Philadelphia Magazine |
Philly's Next Great Chefs
With the city’s most recent crop of celebrated chefs — Jose Garces, Daniel Stern — testing their luck as restaurateurs, a new generation of tastemakers is emerging in our restaurant kitchens. We surveyed area foodies — chefs, local
By April White
KIBETT MENGECH
Chef du cuisine, Ansill
Age: 33 His food: “Stripped-down small plates,” with an if-you-dare element. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Mengech is making adventurous eating — think sea urchin, sweetbreads and lamb’s tongue — mainstream. What we’re craving: Scrambled duck egg with smoked trout and crème fraîche. Education: On the job. Experience: He’s seen the kitchens at Lucy’s Hat Shop, Striped Bass, Rouge, Le Bec-Fin and the Ritz-Carlton Grill, and has also cooked in San Francisco and Kenya. Ingredient of the moment: Bold, offbeat herbs, like lavender. Favorite cookbook: The French Laundry Cookbook. Tip for the home chef: Experiment. It’s okay to deviate from a recipe. Where he eats on his day off: South Street pizza joint Gennaro’s — medium olive pizza and a Caesar salad. Where he shops: Scott and Judy’s in the Italian Market; the “grab bag” section of Iovine Brothers at Reading Terminal Market. Details: Ansill, 627 South 3rd Street, 215-627-2485; ansillfoodandwine.com.
ANDREW DEERY
Chef/owner, Majolica
Age: 35 His food: “Seasonal American food that makes sense.” How he’ll change Philadelphia: Deery has introduced a light French touch to the city of classic Le Bec-Fin French. What we’re craving: His Pernod-scented mussels. Education: Baltimore International Culinary College. Experience: Savona, the Kimberton Inn, and Maine’s Harraseeket Inn. Ingredient of the moment: Delicate lobster mushrooms, paired with sweetbreads. What you won’t find on his menu: Overfished Chilean sea bass. First food memory: Eating Flora, the pig he spent the summer raising on his uncle’s farm near Pittsburgh, when he was 10. What he cooks at home: Roast chicken and potato gratin. Where he shops: Hendrick’s Farm in Telford, for whey-fed pork, fresh eggs and raw cheeses. Details: Majolica, 258 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-917-0962; majolicarestaurant.com.
MATTHEW LEVIN
Executive chef, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
Age: 34 His food: “A little bit of everything,” including global ingredients and science-project twists. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Levin is leading the city’s gastro-chemistry experimentation. Witness the tomato sponge. What we’re craving: Sodium algenite, calcium chloride and gellan — the secret ingredients in some of Levin’s wackier presentations, like liquid ravioli. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: Stints at Le Bec-Fin, Brasserie Perrier and Striped Bass, as well as the Pluckemin Inn in northern New Jersey and Charlie Trotter’s and Aureole in New York. Ingredient of the moment: Broken Arrow Ranch’s lean, gamy axis deer saddle. Tip for the home chef: Buy really good knives. (Levin uses Nenox.) First food memory: Hanging out in the kitchens of Chinatown’s now-defunct Riverside while his parents ate in the dining room. What he cooks at home: Easy mac ’n’ cheese. Where he eats on his day off: Thai Lake, where he always orders the clams and pork with XO sauce. Details: Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, the Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 West Rittenhouse Square, 215-790-2533; lacroix-restaurant.com.
MICHAEL SOLOMONOV
Executive chef, Marigold Kitchen
Age: 28 His food: “Meticulous,” “modern” Mediterranean. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Solomonov is challenging diners — and his kitchen staff — with his intensely flavorful, labor-intensive preparations. What we’re craving: Sweetbreads with crisp chicken skin and garlic tehina. Education: Florida Culinary Institute. Experience: In the kitchens of Avenue B, Striped Bass and Vetri. Ingredient of the moment: Baharat — a Turkish spice blend of allspice, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander — and argan oil, a rare, earthy Moroccan nut oil. Favorite cookbook: The Provence of Alain Ducasse. Tip for the home chef: You can’t go wrong with olive oil, lemon and parsley. Where he eats on his day off: Pho 75, Lakeside Chinese Deli, Mama’s Vegetarian, and BYOB Mr. Martino’s. Where he shops: The Vietnamese markets on Washington Avenue. Details: Marigold Kitchen, 501 South 45th Street, 215-222-3699; marigoldkitchenbyob.com.
