The James Beard Award-winning ”Best Chef: South” and semi-finalist for James Beard’s “Outstanding Chef” Award, Nina Compton was born and raised in St. Lucia, the daughter of St. Lucia’s three-time late prime minister, Sir John George Melvin Compton. At the Compton home of seven, the kitchen was the center of activity, and young Compton wanted to spend as much time as she could there. Like her siblings, she was sent to England for secondary school. When she returned home, she told her parents she wanted to be a chef. They tried to discourage her, but she insisted, so they arranged a two-year internship at a friend’s hotel in Jamaica. We caught up with the busy chef in New Orleans.

What did you learn in the kitchen at the Jamaican hotel?
For me, the biggest thing was never stop learning. I thought I knew everything and then the chef said the next step was for me to go to culinary school. I went to The CIA [Culinary Institute of America] in Hyde Park and, after, decided to learn from the best: Daniel Boulud at his three-star Michelin restaurant in NYC: Daniel.

What was the most important thing you learned from Boulud?
It was excellence or nothing. He really pushed to make the people around him excellent.

You met Emeril Lagasse. What did he say to you?
He said, always engage people; when they come up to you, always smile. People have this expectation of you, so you need to be engaging.

You moved to Miami to work at the iconic Norman’s and, eventually, Casa Casuarina, the former Versace Mansion in Miami’s South Beach, where you met your husband and rose from sous chef to executive chef. Wasn’t this a very fast-track advancement?
It was, but it’s about paying attention and reading and researching and pushing yourself. I think that’s why people excel; you learn from your mistakes and try to be better each day.

In 2008, Fontainebleau Miami Beach re-opened, and you joined Scott Conant at Scarpetta there as sous chef. Then you were appointed chef de cuisine. What was that like for you?
I was able to learn Italian food from the Maestro, who is very, very talented in what he does and the way he’s able to showcase food at that level.

You fell in love with New Orleans and opened your first solo restaurant, Compère Lapin, which has become a hugely successful restaurant included in “Best Restaurants in America” and Food & Wine’s “40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years.” What makes Compère Lapin so successful?
Some of those flavors that I grew up with as a child are very unique to people who’ve never had them before. There are green figs and salt fish, conch croquettes, callaloo soup with spinach okra, nutmeg, coriander and chili flakes, and much more. We don’t make food for everyone else, we make food for you.

Why is NOLA such a great foodie town?
I think it’s the most culturally rich city in the U.S. There are influences here you don’t find anywhere else in the country or world. But it’s really about the people who live here and the people who came before us and instilled such strong cultural roots for us to carry that on.

What is your comfort dish?
I think, coming from the Caribbean, curried goat is probably something that people can identify with. That is definitely my comfort food.

In 2018, you opened Bywater American Bistro, recently relaunched as BABs this past January. Why did you change the name and what kind of food do you serve?
It was always supposed to be a neighborhood restaurant: casual, no frills. But the name was very long, and I just felt like BABs, the abbreviated version, would be more playful. We focus more on Italian cuisine.

You’ve opened Nina’s Creole Cottage, a fast-casual concept featuring affordable, heritage-inspired dishes which offers bold flavor combinations traversing St. Lucian savors with Louisiana Creole flavors. Why did you open it, and what’s your favorite dish there?
Doing fast-casual is really a nod to pretty much all the things I love to eat, but in a fast-casual format. My favorite dish there is the Hot Fire Chicken because with each bite the flavor builds, which I love.

How can you run all these restaurants at the same time?
I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out yet.

You were recently named the Godmother of  Silversea’s newest ship. Silver Nova. How did that feel?
I’ve always explored the many ways in which the world’s cuisines – especially St. Lucia and the Caribbean – strengthen human connections and honor heritage, tradition, and identity. I believe food and drink have the power to bond people together and serve as a unifying language.

How do you describe your cuisine?
I would just say it’s fun. It’s not meant to be too crazy, where people don’t feel comfortable, but adventurous people can enjoy lots of flavors.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Pig. I’ve compared it to crispy savory gummy bears. I’ve tried to cut back on it and it’s just not possible.

