Chris Conlon, the neighborhood resident who is the executive chef at N9NE Steakhouse/NOVE Italiano in Victory Park, has always been interested in cooking. When he was a child, his grandmother was famous for her pickled eggs, so the young Conlon asked his grandmother to show him how to make the eggs.
“Everything went great ’till I wanted to show everyone what I made and went to the fridge to get the eggs out,” he says with a smile, noting that his grandmother’s kitchen was carpeted. “So I got the eggs out and promptly dropped the jar. Needless to say there, has been a permanent beet juice stain in grandma’s rug that still won’t come out.”
In other words, professional chefs are just like the rest of us in the privacy of their own kitchens. This might seem hard to believe, given their skill and that it should be easier to cook at home than in a restaurant kitchen. After all, it’s quiet at home; there aren’t any customers pricking the meat to see if it’s rare enough; and a waiter isn’t pacing up and down waiting for the next order. But many chefs don’t like to cook at home. In fact, several big-name chefs said they wouldn’t be of much use for this story, since they stay as far away from their home kitchens as humanly possible.
“I almost never cook at home,” says neighorhood resident Blythe Beck, executive chef at Hector’s on Henderson. “I would love to, but I don’t have the time to go to the store and then make dinner. I am never home to sit down and eat dinner. And when I do, I usually make a mess.”
Still, Beck and many of her peers persevere. They do the same things we do — throw back the apples with brown spots in the produce section, brave grocery store checkout lines at 5:30 in the afternoon, and leave pots and pans scattered all over the kitchen.
And you know what else? Their home efforts aren’t always as successful as their professional ones. Neighborhood resident Joel Harloff, executive chef at Dali Wine Bar, had to improvise his home dinner plans one night after his Labrador decided the two prime ribeyes resting on the counter would be a nice snack. (Prime, of course, being the cut of meat one grade better than what the rest of us get to buy.)
Their experiences offer hope for the rest of us. If a big-time chef can make amateur-like mistakes, then it’s a lot less embarrassing when we do — and it’s something we can learn from.
Feel guilty about all of the 49-cent packages of ramen noodles in the pantry? Don’t. Chefs use them, too. Embarrassed by the oddly shaped muffin or cookie tin you received for Christmas? Don’t be. Chefs get them, too. Feel silly that you have an expensive piece of kitchen equipment that you had to have and never use? Don’t. Chefs do that, too.
“Don’t be scared to try something new, and don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t come out right,” Conlon says. “Remember, it’s just food, and it happens every day. Try to think about what went wrong and try again. Things go wrong every day. Just because you follow a recipe doesn’t mean it will work. Food is — or was — alive and is different every time.”
Besides, there aren’t any dogs in professional kitchens.
Chris Conlon, N9NE Steakhouse/NOVE Italiano executive chef
Most interesting place you worked before this: Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma, Calif. It was fun because all of the product was grown and raised locally. It was the best produce I have seen in my career — all local, fresh and really tasty.
What you like least about being a chef: The current state of the economy. People are eating out less; prices of food are going up each day … it is posing new challenges each day.
Where do you eat when you don’t eat at your restaurant: I’m always in search of the best of the best. Where is the best Chinese food? Who has the best sushi? Where’s the best burger? Where is the best barbecue? I always want to know where the best kept secret is, and before I go on vacation, I spend weeks researching the places I will go eat.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment in your kitchen: I love my charcoal grill in the back yard. Every week, it gets used at least twice, which is a lot for a chef to be cooking at home.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment to splurge on: A good set of pots and pans and a sharp knife. Good heavy pots and pans will get hot to give you that restaurant sear on proteins, and they won’t burn when making sauces, soups and things like that. A sharp knife is a must. People often ask, how do you make chopping look so easy? It’s all in the knife.
Silliest gadget or piece of equipment you’ve owned: I got a special spatula for a gift that is just for flipping eggs. The handle is a little egg and came with a matching timer that is the shape of an egg. I guess you’re supposed to time how long your eggs cook.
Most surprising thing in your pantry or refrigerator: Top Ramen. I love it. It cooks up quick, and I add some vegetables and spices and seasoning and get a great bowl of soup in the time it takes to boil water.
On deciding to be a chef: I used to always cook with my grandma and got my first job washing dishes when I was 13. From the time I walked into that kitchen and the chef, “Teddy” (an old mean Italian lady), was screaming at everyone, I knew it was the only thing I ever wanted to do, no matter how hard my dad tried to talk me out of it.
What you cook at home: My girlfriend and I will fire up the barbecue and invite some friends over for what we call barbecue and wine Monday. Our friends bring some wine, and she and I cook. It’s always a great night — she’s a chef, as well, so the food is great, and our friends have good taste in wine. The perfect combination — good food, good wine and good company.
Joel A. Harloff, Dali Wine Bar & Cellar executive chef
Most interesting place you worked before this: The Melrose Hotel. I had a restaurant to be as creative as I wanted as a chef, and I learned a great deal on the business end of the hospitality industry.
What you like least about being a chef: Un-productive, time-consuming meetings.
Where do you eat when you don’t eat at your restaurant: I like to eat with my friends at their homes, and we cook whatever we are in the mood for when I am not at the restaurant.
Best advice for the home cook: Don’t believe everything you see on TV or on the Food Network Channel.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment in your kitchen: My dishwasher, and I’m not talking about the machine. His name is Ivan.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment to splurge on: Convection oven over conventional.
Most surprising thing in your pantry or refrigerator: That they are completely empty.
