Where have I been and what did I do there

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Where I've Been and What Did I Do There...?

BANGKOK

I took a break from the kitchen and relocated to Bangkok and eventually became the chairman of the English department at an international school. This was great as I had a fabulous time with the kids, was exposed to an enlightening new world of food, and met my future wife and children. Street food- noodles, red pork, assorted skewers, fried bugs, and Pad Thai on a paper plate. Curries from the South, soup from a boat, and ant eggs just off the tree. Dry roasting chiles on every corner like vaporous napalm to the enemy. My wife and kids don't really care for western cuisine so all the time studying Jacques Pepin, Julia, and Escoffier are wasted in our kitchen at home. Therefore I have conquered curry, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime leaves, rice noodles, and chiles.

BOSTON

At a small guesthouse in Provincetown we had clams- "piss" clams, kale and Potuguese sausage, lobster rolls, day-boat halibut, and tourists. But the most memerable experience was driving to the docks at Wellfleet and convincing a scalloper to sell me a bushel of his bay scallops, just out of the boat, still in the shell, and dripping wet.

In the kitchen of L'espalier in Beantown, noveau French cuisine with a Mediterranean touch brought Turbot with Anchovies, Duckling with Cinnamon, and a Truffled Tagine of Beef.

After work in the South End, wood-fired pizzas and my first Mozzerella Bar.

TUSCON

Chimchurri, Chipotles, Chorizo, Chile rellenos, Chestnuts, and Chayotes.... authentic regional modern Mexican cuisine in the Catalina Foothills at Restaurant Janos. What a treat it was to work side by side with Janos Wilder preparing a variety of Tamales- Lobster, Smoked Duck, or Pulled Pork; to season and simmer Moles- chocolate flavored and cumin scented with rabbit, chicken and pheasant; to properly dress assorted Ceviches- Baha, Argentine, Peruvian, and to braise an aromatic Sofrito. An education in South-Western Cuisine.

Philadelphia

On the Main Line surrounded by the blu-bloods of Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne, and Villanova I made my name at La Fourchette, a well-reviewed bastian of noveau French cuisine located in Wayne, PA. Philadelphia Magazine rated us one of the top 10 restaurants in the area 6 years in a row. My carreer at La Fourchette followed years of "playing the field" and training- as an art student at Kutztown University, summer employment on a dairy farm, a commis at a Pennsylvaia Dutch restaurant named The Glockenspiel, a sous-chef in training at Blair Henry's Blair Creek Inn, a succesfull stint preparing regional-American at The Greenhouse in Radnor, French pastry classes with Patrick Guthron, truly inspirational tutelidge of Chef Jean Maurice Juge at The Inn at Oley and then on to take the helm at one of his satelite properties- The Giraffe Cafe in Reading, showcasing the area's first open display kitchen. During my Pennsylvania years,the owner-operator of a very successful catering company for whom I worked, flattered me greatly when he called me the hardest working chef in the business.

Double click LOS ANGELES

Acclaimed restrateur and cookbook author, Michel Richard, invited me to his flagship restaurant, Citrus, on Melrose for a most memorable stage with him and his sous-chef Alain Giraud. After which, I spent valuable time at each of his satelite locations- Santa Barbara, Georgetown and Baltimore before taking charge of his newest property, Citrus at the Latham Hotel in Philly. Years later, after permanently relocating to Southern California, I took a prestigious position as Executive Chef Instructor at a local culinary academy. Knife skills, Mother Sauces, Use of Seasonal Ingredients, Food Purchasing, Proper Dining Room Service, and Plating Design were among the subjects covered in my syllabi. The door to private 'cheffing' eventually opened and I seized the opportunity. My first position was at the home of the Argentine Consulate General and his lovely family in Hancock Park; since then, I've spent more than 20 satisfying years in private residences.