Chef Life

Jessica Scott
Executive Pastry Chef for Barton G Restaurants
Instagram

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking or baking and who has been the biggest influence in your life with regard to your culinary journey?
Chef Scott: I had always loved sugar when I was a kid, so I was always trying to convince my mom that we needed to bake for the holidays or celebrations, just so that I could eat raw cookie dough all day and baked cookies later! I didn’t even consider baking as a career until I graduated high school and realized the only thing that would make me happier for a job would be being surrounded by sugar. My culinary journey has always been surrounded by different people that have influenced me, whether it be my grandmother who always showed her love through her food, or my friends that would continually support me when I didn’t feel strong enough to handle the industry, or even the people I have worked with (the good and the bad) that through experiences have lead me to find myself in the culinary world.

TrunkSpace: A lot of times in a chef’s career or education, they must choose between the savory cooking field or the sweeter pastry side. Was this the case for you? Did you have to choose between one or the other to pursue, and if so, what was it that drove you to pursue the pastry side of the cooking force?
Chef Scott: I think it is different for a lot of people, but for me I love pastry because desserts are a choice. You don’t order dessert because you have to, it’s because you want to! I love being a part of someone’s choice to treat themselves or to celebrate something between friends and family. It makes me feel fulfilled knowing that I have a part to play in other people’s happiness.

TrunkSpace: As a pastry chef, your work has to not only be delicious but colorful and beautiful as well. Can you tell us a bit about your creative process and how you go about creating your edible works of art? Do you start with flavor ideas or more of a visual of what you want it to look like?
Chef Scott: It is always different! I have books, documents, post-its and even napkins filled with flavor combinations, theme ideas, dessert inventions, or even just things I think are cool. Usually it is the need for a certain dessert that drives me and I take a long look at all of the notes I have produced and try to make something no one has had before. Whether it be a crazy flavor combination, a new type of dessert, or an exciting presentation – something always has to pop and stand out.

TrunkSpace: What has been the most rewarding part of your culinary adventure so far?
Chef Scott: The most rewarding part of my culinary journey isn’t exactly being on Food Network, it’s been after. To have people reach out to me (total strangers!) and tell me that they love my food, and that I inspire them?! That is amazing. I have always wanted to connect to people with my food, and the fact that I am doing that in a bigger way, is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

TrunkSpace: On the flip side of that, what has been your most difficult challenge to over come and how did you go about doing it?
Chef Scott: The industry is not kind, in fact, it’s straight-up mean. After a lot of bad experiences with Executive Chefs and Owners, I was about to quit the industry completely. I had to reach out to my support system, admit that I was struggling, and ask for help. What I got back was a resurgence of support that landed me the courage to try one more restaurant – Puesto. Finally, I was surrounded with good people who pushed me to think outside of the box, appreciated the work I put in, and even now that I work at Barton G (another awesome environment), those guys are still good to me. I needed that.

TrunkSpace: Working in the food biz can be very rewarding but it can also very stressful and demanding. How do you handle that stress?
Chef Scott: I try to plan for the stress before it gets me. Plan for when a cook doesn’t show up for work, plan for last minute requests, and even plan on rewards I give myself when stress is just inevitable. You’re going to have hard days, but when that happens you need to learn from those experiences and reward yourself for getting through it. On days that I know are going to be INSANE, I always buy myself a nice coffee and chocolate croissant, save a Red Bull for the middle of the day, and plan something fun with my friends for my next day off.

TrunkSpace: You have been very busy as not only an executive pastry chef but as a fierce competitor on Food Network’s “Dessert Games” and “The Halloween Baking Championship.” What do you enjoy most about competing in these amazing culinary battles? And what is the most difficult aspect to competing on national television in an unfamiliar kitchen?
Chef Scott: I am incredibly competitive, so being in these culinary battles is exciting! You’ll see me RUN everywhere on TV because there is no way I am going to waste a second when there is a win on the line. I love that excitement of just knowing that you killed it, like, “Damn, you tried to trick me, and I took your challenge and gave a slam dunk!” The most difficult part about being on the show is just being in a new kitchen. You don’t know how the ovens work, you don’t know how fast the pans will get hot, and you don’t know where the heck the damn brown sugar is and you only have five more minutes!

TrunkSpace: Speaking of Halloween, we are huge fans of the holiday here at TrunkSpace, so we have to ask…what does an executive pastry chef hand out on Halloween for trick or treaters?
Chef Scott: Well, the trick or treaters get my favorite candy – sour punch straws! I love `em! But for my Halloween parties, I always like to put a little more effort in since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. My favorite Halloween dessert has to be my devil’s food cake cupcakes with raspberry red wine “blood” filling topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

TrunkSpace: Similarly, we have to have to ask with the holidays coming up, what does a holiday spread look like at an executive pastry chef’s house? Do you have any energy left in the tank for that after the holiday rush? Or is it Chinese take out all the way?
Chef Scott: If I get the holiday off, then I love to cook during the holidays – as long as I have company. Food should be shared from beginning to end, so I make sure that whoever plans on eating is also a part of the process. That means singing songs over the sound of the blender, shaking your hips while you chop, and laughing throughout it all! I usually keep it pretty traditional when it comes to the spread, but for some reason my favorite thing to do during the holidays is play bartender and make boozy drinks that remind me of dessert. Mezcal Eggnog is the shit!

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways, especially on the pastry/dessert side. Has it changed the way you approach your food creations? And if so, in what way?
Chef Scott: I think it hasn’t exactly changed the way I approach food, but has actually fueled myself finding my own style of food. You can see through social media what trends people are looking for, and if you see past the unicorn latte bazooka pie – people love things that are eye-catching, exciting, and bring the fun back into food. That’s what I strive for, and that’s what I crave for even myself.

TrunkSpace: You have already accomplished so much in your career at an early age. What is next for you? Any other competitions, books or pop-ups fans can watch for on the culinary scene?
Chef Scott: There is so much I want to do! I take every opportunity that comes my way, so whether that be creating, writing, or being on TV more – I’m down for wherever life takes me. I currently work for Barton G, a crazy over-the-top restaurant that strives to give people a dining experience they’ve never had. I am working on some insane desserts that I am really excited to show the public, and been having the time of my life working with such creative minds that push me to make things I have only dreamed of.

TrunkSpace: If the Monopoly guy showed up one day with a blank check for you to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on?
Chef Scott: If I am going to open my own place, and pour my heart and soul into it – everything about that place has to revolve around my passions. I am a simple person at heart, and I need the beach, peace and good food in my life. I recently fell in love with San Sebastian in Spain, so I would absolutely need to open a place there right next to the water so that I could see that type of beauty every day. Two things on the menu – sandwiches and ice cream! I can never eat enough of both, and they are the only two things I could ever imagine obsessing over day in and day out to make sure that my guests felt the love of my passion through my food and the environment I had them in.

Vegan Black Metal Chef
www.veganblackmetalchef.com

TrunkSpace: Which came first, your love of metal or your love of vegan cuisine?
Chef: Well, I have been into metal from about first grade-ish, and started being vegan toward the end of my first year of college, around 2000… so metal came first, I suppose.

