45. Jason Fox, Commonwealth (San Francisco, USA)

JasonFox/©Commonwealths

THE ÉLECTRONS LIBRES TAKE -2–AMERICAN CHEF: JASON FOX

The Électrons Libres, is a group of chefs that are as individual or a leaders of a group have taken a unique route that goes beyond the learning
process. Their philosophy transforms the cuisine of the present time as well as the cuisine of the future in a specific area (place) or country. Sometimes they are the leaders of a culinary movement but often, they are alone in their search.

In the USA, San Francisco occupies a unique place in the world of gastronomy. Aside from being the birthplace of different culinary movements and the place of the ‘’locavores’’, San Francisco has seen very talented chefs emerge.

One of those chefs is Jason Fox. Not long ago Jason Fox was a executive-chef at Bar-Tartine; but, in 2010, with his partners (Xelina Leyba, Anthony Myint), he opened his own restaurant Commonwealth. Commonwealth offers a cuisine de haut niveau in a chic and relaxed environment and with a social conscience. Like Mission Street Food, the concept of the co-founder Anthony Myint, Commonwealth gives a part of his profit to a specific cause.

Jason Fox’s technique is modern and progressive. It’s a progressive American cuisine in perfect harmony with the seasons (product’s season & Market). Under its simplicity, lies a complex and researched cuisine with a strong Asian influence.

Great cuisine that reflects a great city, humble, open minded, but always searching for the best. A chef to follow for a long time!

 

 

Q+A WITH JASON FOX (www.commonwealthsf.com ):

1-(Scoffier) How do you explain the philosophy behind your cuisine at Commonwealth and what is its main characteristics?

JFox- I think the main philosophy of my cuisine is the melding of classical and modern cuisine. I try to make it approachable and have some familiarity to it, while injecting some surprise elements, whether they are unfamiliar ingredients or techniques. Texture is very important, as well as exploring temperature contrast in the same dishes. I like to layer many pure and straightforward flavors on top of one another, so the
outcome feels deceptively simple, but still contains a great deal of complexity. I strive to make people simultaneously enjoy the simplicity of the
dish, and then scratch their heads about how certain things were put together, or how a technique was used.

2-(Scoffier) Commonwealth gives a portion of his profits to charity. Is it for a specific cause?

JFox- No, we change charities every month. We try to focus on local, food based beneficiaries, but we do not have any hard set rules. Sometimes their, are causes that are important to one of our partners, which may not necessarily be about food, or local, and we choose to donate to them.

3-(Scoffier) Do you have a flavour or taste from your childhood that is memorable?

JFox- I grew up on the east coast by the ocean, so I love very clean, fresh fish preparations. We barbecued quite a lot as well, so I find myself drawn to smoke, and even charred flavors.

4-(Scoffier) Do you have a particular foods (or products) that you often use in your recipes?

JFox- I think we use more sea urchin than most Japanese restaurants. It is definitely one of my favourite, and here in California, we get such great uni from either Santa Barbara or Fort Bragg. When available, one preparation or another is always on our menu, and we are always trying to come up with new ways to use it.

5-(Scoffier) Do you have a mentor (chefs or anybody else) that inspires you in your cuisine?

JFox-They are many, many people locally, and around the world inspire me. I love when people have a vision, and executed it. To me, one of the highest compliments I can receive is when people tell me the cuisine feels personal and focused. Locally, I think Mourad Lahlou, Dominique Crenn and James Syhabout are killing it. Around the world, I love what the Spanish chefs and Scandinavian chefs are doing.

6-(Scoffier) There are a San Francisco (and now Oakland) high-level gastronomy. Do you think that there is a Bay Area Cuisine signature?

JFox- It seems like in the last few years, many Bay Area chefs have been taking our cuisine a little further. I go to the market,
everybody is getting the same ingredients, and I think people realize it is more important, and satisfying, to simply roast a turnip, or put some cherries on a plate. Things had gotten so simple here for a while, I think many chefs are pushing the envelope more, injecting their own creativity, while still using the best ingredients and allowing the cuisine to seem organic and natural on the plate.

7-(Scoffier) How do you develop (your inspiration) your recipes and construct your menu at Commonwealth?

JFox- I work pretty closely with Ian Muntzert, the Chef de Cuisine, and we are batting ideas off of each other all day long. What is
important is the flow of the entire menu, whether it is our À la carte menu or a Tasting menu. We like our À la carte menu to read like a Tasting menu, so you can go down the length of it, and experience different tastes. Sometimes inspiration happens quickly, and sometimes we are tweaking and working on a dish for weeks.