On cooking at home: I prefer to secure the finest cut of meat that I can and an excellent bottle of red wine. And, of course, that is followed by the finest cigar in the world to end a perfect home meal.
Blythe Beck, Hector’s on Henderson executive chef
Most interesting place you worked before this: The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Because I got to learn, grow, eat and become strong. Plus, I got to work with Dean Fearing. How awesome is that?
What you like most about being a chef: That I get to play with food for a living.
Where do you eat when you don’t eat at your restaurant: If I’m being swanky, Fearing’s or Charlie Palmer’s. Casual is Café San Miguel and , and drinks is Vickery Park.
Guilty pleasure restaurant: The Dixie House. I heart that place.
Best piece of advice for the home cook: Keep it simple, make it a little naughty, and make it your own. Make sure your food reflects you and your personality. Cooking is a great creative outlet.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment in your kitchen: A very sharp Global chef’s knife.
Silliest gadget or piece of equipment you’ve owned: A Christmas tree-shaped muffin pan.
Biggest home cooking disaster: I was cooking for my sister and some of her co-workers, and right as I was plating the entrée, I dropped it all over the floor. And my sister has an open kitchen, so everyone saw it.
Most surprising thing in your pantry or refrigerator: The amount of space devoted to my love and respect of the pig and all pork-related products. And that includes bags of those fried pork rinds.
On deciding to be a chef: I knew that I wanted a job with no lunch break, no rush-hour traffic, and most of all, no panty hose. You don’t pick this career; it picks you.
Aaron Hubbard, Le Cordon Bleu Dallas chef/instructor
Most interesting place you worked before this job: Three seasons at the Sun Valley Resort in central Idaho. My restaurant did between 200-300 covers nightly, seven days a week for most of the winter, while in the summer we did lots of banquet service, frequently for groups of over 1,000. So the professional experience was great, but it was also a breathtakingly beautiful place to live with lots of activities available year round.
What you like most about being a chef: Having reached my fairly senior level of experience, it is the respect that the role has gained over the past couple of decades. The “chef” is seen in a very different light than even just 10 years ago in terms of being a professional and an artist, and a business person. I’m proud to be a part of that.
What you like least about being a chef: The schedule can be very difficult, and the working conditions can be hard, hot and often dirty. It can be dangerous in terms of cuts and burns. And early in one’s career, it often does not pay very well and can be very competitive.
Best advice for the home cook: Keep it simple, and keep it fun. Getting caught up in sometimes silly details of a recipe takes away the point of something that is supposed to be fun. We need to remember that cooking should be a visceral part of our lives, not a chore or job. People often tell me they love to cook, but they are probably not very good. I always ask them, “But are you having fun?” and remind them that like anything else, good cooking takes practice, as well as insight into why we do the things we do in the kitchen. But it should always be fun.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment in your kitchen: High-quality knives are essential, but that’s obvious. A good wooden cutting board is really nice to work on. And I love a good peeler that works well!
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment to splurge on: An immersion, or “stick” style blender, is really handy. Or any really specialized equipment, like a pasta machine or a French mandolin.
Silliest gadget or piece of equipment you’ve owned: I have a $50 truffle slicer I think I may have used once.
Biggest home cooking disaster: I’m often guilty of trying to do “restaurant-style” food at home. That can mean over-rich, over-seasoned, over-produced meals that could probably have been more enjoyable if I had just kept it simple. Then there was that time I got my head stuck in the turkey.
Most surprising thing in your pantry or refrigerator: Spam! I don’t eat it, though. It’s mostly there to tease my wife. But if she ever opens the can, I sure would. Pringles, can’t keep ’em on the shelf.
On wanting to be a chef: I knew I wanted to do something creative, and I was brought up around food, steeped in it in a way, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I began working in restaurants very young, washing dishes, busing tables, when I was 12. I eventually began cooking and advancing in the kitchen, and soon began thinking about pursuing an education in culinary arts.
On cooking at home: I cook a lot more now that I’m teaching then when I was running a restaurant or other foodservice operation. I’m home in the evening, when I would normally be at work, so probably cook five out of seven days. I do like it, but at the same time, if it’s going to be a chore, I’d just as soon pick something up and use the time for something else.
Doug Brown, Beyond the Box Catering and Market, Amuse Restaurant and Lounge chef-owner
Most interesting place you worked before your restaurant: When I was the executive chef at Nana, I worked with all kinds of amazing ingredients on a daily basis, very high-end items shipped from all over the world. That was very exciting.
Guilty pleasure restaurant: I eat at everything Tex-Mex — Tex-Mex and margaritas are the guilty pleasure. Matt’s, Manny’s, Mi Cocina and Margarita Ranch.
Best advice for the home cook: Throw away the recipes, and just have fun. Cooking is about being free and creative. Learn the techniques, and you don’t need the recipes.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment: My knife and my wine opener — two essential things to have when cooking at home.
Most essential gadget or piece of equipment to splurge on: Buy a good knife and a better wine opener.
Silliest gadget or piece of equipment you’ve owned: I have all these wine stoppers to re-cork wine. Who wouldn’t finish a bottle of wine?
Biggest home cooking disaster: I was making a dinner for about 30 people, and the smoke alarms wouldn’t stop. I have tall ceilings, so I had to go out in front of the party waving the towel in the air.
Most surprising thing in your pantry or refrigerator: Rice Krispies Treats. My wife loves them.
On wanting to be a chef: My mother is an amazing cook. I started cooking at a young age, baking cookies.
On cooking at home: [I cook] five nights a week. I cook a lot of vegetarian dishes, since my wife is a vegetarian. That’s lots of salads.