TrunkSpace: For those metal/vegan-heads out that there that may not be familiar with your work, how would you describe your fusion of metal meets vegan?
Chef : It is a musical cooking show where I write the soundtrack to each episode and the lyrics to the songs are recipes and what is going on. It takes place in a dungeon-like kitchen.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef: There is no one cuisine I enjoy most. Anything done to a really high taste level is my favorite at the time. I would not say I have a signature dish. I make a lot of veganized basics from many cultures.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. In your case you have combined the culinary arts with the musical arts. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef: I think those things may have been true in the past with only certain ingredients and spices available in a region. But with pretty much most ingredients and spices available to most people in most even medium size cities, those notions might be outdated. I personally do not feel affiliated with any history/ancestry. I guess I am some mixture of Polish and Russian, but any traditions were lost long ago in my family. My food says more about the future of a vegan world than a history. I guess Tampa, where I grew up, has a history of metal. I think it is because the place itself is so mediocre. Everyone is a little bit pissed there.

TrunkSpace: Some folks hear “vegan” and think it’s all flax seed and nutritional yeast. While those have their place, what would you tell the skeptic, non-vegan believers out there to help them understand what eating plant-based really means? How do you get flavor and variety into your cuisine?
Chef: Really the best way is to watch a few videos and see what inspires you. I get the flavor in there the same way lots of dishes get their flavor in there – a mixture of spices, proteins, fats, carbs, fiber, sweets and vegetables. I get the variety in there by making a little bit from many cultures. There are many ancient and modern vegan meats one can make or buy for very familiar flavors.

TrunkSpace: It can be particularly difficult to find vegan options when traveling or on tour in your case. What are your tips of helping forage decent vegan eats while on the road?
Chef: (Laughter) Just open your eyes (and maybe your phone). They are there all around you, even if it takes one ounce of thought instead of none. Fairly easy to find vegan options each and everywhere I have been.

TrunkSpace: We’re whacky about Halloween here at TrunkSpace, we’re guessing you are as well. What does a vegan metal chef hand out to trick or treaters?
Chef: I typically don’t live where many children are. Let’s be stereotypical though – I give them a raw Brussels sprout.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology, a lot has changed in the food industry. Growing up, we don’t remember ever seeing vegan cheeses, hot dogs or even some of the produce that is available now in grocery stores currently. How do you think this has changed over time and what do you think is next in the future of plant-based diets?
Chef: It has changed in a huge way over time. Only in one direction though. The direction is always that the plant-based movement is always growing. Never shrinking. What is next in the future, is more. More of everything.

TrunkSpace: What do you find the biggest reward is for maintaining a vegan lifestyle?
Chef: The fact that hopefully the world sucks a little less and some animals were left alone that day.

TrunkSpace: What do you feel like the biggest challenge in eating a balanced vegan diet?
Chef: The biggest challenge is not finding amazing foods is the social conditioning of your friends, family and people around you. No one does complex math when they wake up to “figure out” how to get a balanced diet. You just eat. Also, don’t disguise an eating disorder as being vegan by only eating a small amount of salad in a day. You still must get enough calories.

TrunkSpace: For those home cooks out there or perhaps the aspiring chefs, if you could give them one tip, what would it be?
Chef: Experiment.

TrunkSpace: If the Monopoly guy showed up with a blank check one day and asked you to create your own Vegan restaurant, what would that look like?
Chef: It would be called “All the Things,” because that is what vegans always want to try. It would have a variety of different dishes, and you would get a bit of all or several of them.

Chef Briggitte Dix
www.veganguidetothegalaxy.com
Instagram/Facebook

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and what people have been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Dix: Growing up we only had a few channels on our television and one of them was PBS, which regularly played cooking shows like Julia Child’s. Watching them cook was always like magic to me – I loved how you could combine ingredients together and make something delicious. From a young age I was cooking for my family and myself and experimenting with different flavors and recipes. Even though my dad didn’t really cook, one of our favorite activities was going to different restaurants. He was always up for trying anything so I was exposed to great cuisine from around the world at a very young age.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?

Chef Dix: Right now I’m trying to perfect classic comfort food dishes that most people in the United States grew up eating. I like to keep my recipes simple by keeping them under 30 minutes and using only a few easy-to-find ingredients. My signature dish right now is probably my creamy garlic pasta. People write me all the time to tell me how much they love that recipe and it still blows me away every time!

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Dix: I was raised in a small California town surrounded by orchards and strawberry fields so I would definitely say that my love for fresh ingredients is tied into the way I cook. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a fruit farmer and my mother was raised farming, so our family has a lot of history there. My father grew up in Los Angeles, regularly eating cuisine from around the world, so I think I’ve mashed all of our shared experiences together to create recipes that represent a modern take on fresh, global cuisine.

TrunkSpace: Looking through your colorful and delicious social media posts, we found ourselves getting very hungry. (And we had just eaten lunch!) Then we noticed that your vibrant food was also vegan. While we’re not exclusively vegan, we do strive to find more and more plant-based meals in the TrunkSpace office. Do you have any tips for those folks looking to introduce some vegan options into their diet?
Chef Dix: There are so many amazing vegan options available today, that weren’t there even just a few years ago. A great way to start introducing more vegan food into your diet is to start by just switching out dairy milk for your favorite vegan version like cashew or oat milk, or ordering the vegan dish at a restaurant. I find that people are often pleasantly surprised at how tasty vegan options can be. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try a few different options before you find what you like. Sometimes people are quick to dismiss vegan food because they’ve had one bad experience, so my biggest advice is to stay open-minded and don’t be afraid to try more than one brand or dish.

TrunkSpace: Some folks hear “vegan” and think it’s all flax seed and nutritional yeast. While those have their place, what would you tell the skeptic, non-vegan believers out there to help them understand what eating plant-based really means? And how to get flavor and variety into your cuisine?
Chef Dix: The great thing about veganism is how versatile our cuisine is. As a vegan you can have everything from raw food to cooked food and junk food. Cooking vegan really is just as diverse as non-vegan cooking in that way. I try not to put myself into a box when it comes to my veganism. I always say as long as it’s vegan I’ll try it! Vegan cooking just like non-vegan cooking gets so much flavor from fresh herbs and spices. I really think vegan chefs are masters of spice. I’ve never met a vegan that didn’t have an overflowing spice cabinet!

TrunkSpace: It can be particularly difficult to find vegan options when traveling if you don’t know where to look. You have a vegan-friendly travel section on your website, and we thought it was brilliant. Can you share some of your traveling tips for those looking to get a decent vegan experience while abroad?
Chef Dix: I’ve found that traveling while vegan is much easier than most people assume. Eating vegan abroad often takes you off the beaten path, where you get the opportunity to dine with locals and get a real sense of the areas culture. I’ve had amazing meals that were handmade for me in shacks by the beach in Mexico and gone into the rainforest to eat fresh coconut ice cream in Hawaii. My biggest resource for finding vegan and vegan-friendly dining abroad is definitely the Happy Cow app and a strong sense of adventure.

