WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST?
Every day I have an apple with almond butter, yet a splurge is shrimp and grits with eggs.
IS THERE A CHILDHOOD COMFORT FOOD THAT YOU THINK ABOUT?
Pretty much anything my grandmother baked. She was an amazing baker. Her blueberry squares or black walnut cake, French Huguenot torte, and every Christmas, amazing bourbon-soaked fruitcakes. Her cookies: benne wafers, pecan sandies, and thumbprints.
WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE THAT YOU DON’T POSSESS?
Organizational skills or technology skills.
WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DO BEFORE YOU STARTED COOKING?
I thought I wanted to be a vet. Love animals.
OF ALL THE FRENCH PASTRIES, WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE TO MAKE?
Concorde Cake.
IS THERE ONE FOOD THAT YOU’RE SECRETLY OBSESSED WITH HAVING AT HOME?
Wa apples I have to have them at all times. 🙂
IS THERE A FOOD THAT YOU DISLIKE?
Raw sea urchin… I like it cooked, just not raw.
IF YOU COULD FIND OUT ANYONE’S SECRET RECIPE, WHOSE AND WHAT WOULD IT BE?
My ex-baker made rosemary golden raisin ciabatta. We never got the recipe out of him and anyone who tried to make it, it never was the same.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MEAL AND WHY?
That’s tough… I have to say some foodie friends treated me to Saison in San Francisco for my birthday. It was mind-blowing. The food, drinks, company, tour of the kitchen all amazing.
WHAT MENTORS HELPED YOU ALONG YOUR JOURNEY OF BECOMING A CHEF?
My first Chef and teacher in my apprenticeship, Waldo Brun, ex. Chef of Westin hotels at the time… many other chefs along the way, too many to name.
THROUGHOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY, HAVE YOU NOTICED A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KITCHENS THAT ARE RUN BY MEN VS. KITCHENS THAT ARE RUN BY WOMEN? IF SO, WHAT WAS THIS DIFFERENCE, AND HOW DID IT IMPACT THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT WHILST PREPARING FOOD?
Not really a men-vs.-woman thing as much as a type of leader. Either gender that is a great teacher and generous with knowledge and shares it, is someone who is effective in the kitchen. As opposed to someone who may be talented yet unwilling to teach or has to be “the star” … not very useful no matter how talented they are if they aren’t concerned about the whole team and company.
IT IS REALLY SAD TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING GLOBALLY. YOUNG ASPIRING CHEFS ARE LOOKING TO THEIR HERO’S HOW TO TURN PAINT INTO CREATIVITY. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO TURN THIS DIFFICULT TIME INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE?
Not sure I have it “figured out” either. We are in an industry that works with VERY slim margins. If anything goes wrong we are in a fragile financial state (most of us in the foodservice industry) Unless you are producing mass volumes of food for corporations such as Microsoft or Facebook, you are really on your own to make food and labor costs work with rent and overhead and still hope for a profit. If we have a big enough “pad” in the bank to sustain us through rough patches, it usually works to come out of a slump. This pandemic is unprecedented for all of us. Taking it a day at a time and doing what we can with what we have right now.
WHAT IS ONE POSITIVE AND ONE NEGATIVE EFFECT COVID-19 HAS HAD ON YOUR LOVE FOR MAKING FOOD?
Positive: it’s FORCING us to work within our budgets or we won’t be alive. We HAVE to work efficiently with labor or we won’t be here, so we cant afford to be “lazy” or have extra people on the payroll. We have to cut out wasted space we can’t afford, so our space will shrink also. Negative: my son and grandchildren moved to Texas in February and I can’t go see them yet. I realize how important family life, loved ones, and mental health are to the entirety of life. Finding joy personally and professionally is a must and it’s so hard to not see family.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN SPENDING YOUR TIME RECENTLY, HAVE YOU HAD TIME TO CREATE NEW RECIPES?
Not really recipes, as this sounds cocky, but that comes easily and unfortunately we have “shut down” so no one is asking for creative new ideas at the moment. I did learn how to make hand sanitizer to sell. Funny, I’ve been working on cocktail kits to go with my restaurant manager because the state liquor board is allowing us to do this for the first time ever, so that’s fun coming up with creative cocktail kits to go. The latest is “Gin-Sane Thymes”… we made fresh thyme sweet and sour and we are selling it with a bottle of Gin and a Mask… trying to put a smile on people’s faces.
RESTAURANT CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA Redmond, WA, USA Pomegranate Bistro address: 18005 NE 68th St A-150, Redmond, WA 98052, USA website: https://www.pomegranatebistro.com/ e-mail: [email protected] phone number: (425) 556-5972 instagram: www.instagram.com/pombistro/
