Chef Thomas Keller Gets Exposed
Greenville Event with Food, Wine, Music - Southern Exposure
Sep 25, 2007 Jacqueline Church
Southern Exposure Greenville - only in its second year - puts Greenville, South Carolina on the culinary map. One might say a theme of the event could be "looking foward, looking back." Tradition was given proper due while innovation was recognized everywhere. Collaboration between the arts was evident throughout the festival with top musicians sharing the stages with top chefs.
Recipe for Success
Begin with acclaimed chefs (like Thomas Keller). Combine with award-winning musicians (Michael McDonald, Branford Marsalis). Throw in terrific wines. Bind with a healthy dose of true Southern Hospitality. You've got a recipe for a successful event which could easily become a regular destination for food and music lovers. Like that stained, dog-eared recipe card you keep going back to, there's much to recommend putting this event on your calendar.
Billed as “Three Days of Food, Wine & Music” it raises funds for local charities, many of them music- and arts-focused. The charity, formed by local restaurateur Carl Sobocinski and platinum recording artist Edwin McCain is called LBDG – for “Local Boys Do Good.” And what good they've done: last year's grants went to programs alleviating summer hunger, to children's music and exercise programs, theater outreach, stocking local food pantries and supporting parenting and mentoring programs. It's apparent that the founders view "sustenance" as including music as well as food.
To a new visitor, one thing is immediately clear about Greenville: this is a city that takes its food and arts seriously. State of the art venue for dance, music and theater anchor a large part of the downtown revitalization. A large juried show coinciding with Southern Exposure occupied much of Main Street on Sunday. Modern sculptures sit prominently in front of historical buildings. Many Chefs in the area blend Southern traditions with new techniques and ingredients.
Two of the chief attractions for the event were Thomas Keller, Chef and Owner of The French Laundry and Michael McDonald. Branford Marsalis also played during Sunday's brunch. Many of the chefs seminars included musicians who played while the chefs prepped. Music was everywhere.
Chef Thomas Keller - Reflections on being a "Chef"
Chef Keller spoke about what it means to be a chef today and how that role was defined in the past, peppering his talk with examples from his own career. He was very engaging and has the presence one sees in people at the top of most artistic fields. He thinks about food differently than most of us do. He makes you consider things from a different point of view.
Nurturing - As a youngster in the restaurant his mother managed, he became aware of the rhythm of the business. Learning the ropes with no formal training must have been hard but he still lights up when he describes the first time he got to cook the “family meal”. Family meal is what staff is served before a restaurant opens. He discovered that cooking gave him an opportunity to nurture the staff, by feeding them well he could set their night on the right path.
Comfort of Ritual - As he learned more about cooking in a restaurant he found the repetition and ritual of the work comforting, too. While there is a certain schedule that provides that structure to the daily work, he had an interesting observation about the notion of innovation. Our hunger for the "next big thing" or the hottest new ingredient has changed the nature of the work in some fundamental ways. Whereas in the past, restaurants might all serve the same menu, distinguishing themselves through quality of the ingredients and through execution of the dish. Think of eating Sole Veronique all over town, knowing it would be on the menu and deciding where to eat based on that.
Tradition versus Innovation - He reflected on what is gained by dogged pursuit of perfection and what is lost when that endeavour itself is no longer the goal of a chef. On the other hand, he noted that some of his dishes which may have been a riff on a classic dish, have evolved over time. To listen to him for five minutes is to understand that such a change would not be done impulsively.
He confessed to being obsessed with the next big thing himself. When asked to write a cookbook, he was adamant that it was going to be different type of book. Asked to do a second one, he declined. "The book thing was done" for him.
Mentoring the Next Generation - As he realized that mentoring good chefs was more rewarding when they stick with you, he found a parallel in the book world. Bouchon was borne of the desire to do more accessible bistro food, executed flawlessly. Opening that restaurant gave him a chance to provide the next level of growth for his staff and keep them in the family at the same time. The cookbook would support both the restaurant and the mentoring.
An example of Keller's humour was his speculation that his butter supplier named her new cow "Cash" after him. He prides himself on not considering prices of his suppliers' products. This is why home cooks' renditions of his recipes will not produce the same results, he explained. Most of us simply cannot get the same quality of ingredients he insists on. The other reason is execution. No matter how skillfully we might prepare even the best ingredients at home, it's the rare individual who can cook something that will approach what a Keller restaurant puts out every day, every plate.
One of the best things about being a chef, according to Keller is having the ability to provide people with awesome memories. This weekend in Greenville did just that.
This seminar was only one of many. The list of chefs, wineries, musicians was really stellar, check here for more info.
My thanks to Michelin for hosting me, and Gina Bulwear, Linda Katsche for their hard work. When opening night is doused with rain and people still turn out, you know you've done well!
Thomas Keller
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