TrunkSpace: We’re whacky about Halloween here at TrunkSpace, and we noticed a post on Instagram you shared about vegan candy options for trick or treaters. Can you tell us a bit about how to shop for vegan sweet tooths?
Chef Dix: I’m crazy about sweets also and there’s so many different types of candy that are accidentally vegan. Vegan.com has a great list of accidentally vegan-friendly candies that you can find at just about any store. You mostly want to look for candy without milk and gelatin in the ingredients. Some of my favorite vegan sweets are Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids and Jolly Ranchers.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology, a lot has changed in the food industry. Growing up, we don’t remember ever seeing vegan cheeses, hot dogs or even the variety of produce that is available in grocery stores now. How do you think this has changed over time and what do you think is next in the future of plant-based diets?
Chef Dix: Things have definitely changed a lot since I first became vegan over 10 years ago. Back then, vegan cheese was just horrible and never melted. Today, there are companies like Miyoko’s that make artisanal vegan cheeses that truly taste just as amazing as their dairy counterparts. The future is definitely headed towards much more realistic vegan substitutes. There are a lot of ground-breaking products that are just now coming to the marketplace and changing how we view vegan food. Things like vegan eggs made from bean protein and vegan sashimi made from algae are already here and eventually I don’t think you’ll be able to tell the difference between plant-based dairy and meat and their non-plant based counter parts.

TrunkSpace: What do you find the biggest reward is for maintaining a vegan lifestyle?
Chef Dix: The biggest reward is definitely knowing that I am contributing the least I can towards harming animals and our environment. Food is a powerful thing and I definitely feel like every time I eat I am making a conscious choice about my ethics. For me, going vegan has really changed my outlook on life. I can honestly say it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.

TrunkSpace: What do you feel like the biggest challenge is in eating a balanced vegan diet?
Chef Dix: I’m always excited to try all of the amazing new vegan products that seem to be constantly coming out, so for me, it’s about balancing wanting to try new things with trying to eat a well-rounded diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I cook a lot it’s not hard for me to make healthy choices but when I eat out I do tend to indulge a lot more. For me, a good lifestyle is having occasional indulgences like a super decadent dessert, but balancing it out with the things that keep me feeling good throughout the day.

TrunkSpace: For those home cooks out there or perhaps the aspiring chefs, if you could give them one tip, what would it be?
Chef Dix: My biggest piece of advice would be to not be afraid of experimenting with food. Try new flavors and spices that you’ve never had before. You might find that you really enjoy stepping outside of your box.

TrunkSpace: If the Monopoly guy showed up with a blank check one day and asked you to create your own vegan restaurant, what would that look like?
Chef Dix: It would probably be a thatched hut on the beach with a few hammocks, swings for chairs and palm trees swaying in the wind. Of course, this would be a vegan beach hut, where we would use regional fruits and vegetables, make our own hot sauces from scratch and donate a portion of our profits to local animal charities. Oh, and we would play tacky beach music all day long for ambiance! (Laughter)

Chef Ronaldo Linares
www.ronaldolinares.com
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube

Chef Ronaldo Linares has blazed a culinary trail that burns hot enough to flambé anything within a 30 mile radius. He honed his knife skills growing up in his family’s kitchen, then as Sergeant and Food Services Specialist in the Marines and as a high honors graduate from ICE (Institute for Culinary Education) in New York City.

We recently sat down with Chef Ronaldo to talk about “Old Cuba” as a paradise, what it’s like to run a kitchen on your first Friday night rush, and the “Knotted Apron” pop-up restaurant he recently put together in Los Angeles with some of the food industry’s best Latino chefs.

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and who has been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Linares: I have been in the kitchen since childhood, my two biggest influences in this game have been my father and mother. They have showed me what hard work, technique and patience will do to your craft. I have watched them closely. One of the biggest lessons I learned was to develop habits in the kitchen. Habits bring excellence.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Linares: It has to be Cuban cuisine. It speaks to me the most. Cuba has so much culture, history… different cuisines that influence what Cuban food is today. Signature dish? It has to be a plantain mash called Tre-Fongo made with sweet plantains, green plantains, and yuca. Some sofrito, pork skin, and topped with Roasted Pork Shoulder, aka Pernil Asado.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Linares: Food is definitely a gateway to one’s culture. My food, the Cuban people’s food, is a staple. It tells stories of the old Cuba, a paradise, and it’s my belief food keeps that paradise alive. That’s why I fight so hard to keep Cuban food on the map.

My food is authentic, it fights, it tells you stories. The best compliment that you could get as a chef, in my opinion, is someone telling you that the flavors, textures and smells brought them back to the glorious moments in Cuban history. That is a great feeling.

TrunkSpace: Every cook and/or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Linares: Such a great question. One year after I got out of culinary school, my mother got sick and dad was not around. During that time my mother ran the kitchen, and I had to jump behind the wheel – this happened on a Saturday. In the outside I was cool, calm and collected, but on the inside, I was like, “Holy shit!” So, dinner service starts and orders start coming in, and I was feeling confident at the moment because everything was calm. Not having the experience, I did not anticipate the dinner rush. The time is now 7 p.m. and that printer started to sound like a really bad song. Before long tickets were backed up, everyone is asking me a million and one questions, wait staff is asking for tables, people are leaving, and here I am thinking, “What the F happened?” It’s a good thing I didn’t burn myself as well in the process, luckily a kitchen burns kit is a staple in a kitchen.

So, here I am, 15 years later absolutely crushing it!

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Linares: Recently I put together a pop-up dinner in Los Angeles – the place was “The Knotted Apron.” Some of the best Latino chefs in the game gathered for one night. We put together an eight-course dinner paired with eight different cocktails. Using my connections, I was able to get “Hispanic Kitchen” to live stream a few cooking demos along with top influencers and celebrities that joined the dinner. That night was memorable, dinner was perfect, no mistakes, just good food.

The reason I loved this dinner so much was the family feel of it, but it was a true tale where my career has evolved too.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Linares: In some ways it has, for example, sous vide is a great technique of cooking. It allows you to bring crazy flavors out of foods, from greens to proteins and even starches. The secret lies in playing around with ingredients and checking out other leading chefs that are doing it better than you. I would anyone and everyone to get the Best Sous Vide Cooker and create some delicious dishes. Hope that makes sense.

TrunkSpace: Molecular gastronomy… is it mad science? Or mad tasty? Do you feel it has a place in the culinary scene as entire dinner courses, or should it be used more in balance to further enhance traditional dishes?
Chef Linares: Molecular gastronomy, oh boy! I cannot comment on this one. I am very traditional with my food. From time to time I dabble with molecular gastronomy in my food and see how it plays with traditional dishes.

TrunkSpace: Chef life and tattoos seem to go together like sweet and savory. Do you have any food inspired ink? And if so, what does it mean to you?
Chef Linares: Love my tattoos. I have a lot of ink. One of my food-inspired tattoos is on my right pec. There is a skull in the middle screaming with an old school French chef hat on, surrounding the tattoo is a clever, chef knife, salt shaker and wooden spoon – my favorite tools in the kitchen. The ink keeps me focused to stay on track with my career.

TrunkSpace: If someone offered you a blank check to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on?
Chef Linares: It would definitely be a brick and mortar. That’s usually the best way to have a restauarant. People enjoy coming in and sitting down for a meal. One of my friends actually just started a restaurant. He said that he uses a POS system and software in Perth that helps him to manage his business efficiently. Maybe I’d have to recommend that software to anyone thinking of opening a restaurant! Anyway, my restaurant vision would be to bring old Cuba back – when Cuba was a paradise – the restaurant will represent that vision. The food would of course be farm to table, dishes will represent all regions of Cuba, but would blend the cultures that migrated to Cuba over the last 100 years. It would become the best Cubano restaurant.