ANNE COLL
Executive chef, Susanna Foo
Age: 33 Her food: “Asian meets French.” How she’ll change Philadelphia: Coll is saving the word “fusion” from culinary infamy with her Asian-French-Philadelphian cooking. What we’re craving: Anything from the tasting menu. A recent fave: green-curry-braised striped bass. Education: On the job. Experience: Savona and Le Bec-Fin. Ingredient of the moment: Lemon verbena, grown in her kitchen garden and used in everything from vinaigrettes to white chocolate desserts. Favorite cookbook: Any one by Alain Ducasse. First food memory: Helping her grandmother in the kitchen. What she cooks at home: Steamed black bass with ginger, lemon grass, Thai basil and soy sauce. Where she eats on her day off: Dmitri’s, Vietnam Palace. Details: Susanna Foo, 1512 Walnut Street, 215-545-8800; susannafoo.com.
PIPPO LAMBERTI
Executive chef, Positano Coast
Age: 26 His food: “What I was raised on” — fresh Italian, with refined French technique. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Lamberti’s love of all things fish — even the ugly ones — is expanding the city’s definition of seafood. What we’re craving: His delicate, imaginative crudos. Education: Growing up a Lamberti. Experience: Working in his father’s restaurants, like Caffe Aldo Lamberti in Cherry Hill. Ingredient of the moment: Crisp, flaky Maldon sea salt. Favorite cookbook: The Elements of Taste, by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. Tip for the home chef: Buy the best-quality ingredients available. First food memory: Playing on the bags of flour in the back of the family pizzeria. Where he shops: Chinatown’s Quality Seafood and Grocery, for exotic fish. Details: Positano Coast, 212 Walnut Street, second floor, 215-238-0499; lambertis.com.
EMILY LANDIS
Pastry chef, Nectar
Age: 32 Her food: “Familiar flavors with more polished twists. Desserts should be fun.” How she’ll change Philadelphia: Landis is redefining the city’s idea of dessert to include ginger/Thai basil ice cream. What we’re craving: Her grandmother’s daffodil cake, a rich angel food slice that Landis dresses with anise pizzelles and a lemonsoufflé. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: WesternConnecticut’s West Main Café and Via Matta in Boston. Ingredient of the moment: Molasses and maple syrup as sweeteners. What you won’t find on her menu: The ubiquitous crème brûlée and molten chocolate cake. Favorite cookbook: Sweet Seasons, by Richard Leach, and Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. What she cooks at home: Basic chocolate cake. Where she eats on her day off: West Chester’s Kooma, for Japanese. Where she shops: A.C. Moore, for pans and other baking accessories. Details: Nectar, 1091 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, 610-725-9000; tastenectar.com.
Jeffrey Michaud
Executive chef, Osteria
Age: 29 His food: “My food is simple, Italian.” How he’ll change Philadelphia: Michaud will bring us back to the basics with delicate, age-old Italian recipes and house-made pastas, breads, cured meats, even chocolates. What we’re craving: Hand-cured pancetta. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: Aspen’s Caribou Club, Vetri and Capogiro, as well as two years apprenticing in Bergamo, Italy. Ingredient of the moment: Porcini mushrooms, sliced raw with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Favorite cookbook: The untranslated Le Ricette Regionali Italiane. Tip for the home chef: Stay simple. You don’t need to use a lot of different ingredients. First food memory: Decorating wedding cakes with his grandmother. What he cooks at home: Italian, always. A basic plate of pasta — homemade, of course. Details: Michaud will helm Marc Vetri’s Osteria, scheduled to open this winter at 640 North Broad Street. Until then, find him in the kitchen at Vetri, 1312 Spruce Street, 215-732-3478; vetriristorante.com.