8-(Scoffier) I see that you often use Asian products in your recipes, is an important part of your cuisine?

JFox- I am a big fan of Asian cuisine, so we are always searching for ways to inject umami. I love the clean, balanced flavors of Japanese food, as well as Southeast Asian cuisines. Also, we are lucky, in the Bay Area to have so many Asian ingredients grown locally, like citruses, herbs, and other aromatic produce which originally originated in Asia, and was not grown or available here, even a few years ago.

9-(Scoffier) Can you give us a detailed recipe (Signature dish or other) that characterized the cuisine of Jason Fox at Commonwealth?

JFox- I love our Shaved carrot and radish, walnut, quinoa and ash coated goat cheese dish. It incorporates the best of local ingredients, and showcases classic and modern techniques and ingredient pairings.

Recipe: Shaved Carrot and Radish, Walnut, Quinoa and Ash coated Goat cheese

10-(Scoffier) What are your goals (ambitions) as chef or for your restaurant? Would you like to write a book, do a television show, have other restaurants etc.?

JFox- My goals as chef and a restaurant owner are to continue to learn, grow and improve. What’s most exciting about this occupation is that their is no ceiling for knowledge, and until the day I die, their will always be something new for me learn about food, and as a chef. I would like to open other restaurants, because it is refreshing to change focus, and have different creative outlets for different cuisines. Whether they are high end or casual, focus on a specific cuisine or a combination of different inspirations.

RECIPE: Shaved Carrot and Radish, Walnut, Quinoa and Ash Coated Goat Cheese

RecipeSalad/©Commonwealths

INGREDIENTS & PROGRESSION RECIPE (Serves 4)

Part -1-

-1 cup peeled and diced carrot

-1 and 1/2 cup fresh carrot juice

-1 tbl evoo (Olives oil)

-Salt to taste

Part-2-
-1/4 cup red quinoa

-1/2 cup water

-Salt to taste

-1 tbl evoo

Part-3-

-1 oz walnut oil

-1 oz tapioca maltodextrin

-Salt

-1 carrot

-1 leek

-2 scallions

-Sugar to taste

Part-4-

-8 oz goat cheese

-1 bunch mixed baby carrots( thinly shaved and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes)

-1 bunch mixed radish( thinly shaved and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes)

-4 oz mixed spicy greens (cresses, arugula, mizuna, etc.)

-1 tbl picked dill

-Assorted flowers

Part-5-

-1tbl red wine vinegar

-3 tbl evoo

-Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook carrots in carrot juice until almost all of the liquid is reduced and carrots are tender, puree with olive oil, strain through chinois and cool.

2. Cover quinoa with water and salt, bring to boil, cover, reduce to low simmer, and cook for approximately 20 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked, toss with oil and cool.

3. In processor, mix walnut oil with maltodextrin until a powder is formed, season with salt.

4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cook shavings until blackened, charred and completely dry. Allow to cool, and puree until is a fine powder and season with salt and sugar. Temper goat cheese and roll into a log, approximately one inch in diameter. Cool to reharden, and then roll in ash powder. Slice 12 coins and set aside.

5. On 4 plates, smear some of the carrot puree. Toss carrots and radishes with quinoa, greens and vinegar and oil. Divide and place around carrot puree, sprinkle walnut powder on, top with goat cheese coins, dill, and assorted flowers.

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Commonwealth/Executive Chef Jason Fox

2224 Mission Street,

San Francisco (USA)

www.commonwealthsf.com

PRESS/REVIEW

1. Interview SFWeekly, October 2010

2. Review by Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, November 28th 2010

3. Watermelon Gazpacho Recipe, Tasting Table, July 2010

4. How to clean squid by Jason Fox (video), CHOW, March 2011

5. Review on FoodTourist.com

Tous Droits Réservés. Copyright Scoffier ©2008-2011

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41. Thomas Lim + Mitchell Orr, (Former) Duke Bistro (Sydney, Australia)

M.Orr+T.Lim/Duke

MY DOWN UNDER GARDEN-AUSTRALIAN CHEFS: THOMAS LIM + MITCHELL ORR

Let me say that if the plate (assiette) of those Chefs are as generous and of the quality of their responses, we can assume that we will have a great time. Every encounter was a wonderful discovery, but The Australians chefs blew meaway! They have a very distinct personality and a very unique cuisine thatmixes technique, technology and influences from Spain, Japan, Thailand as well as New Zealand.