Chef Diva/Chelsea Elizabeth
Owner/Head Chef of Chef Diva by Chelsea Elizabeth, LLC
​www.chefdivabychelseaelizabeth.com
Instagram/Facebook

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and who has been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Diva: I’ve been cooking since I can remember. I was always that creative kid in the kitchen. My parents let me do me as long as I cleaned up after myself. I was also a very picky eater and the best way to satisfy myself was to create what I liked. My Nana was definitely my biggest influence, because she was just as picky as me when it came to food. (Laughter) When I would visit she would let me be in the kitchen with her and oversee everything. I loved her food. I was the only one that she ever shared her recipes with. I still use many of them to this day.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Diva: I love creating a mash-up of southern/soul food with Caribbean and Asian influences. As far as a signature dish, that’s tough. I make more macaroni and cheese than any human could ever imagine. It is always a crowd favorite. However, my jerk chicken spring rolls are very labor intensive but ordered all the time.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Diva: My food is the realest representation of my life. It’s all over the place but it works. My family is originally from the south so that influence is automatically in my DNA. Soul food is literally about cooking from the heart. You just know what works. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY which has a heavy West Indian population, so that’s where I received my introduction to Caribbean cuisine. I was hooked from my first chicken roti. My husband’s family comes from Barbados and Trinidad, so I quickly had to learn to make all his favorites. Much like I did with my grandmother, watching her in the kitchen, I did the same with my mother-in-law. She taught me the basics of Caribbean cooking, and I took it from there. On top of that I’ve studied and have had many extended trips to multiple countries in Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. I love to travel. I try to take cooking classes in every country I visit. The learning never stops. I’m obsessed with Asian spices and they work so well with soul food and Caribbean food.

TrunkSpace: Every cook and or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Diva: Knock on wood but I’ve been pretty lucky in my professional cooking life. I had a few disasters in culinary school that got me straight for life. I’m a true believer in that quote, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” Also, being in catering and private chef work, I don’t have the same pressures as being in a restaurant. If I must come up with something, then I do remember catering a BBQ in the Hamptons a few years back. I was using the client’s grill and it ran out of fuel. I’m used to always barbecuing with charcoal, so I didn’t even notice right away. I was standing in 90 degree heat trying to figure out why the Papaya Shrimp Skewers weren’t cooking. Needless to say, they wound up having to be finished in the oven. Not quite grilled, but still tasted fabulous.

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Diva: YES! I was catering a memorial in Manhattan for about 300 people. It was a real mix of socialites, politicians and big business folks. I was ready to show out and that I did. My staff was on point and everything was flowing seamlessly. I always make extra food but in this case every morsel of food was gone. I was being sought out from my hiding spot (watching people eat my food always gives me anxiety) because everyone wanted to know who made the delicious food. It felt good to be recognized for my work in such a historic venue with all of these amazing people that I usually see on TV or in the newspaper. Many of them are still my repeat clients to this day.

TrunkSpace: Do you have a set path in mind for your career and where it’s going? Where do you see yourself 10 years down the road?
Chef Diva: In addition to being a chef, I am also an event planner. I’ve co-owned Kelly Greene Events for the last six years. With that being said, my ultimate goal is to own and operate my own catering hall. That is really the culmination of both of my worlds. Food and parties.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Diva: Nope. I’m old fashioned. I don’t like to rush my food.

TrunkSpace: Your web-series “Delightfully DIVAlicious” is out now. Can you tell us a bit about that and what to expect from the show?
Chef Diva: I recently had weight-loss surgery so the show is really diving into my health journey. I talk about the changes in my life since making the decision to live, literally. I will also be featuring many new healthier recipes for folks to follow along and make at home.

TrunkSpace: We love that even though you are a classically-trained chef, you bring a lot of personality and spice to your approach on food and life. It’s very refreshing to see! Which, in a punny way, leads us to ask you about your spice blends that are also available now. Can you give us a dash of info on those?
Chef Diva: My new Diva Blends are the bomb.com. People have always asked what I put in my food, well this is it. I marinate everything, because I hate dry food. I season everything because I hate flavorless food. It’s my way of giving you a piece of Chef Diva at home. I’ve recently launched the first three – Gimme That Garlicky Diva, Sweet and Savory Diva Marinade, and Tastes Like Summer Marinade. There is more to come so stay tuned. They are all currently for sale exclusively on my web, www.chefdivabychelseaelizabeth.com.

TrunkSpace: For those home cooks out there or perhaps the aspiring chefs, if you could give them one tip on cooking, what would it be?
Chef Diva: Three things: 1.) I always say, “I don’t make pretty food. I make good food.” Some chefs get so bogged down with how their dish looks, and it tastes like crap. Make sure your food tastes good first and then worry about the presentation. 2.) Be thoughtful. You are putting this stuff in the human body, so be thoughtful with what foods you cook, spices you use, and preparation style. 3.) Be fearless. Try a combination of spices that might seem odd. You may be surprised with what you come up with. If it tastes bad, then try something else. Keep going and do what feels and tastes right to you.

TrunkSpace: If someone offered you a blank check to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on?
Chef Diva: I’ve thought about this so many times. It would be a tapas bar. The twist is instead of it being Spanish tapas, it would be Chef Diva Caribbean/Soul Tapas. Small tasty bites of yummy goodness. It would be located in New York, either the city or the Hudson Valley, where I currently reside.

Chef Trevor Tack
Executive Chef of the McNellie’s Group
www.thehopjam.com

Tulsa, Oklahoma has long been famous for its local music scene and connection to Route 66, but lately the food scene has been picking up popularity and acclaim. The reason behind T-Town shifting culinary gears into overdrive is a direct result of the chefs that are now at the helm.

We recently sat down with Chef Trevor Tack of the McNellie’s Group to discuss food and beer pairings, what the foodie future holds, and the experience of working with Hanson on Oklahoma’s largest craft beer and music festival, Hop Jam.

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and what people have been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Trevor: I started cooking in high school. Not at a restaurant mind you, just my house. I wanted to eat certain foods my mom just didn’t cook. In fact, she hates to cook! That’s why I started to take an interest in food because I just got tired of the same old stuff we ate every week. It wasn’t until college that I really got into the scene. That world just appealed to me. The single biggest influence in my journey was my first real chef and mentor, the late Paul Caplinger. He was instrumental in my growth as not only a cook but also as a person.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Trevor: Oh boy, that’s a good question! I love braising things. Confit, roast, stew… anything that takes a while is my favorite thing to do. As far as a signature dish goes, I would have to say risotto. It takes a while and you have to pay attention to it or it just turns out terrible.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Trevor: That is so true. Food is the great equalizer. Every culture. Every person. We all have a story to tell about food. We grieve with it, we celebrate with it, we give it away when people are sad, happy, tired… you name it. My food is simple. I want it to make you happy. I love serving people. I find a fantastic joy in doing so. When you cook for someone, you’re asking for them to trust you. I don’t take that lightly.

TrunkSpace: Every cook and/or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Trevor: I have been pretty fortunate in that category. I have seen very few catastrophic meltdowns in my kitchens. But one that truly haunts me, I mean some really nightmarish shit, was when I opened the Dilly Diner. It was during Tulsa Tough and the race was on our front door. That first week was so hard. People crying in the alley was just a normal sight. Just a torrent of people coming in, no breaks. My legs were chaffed so they were bleeding. It was hot as hell outside to boot. Trying to expo and teach people the proper way of doing things in that environment was very difficult. Oh yeah, and we were open from 7:00 am to midnight.