When you taste a dish, what exactly are you tasting for?
It depends. Whenever we try a new dish at the restaurant, a lot of the young kids say, ‘Oh, Chef, I think it needs more acid or more lemon juice’ or something. And my response to that is, ‘Do you put lemon juice in your macaroni and cheese?’ And they always say no. I think having the balance of the flavors to build within the dish is very important, and having complexity where it’s not just one note. I like things to either be salty or spicy or acidic, not where it’s just one flavor you’re tasting.

You are the culinary ambassador for St. Lucia. What do you do to promote it?
I take visitors to my home island, St. Lucia, every year for a week [this year it’s July 21-27, 2024, at the luxury resort Cosmos]. I focus on the history and technique of the island’s food, but we also explore everything from markets to waterfalls. I try and show the special secrets St. Lucia holds for me and get people to understand the beauty of the island through my eyes.

Do you have any new restaurants on the horizon for the future?
I’m trying to retire.

What advice would you give to those who want to be a chef?
Don’t give up. Don’t lose sight of your goal. And have fun. We spend too many hours in the kitchen not to have fun.

What’s the most important thing about being a chef?
Get rest. Take time for yourself in the day, whether it’s 10 minutes or an hour. And go outside. When I wake up in the morning, I make a cup of coffee and sit outside and either plan out my day or disconnect for a second. My husband/business partner, Larry Miller, and I run the business together and talk about our day together. It helps to have somebody.
Also, I think the most important part of it is to stay grounded. You have to really know who you are and be comfortable with everything you’re doing and not doing it for social media or anything like that. It’s just really about how you’re projecting yourself to the people.

What’s the most favorite meal you’ve ever eaten?
It could be having grilled lobster on the beach or eating dinner in Paris. It’s really about time and place, not so much about the food but really about where I am and who I’m with.

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made as a chef?
Everybody makes mistakes. I try and look at it as a Bob Ross situation where they’re happy mistakes. At the time, we think it’s terrible, but I think everything happens for a reason in a very Seinfeld roundabout way. I think it all makes sense.

What do you want your legacy to be?
I want my legacy to be Caribbean food is unique. The Caribbean is very big and very diverse with a lot of culture people don’t know. If you venture to the Caribbean, I think you should really go to underdeveloped places. Don’t go to the touristy places. Go to areas that are off the beaten path because sometimes that’s the most authentic food that you can get to understand the island.

By Margie Goldsmith

The post Nina Compton; Breaking the Boundaries of Southern Cooking appeared first on Food and Travel Magazine.

Involved in every aspect of his restaurants from concept and menu to architectural design, staff selection, training and finishing touches, the 66-year-old master has created timely and enduring restaurants, constantly innovating fresh ideas and impacting the global culinary landscape. Still, after 50 years of success, his favorite retreat remains the kitchen, and his favorite meal from a street cart in Thailand.

With three children and four grandchildren, Jean-Georges’ son, Cedric, followed his father into the culinary world with five restaurants of his own. His daughter, Louise, runs a foundation called Food Dreams, which aims to bridge the gap between underprivileged students and the culinary community. His youngest daughter, Chloe, is a student at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology. I caught up with Jean-Georges in his “cooking studio” in one of his latest ventures, the Tin Building at the historic South Street Seaport in New York City.

You were born and brought up in Alsace, in Eastern France, with two brothers, a sister, parents, and grandparents, making you a household of 12 people, all of whom ate lunch and dinner together. As a young kid, what did you want to be?
I wanted to be a DJ or a clothing designer or an architect. I ended up being a cook.

At the age of eight, you became an altar boy.
I became an altar boy because my mother went to church every Sunday. I poured the wine and sometimes drank it.

At 14, you stole a motorbike. Your parents sent you to parochial school, but you cut classes. They sent you to a trade school, but you didn’t attend classes and got kicked out. How did your parents feel about your future?
Very bad, like I was never going to be anybody.

Your father and grandfather were both in the coal business and hoped you’d take it over. Did you hope to?
When you’re 14 years old, you question yourself, wondering, what I’m going to do? I don’t want to be them. I want to be myself.

