Tell us a little bit about where you grew up.

I grew up in a small town in northern Michigan. My family is good friends with a family that owns a diner and ever since I was tall enough to reach a three compartment sink, I've been in the business. I started doing the greasy spoon thing. Frying an egg, doing breakfast and I just got the passion from that.

Let's step back just a moment. Did you have to get on a step stool to reach the sink?

(Laughs) Yeah, for the first couple of years. As I got older, I did various jobs and eventually ran the little diner.

You're how old?

32

You're a young guy. Do you have a special childhood memory of those times?

Cooking with my mother and my grandmother. Having that one-on-one time with them. 

In your family kitchen?

In the diner itself, it's really where I grew up. A family kitchen is very important and I think it also extends there too. That's were it all blossomed.

You had some 'tutoring at home' and you were staging at 8/9 years old. (We are all laughing.)

Exactly! Maybe that's why I don't like breakfast foods. (He's laughing.)  I went to culinary school in Grand Rapids in '98. I interned at South Seas Resort which is a resort right here on Captiva Island. I went back and forth for a few years between Michigan and here and got tired of traveling and tired of the winter. I've been down here ever since.

How did you end up down here originally?

I was working at South Seas during Hurricane Charlie. When Hurricane Charlie hit in 2004, I was renting a place here on the island. It was my first hurricane experience. I didn't know where to stay and ended up staying here at 'Tween Waters, thru a mutual friend. I got stranded here at the resort for 13 days. I ended up cooking for the GM and CEO and all their family that stayed here. That's how I ended up here. I would help them clean the grounds during the day and cook them dinner every night for 13 days because Marshall Law was in affect because of looting and such. I ended up staying here and cooking for the CEO and others and they liked what I did. And here I am. It's kind of an interesting job interview.

You are someone who can literally say 'there is a silver lining in the storm cloud.'

Definitely. It was that experience alone that made me feel at home here in 'Tween Waters. In a resort of this size, I get all aspects of the food preparations, from fine dining here (the Old Captiva House), to the pub style next door in The Crows' Nest, plus there are two other lunch venues, plus banquets.

So you oversee all the food for the resort.

I love it. I do everything from ordering, purchasing, execution, etc.

Your introduction to food was at the diner, Anderson's.

Yes, and then I worked at a golf and ski resort in Michigan.

How did you initially get to Florida?

South Seas Resort offered me an internship thru Grand Rapids College in '98. When I went back to Michigan and the winter came I thought, "I know a little spot where I'm headed." 

You really got your feet wet, literally, right here.

Yeah, in the Gulf (laughing). I've been here ever since. 

Florida cuisine is very different from Michigan's, how did you adjust to those differences? Plus you went from a country club setting to a resort, which are polar opposites.

It's like night and day.

Being a chef on an island, you are limited to what you can do, because people coming here are looking for that Florida, Floribbean experience. There's an upside to that because it's what people are coming here for. As a chef, there is a down side to that. How have you made that adjustment?

I've got a good story for that. I have an 80/20 method. I take 80 percent local ingredients, the seafood which everybody comes here for, like grouper and shrimp, and the other 20 percent, I try to incorporate global or national ingredients. I add a twist on the local food with 20 percent outsourced. I try to escape the crunchy grouper cuisine which is famous in this area. It's everywhere you go. That's my theory for escaping the standard cuisine for the islands of Florida. I try to surround myself with the freshest local ingredients that I can. The treasures from the Gulf, the produce and then give it a twist with other products from California and sometimes I even fly in certain seafoods from Hawaii. For example, for St. Patrick's Day I had Kobe Corned Beef. You won't find that out here. That's unique and I try to play on that as much as I can.

So what you are doing, in a sense, is keeping your mind sane.

Keeping my mind fresh.

Keep that creativity flowing.

I'm trying to take that "Floribbean" style and put that global touch on it.

If you are going to do that crunchy, instead of encrusted, it's going to be something like a little pile of spiced macademia nuts.

Exactly. As a chef, it's not what I want, it's what the customer wants. You have to keep the customers happy and the arrogance has to stop at the door. It doesn't matter how high you stack the food. If you don't make a profit, especially now, you don't have a job.

What I find interesting in listening to you, is that you have the clientelle coming here that is open to that 'twist.'