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Trevor: It’s funny because it was the same week. I saw people that were forgotten rise up and become giants in that time. There were cooks there that had been cast aside by many that showed how strong they truly were. I saw people grow and lead others. We fought together. We bled. We came out on the other side much better for it too. Some didn’t make it ‘til the end, but the ones that did really showed their grit. I’ve truly never been prouder of a staff.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Trevor: Oh yes. I’m by no means a culinary “scientist” but the way food is being raised and grown now has really changed the game. It’s really making us all healthier people.

TrunkSpace: As the Executive Chef of the McNellie’s Group, you appear to be involved in some very exciting ventures including this year’s “Hop Jam” in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Can you tell us a bit about that event and what it’s like working with the Hanson brothers?
Chef Trevor: Those guys are great. They truly are some great ambassadors for our city. I’m fortunate to be cooking a very cool dinner in collaboration with Taylor Hanson at The Bond Event Center. The first annual Firkin Feast. It’s a celebration of food, music, and of course beer! Some really killer breweries are going to be there. The food is going to be pretty great too! I haven’t been this excited about an event in forever. It all goes down on 5/19/18. Details can be found here!

TrunkSpace: As you stated, Hop Jam centers around music and uniquely crafted beers. For those foodies reading out there, can you tell us some basics on pairing the perfect brew with food? We know pizza and beer go together, but what should we order to drink with a good piece of fish or steak?
Chef Trevor: Man, beer is so much fun to pair with food! I have found that some of the best pairings are with simple fizzy lagers or ciders. They go with almost everything. When the food gets a little heavier, just experiment with some darker ales and porters. But really at the end of the day it’s about what you like. Don’t let any beer or wine snob tell you differently!

TrunkSpace: Tulsa has long been well known for being on the forefront of music, but lately the culinary scene has really been developing in T-Town. Do you think this is due to customers becoming more adventurous in their dining? And what do you think the gastronomy future holds for Tulsa?
Chef Trevor: Tulsa is ready for prime time. I have been watching this town grow and spread her culinary wings, so to speak, for the last 15 years. It’s been an amazing ride watching all of it go down. I honestly attribute that to our millennial diners. Social media and young professionals go hand in hand. And hipsters. Hipsters love taking pictures of their food almost as much as they like to eat it. There is just so much more connectivity to the world’s dining scene now. Everyone can see what other cities are doing and saying, “OOOO I want dat!” And that’s a good thing for all of us. I think that we’ll just keep getting better and better as more talented people start coming up the ranks. High tide raises all ships.

Hop Jam takes place this Sunday. For more information, click here.

Vikki Krinsky
www.chefvikkik.com
• Twitter: @chefvikkik • Instagram: @chefvikkik

Many times you hear of people switching their profession from doctor or lawyer to pursue a career as a chef. Undergoing such a transformation to follow your passion can be a big risk. Chef Vikki Krinsky went from professional soccer player and actress to kitchen life, working for famous folks like “The Orville” and “Family Guy” creator, Seth MacFarlane.

We recently put on our apron and jumped behind the cutting board to chat with Chef Krinsky about her journey from actress to chef, how to make healthy foods taste great, and calling her mom from Tom Hank’s bathroom.

TrunkSpace: You’ve had an interesting career path, from actress to chef for A-list Hollywood stars like Seth MacFarlane. Can you tell us what that journey was like for you and how your love of culinary arts eclipsed your love of the performing arts?
Chef Krinsky: What a journey it was! In addition to coming off of a Lifetime TV series called Zoe Busiek’s “Wild Card” that we shot in Toronto, Canada, I was also a competitive soccer player my whole life, who put a lot of emphasis on health and fitness. I moved to LA at the ripe ol’ age of 19 and had no idea what I was in for, in terms of body image. It was really tough hearing feedback after an audition and I started to grow immensely dissatisfied with my self-image. After a year of testing for multiple shows, I took it upon myself to start studying nutrition and I even got a job as a personal trainer at the gym down the street. Soon thereafter, I walked away from acting and went on a solo backpacking trip through Europe. I randomly met a chef, interned in five different restaurants throughout Europe and came back to LA with a new, profound passion – cooking fine dining cuisine, with a nutritional twist! My role in the world of entertainment is absolutely perfect for me. I’m very grateful that I listened to my gut and took a chance on myself.

TrunkSpace: Though you’re not actively pursuing an acting career, you are in front of the camera each week on the CBS cooking competition show, “Recipe Rehab.” What are some of the challenges of trying to not only entertain on the show but also cook and educate viewers on how to transform their favorite comfort food dishes? And do you feel your background in acting helps to elevate your performance?
Chef Krinsky: I do feel my love for acting has helped tremendously. I truly don’t find it challenging to do all of the above – in fact, I love that combination more than anything! Like a perfectly balanced… cupcake!

TrunkSpace: You have a passion for creating healthy and delicious meals, and you’re of the belief you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for fit foods. For those trying to seek a healthier lifestyle, do you have any basic tips on adding flavor to dishes that normally get a bad rep for being bland or blasé?
Chef Krinsky: FRESH HERBS, my friends! They are so simple, easy and affordable! They’re a pop of bright flavor, and really bring any and all dishes to life!

TrunkSpace: An artist often needs quality paints to create a quality painting. Do you believe that in the culinary arts it’s important to cook using organic and sustainable foods? And do you find such foods to indeed be tastier?
Chef Krinsky: I certainly believe that fresh, local food is of the highest quality and would stand out in any dish. I do however know that not everyone has the means or the accessibility to enjoy such luxuries. My take is, try to use the freshest ingredients you can find and splurge on yourself as much as possible. Food is our vital source of fuel and I think it’s highly important that we view it as such.

TrunkSpace: Was it intimidating going into the personal chef field for Hollywood’s A-list talent? Or with your background in acting, was it more like you were at ease right away, and you knew they are just regular folks with extraordinary fan bases?
Chef Krinsky: That’s exactly it. My mom always made sure I knew that everyone was just like everyone else, and so I grew up with the advantage of being able to connect naturally. Don’t get me wrong, I called my mom from Tom Hank’s bathroom and whispered to her how crazy it was that I was cooking in his kitchen and thanked her for always encouraging me to follow my passions and believe in myself. It was one of the best phone calls in the world!

TrunkSpace: When not cooking on CBS, you are working as the personal chef to one of our favorite comedians and creators, Seth MacFarlane. Can you tell use a bit about what that experience is like and maybe some of Seth’s favorite dishes?
Chef Krinsky: My experience with Seth, is one million percent perfect in every way. I couldn’t ask for a kinder, more brilliant client to have worked with for over eight years. It’s truly my dream personal chef job. He really enjoys a good, hearty, tuna melt and loves when I make a cornmeal crust pizza with smoked salmon, spinach, basil and crumbled goat cheese. Of course, topped off with fresh dill, lemon and basil. 🙂

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Krinsky: I believe that my food is very creative and not conventional. I think more than anything, my parents instilled a confidence inside of me that allows me to create bold, unique dishes and see where they land!