After having started this Series with some Australian chefs (Ben Shewry, Martin Benn, Dan Hunter, Mark Best…) who are became Coups de coeur, I’m back with two very young chefs who love food and breaking the rules. Thomas Lim was trained in the kitchens of Tetsuya Wakuda before opening The Duxford, his pirate restaurant, the perfect place to develop creativity. Regarding Mitchell Orr, the winner of Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year 2010, he learned his craft of Giovanni Pilu (Freshwater) and Martin Benn (Sepia) before to open and become co-chef(s) of Duke Bistro in 2010.

The restaurant is young, but the chefs are developing a unique style, unique to Australia. Their cuisine is fun and creative with a strong focus on the flavours. It is edgy and authentic; It Is finger food versus haute gastronomy techniques!

Everyday they reinvent themselves in their cuisine, this will sometimes give recipes to forget and often flashes of genius! Stay tuned for several years…

 

Q+A WITH THE CHEF THOMAS LIM + MITCHELL ORR (www.dukebistro.com.au ):

1-(Scoffier)– How do you explain the philosophy behind your cuisine and what is it main characteristics?

TLim– Our food reflects our appetite, knowledge and personality. We believe cooking and eating is all about enjoyment, therefore we don’t take ourselves too seriously and try to take a more relaxed approach in the kitchen. We are constantly reading and learning about old and new techniques, new ingredients and certain ideas that all play a part in how we structure and execute a dish. As long as our food is always evolving and delicious, which is what we really try to display on our menu.

2-(Scoffier)– This interview is with you and co-chef Mitchell Orr, how is the work divided between you two? And how is
the creative process between you?

TLim– Between us we develop the whole menu. Even though our training backgrounds are quitedifferent the way we think creatively are pretty in sync. We may often disagree on certain points or ideas but that difference of opinion is a strength, often leading to the one missing element that will take a dish to the next level.

Either one of us may have an idea for a dish and through bouncing theidea back and forth between us we will come up with different options on how to bring the dish to life. From there we test and refine until we are happy with the completed version.

This process keeps us thinking, evolving and grounded in what we are doing.

3-(Scoffier) Do you have a flavor or taste from your childhood that is again memorable?

Thomas – Warm soda bread with cold butter along with bacon and cabbage at my Grandmas place in Ireland. One
of those memories where everything played its part, from the aroma of the bread to the weather outside. Brilliant!

Mitch – Catching rainbow trout and cooking it whole over coals at my grandma’s in Gippsland Victoria. The freshness of the fish along with the smoke from the coals is probably my first really amazing food memory.

4-(Scoffier) Do you have a particular foods (or products) that you often use in your recipes?

TLim- Although we don’t cook one cuisine we tend to use a lot of Japanese products in our cooking. Things such as kombu, dried wakame, mirin, sake and white sesame oil add depth and umami giving us more complete flavor profiles in our dishes.

We may be inspired by a flavor, ingredient or dish more common place in Italian cuisine, through our training we are then able to use Japanese
ideals to complement the ingredient or take the dish in another direction.

5-(Scoffier) Do you have a mentor (chefs or anybody else) that inspires you in your cuisine?

Thomas – Jeremy Strode showed me how to execute restraint on the plate and to stand behind your food no matter where you are. Mike Eggert and Darren Robertson inspires me to push myself and keep evolving.

Mitch – We’ve both been lucky enough to work with and for some amazing chefs, both older and of our generation. Working for Giovanni Pilu taught me a lot about terroir and pride in your region (He is Sardinian), Martin Benn taught me a great deal about umami and friends such as Puskas, Mike Eggert and the TOYS family keep me motivated and searching for new techniques and ideas.

6-(Scoffier) I have discovered with this Serie several extraordinary chefs from Australia (Best, Shewry, Benn, Hunter,
Puskas etc.) and I often ask this question: Is there any an Australian signature cuisine presently?

Thomas-I don’t think there is a signature Australian cuisine, yet. However I think we can count ourselves extremely lucky to have a number of chefs who display and interpret their own idea of what Australian cuisine is all over the country, therefore we have a wide spectrum of different styles and flavors that all relate to Australian cuisine.

Mitch – I don’t think there is a signature Australian cuisine either. Without that long clear history that most of Europe and Asia have it’s a very hard thing to define. The multicultural nature and abundance of different cuisines here is a massive influence and strength. I don’t believe we need a singular “Australian” cuisine to define us.

7-(Scoffier) How do you develop (your inspiration) your recipes and construct your menu at Duke?