Yes, yes, we have a lot of customers that are very open. I come out to the tables and talk to guests and we have a lot of repeat guests. We have three (3) different families that have been coming here fifteen (15) years. It's great for me to see them come back and obviously it's great for the business. I sit down and talk to them and they say, "You did this for us last year, can you do something similar?" Once you get a good rapport with your client and they trust you, then you can get creative. It's another avenue to escape the traditional island fare.

When I was at South Seas, prior to hurricane Charlie, it was a great corporate business. I had a staff of about 45 and above me was a staff of 12. If something were to happen, I'd hear about it 12 different times. I'd get put through the ringer. If I did something nice it didn't get noticed. Coming from that to this operation, where I get total carte blanche, it's the GM and CEO. The Rochester Resorts has 12 shareholders, it gives me a chance to focus on food, which is important.

During the course of your career to date, is there one particular chef that inspired you?

It all comes from a small diner in Michigan. Honestly, culinary school instructors, a lot of them set the tone.

Is there somebody out in the field today?

Lately, David Burke. I think is doing some nice stuff. Anthony Bourdain, I've read a lot of his books. Big fan, he's more of a writer now than a chef, but his first book is true to life. As far as trends go, I don't really follow a trend. All the plates you are going to see are plain white plates. The food should be itself. The more you play with the food the more the fingers touch it. I like to keep it natural and let the food speak for itself. That's where I'm at. I try to stay on top of stuff, but at the same time, let the food speak for itself.

Everyone we speak to, unless they are way outside the box, like Grant in Chicago, they have the same philosophy. I think every chef tries to bring his interpretation of the product to us, the diner. If you are looking too much at another chef, excluding Escoffier, which gives you your traditional methods, you are just emulating their creative genius. Is there a high-end chef, like Daniel or Alain, that you get inspiration from?

Obviously, Charlie Trotter and Per Se, Jean-Georges, too. With my culinary training, I would say I have a strong French background, that's where the basics come from. That's a favorite for me, traditional and classical French with the fruits of the Gulf.

Le fruits de mer! You mentioned the word trend. Is there one out there, that's come along recently, not necessarily specific to one chef, you think is pretty cool?

Beet salad seems to be pretty popular right now.

Referred to as beet carpaccio.

Yes, I recently did a watermelon salad carpaccio, with yellow and red watermelon and goat cheese. Cool and refreshing for the hotter weather that's coming. That's trendy down here.

If a diner asks you for refreshing, what ingredients comes to mind?

Fresh herbs, lemon and acidity. Citrus and herbs definitely. You can't go wrong.

What's a trend out there that you feel, enough already?

Fusion. I think with the economic eating right now, hanger steaks and braised dishes like Osso Buco are the essence of pure cooking. I think that is coming back. Not just price point, but if you take a dry, muscley piece of food and turn it into something moist and beautiful and rich, is beautiful.
I'll braise short ribs for example. For me it's art to create something out of nothing. The old school, when they took the 'scrap' and created something great. That's pure cooking. That's what it's all about in my opinion.

For me that is the challenge. To take the 'scrap' and turn it into a gourmet decadence to show the average cook that you can create a gourmet meal with ingredients that aren't typically thought of in that light.  We recently did rhubarb three ways and it was really great. Is there a particular spice that you like to use?

Salt and pepper and allowing the ingredients to stand as is.

What do you think is an under used spice?

Coriander

Overused spice?

The blackening, cajun spice, just slathering it. I think people should season more and cook less, especially with steaks, meat and poultry. There should be more marination and less cook time. Slow and low. I really think that's the way to go.

Does it bother you to have salt and pepper on the table?

As a chef personally, sometimes. Business wise you have to have it there, you can't escape it.

Let's talk about your menu now. What's your favorite item on the menu and why?

There's a lamb chop dish: pan seared lamb chops, dijon-rosemary marinade, served with a mint demi-glace, a mint gelee, and mashed parsnips.

How often does your menu change?

It changes annually and we also do "chef inspirations" nightly. I do a meat and a seafood inspiration in the Old Captiva House. In The Crows Nest, we do a fresh catch of the day and change that menu annually as well.

Doing the Chef's Inspiration allows you to feed your creativity.

Precisely, I can do whatever is trendy. Whatever I can get in fresh that day or flown in from Hawaii or California and make it happen.

That being said, what item on the menu do you wish you could get rid of but you can't for various reasons? You're not the only we ask that question and you don't have to be politically correct here.

The jerk grouper dish. It's one of our best sellers and a great dish. I just see it all the time. I serve it with a pumpkin tart so it's spicy and it's sweet, but I can't escape it.