TrunkSpace: Do you have a set goal in mind for your career moving forward? Where do you see yourself on your culinary journey in another 10 years?
Chef Krinsky: Of course I do, silly! I certainly want to continue inspiring, teaching and building my brand. My next big venture is making products for the world to enjoy. Let’s do a follow-up interview a year from now, when you’re snacking on my VK energy bars. 🙂

TrunkSpace: If someone offered you a blank check to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on?
Chef Krinsky: Hmm…very kind of them. Off the top of my head, I think I would want to open up a spot that offers more than just food. Something more interactive, more personal. Almost like a chef/nutrition/restaurant combination. A place where people could go to have meal plans created for them via a touch screen computer or even a one-on-one session with a chef/nutritionist. They could then pick up their meals for the week, based off of their personal goals. Of course, there would be a beautiful patio where you could dine in and enjoy unique, delicious food off of the menu also. Maybe fun facts about nutrition everywhere, so you get to eat and learn at the same time. Something like this excites me!

Emery Chapman
Organic Chef, Author, Food Photographer
Empowering wellness through organic recipes, climate awareness and spiritual insights
www.chefemery.com
● Instagram: Chef_Emery ● Facebook: Chef Emery

“Cooking is such a gift for the soul. It really can be that and when we pair it with a greater understanding that our food choices matter, we recognize that we are not only nourishing ourselves but nourishing the planet. We need that so much right now.” – Chef Emery

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and what people have been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Emery: Cooking has always been a huge part of my life from the time I was a young child. My parents catered out of our home and my father moonlighted during his career at one point as a professional chef and a head saucier. I grew up with an eight-burner stove with double ovens and a father that regularly served dishes such as turtle soup, cow’s tongue, vichyssoise soup, liver pates and tripe over spaghetti just to name a few. He taught me how to tell when fish was fresh and why the marbling of a steak mattered. He taught me my knife skills at age eight. How to mince garlic, fry potatoes in a pan, make gravy from scratch and cook the perfect whole chicken. We grew fresh herbs and mini French strawberries in the garden, and as a child, my favorite thing to do was go out and pick them on a hot summer day, eating as many as I could. To this day, I can still smell the aromas of garlic, fresh herbs and hear the sizzle of the pan as my father fried the potatoes to perfection. Hand cranked homemade strawberry ice cream on a warm summer day. To this day, I think that is the best ice cream I’ve ever had, or at least that is how I will always remember it. I found my deep love and intuition for cooking here and it has been a love affair ever sense.

Fast forward years later, I bought a boutique inn called The Harborage Inn with my husband in Coastal Midcoast, Maine while working evenings apprenticing under a well-known professional chef in our region who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. I had planned to go to cooking school but he recommended I come apprentice under him in a real restaurant because he felt I would learn a lot more. He was doing farm to table years before it was even a thing. To say I learned so much from him, would be an understatement. You could literally feel the excitement and passion he had for food. He grew his own edible flowers, fresh herbs and sourced much of his food locally as well as cured his own fish. I learned that cooking was truly an art form during this time with him. It was also my first deeper exposure to understanding how food can be a direct extension of nature. The simple act of garnishing a plate with an edible flower of fresh herbs elevated a dish. Guests were always charmed by both the aesthetics and the delicious food. This experience really helped me grow into the chef I’ve become today.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Emery: My love for cooking runs deep and there are so many different types of cuisine that I love that it’s honestly hard to pick just one. I love Indian food, Thai food, French, Japanese, Mexican, and what I call SoCal food, just to name a few. I gravitate towards cuisines that I absolutely love and then try to give them a healthy twist.

As an organic chef, I’m deeply inspired by the beautiful, local, organic and seasonal food in my region. I love going to my local farmer’s markets or to my local coop to inspire my daily meal planning. I’ve always found this process relaxing and elevating. I also have to be organized too because I run a very busy, high-paced inn seasonally as well as being a mother of two beautiful kiddos which keeps me on my toes. As a chef, I need meals to be delicious but also fairly quick and easy. Demystifying cooking is really important to me. I think a lot of people give up on cooking these days because they find it overwhelming or think it takes too much time. I’ve always tried to encourage and teach people that when you work with real food that’s sourced well, it doesn’t need a lot of complication to be absolutely delicious and this can be done in a timely manner.

If I had to say what my signature dish was, it would be the first meal I cooked by myself at age 10. My father taught me how to make it and to this day it has remained my favorite dish as well as my children’s. Chicken piccata with white wine, capers and lemon. It’s really not a fancy dish and very easy to make. There is something that is just so special about the crispy fried chicken drenched in this lemony, salty caper sauce. It’s absolutely divine if you ask me.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Emery: I absolutely love this question because for me my work as a chef has a bigger message that I think is very important right now. I’m really trying to use my platform to highlight the importance of our food choices and how it affects the bigger picture. Climate change is very real and I believe potentially one of the greatest threats for all of us if we don’t start taking action. I think people might be surprised how much they actually can do merely through their food purchasing power. Local, organic food is sustainable for a number of reasons. Farmers who are practicing this type of farming are required to farm in a way that enriches the soil rather than depleting it and the soil plays a large role in the health of our ecosystem. The food also has traveled less so it lowers our carbon footprint along with being more nutrient dense which is better for our health. I believe that when we connect and eat real food that is fresh, it is one of the easiest ways we can connect with nature. Real food is nature and touching, tasting, smelling and connecting with it can slow down our lives in a powerful way. When I’ve had a busy day and I get in the kitchen, bare foot and hear the sizzle of the pan, the smells, there is something transformative and meditative about it. Everything just eases. The magic really happens too when I share this with others. When I’ve made a meal and then I get together and sit down with the most important people in my life and connect, something important happens. In a current on the go culture, I believe we need this so much right now.

TrunkSpace: Every cook and/or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Emery: At my business the Harborage Inn, we seasonally serve an average of 22-26 people daily for breakfast from May to October. We source as much as we can locally and organically and pride ourselves on what we have grown the business into. This will actually be my 20th season this year which is actually hard for me to grasp as time flies. When we first bought the business, my husband and I were in our early 20’s and still had so much to learn. Initially it was just a continental breakfast which has since grown into a full gourmet breakfast. I remember early on in our process, we were just trying to learn so much. There were a few moments where in hindsight I realize we were a work in progress. Guests would give us a feedback and even though sometimes it wasn’t easy to hear, I always tried to really listen and then adjust. I think that is crucial in business. You can’t take things personally. If you really want to grow, adapt and be better, you have to hear the constructive criticism and then make the appropriate changes necessary.

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Emery: There are really two things I feel incredibly proud of. Having had our business as long as we have, I have learned so much over the years. There was a point in my career where I just recognized I really needed to make a transition if I was going to continue. We were serving high quality food but I felt this strong urge to push and purchase more local and organic foods for our morning breakfast. This was one of the best transitions we ever made and guests now choose us specifically for it. We are even recognized now as a green certified hotel. It makes me feel really proud that I know I’m making an effort to support as many local businesses and farmers as I can, and that my business is an example of trying to push for more sustainability. My most valuable moments as a chef though are when I work and volunteer for FARMS Kitchen. FARMS stands for Focus on Agriculture in Rural Maine Schools. I come in to volunteer as a chef to teach a cooking class from beginning to end to children in the public school system. The program works with local food from our local farmer’s and we prepare, cook and then sit for a family style meal together. Children are taught basic knife skills, cooking and education about the local foods they are eating and why it’s important. There is focus on composting and why eating real food is so important for our bodies and the earth’s soil. We then sit down and enjoy the meal that we have all prepared together as a community. There is something so special about walking children through the process of cooking all the way to the finished product. We talk about the touch, taste and feel of the food, what they loved about the process and then sit down as a community to enjoy it. As a chef, this is honestly one of my favorite things to do and being a part of this program brings me great joy.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Emery: I actually do not use a lot of the gadgets as I’m a pretty straight forward cook. I love my cast iron skillet and sauté pans but I have to say the InstaPot really blew my mind. I do not use it a lot but the fact that it can cook a whole chicken with homemade stock in basically 30 minutes is pretty exciting. I like to make a chicken Pho with the Instapot which is really delicious. You can also pressure cook dried beans in under 30 minutes. It is a pretty fascinating gadget without all the fear of the original pressure cooker. You don’t have to worry about it blowing up all over your kitchen or at least I don’t think so!

