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    In the Kitchen with Chef William Fugitt

    Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads out there! For our latest chat with a chef, I talked to Chef William Fugitt, Company Chef of the Cup O Joe and MoJoe Lounge restaurants and expectant dad. Bill is originally from Washington, DC and started working in kitchens at the early age of 14, washing dishes and doing prepwork. He fell in love with the craft through and decided to go onto to Baltimore International College for his culinary education. His first job was at the 2 Michelin Star restaurant Jean-Louis at the Watergate.

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    In college, he did his externship in France. “There, food brings people together,” he said. “I really loved the culture there and spent two years there.”

    He has taken his love of French culture, a great relationship between farmers and chefs, and many years of learning from his grandfathers to make simple foods delicious. You can see all of this combined in the new menus he is rolling out at the MoJoe Lounges this summer.

    Bill has spent much of his professional career moving around the country to work in specific restaurants with integrity. After he returned from France, he went back to the DC restaurant scene. He opened a restaurant called Equinox – modern American cuisine using French and Italian techniques. It was the epitome of local cuisine where he had good partnerships with the Amish and other farmers.

    After that, he went to Napa Valley to work at The French Laundry. It was a bit too slow paced for him and he went to Chicago to work and be immersed in city life again. Chicago proved to be too cold so he moved to Florida to work at Jack Nicklaus’ restaurant, The Bear’s Club. While working there, Jack asked him to move up to Columbus and be the Executive Sous Chef at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Before taking the job at MoJoe Lounge, he worked at Rigsby’s Kitchen.

    He is really happy to have moved to Columbus and feels he will be making his home here for good. He met his wife Jen here and they are expecting their first child soon. Making all of the food for his baby is something he is really looking forward to. He feels the Columbus food scene is growing in popularity and that the city is also a great place to raise kids.

    Some of his favorites around town include The Rossi for the best burger and Kihachi. He has also conquered the Thurmanator Challenge. He loves shopping at Blues Creek Meats in the North Market and at other Farmers’ Markets and roadside stands.

    What is his favorite thing to keep in his pantry? A variety of salts. His favorites include sea salt as well as rock salt with a hint of merlot. “Serving food with different salts enhances the flavors,” he shared. He also keeps fresh herbs and has grown some himself.

    His favorite gadgets include a mixer, a blender, and a coffee pot. It is also important to keep sharp knives in your kitchen.

    Bill is really excited to be a part of the revitalization of downtown Columbus. The menu he is putting together for the MoJoe Lounge in the Lazarus Building is going to “epitomize downtown, “he said. “It’s going to be vibrant, energetic and fun.” Each restaurant is going to have a slightly different personality to embody the neighborhood of each.

    For a sample of the types of things you may find in the restaurants, check out his recipe below. Enjoy!

    The Recipes

    Tea braised Pork Belly with saffron poached pears, and pickled farmhouse vegetables
    You will need:
    1 lb. of raw, locally raised pork belly
    ½ oz of Earl Gray tea
    2 each: carrots, celery, and onions (chopped)
    3 cups chicken stock
    2 bay leaves
    2 tsp. cinnamon
    1 tsp. coriander
    ½ tsp cayenne
    ½ cup brown sugar
    salt and pepper to taste

    Over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp oil to a sauté pan. While the oil is coming up to temperature, mix brown sugar and dry spices together, and rub the pork belly until it is completely covered. Next, with the skin side down, sear the pork until the skin is crisp and rendered. Flip the belly over, and add chopped vegetables. Let the vegetables cook for approx. 4 minutes, or until translucent. Finally, add the stock, the tea, and the bay leaves. Cover with aluminum, and braise in a 325° oven for 4 hours.

    For the saffron poached pears you’ll need:
    3 threads of saffron
    1 pear:(cored, and quartered)
    2 tsp of vanilla sugar
    2 cups dry Chardonnay
    ½ cup of granulated sugar

    Put all ingredients into a small pot and simmer until pear is soft. Then take the pear out, put in the cooler, and reduce the poaching liquid to a syrup. This will become a plating sauce for the Pork Belly.

    For the pickled vegetables you’ll need:
    1 zucchini
    1 yellow squash
    1 very tasty tomato
    ½ bulb of fennel
    2 sprigs of fresh dill
    1 quart water
    2 cups apple cider vinegar
    1 cup salt
    1 cup sugar
    2 tsp chili flakes
    1 tsp coriander
    1 tsp cumin
    1 tsp fresh thyme chopped

    In a pot, bring to a boil dry spices, dill, water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Boil until sugar and salt is dissolved. Meanwhile, cut vegetables to desired shape and size. Next, pour pickling liquid over veggies, and put into the cooler to rest.

    Crispy skinned duck leg confit, with fresh spring peas, sautéed morels, and ricotta salata gnocchi
    You will need:
    1 duck leg
    2 sprigs of thyme
    2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
    4 cups melted duck fat
    salt and pepper to taste
    2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
    4 oz. freshly shucked peas
    2 oz. Morel mushrooms

    For the gnocchi:
    You will need:
    4oz. ricotta salata
    2 oz. milk
    2 egg yolks
    3 cups flour

    In a food processor, add 4 oz. of fresh ricotta salata, milk, and 2 egg yolks, and pulse to incorporate. Once it’s well blended, turn the food processor on and start to add the flour, ½ a cup at a time, until it balls up and the gnocchi dough pulls away from the sides. Immediately roll out the gnocchi into a tubular, snake-like form. Cut the gnocchi into thumb-width size pieces. Blanch them in rapidly boiling water, and shock them in an ice bath. This might have to be done in stages. Blanching and shocking a little at a time, keeps the water from getting to cloudy, and will make gnocchi perfect to sauté.

    For the Duck confit:
    Season your fresh duck legs with salt and pepper, and dry spices. Pour the rendered duck fat over the legs and add thyme, and garlic. Cover with foil, and bake in a 325° oven for 6-8 hours until very tender. Next, take the duck legs out, and immediately sear in a pan to crisp the skin. Upon crispy skin, add the morels and peas, and sauté in the same pan. Next, add a little butter, to make everything blend perfectly together. Saute the gnocchi with a little butter until it turns brown. Toss the gnocchi in with the mushrooms and peas, and sauté until hot. Plate the gnocchi, peas, and mushrooms. Enjoy!

    In the Kitchen joins Columbus area chefs in their home kitchen for a dish they like to make and a casual chat about their experiences and backgrounds. If you are a chef and would like to be featured, or if you’d like to recommend someone for the In the Kitchen series, please send an email to Anne at [email protected].

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    Anne Evans
    Anne Evanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-evans/
    Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for The Metropreneur and Columbus Underground. She regularly contributes feature stories on both sites, as well as Mega Weekend each week. She has started and grown businesses, created experiences, forged community partnerships, and worked to create opportunities for others. She loves meeting new neighbors and those making an impact in our community. Want to connect?
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