Chef du cuisine, Ansill
Age: 33 His food: “Stripped-down small plates,” with an if-you-dare element. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Mengech is making adventurous eating — think sea urchin, sweetbreads and lamb’s tongue — mainstream. What we’re craving: Scrambled duck egg with smoked trout and crème fraîche. Education: On the job. Experience: He’s seen the kitchens at Lucy’s Hat Shop, Striped Bass, Rouge, Le Bec-Fin and the Ritz-Carlton Grill, and has also cooked in San Francisco and Kenya. Ingredient of the moment: Bold, offbeat herbs, like lavender. Favorite cookbook: The French Laundry Cookbook. Tip for the home chef: Experiment. It’s okay to deviate from a recipe. Where he eats on his day off: South Street pizza joint Gennaro’s — medium olive pizza and a Caesar salad. Where he shops: Scott and Judy’s in the Italian Market; the “grab bag” section of Iovine Brothers at Reading Terminal Market. Details: Ansill, 627 South 3rd Street, 215-627-2485; ansillfoodandwine.com.
ANDREW DEERY
Chef/owner, Majolica
Age: 35 His food: “Seasonal American food that makes sense.” How he’ll change Philadelphia: Deery has introduced a light French touch to the city of classic Le Bec-Fin French. What we’re craving: His Pernod-scented mussels. Education: Baltimore International Culinary College. Experience: Savona, the Kimberton Inn, and Maine’s Harraseeket Inn. Ingredient of the moment: Delicate lobster mushrooms, paired with sweetbreads. What you won’t find on his menu: Overfished Chilean sea bass. First food memory: Eating Flora, the pig he spent the summer raising on his uncle’s farm near Pittsburgh, when he was 10. What he cooks at home: Roast chicken and potato gratin. Where he shops: Hendrick’s Farm in Telford, for whey-fed pork, fresh eggs and raw cheeses. Details: Majolica, 258 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-917-0962; majolicarestaurant.com.
MATTHEW LEVIN
Executive chef, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
Age: 34 His food: “A little bit of everything,” including global ingredients and science-project twists. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Levin is leading the city’s gastro-chemistry experimentation. Witness the tomato sponge. What we’re craving: Sodium algenite, calcium chloride and gellan — the secret ingredients in some of Levin’s wackier presentations, like liquid ravioli. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: Stints at Le Bec-Fin, Brasserie Perrier and Striped Bass, as well as the Pluckemin Inn in northern New Jersey and Charlie Trotter’s and Aureole in New York. Ingredient of the moment: Broken Arrow Ranch’s lean, gamy axis deer saddle. Tip for the home chef: Buy really good knives. (Levin uses Nenox.) First food memory: Hanging out in the kitchens of Chinatown’s now-defunct Riverside while his parents ate in the dining room. What he cooks at home: Easy mac ’n’ cheese. Where he eats on his day off: Thai Lake, where he always orders the clams and pork with XO sauce. Details: Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, the Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 West Rittenhouse Square, 215-790-2533; lacroix-restaurant.com.
MICHAEL SOLOMONOV
Executive chef, Marigold Kitchen
Age: 28 His food: “Meticulous,” “modern” Mediterranean. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Solomonov is challenging diners — and his kitchen staff — with his intensely flavorful, labor-intensive preparations. What we’re craving: Sweetbreads with crisp chicken skin and garlic tehina. Education: Florida Culinary Institute. Experience: In the kitchens of Avenue B, Striped Bass and Vetri. Ingredient of the moment: Baharat — a Turkish spice blend of allspice, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander — and argan oil, a rare, earthy Moroccan nut oil. Favorite cookbook: The Provence of Alain Ducasse. Tip for the home chef: You can’t go wrong with olive oil, lemon and parsley. Where he eats on his day off: Pho 75, Lakeside Chinese Deli, Mama’s Vegetarian, and BYOB Mr. Martino’s. Where he shops: The Vietnamese markets on Washington Avenue. Details: Marigold Kitchen, 501 South 45th Street, 215-222-3699; marigoldkitchenbyob.com.