TrunkSpace: As an organic chef, can you tell us a bit about why it’s important to choose organic and sustainable foods and how that affects not only flavor but health?
Chef Emery: When we eat real food that is in season and local, there is such a difference in the taste. The food has traveled less which is better for the environment as well as being more nutrient dense for our health. The other thing that I really love is that when food is sourced well, it doesn’t need a lot of complication to be absolutely delicious. It’s this beautiful gift from nature. A strawberry in season in June almost speaks to you through your taste buds. At least that is how it feels for me anyway. My hope is that we can continue to keep bringing the price of local and organic foods down so they are more affordable for everyone. Local coops generally offer such foods at lower price points and there are also a lot of local farms that you can purchase a CSA with. Our purchasing power has weight and the more we demand it, the more the cost will be driven down. We deserve real food that is chemically free and affordable for all of us.

TrunkSpace: If an investor offered you a blank check to start your own restaurant, what would that look like for you? Would it be a brick and mortar, food truck or pop-up?
Chef Emery: I think if someone gave me a blank check, I would want to set up a community kitchen where we could grow a lot of our own food. A working farm that fed people as well. It would be a place that provided meals for those that needed it. We would serve and prepare meals that families could take home or eat on site, bagged lunches as well as teach cooking classes to both adults and children. A place where people could learn more about real food, cooking and provide a valuable service to the community. This would be a dream come true.

TrunkSpace: Do you have a set path in mind for your career and where it’s going? Where do you see yourself 10 years down the road?
Chef Emery: Alice Waters is such a role model to me. I honestly just want a platform to be of service and spread knowledge about the power that cooking and real local organic food can have on our health, our soul, our families, our community and the planet. I want to write, teach people to cook, use my recipes to better their lives as well as support and work with brands and companies that are trying to do the same thing. It takes a village and I want to be a part of the village trying to push for a better world. We owe that to ourselves as well as our families and children.

Jason Barr
Sous Chef, Hard Rock Casino Tulsa
• T: @ChefJasonBarr

Food and rock go hand in hand. You would be hard-pressed to find a kitchen that did not have music blasting in order to help the staff power through a dinner service. For this edition of “Chef Life” we were able to track down Chef Jason Barr, who just so happens to work at a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which is known for not only its live concerts and people taking the skills they’ve learned from trying online casinos (check this article to find the best ones on the market) and winning big on the many different games in the vicinity, but it’s also known for its fine dining as well. So grab a knife and fork and dig into this hearty feature about what it’s like cooking for Michael Rooker (aka Yondu and Merle Dixon), how to roll with the gastronomical punches, and why you should strive to always cook like a grandma. Maybe you will open up your own restaurant one day and promote it using somewhere like https://www.promotionchoice.com while making amazing food.

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and who has been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Barr: Three years old! True story. My grandma found me one morning standing on a bar stool getting ready to fix eggs and bacon for breakfast. I had a lot of heroes growing up watching Food Network. Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, the Two Fat Ladies. I used to watch shows about cooking food and then try to mimic it when I was young. My mother was a good inspiration to get me to cook professionally. She got me my first Betty Crocker cook book when I graduated high school and she said, “Learn to cook and you’ll never eat alone.” I still have that book in my office.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Barr: I always aspire to be a great saucier. I have an infatuation with sauces. When it comes to preparing full meals, I’d have to say Latin or Italian cuisine. We eat a lot of tacos at my house. Working in a busy kitchen, I learned that you can put almost anything on a tortilla. My signature dish would have to be chicken alfredo. I make an alfredo sauce that is so velvety smooth it will make your heart flutter.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Barr: Coming from Oklahoma, it’s important to learn how to “cook like grandma.” The easiest way to make someone happy is through their stomach. That’s why I do what I do, I like making people happy. When I was a kid we used to have family cookouts every Sunday, then we would gather around the table and play cards. Everyone loves to eat good food. I have a saying in my home that goes like this…

“The three requirements for the best meals are – good food, good drink, good company.”

TrunkSpace: Every cook and/or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Barr: Oh man, Tuesdays… Each week the Hard Rock Buffet has a promo that is called “Two for Tuesdays” – it’s a buy one/get one deal we do every week. We have perfected it after many failures, but imagine the most brutally busy flow of business for five hours straight, every week. That’s my Tuesdays. I have a motto I tell my guys. “We know it’s going to suck, but it’s our job to make it suck less.”

Teaching people how to work smarter, not harder is what I’m good at.

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Barr: 2016, the week before Valentine’s Day, the steakhouse chef had to go out on surgery, so it was MY show. I literally had less than a week to finish writing the Valentine’s Day menu, get the food ordered, prepped and executed flawlessly. Not to mention training everyone how to do it. This same week we also had a special wine dinner for a VIP event. So, I had to do a menu of amuse-bouche style items to pair with four different types of wines we were featuring to a large group of people. Luckily, I kept a level head and did not panic. I had been working in fine dining for three years at this point so I at least kind of knew what I was doing. I do remember at the end of that week I felt a HUGE sense of pride. Valentine’s, flawless. Wine dinner and tasting, flawless. AND we (me and my team) received a huge applause from the people that attended the event. That was the first time as a chef I had that happen.

TrunkSpace: Do you have a set path in mind for your career and where it’s going? Where do you see yourself 10 years down the road?
Chef Barr: Honestly? Not really. I went to business school, got an IT degree and I’ve always thought of myself as a teacher or scientist. I became a chef because I have always been drawn to the kitchen, sort of a “I was made for this” calling. I’d really love to just teach people how to cook and educate about “edible alchemy.” Ten years down the road I can see myself as a research chef. I love how “Culinology” blends science and art together, that is so me.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Barr: Most of the chefs I have worked for exercised classic ways of cooking. One chef in particular said his style of cooking was based on simplicity. He learned from traveling around the world, so I trusted him. He wanted to be able to cook a dish using nothing but ingredients that the “man that lived in a hut in the middle of nowhere” would have access to. A ton of dishes we cooked together started with four simple ingredients; onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I love new technology and innovation, but old habits are so hard to break.

TrunkSpace: Molecular gastronomy… is it mad science or mad tasty? Do you feel it has a place in the culinary scene as entire dinner courses, or should it be used more in balance to further enhance traditional dishes?
Chef Barr: I love molecular gastronomy! I’ve always thought of kitchens as my laboratories and love how this “mad science” has taken off. Consumers are always looking for the newest, coolest, most exciting experience and some of the innovation I have seen is amazing. Messing with people’s senses is one thing I love to do. One time we messed up making some chocolate mousse, and it looked a lot like ice cream. So, to joke around with the servers, we scooped it up like ice cream and put it in a serving dish and let it sit under the heat lamp. We called it “never melting ice cream.” Each time some of the servers would walk by the pass and look up at it they would have kind of a WTF look on their faces after a few trips.

