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FeedKitchen Confidential: At Home with 'Iron Chef' Winner Jose Garces
PLUS: Recipes from Garces' new cookbook, Latin Evolution.
Chef Jose Garces
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Main Line Today associate editor Dawn E. Warden recently paid a visit to the Center City home of one of the region's most celebrated chefs. The highlights from their chat are below. (For more on Jose Garces and his local empire, check out October's Epicure feature, "Humble Rise.")
MLT: Do you have any advice for aspiring chefs?
JG: My advice would be to go for your dreams—make sure you have a solid foundation and surround yourself with good people, and those dreams can become a reality.
MLT: How does your latest Philadelphia restaurant, Chifa, complete your empire, and where do you think it fits into the overall dynamics of the scene?
JG: Chifa will be a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine. It's basically South American and Asian, but the core of the concept and the real inspiration comes from Peru and China. Look for menu sections such as arepas, ceviches, empanadas, dim sum, noodles, rice dishes and curries. In Peru—especially Lima—there are Chinese restaurants called chifas. Chinese indentured servants arrived in Peru in the mid-19th century to work on the railroads and coastal plantations and, of course, brought their cuisine customs. These restaurants combine Chinese cuisine along with the local ingredients and flair. There are no other restaurants like this in Philadelphia.
MLT: How do you decide which chefs move to your new restaurants?
JG: If one of my chefs shows an interest in a certain type of cuisine, or comes to me with ideas for new menu items, it can start there.
MLT: What makes the ideal dining experience—whether for your customers or for yourself?
JG: My ideal dining experience for my customers is to take them on a culinary journey in a comfortable atmosphere with excellent service. My personal ideal dining experience would be trying something that I haven't had before and finding inspiration for a new dish. This could be in a restaurant or in another country.
MLT: How adaptable do you feel you and your restaurants are in a changing economy?
JG: Because my restaurants embrace the idea of tapas, or small plates, you don't have to spend a lot of money to dine with us. You can simply try a few dishes and have a glass of wine—that is the beauty of tapas.
MLT: Do you anticipate tackling a concept more indigenous to the U.S. or Pennsylvania?
JG: I love Latin cuisines; they are my passion and have been the focus of my culinary career. At this point, I do not anticipate opening something that is not tied into those types of cuisines in some way.
MLT: What did you learn while writing your cookbook?
JG: I always wanted to write a cookbook. For my first one, I had to come up with a clear vision of what represented me best as a chef. Latin Evolution is a combination of the culinary influences from my family and the varied and diverse cultures that have shaped my culinary career. The process is long, and when you are working on a book and opening restaurants, it can become daunting. But I had a great writer, April White, and a great editor at Lake Isle Press who helped me immensely. In the end, Latin Evolution is exactly what I hoped it would be, and I am excited at the thought of my next book.
MLT: What was it like to be on Iron Chef?
JG: Competing on Iron Chef America against Bobby Flay has been one of the highlights of my career to date. I think that most chefs would love the opportunity to be on the show going up against one of their peers. The experience was amazing, but keeping the outcome a secret was the hardest part.
MLT: Can you tell us more about the über-fabulous trip you have planned as part of your research for Chifa's menu?
JG: I'm taking a few of the chefs and my designer to Peru for 10 days in the beginning of November to prepare for Chifa. This is an important part of opening a restaurant that focuses on a cuisine from another country. It allows the chefs to try the many dishes that we will interpret and make our own. It also gives them ideas; we always come back from these trips with so many new dishes. Also, I like to bring my designer along because he can take parts of the culture and include them in the design of the restaurant.
MLT: One of the things I've always loved is that you list all of your staff on the menu at Tinto. I also know that you've been able to hang on to your key chefs, and wonder what your secret for success is as a manager.
JG: Keeping my staff happy is a main priority for me. It's simple: If you treat your staff, from the managers to the busboys, with the respect that they deserve for helping you run a successful business, then hopefully they will want to stay with you for a long time. You are only as good as your staff. They're the ones who are in contact with the customers every day and creating the reputation for the restaurants.
