Wednesday, March 18, 2015

What's "my style" you ask??

So I was approached yesterday by a customer/foodie on the street, he said Jodi have you been to Wolf Peach? I said not recently but love the place!! He said well I crave this certain dish from there. I said awesome! He said yes so and so place in west bend is doing the same dish! I respond with ok cool. He says you should do this same dish and I would be down by you all the time.
Well as you can imagine this was hard for me to respond without sounding rude. I responded with well it's cool you like that keep going there for it. Try something new and different  by us. He says I know your menu changes all the time and I like that. But he seemed a bit disappointed by my response. 
I have strived over the years to be my own and unique chef. I don't want to copy what someone else is doing. My menu is reflective of what flavors I like together, what's in season, taking something old school and putting a new twist on it, or simply cause I just want to experiment!! I'm not gonna say I don't see what is trending out there cause you have to in this industry. But I sure wouldn't copy something someone is doing a block away from me. So hopefully this customer continues to go there for that and by us for whatever I happened to be in the mood to cook that day!!
 Let me jump back for a moment. One of my styles in cooking is sweet and savory balanced together. I never realized that was "my thing" till a Chef friend said to me " why do you always have to put something sweet with you meat? I mean I like it but why all the time Jodi" I laughed and said  "I do not" he responded with " bullshit you do it with everything!" 
Well I guess I do, I giggle to myself now when I realize I'm doing it! Yes Chef Greg, I guess that is "my thing". 
Well this weeks menu has a few of those perfectly paired sweet and savory dishes. The picture posted is a seared scallop with a smokey butternut black bean ragout and finished with a drizzle of carmely maple syrup!! Yup smokey spicy wintered butternut and beans with delicate sweet scallops and mother natures nectar of the first sign of spring!! A perfect balance of sweet and savory and of the transitional time we are currently in, between the last cold days of winter and the budding of spring waiting to bloom! Enjoy all, and hope to see you soon.