Your mother cooked elaborate lunches and dinners every single day. Did anything about her cooking push you in the direction of food?
No, I feel like I developed a palate on my own. My mother learned from her mother. Everything came from the garden or from the market. It was all home-made, nothing was re-heated. When you feed 12 people, there’s never anything left. I wasn’t paying attention to the cooking, but I was eating.

For your 16th birthday, your family took you to Auberge de l’ill, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Alsace. What did your father say to the famous chef, Paul Haeberlin, when he came to your table?
He said, “My son’s good for nothing, so please let him wash dishes.” And they said, “We may find something for him like peeling food or washing dishes.”

Turning 16 is a big deal. I’d never gone to a restaurant. We were always eating at home. So, being at this restaurant with waiters and the presentation was a culture shock for me. I was like, wow, this is something I would enjoy doing. I didn’t know if I would be a waiter. I just enjoyed the way of feeding and serving people, and here was the best in class. So, my first experience in fine dining was an eye-opener.

What was it like being an apprentice?
It was an opportunity to escape. I started in pastry. They taught me how to make ice cream, crème anglaise, sorbet… it’s an exact science because you have to weigh everything, and it’s a smart way of teaching young cooks to cook – not to just put them at a stove with pots and pans. Pastry was good because I never had the discipline of weighing anything or learning about ingredients. I did that for six months and they had me learning about seasoning.

The hunter brought in the pheasants. You really learn how to pluck a pheasant. When I was there, the chicken had feathers, but today chicken comes in a bag. We were also getting fresh milk – never pasteurized – so I really got to know about fresh ingredients. I don’t think people know that chicken comes with feathers.

While you were apprenticing and learning all these new skills, were you getting passionate about food or was it just a way to make money?
I was away from my house six days a week, so it was a great escape. But I was working in kitchens, and little by little I was really enjoying doing it; I made sure I was weighing everything correctly and pleasing the chefs.

You met Paul Bocuse, who said one day you would work for him, and you did, but you only stayed there nine months. Why?
It was a good nine months, but it was more classic cuisine and I wanted to do something else. I was on a mission to learn fast. I ended up, not for very long, in Hong Kong and Singapore, Geneva, Portugal, Japan, London, New York, Boston, and then back to New York.

In over 10 years you opened 10 restaurants for Chef Louis Outhier. How could you do that without having a nervous breakdown?
It’s now been 50 years of cooking and experiments. I haven’t had a nervous breakdown yet – maybe one day.

More than 40 years ago, you were the chef at Lafayette at the Drake Hotel. An entrepreneur, Phil Suarez, came often for lunch, bringing with him such celebs as Michael Jackson. Each time he handed you his business card. What did he want, and what did you tell him?
He’d been a talent scout, and he told people he wanted to have a restaurant on his own. Every time I saw him, he gave me a business card and said, “When you want to do your own business, call me.” By the time he told me to give him a business plan, he’d given me 25 business cards. This was before the computer. I took a piece of paper and quickly combined some numbers. He asked me what I needed. I said, maybe $20,000. He lent me the money and told me he never thought I’d pay him back. That was in 1991. I never had a title with him because I was never in debt with him. I call him the “legend from Manhattan.”

Forty years after you served it at Lafayette, you still serve egg caviar. Can you explain what that is?
A classic! We empty the egg and wash it with hot water. We then scramble eggs with butter, salt and black pepper. We top it with a vodka-infused whipped cream we make and then add caviar. The contrast of the textures, flavors and temperatures creates a magical experience. It’s a great way to start a meal.

And what is the pea guacamole about which President Obama tweeted?
When we were looking to open abc cocina, we knew we wanted to offer guacamole but wanted to do it differently. We tested a bunch of different recipes with Greg, now our Executive Vice President of Culinary Development. We decided on including peas, adding the classic guacamole ingredients to peas – you know, cilantro, scallions, lime juice.It caused a little bit of a divide online – some people liked the idea and others didn’t. The Pea Guacamole has now become a signature dish at abc cocina! We like to say, give peas a chance!

You have said that you went into this business because you love to pamper people. Where did that desire come from?
When I was younger, my mother taught me hospitality – you know, being convivial to the table, taking care of people. I made a profession of pampering.

