Chef Ed Cotton
Chef Ed, a native of Boston Massachusetts is a second-generation chef. His father graduated from the same culinary school, The Culinary Institute of America. Ed's father was an executive chef outside of Boston while Ed was growing up, and Ed would often be found sitting on the countertop overlooking all the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Needless to say, he was no stranger to the kitchen at such an early age! Ed attended Minuteman Career & Technical High School in Lexington Massachusetts where he began his early training and journey for cooking and had the opportunity to work under Chef Todd English while still in High School. He spent his college years at the Culinary Institute of America. From College he went straight to Las Vegas and opened up Olives at the Bellagio Hotel for Chef Todd English.
Over the next several years Ed had the honor working with Chef Barbara Lynch at No. 9 Park in Boston’s Beacon Hill, and Chef Daniel Boulud in New York at db Bistro Moderne and Restaurant Daniel. He's currently the chef de cuisine at BLT Market at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park under Chef Laurent Tourondel. Ed can often be seen on Iron Chef assisting Chef Cat Cora.
When Ed's not in the Kitchen, you may find him hanging out in Central Park or frequenting the many fine restaurants New York City has to offer.
It seems that it was pre-ordained that you would become a chef. Your dad was a chef when you were growing up, correct? Yes, my father was the executive chef in a restaurant just outside of Boston when I was a growing up. I grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts. It was an Italian/American restaurant that was one of the hot spots back in the early 80s. The place to go in the Boston area. He used to bring you into the kitchen? My father used to bring me into the restaurant, I was in preschool. My preschool was just down the street and around the corner. He would bring me in early in the morning, basically plop me on the stainless steel prep table out of harm's way. I was watching everybody running around trying to get everything ready for lunch service. That would have intimidated some people, especially at such a young age, but it seems to have inspired you. It definitely inspired me. I was really, really young and I got excited when I went there. Yes, I knew that I would get free food or have ice cream, but the best thing about it was watching my father having control over a whole group of people. He was definitely your hero? Yeah, I believe so. So timed passed and you went to school to become a chef, the next thing I heard was that you ended up working at Olive's. How did that come about? I was a sophomore in high school and the sous chef, from the original Olive's in Charlestown, Chris Moran, came to our high school in Lexington, Mass. to help chef instructors in the school. He was very intelligent and he knew a thing or two about computer programs that dealt with food costs and order sheets etc. My chef instructor, in school, pulled me aside and said he wanted me to meet somebody. That somebody was Chris. I went over to Olive's and was introduced to everybody in the kitchen. He worked out a work study program for me. Prior to this did you have any opportunity to work with your father? My dad left as the executive chef because he wanted to try something else, kitchen designs. He still does the kitchen design work for residential homes. I was living in Las Vegas and my father called me one night and told me just bought a restaurant. He bought a breakfast/luncheon place, you know a greasy spoon, mom and pop type of place in Weston, Massachusetts. My mother and sisters worked there as waitresses. The whole family was involved in culinary. At one point (laughing). Did you get to work on a line with your dad? Yes, but I only went if he asked for my help. But before all of that, when I was in high school, when I was a freshman, I was working at another restaurant in Lexington. My father picked up a shift there and it was the two of us on the same line cooking together. He was working sauté and I was working the broiler. That lasted for about a year. What was your impression of that experience? He enjoyed that very much. He at one end of the line and his son at the other end. Then sharing a nice cold beer after service together. He must be very proud of your accomplishments. What's his thoughts when he sees you on TV now? I accomplished a lot more than he ever did cooking wise. Not just him but my mom also is very proud of me. I've had nothing but supportive parents, they always let me do whatever I wanted. Follow your dream. They never steered me in another direction. If this is what you want to do and it makes you happy and you love it and it seems like you're good at it, then continue it. They've been nothing but the best. Are you single or married? I have a wonderful girlfriend. Is she in food service as well. I met her at the BLT Market. I just left there, I'm working on open this new restaurant in Tribeca. I literally left just two weeks ago. Let's talk a bit about your career. You've worked for and with some impressive people. You worked at Olive's in Boston and then you came down and tried your hand in New York City. Your first gig in New York was for Daniel (Boulud). Actually my very first gig in New York was for a lady named Patricia Yeo. A good friend of mine was the chef de cuisine there and he knew I needed a job. I worked there until I figured out where I wanted to work in New York. I was there maybe 4-5 months when I got the opportunity to meet Daniel Boulud. How did your experience with Daniel shape your attitude about becoming a chef? I moved to New York thinking I knew a few things or two (laughing), but I was ready to learn more and that's why I did move to New York. My experience working for him a total of five (5) years, from his, all his chefs and sous chefs, there are no words to describe it. It was an awesome point in my life. This is cheesy, but to know that I can call Daniel on his cell phone and he would answer, "Hey Ed, how are you doing?" I never thought in a million years that I'd be sharing a ride with this guy in his Astin Martin out to the Hamptons with him. Hanging out together or even having a drink together. I never thought in a million years that we would be cool like that. He is such a great gentleman. He's one of those chefs that doesn't have an ego. He has his standards but he is very accessible to young chefs. Our executive chef, Brian Roland, staged under Daniel and he said he changed the way he looked at food. I agree. He makes you think twice about what you are going to put on the plate and approach something. You had been with BLT for quite some