The Chef Abroad: A Conversation with Richmond’s John Maher
01/5 2012 Posted in , Chef, ChefJohnny, Cook, Food, Richmond, Thomas Keller | comments OFF
John Maher, from just down the road in Powhatan, has had quite the decade since he graduated high school in 2000. He’s spent time in possibly the most prestigious kitchen in the US (The French Laundry), he has worked under some great chefs, he has worked abroad in Germany and St. Vincent, and he has run his own kitchens in a food mecca, San Francisco. I thought it might be interesting to catch up with John and find out a little more about himself and some of what gets him excited when he is in Richmond.
You have an impressive resume that includes time in Wine Country, Germany, San Francisco and the Caribbean. Tell me a little about the first kitchen you ever worked in?
The first kitchen I ever worked in was a place called Mike & Tony’s in Park Slope Brooklyn. I was 18 and had just moved there with my family right after high school in 2000 and started working at a wine shop across from our apartment called Red White & Bubbly (I wasn’t starting college for about 9 months.) the pace needed a bar back so I picked up the extra shifts. It wasn’t long until I was a prep cook. It was pretty crappy and didn’t last long. It was typical steakhouse fare with the Brooklyn attitude. I enjoyed the wine shop much more.
Who has been the most influential chefs practically (who you have interacted with) and theoretically (who you have studied)?
My most practically influential chefs have to be Thomas Keller, Ryan Fancher, and Peter Scharff.
It’s a little cliché now, but Thomas really taught me to respect every product that came in the kitchen [at The French Laundry (TFL)]. Working the farm really intensified that philosophy as well. He also cemented the fact that a chef is never “too good” to do any job. Many nights in the Commis kitchen were spent, just him and I, peeling fava beans or polishing the tables.
Ryan was one of the Sous Chefs at TFL when I was there. We got along really well and when he was tapped to open El Dorado Kitchen (EDK) in Sonoma, he asked me to be one of his Chef de Parties. He had already started to “take me under his wing” while at the Laundry, but he was even more of a mentor to me at EDK. Since there were a total of 4 TFL alumni with him, all our food was still highly influenced by the Laundry. I had a great 3+ years with Ryan and I definitely consider him to be my mentor. He’s the one who have me my nickname, Johnny Soigné (hence the tattoos.)
Peter Scharff was the 2 Michelin Chef I worked with in Germany at Wartenberger Mühle. He really got me started in the avant garde cuisine and taught me how to use it correctly. We traveled and cooked all over Germany while I was there. It was definitely an adventure I’ll never forget and will always cherish.
As for theoretical influences, Michel Bras for his playing style and simplicity. Ferran Adria for his forward thinking and for pushing my industry farther than anyone since Escoffier. Anthony Bourdain, not so much for his cooking abilities, but because he’s a badass old school rock star chef. Over the last couple years, I’ve been fascinated by the world of pastry, so there are a handful of young incredibly talented pastry chefs that I follow, Plinio Sandalio, Jim Hutchison, Chris Ford, & Ron Mendoza. I also greatly admire Tom Kerridge of The Hand & Flowers. He’s a 2 Michelin Star Chef from the UK who is producing stunning food in a very “pub” like restaurant for very reasonable prices, which is basically what I see myself doing. His food is absolutely gorgeous and I hope to eat there in the near future.
When you do make it home, where are you going out to eat?
My favorite place to eat in RVA is definitely Secco. I’ve gotten to know Tim (Bereika) quite well over the last year or so. I actually met him thru his cook at the time, Collin. He had read a story in the Times-Dispatch wrote on me and found me on twitter. I’ve never had a less than stellar meal there. Knowing Tim and seeing and eating his food was actually a big catalyst in my decision to *maybe* open something in Richmond.
I also live going to Comfort and Pasture. I met Jason (Alley) for the first time at Secco’s guest chef dinner. I spent my last few nights of my Holiday at Pasture over Thanksgiving and loved everything. Jason and his cooking is a huge influence on me, now that I’m coming back to Richmond after so many years away. I think that place will kill it and I’ll definitely be a regular.
My other go to spot is the Roosevelt. I met Lee (Gregory) years ago when he was still at Six Burner and was blown away by my meal. Lee is another big influence on me, seeing what can be done with Southern food and elevating it just enough. I’ve had some killer dishes there. And I’m a huge fan of their bar program. Great beers and really awesome cocktails that rival anything I had in San Francisco.
I really look forward to diving head first into the food scene in RVA when I get back.
With all the places you have worked and visited, I’m sure you have had some killer meals. What were some of those incredible moments?
Over the years, I’ve had some pretty incredible meals ranging from the over the top tasting menus in San Francisco, New York City, and Germany to something as simple as tapas on the water in Barcelona. Picking a stand out is rather difficult, since I believe it’s as much about the food as the moment in time. Sitting next to the water in Barcelona with my family drinking wine and eating tapas for 4 hours is something that I will never forget. A birthday dinner at Jardiniere in SF with my (then) partner and my very close friend was unforgettable. Saison in SF was astonishing (before they got their stars and went insane.) Late night tacos and beer in my kitchen with a bunch of close friends (and fellow cooks.) My going away dinner in Germany was spectacular- it was just myself at the Chefs Table. Peter cooked 18+ courses himself. It was incredibly inspiring, creative, and inventive food.
Paint a picture of what YOUR restaurant will look like….
My restaurant… No labels. No BS. Just rad food in a relaxed atmosphere using technique that, I think, is missing from the RVA dining scene. Michelin quality without all the nonsense that comes with it. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.