Today, you have 5,000 employees and 60 restaurants around the world, including your newest, the 50,000 square-foot food hall, the Tin Building, and the Paris Café in TWA at JFK. What drives you?
I don’t know. I wake up in the morning and go to work. What I love doing the most is creating concepts, creating food.

Unlike many chefs who tend to taste from their lips to their hips, you are super fit and work out daily. Why?
Balancing isn’t about cooking. It’s not about injuries, but you do have to do a little self-care. I’m also looking for silence: skiing by myself on a mountain, paddleboarding on a lake – I’m looking for a sense to recharge. Silence is my best friend.

What’s the favorite of all your dishes?
This month, probably a simple tomato salad because tomatoes are in season. I never grew up with corn, but I love the local corn, which is so sweet – with olive oil on the cobb – I’m in love with what’s in season.

What’s the worst meal you ever ate?
I’m not too much into zoo food. I don’t need alligator or kangaroo.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Probably my first chef who said, just keep it simple and fresh.

What advice would you give any new chefs just starting out?
You better be passionate because it’s a long road. And endurance, because life is a marathon. But if you enjoy what you do, it’s a pleasure.

What do you want your legacy to be?
I don’t know, ask me in 20 years. •

The post Interview with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten appeared first on Food and Travel Magazine.

Spring Bibb Salad, Eddie Wiles, Executive Chef, Nose Dive Restaurant, Greenville, South Carolina

4C Bibb lettuce, chopped

3 slices Watermelon radish, thinly sliced

2T Mixed cherry & grape tomatoes

1 T Feta cheese, crumbled

2 oz Honey Balsamic vinaigrette

To make vinaigrette:

1 T Roasted garlic

1 C Honey

2C White Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Whole grain mustard

1 T Canola oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender, except Canola oil. Slowly add the oil while blending, until emulsified.

Pimento Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad,  Chef Phill Powers, The Bristol Hotel, Bristol, Virginia

The Bristol Hotel’s signature restaurant, Vivian’s Table, is a cozy space for street-level dining and drinks among family and friends. Chef Phill Powers, known for combining international and regional cooking styles with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, is at the helm.  Pimento Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad marries fresh ingredients and soulful Southern fare. It’s hearty yet refreshing, making it the perfect dish for spring.

• 3 pounds red potatoes, medium dice   

• 8 oz crumbled bacon

• 2 cups aged cheddar, shredded 

• ¾ cup mayonnaise, Duke’s brand preferred  

• ½ cup pimento peppers, small dice   

• 2 Tbs Vidalia onion, minced   

• 2 Tbs scallions, sliced   

• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

• Dash tabasco, or your favorite hot sauce

• As needed salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel and diced potatoes.

2. Boil potatoes in salted water just until fork tender and allow to cool.

3. Mix the remaining ingredients in separate bowl.

4. Fold cooled potatoes into the cheese mixture and season as needed.

5. Garnish with pimentos and sliced scallions serve with sweet bread and butter pickles

6. Enjoy.

Whole Grilled Branzino, MILA Miami, Miami, Florida

For the dish

1ea while branzino

3 slices of lemon

.5 grilled lemon

1 sprig of time

TT salt

10g olive oil

2g cilantro

Method

1. Score the skin of the branzino 3 times on each side
2. Stuff the branzino with thyme, lemon slices, salt, and olive oil
3. Carefully place branzino on grill and leave until it sadly can be flip to other side, it can take about 7min on each side
4. Once both sides are crispy, with a knife check the flesh for cooking preference, if it needs more time cover remove from grilled and place in aluminum foil and put back on the grill

Spring Panzanella, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens, Fulton, California

A perfect salad is a symphony of textures and flavors with some cooked elements, some raw, a quality olive oil mixed with citrus, luscious Marcona almonds, and crusty hunks of toasted bread (croutons) throughout. Pair this salad with the refreshing acidity of the Kendall-Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Gris.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

· 2 cups fresh spinach

· 1 cup raw, shelled English peas

· 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1” strips at a bias

· 8 fingerling potatoes, quartered

· 1 bunch radishes, greens removed, quartered

· 2 stalk rhubarb, cut into ½” pieces at a bias

· 1 cup mint leaves

· ½ cup dill, chopped

· 2 shallots, sliced thin

· 1 cup Marcona almonds

· 2 cups fresh sourdough, cubed

· quality olive oil for dressing, roasting

· juice of two lemons

· salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven for 350’ F. Prep potatoes and radishes for roasting on a baking sheet, coat with a lug of olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are just browned. Toss in rhubarb and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat in a bowl, set aside. Using the same pan, toast bread for 15 minutes until just browned but still soft in places.