ANNE COLL
Executive chef, Susanna Foo
Age: 33 Her food: “Asian meets French.” How she’ll change Philadelphia: Coll is saving the word “fusion” from culinary infamy with her Asian-French-Philadelphian cooking. What we’re craving: Anything from the tasting menu. A recent fave: green-curry-braised striped bass. Education: On the job. Experience: Savona and Le Bec-Fin. Ingredient of the moment: Lemon verbena, grown in her kitchen garden and used in everything from vinaigrettes to white chocolate desserts. Favorite cookbook: Any one by Alain Ducasse. First food memory: Helping her grandmother in the kitchen. What she cooks at home: Steamed black bass with ginger, lemon grass, Thai basil and soy sauce. Where she eats on her day off: Dmitri’s, Vietnam Palace. Details: Susanna Foo, 1512 Walnut Street, 215-545-8800; susannafoo.com.
PIPPO LAMBERTI
Executive chef, Positano Coast
Age: 26 His food: “What I was raised on” — fresh Italian, with refined French technique. How he’ll change Philadelphia: Lamberti’s love of all things fish — even the ugly ones — is expanding the city’s definition of seafood. What we’re craving: His delicate, imaginative crudos. Education: Growing up a Lamberti. Experience: Working in his father’s restaurants, like Caffe Aldo Lamberti in Cherry Hill. Ingredient of the moment: Crisp, flaky Maldon sea salt. Favorite cookbook: The Elements of Taste, by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. Tip for the home chef: Buy the best-quality ingredients available. First food memory: Playing on the bags of flour in the back of the family pizzeria. Where he shops: Chinatown’s Quality Seafood and Grocery, for exotic fish. Details: Positano Coast, 212 Walnut Street, second floor, 215-238-0499; lambertis.com.
EMILY LANDIS
Pastry chef, Nectar
Age: 32 Her food: “Familiar flavors with more polished twists. Desserts should be fun.” How she’ll change Philadelphia: Landis is redefining the city’s idea of dessert to include ginger/Thai basil ice cream. What we’re craving: Her grandmother’s daffodil cake, a rich angel food slice that Landis dresses with anise pizzelles and a lemonsoufflé. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: WesternConnecticut’s West Main Café and Via Matta in Boston. Ingredient of the moment: Molasses and maple syrup as sweeteners. What you won’t find on her menu: The ubiquitous crème brûlée and molten chocolate cake. Favorite cookbook: Sweet Seasons, by Richard Leach, and Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. What she cooks at home: Basic chocolate cake. Where she eats on her day off: West Chester’s Kooma, for Japanese. Where she shops: A.C. Moore, for pans and other baking accessories. Details: Nectar, 1091 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, 610-725-9000; tastenectar.com.
Jeffrey Michaud
Executive chef, Osteria
Age: 29 His food: “My food is simple, Italian.” How he’ll change Philadelphia: Michaud will bring us back to the basics with delicate, age-old Italian recipes and house-made pastas, breads, cured meats, even chocolates. What we’re craving: Hand-cured pancetta. Education: Culinary Institute of America. Experience: Aspen’s Caribou Club, Vetri and Capogiro, as well as two years apprenticing in Bergamo, Italy. Ingredient of the moment: Porcini mushrooms, sliced raw with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Favorite cookbook: The untranslated Le Ricette Regionali Italiane. Tip for the home chef: Stay simple. You don’t need to use a lot of different ingredients. First food memory: Decorating wedding cakes with his grandmother. What he cooks at home: Italian, always. A basic plate of pasta — homemade, of course. Details: Michaud will helm Marc Vetri’s Osteria, scheduled to open this winter at 640 North Broad Street. Until then, find him in the kitchen at Vetri, 1312 Spruce Street, 215-732-3478; vetriristorante.com.
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, November 2006
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