I’ve always had a desire to strip away the pretense of fine dining. To bring the level of technique and food of the top kitchens to everyone. I’ve kind of gotten fed up with the political BS crap of Michelin and everything that comes with fine dining of that caliber. Starting out, my dream was to always have a 25 seat/white table cloth/tasting menu only place and charge crazy money. But over the years I think I’ve matured a lot and come to the realization that I don’t need or want that kind of place, as a whole, to be happy or successful. I’d like the opportunity to bring what I have learned over my years in those kitchens to Richmond and help elevate and be a part of an incredible shift in my industry here.
Hypothetically, of course.
Ejay Rin- Get Your Noodle On
Pork Ramen
A few weeks ago I had the chance to check out Ejay Rin in the Corrugated Box Building in Manchester (just the block down from Legends). The establishment is the brainchild of my friends, Bill Foster (Zed Café) and Andy Howell (Café Rustica). Between my conflict of interest and the fact that I know very little about the cuisine, you will have to take my musings with a grain of salt. Then again, I wouldn’t ever intentionally point you somewhere that I didn’t like.
Enough with that disclosure crap…… Check this place out! READ MORE
Is there Hope for Lousiana Flair?
Last week, Owner Nate Same shocked the RVA Food World when he announced that he was closing up at the end of July. In the message, he mentioned declining sales as a reason for the decision. Now, I can speculate a few things. I think there may be something else going on here, because a few months ago, Sams was talking about expanding the restaurant into full dinner service and a bar. A few months later, he is being forced to close down. Whatever the reasoning is, the fact remains that Louisiana Flair will cease operations. READ MORE
The Marinara in the Media
Special Thanks to Amy David and Richmond Biz Sense for their article on the latest BBQ Crawl.
A local barbecue enthusiast has taken the city’s growing food tour business to the next level.
Matt Sadler recently launched Richmond’s BBQ Crawl, the area’s first barbecue-based bus tour.
“The idea spurred from an impromptu gathering me and my friends did a few years ago,” said Sadler, an IT consultant by day. “We were trying a few places and comparing them against each other and I thought, ‘Why can’t we rent a bus, have people come on and try them and not have to worry about traveling to these places?’”
RVA Restaurant Review Roundup
White Anchovie- Style Weekly- Tess Autrey Bosher
Forest Hill Eateriess- Style Weekly- Robey Martin
Riptides Seafood- Times Dispatch- Dana Craig
Mill at MacAurthur- Times Dispatch- Dana Craig
Conch Republic- Richmond.com- John and Leah Nelson
Lady Nawlins- RVALunchSpecial
A Moment with Secco’s Tim Bereika
photo by the Amazing Sara Adduci
Tim Bereika is currently the head chef over at Secco Wine Bar in Carytown. Instead inundating the menu with typical favorites such as fried calamari and caprese salad, he is pushing the envelope with blends of Iberian/European recipes with some local flavor. To here more from him, you can find Tim on Twitter @sanzanobi.
Give us a quick and dirty history of your cooking history
Ok, here we go!
Between 1998 and 2000 I worked at Legend Brewery and The Blue Marlin (now defunct). This was part-time work and helped pay the bills while I attended VCU Art School. After graduating I left the industry to pursue a career in line with my graphic design degree. I didn’t return to a commercial kitchen for five and a half years. In 2005, I finally made the decision to cook professionally and by ’06 I was enrolled in culinary school and working part-time for Chef Maura, a cater here in Richmond. During the summer of 2007 I lived in Florence, Italy where I worked as a Garde Manger chef at Ristorante Ricchi and studied regional and contemporary Italian cuisine at the Culinary Institute of Florence. Once I returned from Italy I was hired as a sous chef at Amici Ristorante in Carytown, where I cooked for almost year before the owner closed the restaurant to make renovations. In May of 2008 I accepted a lead line cook position at The Country Club of Virginia where I remained until November of 2009. That’s when Julia offered me the executive chef position at Secco. I didn’t hesitate to accept.
Who in the cooking world, local or global, would you say are your biggest influences? READ MORE
A Minute with a Richmond Cook: Jason Von Moll
The Tobacco Company has been a staple of Richmond dining for years. The place is stunning, and if you were a meat and potatoes person, it was one of the places to go. Things are starting change at the Tobacco Company. You can still get some good hearty prime rib, but their executive sous chef, Jason Von Moll, is starting to make some headway offering some new flavors both in the recently updated lunch menu as well as his daily specials. Jason was kind enough to give us a little peak into his background as well as the direction he is helping take the Tobacco Company. Please feel free to ask Jason any additional questions using the comments section.
How would you classify your cooking style?
I’d classify it as southern comfort with a focus on big bold clean flavors. I like my food to really pop, without using too many ingredients.
Tell me a little bit about the biggest cooking inspirations in your life?
Most definitely my grandparents. Growing up my grandparents lived on and operated a large farm in Eden, North Carolina, with the freshest corn, beans, squash, zucchini, and lettuces. My grandfather owned a local Golden Corral (before the giant buffet style of these days) and i would spend my summers between here and the farm. Here i fell in love with the restaurant business. I have fond memories of pounding chicken breast, snipping beans, and washing potatoes even before i was in my teens. Always at the end of the summer the whole family would get together and have a whole hog pig roast. Everyone would bring the best side dishes and desserts many of which i still use these days. Something about southern food that just evokes warm feelings in me and most people i know. READ MORE
The Modern Gentleman Talks about His Book, Dining, and RVA
Richmond is full of great personalities and none may be more interesting than fellow leisure enthusiast and author, Jason Tesauro. I came across his book, with whom he co-authored with Phinneas Mollod, and learned some interesting tips that have helped me improve myself. I also found it to be so enjoyable that I have passed around several copies to my friends, who have in turned passed it on to other fiends. The Modern Gentleman, Second Additon, has recently been released, and I thought I would use it as an opportunity to get Jason to talk about his work, passions, and our lovely city.
READ MORE