TrunkSpace: Working at the Hard Rock, you must have had the chance to cook for some of the celebrities that have come through on tour. Is that nerve racking or intimidating? And do you have a favorite experience cooking for any of those celebs?
Chef Barr: It can be intimidating when you first start out – a lot of celebs want VERY specific food to eat. Most of them are easy going though. My favorite celeb would have to be Michael Rooker. He and his entourage came in for Wizard World Comic Con one year and came up to the steakhouse to eat a few times. They were some of the nicest people I had ever talked to and were very happy with each meal, and they let me know it! I must admit the first few times it made me nervous, but you just have to keep in mind that this is what you do every day.

TrunkSpace: If someone offered you a blank check to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on? I know the logistics of running a restaurant can be tough, even if you’ve got a restaurant accounting software, of which you can find it here, but surely this must be an aspiration of yours?
Chef Barr: None of the above. (Well, maybe a food truck.) I would like to do a cooking show. Online like a YouTube channel, or maybe network eventually. I love to cook, but I’d really like to have more time for my daughters. I’m thinking along the lines of cooking/comedy show with dance breaks in between waiting periods.

Robert Irvine
Chef, Fitness Authority, Philanthropist, Author
www.chefirvine.com
• F: /ChefIrvine • T: @robertirvine
• I: @chefirvine

Humans may not have super powers in real life, but Chef Robert Irvine might be as close to super-human as you can possibly get. With restaurants in Las Vegas and the Pentagon… that’s right, THE Pentagon, a regular human would be content with those monumental achievements, but a super-human would do more. The only things bigger than Chef Irvine’s biceps are the size of his heart and the drive he has to not only give back to our military, but to educate people on eating and living healthy lives. You’ve seen him smashing walls with a sledge hammer on Food Network and preparing huge meals against even bigger odds in “Dinner: Impossible,” now the super chef is sitting down with TrunkSpace to chat about cooking in an ice hotel, potstickers, and exercising the culinary muscle.

TrunkSpace: When and why did you start cooking and who has been the biggest influence in your life with regards to your culinary journey?
Chef Irvine: I have always loved cooking. When I was younger, I helped my mom prepare Sunday roasts, but my first real interest in cooking came when I took a home economics class. It was the first time I was really educated about food, nutrition, and the balance of healthy and delicious meals. I continued cooking when I joined the British Royal Navy.

TrunkSpace: What style of cuisine do you enjoy creating the most and why? And what would you consider your signature dish?
Chef Irvine: It would be difficult to pinpoint any one cuisine as my favorite. I enjoy creating meals that are both healthy and delicious. One of my favorite meals is a perfectly roasted chicken with mashed potatoes – it is a simple and comfortable meal, but much harder to perfect than many realize. When I cook for my family, we do a lot of fish, particularly salmon. My wife also loves potstickers, so we eat a lot of vegetarian potstickers.

TrunkSpace: It’s been said that food is the gateway into a culture, that it identifies a history, family and a region. What do you feel your food says about your culture and history?
Chef Irvine: Again, one of my favorite meals to cook is a Sunday roast, a tradition in England. My food speaks to my childhood growing up in England and also incorporates healthy takes, which is inspired by my military experience. It’s important to eat well and stay healthy.

TrunkSpace: Every cook and/or chef has a really bad service, and it haunts them, but they grow and learn from it. Do you have a worst service memory that keeps you up at night? And how did it change you as a chef?
Chef Irvine: There was a dinner I prepared for the entire staff at the Quebec Ice Hotel in subfreezing temperatures during “Dinner: Impossible,” which was the closest to actually being impossible that I can recall. As chefs, we learn and grow from every experience. Repetition is the only way to exercise any muscle – including the culinary muscle – the more we practice, the better chefs we will be.

TrunkSpace: On the flipside of that, do you have a particular memory of your best service or a moment in your career that really stood out and has stuck with you?
Chef Irvine: I do a lot of work in support of our military personnel and their families and every moment I have to commit to these folks is beyond satisfying. It’s hard to put my finger on any one thing, but traveling with the USO and spending the past two Christmases with the troops in the Middle East would certainly be up there.

TrunkSpace: Do you have a set path in mind for your career and where it’s going? Where do you see yourself 10 years down the road?
Chef Irvine: While anything can happen, I see myself continuing to focus on pushing out good and healthy food, raising military awareness through my foundation, The Robert Irvine Foundation, and developing my monthly digital magazine, RobertIrvineMagazine.com. Whatever specific shape my endeavors take in the future matters less to me than the fact that I stay involved with what I’m passionate about. If you stick to what you’re passionate about, you can never go wrong.

TrunkSpace: With the advancement of technology in the past years, food has also advanced in many ways. Has it changed the way you cook at all?
Chef Irvine: I’m a big fan of a restaurant management software called CTUIT. It makes it easy to manage inventory and pinpoint what you’re losing to spoilage, allowing you to revamp or scrap specific menu items that are too costly or dragging down sales. It also allows you to evaluate employee performance in a really innovative way so you can reward high performance and counsel anyone who’s not up to par. It helps with everything, really, including scheduling. At the end of the day, it allows the staff to focus on turning out great food and providing a good experience to the customers. Any technology that can do that without getting in the way is a huge plus.

TrunkSpace: Molecular gastronomy… is it mad science or mad tasty? Do you feel it has a place in the culinary scene as entire dinner courses, or should it be used more in balance to further enhance traditional dishes?
Chef Irvine: I think if that’s your area of focus, then go for it. People are always looking for new experiences, so it has tremendous potential. At the end of the day, though, it’s all about the taste of the food. My food, of course, is more simple and traditional in preparation.

TrunkSpace: Chef life and tattoos seem to go together like sweet and savory. Do you have any food inspired ink? And if so, what does it mean to you?
Chef Irvine: No tattoos for me!

TrunkSpace: If someone offered you a blank check to open your own restaurant, whether that would be a brick and mortar, food truck or gastropub, what would your vision be? Where would it be located and what type of food would you focus on?
Chef Irvine: I’ve been lucky enough to have already opened my dream projects including Fresh Kitchen at the Pentagon and Public House at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. Both locations are incredible – seriously, who gets to open a restaurant in the Pentagon? – and they have tremendous energy. Both restaurants feature fresh, simple dishes and offer something for everyone, including a roasted chicken, of course. Opening your dream restaurant is something that not all people can experience. There’s a lot of responsibility involved. For example, finding something similar to those trucking company Red Deer services to source food for the restaurant and deliver it. The chef might be able to handle matters like the inventory and the menu but that doesn’t mean they can run the restaurant single-handed. However, there does seem to be more people following their dreams and taking the risk. Opening a restaurant can seem difficult, but with one of the best restaurant point of sale systems, it can be a lot easier. Having software like that can make a business much easier to run. It helps take mobile orders and offers delivery options, making the restaurant more efficient. If anyone is starting their own restaurant, it’s a good idea to look into a POS system. It might just save you a lot of time, and help you to make more money and business.