210°F. If using a stovetop kettle, bring water to boil and wait 10 to 15 seconds before pouring.

INGREDIENTS 500 milliliter water 15 to 30 grams favorite Night Shift Coffee beans

Grind coffee beans to a medium coarse grind (a bit finer than coarse sea salt). This should be roughly a 15 to 17 setting on a Baratza or Virtuoso, but measure for yourself until you get the right consistency. Line Kalita brewer with rinsed filter and fill with the desired amount of ground coffee. I recommend 20.6 grams for one cup at a 1:16.5 brew ratio.

Start timer and pour 110 grams hot water in a circular pattern over the coffee grounds. It should take 30 seconds to pour. Take care to evenly pour

the water over every part of the coffee bed; avoid touching the filter with the stream of water. Wait 30 seconds.

When the timer reads 1:00 minute, pour an additional 115 grams hot water in the same manner.

Wait 30 seconds.

When the timer reads 2:00 minutes, pour another​ 115 grams hot water in the same manner. Wait until the coffee bed fully drains, 3:15 to 4:00 minutes.

If the coffee bed drains too quickly and your coffee tastes sour, try grinding finer. If the coffee bed drains too slowly and your coffee tastes bitter, try grinding coarser. Pour into mug, sit back, and sip.

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RISING STARS AND THE CAUSES THEY BELIEVE IN AL OTRO LADO | ALTROLADO.ORG AOL provides legal services to immigrants and refugees from Tijuana, Mexico, protecting and reuniting families that have been unjustly separated.

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inspired chocolate for the bold chef P. 45 TCHO CHOCOLATE tcho.com

raised with care P. 7 NIMAN RANCH nimanranch.com

pasture raised, naturally praised P. 23 TRUE AUSSIE LAMB trueaussiebeefandlamb.com

trust your source Inside cover S.PELLEGRINO sanpellegrino.com

a chef ’s best friend P. 5 VITAMIX COMMERCIAL vitamixcommercial.com

leading the way to better food P. 76 SAVENCIA CHEESE USA savencia-fromagedairy.com/en

enjoy your journey P. 26 WINES FROM SPAIN foodswinesfromspain.com

make it magnifique P. 48 BUTTER OF EUROPE facebook.com/butterofeurope pure and simple P. 84 CORTO OLIVE CO. corto-olive.com building a family of experiences P. 76 COMPASS GROUP starchefs.compass-usa.com on top of the world’s finest cuisine P. 38 FRESH ORIGINS freshorigins.com

BOSTON 2020

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Rising Stars Map 1. BRASSICA KITCHEN + CAFE 3710 Washington St, Jamaica Plain, 02130 brassicakitchen.com 2. ORFANO 1391 Boylston St, Boston, 02215 orfanoboston.com 3. SWEET CHEEKS Q 1381 Boylston St, Boston, 02215 sweetcheeksq.com 4. FOOL’S ERRAND 1377 Boylston St, Boston, 02215 foolserrandboston.com 5. TIGER MAMA 1363 Boylston St, Boston, 02215 tigermamaboston.com 6. NEW CITY MICROCREAMERY 403 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, 02139 newcitymicrocreamery.com 7. PAGU 310 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, 02139 gopagu.com 8. TANÁM 1 Bow Market Way #17, Somerville, 02143 tanam.co 9. REBEL REBEL 1 Bow Market Way, Somerville, 02143 rebelrebelsomerville.co 10. OLEANA 134 Hampshire St, Cambridge, 02139 oleanarestaurant.com 11. SRV 569 Columbus Ave, Boston, 02118 srvboston.com

12. CAFE MADELEINE 517 Columbus Ave, Boston, 02118 instagram.com/cafemadeleineboston 13. TORO BOSTON 1704 Washington St, Boston, 02118 toro-restaurant.com 14. THE SALTY PIG 130 Dartmouth St, Boston, 02116 thesaltypig.com 15. BLACK LAMB 571 Tremont St, Boston, 02118 blacklambsouthend.com 16. NO RELATION 11 William E Mullins Way, Boston, 02118 norelationboston.com 17. SHORE LEAVE 11 William E Mullins Way, Boston, 02118 shoreleaveboston.com 18. BAR MEZZANA 360 Harrison Ave, Boston, 02118 barmezzana.com 19. ALCOVE 50 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston, 02114 alcoveboston.com 20. NIGHT SHIFT BREWING COFFEE BAR 1 Lovejoy Wharf Suite 101, Boston, 02114 nightshiftfamily.com 21. O YA 9 East St, Boston, 02111 o-ya.restaurant 22. WOODS HILL PIER 4 300 Pier Four Blvd, Boston, 02210 woodshillpier4.com 23. OAK AND ROWAN 321 A Street, Boston, 02210 oakandrowan.com

Illustrated map by Kit Collins BOSTON 2020

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The 2020 class of Boston Rising Stars voted on a Mentor Chef Award, presented by Vitamix Commercial. The award goes to the chef who supports and inspires young chefs in their city. In Boston, Barbara Lynch and Ken Oringer have won previously.

Jamie Bissonnette’s kitchens have long been proving grounds and provided platforms for young chefs. For his ability to nurture talent, combined with his generosity, skill, and vision, Bissonnette is the winner of the 2020 Boston Rising Stars Mentor Award.

As a teenager in Connecticut, Jamie Bissonnette began cooking for friends after punk shows. He realized he liked creating food more than music, and dropped out of high school to attend The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Post graduation, Bissonnette settled in Boston and caught the attention of Restaurateur Ken Oringer, who asked him to head-up the kitchen at KO Prime at the Nine Zero Hotel in 2007. For his work, the Improper Bostonian named Bissonnette “Rising Star Chef ” and KO Prime “Best New Restaurant.”

Oringer then invited Bissonnette to open Spanish small plates restaurant Toro, where he earned a 2009 StarChefs Boston Rising Stars Award. The duo soon opened another small, neighborhood-style Italian spot, Coppa. In 2013, the team ventured southward, opening a second iteration of Toro in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City (now shuttered due to pandemic). In 2016, the pair opened Toro + KO/Tapas Bar in Bangkok (followed by another location of the concept in Dubai in 2017) and new globally-inspired tapas restaurant Little Donkey in Cambridge, which was named “Restaurant of the Year” by The Boston Globe.

P H OTO : A L I Z A E L I A Z A R O V

In 2011, Bissonnette was awarded Food & Wine’s first ever “People’s Choice Best New Chef,” and in 2014, he took home the James Beard Award for “Best Chef, Northeast,” and released his book, The New Charcuterie Cookbook.

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If there is a single flavor that defines Japanese cooking, it is the flavor of soy sauce. Savory, complex and rich in umami, it is the soul of the cuisine.

For us, being stewards of that fundamental flavor has been a privilege and a joy for more than three centuries. And for the last six decades, we have been proud to share it with chefs and home cooks here in America. You have not only embraced our soy sauce and other Asian sauces. In the openhearted spirit of American invention, you have made them your own — using them to create new dishes and tell new stories. We are honored that the treasure of our culinary

Arigato – Thank you

heritage has become such a valued part of yours. And for that, we thank you.

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