TLim- We try not to limit ourselves to where we draw inspiration from, whether it’s a new or old technique, an ingredient, something we have eaten, a particular time of the year or something we may have seen outside of the kitchen. Generally our menu is changing all the time, if a certain menu item becomes tired or boring to us when we are cooking it or too popular or we feel the dish is perfect and its had a good run we remove it.

We don’t really want people coming with a pre-conceived notion of what Duke is, we’d rather people come and have their own experience. We try and avoid having signature dishes for this reason.

8-(Scoffier) Foraging is very popular among several chefs in Scandinavia and elsewhere in the world. But these are often
countries where many products are not available off season. Australia is very different, it seems that you have fresh vegetables and fruits at all times. Is foraging is a trend and is it necessary in Australia?

Foraging is very popular at the moment and we think it’s great, however in New South Wales we are quite limited to what we can collect from our natural surroundings compared to anywhere in Europe. Still there are plenty of wild flowers, weeds, berries and some mushrooms around. With the help of our good friend and chef, Mike Eggert, we are able to collect and supply the restaurant with a small bounty of weeds, flowers and
cress’s everyday.

9-(Scoffier) Can you give us a detailed recipe (Signature dish or other) that is characterized the cuisine of Thomas Lim &
Mitch Orr at Duke Restaurant?

TLim– Recipe: Leather Jacket Cheeks, Chicken Skin, Rouget Mayonnaise

10-(Scoffier) What are your goals (ambitions) as chef or for your restaurant? Do you think about write a book, a television show, others restaurants?

TLim- We are still a very young restaurant so at the moment we are just going to concentrate on Duke and continue to build the business, one day at a time and enjoy ourselves.

RECIPE: Leather Jacket Cheeks, Chicken Skin, Rouget Mayonnaise

LeatherCheeks/©Dukebistro

INGREDIENTS

-2 leather jacket cheeks, skin removed

-2 pieces of chicken skin, 10cmx10cm,
cleaned

-0.5g TG – meat glue

-Sea salt

-2 cabbage leaves

-1 tbsp rouget
mayonnaise

-20ml grapeseed oil

-Garlic chive flowers

PROGRESSION RECIPE

-Place chicken skin, skin side down, a flat surface with the leather jacket cheek in the centre at a 45° angle.

-Take the top left and bottom right corners of the chicken skin and fold towards the centre. Dust the cheek and the two centre folds with TG, then fold in the two remaining corners of skin ensuring the wrapped cheek is a tight little package. Repeat the process with the other cheek.

-Seal cheeks in a vacuum bag and allow to set in the fridge for 1 hour.

-Place a pan on high heat with a 20ml of grapeseed oil. Season cheeks and pan fry 30-40 seconds each side.

-Remove from pan and fry cabbage leaves till crisp.

-To assemble, spread rouget mayo on plate placing both cheeks across the mayonnaise with cabbage leaves and garlic chive flowers on top.

TO DO (BEFORE)

Rouget Mayonnaise

-30g rouget stock

-150ml grapeseed oil

1. Using a stick blender in a cylinder gastronome, slowly add grapeseed oil to rouget stock while
blending.

Rouget Stock

-6 rouget frames

-1 head garlic

-1 brown onion, sliced

-1tsp fennel seed

-1tsp celery seed

-1tsp cumin seed

-1tsp black peppercorns

-2 bay leaves

-1tbsp tomato paste

-50ml Pernod

-Grapeseed oil

1. Roast rouget frames in a hot oven for 20 minutes.

-Place a pot on a medium heat and fry off
onion, garlic and spices in grapeseed oil. Add tomato paste and cook for a
further 2 minutes.

-Add Pernod, followed by rouget frames then cover with hot water.
Simmer for 90 minutes, pass through an oil filter. Reduce stock by 50%.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

-Duke Bistro/Chef(s) Thomas Lim + Mitchell Orr

65 Flinders St. Darlinghurst

Sydney, NSW 2010

www.dukebistro.com.au

PRESS/REVIEW

1. Food in the fast lane, Sydney Morning Herald, May 31 2011, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/food-in-the-fast-lane-20110528-1f93c.html

2. Young guns blazing, The Australian Magazine, April 9 2011, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/executive-lifestyle/young-guns-blazing/story-fn49ohsg-1226034587079

3. Carte Blanched, The BlackMail…, February 2011, http://www.theblackmail.com.au/food/carte-blanched/

4. The Loft Project (London), Event with T. Lim + M. Orr, July 29-30 2011, http://www.theloftproject.co.uk/news/

 

Tous Droits Réservés. Copyright Scoffier ©2008-2011

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