That's a signature dish for you.

Yes, we also do a Tropical Island Snapper Wrap that's a signature dish, but it's the jerk seasoning that's, okay, enough. The snapper is done with phyllo dough, served with polenta and presented vertical.
(Note here: At this point Louis and I are salivating as Chef is describing these dishes, as I'm sure you must be too!)

What is the most bizarre/funny thing that ever happened to you in the kitchen?

While in culinary school, I was taking a required Intro to Baking Class (those who know me know I'm no baker). One day while in lab at 4am we were learning and discussing pastries (my favorite), this particular morning was a little different. Our pastry chef was out sick so our culinary director, Chef Robert Garlough, taught the class. Now having to be on time for lab at 4am is tough, not much time for breakfast and God help you if you're late. Culinary students will understand. Unfortunately, later that day my stomach got the best of me and I ate a cinnamon roll when Chef was not looking. We had made rolls for the end of the class ritual, where we discuss and EAT our creations. When Chef returned, he noticed the missing cinnamon roll and for some reason looked at me first. I don't know if it was the fear or the guilt, but I turned bright red and was very nervous. He knew instantly!!! It was a long day of dish duty for me that morning, and a newfound respect for willpower.

It's a double edged sword between home and the diner, but my mom and my grandmom.

Any cuisine personally you can't bring yourself to cook?

Any foods with curries, due to the aromas. At home, maybe it's just due to ventilation, is kinda of potent. The flavors are wonderful, but the aroma just hangs on. Three days later you can still smell it (laughter by all).

What do you expect from your kitchen staff?

Cleanliness and creativity. I think a clean kitchen is a happy kitchen as far as I'm concerned.
I run my kitchen kind of as "do me a favor." For example, "Do me a favor and get this meat up on time." I try to give my cooks the opportunity that I had when I started in the business as a cook by learning as it goes. Trial and error. If imagination hits you, bring it to me if you want to run the inspiration for the evening. It doesn't have to be all me, I have to be able to lean on my staff too.

Sounds like you have a wonderful level of trust with your staff.

Definitely. My sous chef has been here 15 years. Two of my lines cooks have been here 12 years.

That says a lot in this business.

It's unbelievable in food and beverage.

It's not a bad office view either. (He gestures to the Gulf just ouside the windows)

I'm not complaining. In this business, not to bring up the resort, but I have good benefits here. In the food and beverage industry you have benefits, and I think that's why I stayed with resort style dining, then trying to do my own thing.

Stability in your position, provides stability at home. Are you married?

Yes, happily two years and I have a 5 month old baby boy at home. My wife is an elementary school teacher. During the hurricane, when I stayed here, she was working at the front desk. Our love blossomed from the hurricane.

You had a lot of good things that came from Hurricane Charlie. Not many people can say that.

Yes, and now I have a 5 month old child! (Broad smile creeping across his face.)

You work a completely differenct schedule than your wife. How do you balance that? She married a chef so she knew what she was getting into, but....

We do work complete opposite schedules, we just try to value the time that we do have together. Like I said earlier, I have a lot of trust in my cooks and my sous chefs. I can say, "It's Saturday, it's your baby tonight, you take the ball and run with it," and I can walk away. It's unbelievable in this business. I lean towards the resort end of the business for that reason. Being able to, because I'm not a chef/owner/operator, or this isn't my life blood, I can escape. Granted, it is always in the back of my mind, I don't have to worry about it, thinking I have to sell 9 orders of foie gras to pay the light bill. I can concentrate on my home life and my family, which is important.

The feeling I get from you as you talk about the owners is that they massage and encourage that.

One hundred percent! When you leave, take a look at the photo above the piano, it shows the length of service of some of the employees. It says a lot about the owners. Thirty three (33) years of service is a  long time in this business. The owners live nationwide but they come down every quarter.

It's nice to know there is somone out there that still believes a happy employee is a good investment.

Especially in the current economic environment. They are great to work for.

In the course of your career you've worked all the stations in the line. What's your favorite station?

Gotta be the grill. The heat, the searing of the steaks, hearing the sizzle, the aromas. You go home at the end of the night you can still smell the smoke.

(Lou) I think he likes being a chef (we all smile).

Yea (broad grin), it's all I've ever done.

Do you have a pastry chef here?