2. In the basin of a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, peas, asparagus, mint, dill, shallots, and almonds. Stir to combine. Add room-temperature baked radishes and potatoes. Stir in preferred quantity of olive oil (1/4 cup or more) along with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to coat. I like to use my hands for this part. Finally, add the toasted bread and mix again. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes for bread to soak up the dressing and herby notes.

Mahi Taco, The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village

• Sear Florida fresh mahi with Cajun seasoning.
• Top with house pickled onion (see below), julienned cabbage, avocado crèma (see below) and organic cilantro micro greens.

Pickled Onion Recipe

• 1 large red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ¾ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1–2 tablespoons sweetener (such as maple syrup, honey, sugar, etc.)
• In a small saucepan*, stir together the vinegar, salt and your desired amount of sweetener. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a simmer.
• Place the thinly-sliced onions in a small bowl. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions. Stir until combined. Let the onions marinate for 30 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Avocado Crème Recipe

• 2 avocados
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 Mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon tahini paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• Mix all together as serve.

The post Delectable Spring Recipes Bursting With Flavors appeared first on Food and Travel Magazine.

Rachel Nugent-Dumont, Ambersweet at the Confidante Miami Beach, Florida

Nugent-Dumont, a New York City standout who has led teams at Michelin-star restaurants including The Clocktower and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, now leads Ambersweet’s culinary concepts as head restaurant chef. Inspired by local ingredients and modern-day indulgences, she created a menu that celebrates the many distinct cultures of Miami. Nugent has spent the past eight years volunteering at soup kitchens and hands-on communities to give back to the underprivileged.

Drew Erickson, Table 301 Restaurant Group, Greenville, South Carolina

After four years of tutelage from one of the most celebrated chefs in the country, Drew Erickson is back in his hometown. In 2016 he budding chef left for a month-long stage at The French Laundry under Thomas Keller, and ended up staying there four years. Erickson is keenly aware of the importance of kitchen culture and the collaborative environment he creates to get his cooks in a zone that leads to creation, intention and culinary excellence. He loves interacting with guests and seeing how they react to his dishes. He takes that same enthusiasm and gets to know the farmers and purveyors who are supplying his produce.

Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, California

This collaboration between Meadowood Napa Valley and Ojai Valley Inn marks a new home for the acclaimed restaurant which was destroyed by a California wildfire last year. The six-course dinner with wine pairings will feature California ingredients that flourish in late winter and early spring, with ingredients sourced from The Restaurant’s very own 3.5-acre farm as well as from local artisans and growers in the Napa and Ojai valleys. Kostow said, “We look forward to crafting menus that encompass the divergent terroir of the valleys of Napa and Ojai, and to sharing our work with a new audience.”

Chef Steve McHgh, Landrace, San Antonio, Texas

Landrace is a new destination restaurant helmed by Chef Steve McHugh in San Antonio’s Arts District. An acclaimed chef and respected member of the San Antonio community, McHugh helped put the city on the culinary map when he opened his charcuterie-focused venue Cured. Now with Landrace, McHugh shifts his focus to heritage and place with seasonal menus that celebrate regional Texas ingredients and growers close to home.

Chris Cantrel, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Palm Beach, Florida

Chef Chris Cantrel joined the oceanfront resort as its first-ever head sushi chef in February 2021. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Chef Cantrel has worked in culinary arts for the past 16 years, with a special emphasis on seafood and sushi. At Eau, he shares his passion and creative energy by providing guests with a skillfully designed menu of sushi, sashimi, house and signature rolls, among other items with local ingredients. Chef Cantrel joined Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa to help the award-winning resort, which boasts multiple dining outlets, bolster its sushi offerings with market-fresh Atlantic fish artfully presented and sustainably sourced.

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