time. How did you meet Cat (Cora)? I met her when I worked at Daniel. A friend of mine, I'm not quite sure how he got hooked up with her, contacted me asking if I would be interested in working with Cat on Iron Chef America, they were looking for another sous chef. My response, "Oh yeah, that'd be cool. I'd be interested in checking that out." I emailed my resume to her assistant and 15-20 minutes later she contacts me to arrange a time to meet in person with Cat. I met with her, she said my credentials were great and they had a spot for me to do one show if I was interested. I said sure. We won Battle Carrot, my very first show and she asked me if I'd be interested to do another show for that season. I bumped another sous chef off, not my friend. I've been doing them for 4-5 years now. | We usually film 5-6 battles each year. Whenever she comes to New York we try to meet up. She's a very nice person. I (Lou) spent some time with her and did a great interview with her. Let's talk about you. What's important to you when you are running a kitchen. What's important is when everybody, my cooks, care just as much about food as I do. Cleanliness, passion and just be a smart cook. I love a cook that can make up his own mind. When I was a line cook and I knew my steak was a little bit over cooked, I'd already have another one going because that's the last thing I'd want to do, give the sous chef or the chef a steak that is slightly overcooked. Emphasis on smart cooks. I love people that ask questions. I love walking into work and hear the line cooks talking about they went to this restaurant and had this and it was awesome and loved it, or "I just bought this new book." Instead of hearing, "Did you watch the baseball game?" Let's talk about books for a minute. We're always interested in what books have inspired chefs. Off the top of your head, one of the cookbooks that's out there right now that's had a real impact on you. Honestly, it all comes down to Thomas Keller. Are you opening a restaurant? I was approached by a restaurateur (Frederick Lesort) is putting together a restaurant down here in Tribeca in a small boutique hotel called Smyth. Think of the French Riviera and we're going to touch on different parts of France. It's a 95 seat restaurant, very beautiful. Is this the first time that you are creating a menu for a restaurant yourself? I've been executive sous chef, chef de cuisine, executive chef, but this is the first thing from start to finish. It's a brand new building, a brand new restaurant (Plein Sud Restaurant and Lounge) the construction workers are working on the staircase right now. Exciting isn't it? Oh yes. We're putting together the menus right now and it's looking really cool. I'm really excited, I have a great team. Do you have free rein with the menu? The owner basically tells me what he likes. He made many references to books for me to check out. He's made references to certain regions of France and the food there. As far as free rein with the menu, he knows my ability and he knows what I can put together, he trusts me. Are you going to go outside the box or stay strictly French? A few things will be outside the box. A few things will be classic French food with a modern approach to it. Classic dishes with a twist to it. To satisfy your creative 'juices' you'll have a tasting menu? I'm not sure if I want to implement tasting menus or not. There will definitely be plat du jours every single day. With those we want to focus in on going really French. Perhaps a kickass Bouillabaisse on a Friday night, or Pied du cochon, stuffed pigs feet over lentils, or bouche a Lorraine, super classic French with a modern take to it. You're more of a traditionalist. Is there a trend that you embrace right now, like molecular gastronomy? I respect molecular gastronomy and all the people that use it. I myself use a couple of things here and there. Here's the whole thing, I like food to look very natural. So you're not going to embrace the whole Feran Adria thing where you gives you turkey but it looks like ice cream. Meat glue, soy lecithin, I think those are the only two things that I use. I don't even use agar-agar, and that's not really molecular gastronomy, or sodium algenate. Is there a trend that, okay, I've had enough of this already. I don't think it's a trend but what's happening right now here in New York City are Italian pizza places opening left and right all over the place. Because there aren't enough of those there already. (Laughing) I'm part Italian, my grandmother is Sicilian, so I have no qualms with Italian food what-so-ever with it, but it seems like there are quite a bit opening. What are your favorite spices? Zatar - it's a blend of seven different spices. I was introduced to that when I was 17 years old by a Greek. Is there is a cuisine you simply can't or won't cook? I love cooking anything or everything. But I always swore to myself I wouldn't do Asian. I do it at home. I like to keep that for recreational. Basically I didn't want to work in an Asian restaurant. Kitchen utensil, aside from your knife, that you can't live without. A meat grinder. When you're home do you cook or do you let your girlfriend cook? No I usually do. What do you make? It might be a good hummus, olives, pita bread. If I have some chicken thighs, I'll braise them and make gyro. My girlfriend is from Colombia, so she makes arrapes in the morning and stuff like that. You've worked in a lot of kitchens. Is there one moment you wish could take back? Most embarrassing and/or funniest incident that ever happened to you in a kitchen? I was in Las Vegas slicing a lamb saddle, it was a pistachio encrusted lamb saddle. Alain Ducasse was standing there. I was with Daniel and we were cooking the food. I had my head down slicing the food and the hand comes over to grad a piece of lamb. I wanted to swat the hand out of the way because I didn't know whose hand it was and I looked up and saw Alain and said help yourself. Of all the people you've worked with culinarily who has inspired you the most? It goes back to high school, the chef instructors. Favorite chef in New York right now? John Fraser, chef/owner of Dovetail Restaurant Advice for an up and coming chef? The best advice I can give to a young person coming up in the industry is to never stop asking questions. Always write things down and have a great notebook. I have notebooks that I started when I was 13 years old. Very reminiscent of what Marcus shared with us. He has the very first notes he wrote and goes back and refers to them. I have all my little notebooks in a Ziploc® bag. Dead Chef Walking: Your last meal on earth. Cassoulet, that's the last taste I want. When I was a kid all I ever wanted to be was a line cook. |
