RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
This week, Columbus Underground is taking a look at some of the amazing young talent in the kitchens of your favorite local restaurants.
First up is Stephen Blake, a line cook at The Refectory who has spent nearly half of his life working in various kitchens around the city. A self-described hard worker, Stephen admits that he didn’t originally “pick” cooking as a career. “I have cooked professionally as long as I was old enough to work only because it was a way i could make money,” he explains. “These days I feel blessed, because now I realize it truly is a lovely way to make a living.”
Name: Stephen Blake
Age: 28
Kitchen Experience: 13 years of “on the job training” in various restaurants.
Current Job: Line Cook at The Refectory
Favorite style: “The classics. From there all else is built.”
Favorite dish to make: “Duck 3 ways – duck leg confit, cured breast and a little duck sausage. Served with sauerkraut and chive potato mousseline and a touch of demi glace. That’s from my previous employer – Handke’s Cuisine.”
Favorite food to eat: “Anything someone else makes. If the person cooking is psyched to make it, it will be fun to eat regardless of what the dish is.”
Least favorite food: “Anything over or under cooked.”
Favorite kitchen tool: “Nice heavy pans or a thin one if you need it in a flash. Or a knife and cutting board… maybe a slicer… like a mandolin. They make the job faster and more consistent. No, wait! A Forschner Serrated knife! That thing is good for everything!”
Favorite cookbook: “I’ve got too many favorites. It’s fun to take bits and pieces from different books. Although I could definitely give shout outs to Michael Ruhlman, Marco Pierre White, Georges Auguste Escoffier, Thomas Keller and James Peterson.”
Favorite Columbus restaurant: “Carabar.”
Your Inspirational figures: “Chef Asa J. Rodriguez and all of the people I have worked with in the past that were harder workers then I am. These are the people I wake up thinking about in the morning, and that pushes me to do the best I can each day.”
Your Dream Job: “I am living the dream! I have worked with a lot of people that have have a titled position that sounds fancy and gets them chicks. Just because you are in charge of a restaurant or kitchen does not make you a chef… or a chef that I would want to be. The type of chef I aspire to be should have much more experience and understanding of food and business. A great chef should respect their food and give it the utmost care.”
Cool interview with an everyday kitchen contributor in a respected establishment rather than a canned purpose statement from the boss or sous chef. Bravo.
Thanks! Glad you liked the interview/bio. I’ve got 10-12 other people lined up who will be going up over the course of the next week or so. We do have a lot of great established chefs in Columbus, but I wanted to explore a bit more behind the scenes and find out who was doing some of the grunt work and aspiring for something greater in the not-too-distant future. The folks who are putting in their dues today, training and learning, and who may be the next people in line to lead the kitchens, open restaurants, and advance the culinary scene in Columbus.
I should probably also note that a lot of these younger folks were recommended to me by head chefs and restaurant owners, so those in charge ARE willing to share their spotlight with the great staff behind them every once in awhile. ;)
love the idea!
Oh yeah, Chef Rodriguez would be a great mentor. He had Bocuse d’ Or appearances and believes that the, “food is the star”.
The Forschner Serrated knife is a highly versatile and underrated knife, for sure.
You’ve found a great place in The Refectory. If you are passionate about food, this is the place to be.
Just got an update from Stephen that he’s moving to Austria to work at Schindlhaus.com. :D