We do and we're pretty lucky to have one. A lot of the resorts in the area don't have one and they usually source it out. When you come for breakfast tomorrow, you'll see all the freshly made breads, streusals, danishes made in house. Hamburger and hot dog buns are made on property.

The key lime pie has coconut in the crust. That's different than most.

Paul, the pastry chef, started baking bread with the CEO. There's a lot of history here. You'll see him (CEO) with a plow in our parking lot, he's extremely hands on, plowing the shells. It starts at the top. He takes prides in this resorts and values his employees.
(I want to note here, Elaine speaking, that I never associated a plow with sea shells having lived in the northeast my entire life. Plows and snow, or plows and fields were the only equations I knew.) 

Very unusual to hear that type of a dynamic.

That's another reason why I think this is unique, as a property and as employment.

I'm a gadget girl and love kitchen 'toys,' do you have one in particular that you like?

It's got to be the mandoline. It's so versatile.

What's the most interesting dish you've created lately with the mandoline?

A potato nest, with a little bit of cornstarch and you use your ladle to deep fry it.

Wow thanks for the tip about the ladle.

Sharing knowledge and sharing passion is where it stems from. I tell my chefs that all the time. It's the best we can do. I don't know everything about everything. We take something from you and you take something from me and we create something new.

The mission statement of our magazine reflects what you just stated. Our passion is not about the actual 'art on the plate.' It's about the art of the overall dining experience. The beautiful setting, yes, but the camraderie that happens at the table. Whether it's a table in a restaurant or at home. The act of sharing a meal with friends and family and the people that you love. That's what really fuels our passion. We take that foie gras, the duck breast, the confit.....

The bone marrow....

taking the sense of" it's not touchable" and bring it to our readers so they can say, "this is accessible to me. I can do this." Taking the intangible emotion and making it a tangible one, through the plate.

Let's talk a minute about what it is about Anthony Bourdain's book that captured you.

I tell my family (referring to Anthony's book), "This is my life, read it." That's kind of where it came from, not necessarily culinary wise, just the aspect of the restaurant, the beast that it is. Explaining what I go through day to day. People that work 9-5 have no idea what I sweat out doing 500 covers a day. You can explain it to them through that book.

Your culinary lab was a diner, which is one of the most fast paced dining environments. In a busy diner you're doing way more than 500 covers.

Yes, you're doing breakast all day and lunch.

People in this country, especially in certain geographic regions, love the diner experience, which is completely different than this and/or a country club.

It's totally different. A country club setting you have to make the right 3 people happy all the time (said tongue in cheek). You have to be spot on with the members.

Their membership is what pays for your job.

Exactly. I learned a lot at the country clubs where I worked and it was a great foundation for where I am today. Here we get a mix of local business and we are a very family friendly style resort. We get a lot of international travelers and European guests.

Florida is a destination for many Europeans and it is nice for them to discover that there is more here than just the "Floribbean" experience.

Definitely and we also have a large midwest clientele. We have to cater to them and chefs have to leave their ego at the door.

What are your hours of operation?

We are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Holiday buffets, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving with 800 people complete with ice carvings and buffets. That's another draw, that we do holiday buffets, banquets and catering.

What do you eat at home?

If I have two days off in a row, one day will be pizza or something like that, and the next day I'll cook.

Do you have a favorite junk food?

Reeses peanut butter cups. I made a Reeses flan that was really good!

Sorry, we have certain canned questions that must be asked. Dead chef walking. You've got one last meal on this earth. What would it be?

Appetizer: Sashimi Tuna with a lot of heat from spice with Sriracha, with champagne. Entree has to be braised, like an Osso Buco or lamb shank with a white bean puree, nice and rich. Maybe some roasted garlic and heirloom tomatoes. Obviously you're going to drink something red with it, a nice Pinot. Dessert has to be some sort of ice cream, light and plain.

What do you dislike about your job?

It's got to be the hours. Now that I've started a family I'm more aware of that now. It's a life changing event.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Creativity and freedom. I don't think I could survive in a 9-5 cubicle type of job. I think it takes a special kind of mindset to be in a kitchen. I think it's the stainless steel that drives us all. I love what I do and I'm really happy here.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I think I eventually see myself teaching culinary. To get away from the hours and have more of a family style life. Currently we're trying to bring ACF to Lee County. I was a member of the northern Michigan chapter prior to coming to Florida. I'd like to help that happen. It's a great networking opportunity and give back to the local restaurant industry.