Escoffier On Line- Culinary Community

Georges Auguste Escoffier

2010-01-29T19:45:32Z

Georges Auguste Escoffier began his career at the age of 13 and retired 61 years later. Escoffier made French Cuisine world famous and documented its methods and techniques. He moved menus, cooking technique and the organization of the professional kitchen into what we are familiar with today. His three cook books, especially Le Guide Culinaire first published in 1903, are read by all levels of culinarians from Culinary Students to Certified Master Chefs for inspiration.

Escoffier On Line is dedicated to preserving the history of Escoffier and the Great Chefs. We hope to add the Culinary Community by giving Chefs, Culinary Students and all those interested in the Culinary Arts a Culinary Community where we can all share our love of all things Culinary. We are also have and are adding extensive content on World Cuisines and Trave, Wine, Nutrition, and many other topics.

There have been discussions that contend that Escoffier would have been upset with the wonderful new tools we have; food processors, convection and combi ovens, computers and all the information on Culinary Arts on the web. I believe the opposite is true, and that he would have embraced them and been at the forefront of incorporating these new technologies into his kitchen

To learn more about Escoffier read his biography

Central Texas Barbecue

2012-03-12T21:15:50Z

Central Texas Barbecue

Barbecue is one of the most beloved food items Texas. Texas barbecue has a number of variations that range between different regions of the state. Texas barbecue can be divided into four basic regions, central Texas, East Texas, West Texas and South Texas. In the center of the state, barbecue is known for the high quality of the meat, and is considered by some to be the best barbecue in the state of Texas.

Barbecue holds a special place in the heart of the people of Central Texas. Cities like Lockhart, Taylor and Luling serve some of the best barbecue at some very famous long standing barbecue restaurants. The tradition of serving Central Texas barbecue started way back in the 19th century. Original settlers of the region from Germany and other European countries started the tradition of Central Texas barbecue. The meat markets in those periods used to serve cooked meat on butcher papers.

These settlers established meat markets and according to their culture they used to smoke the leftover meat in an attempt to preserve it for future meals. They smoked these leftover cuts of meat (usually pork and beef) over firewood mostly of pecan or oak and occasionally mesquite. The leftover cuts of meat were never called barbecue by the original locals, the Anglo farmers in the area started calling it barbecue and that is where the term earned its fame.

The experience of having a barbecue dinner in any Texas restaurant is unique. A popular method of getting your food at a typical Texas barbecue restaurant consists of taking a tray from the counter and preparing to load it up with the local barbecue and side dishes. You are then served the meat, along with slices of bread and in most cases chopped onions. The meat is usually carved in front of you right on the spot. The most available types of meat for a barbecue include brisket, sausage, pork ribs and beef ribs.

In Central Texas, the discussions about the best barbecue are usually related to the quality of the meat and their cuts rather than on the sauces or the side dishes. The sauces are considered as side dips while all the concentration is upon the meat that is served. The meat is indeed considered the 'hero' of the dish. All the 'sidekicks' are not considered that important. The meat, flavor, and tenderness are the three main judgements of what is considered good bbq in Texas.

The reason for this emphasis on meat is explained by Griffin Smith, Jr. of Texas Monthly who said that the meat markets were usually frequented by the upper class who usually selected choice cuts of meat. This in turn led to the interest in the quality of meat rather than on the sauces. When compared to the flavor of the meat, there is a general complaint that the sauces served with a Central Texas barbecue are usually bland in taste. We hope that in your quest to find the barbecue of your dreams you will come to Central Texas and deem for yourself how amazing, delicious, and mouth watering the barbecue is.

Learn where to find the Texas best bbq at www.texasbbqguide.com.

The Battle Between Food Trucks And Restaurants

2012-03-11T17:57:35Z

The Battle Between Food Trucks And Restaurants

The food truck phenomenon that is sweeping across the United States might seem like a one hundred percent positive movement, but to a small group of business owners these new culinary delights are causing problems. Small business owners who operate permanent restaurant locations are concerned that the increase in the number of food truck permits being handed out in many cities and towns is begging to affect their business.

The main concern among restaurant owners is whether or not they can compete with new food trucks that are offering gourmet meal selections at a lower price than a permanent location can offer because of the lower overhead that comes with operating a food truck. Some of the ways that food trucks save money over brick and mortar locations are no property taxes, food truck owners do not pay rent once they have paid off their trucks, and many food trucks employ only part time employees so they do not provide extensive benefit packages. These factors all make the restaurant owners argument valid.

On the other hand, food truck operators are limited in the experience they can offer. Food trucks appeal only to people who are looking to grab a bite to eat on the go. They cannot offer a full dining experience to their customers, and often times their menus are limited. While food trucks do affect small quick bite restaurants near where they are parked, most food truck operators would argue that they are no more competition than another permanent restaurant moving into the neighborhood.

As the argument over whether food trucks are good for cities or not heats up many people are weighing in and trying to create an environment where the two can peacefully coexist. Most cities have a permit and regulatory board dedicated to dealing with food truck business owners. Some cities have created guidelines for food truck operators to help create an even playing field for food trucks and local permanent restaurants. In most cities they are limiting the number of permits issued to food truck owners and requiring them to apply for specific areas to sell their goods. For instance, in most cities, a food truck that sells pizza will not be given a permit to park on the street outside a permanent restaurant that also sells pizza. Another way that cities are helping foster the food truck business while keeping their local restaurant owners happy is by approaching property owners who are not utilizing empty parking lots and asking them to create food truck food courts. Many urban areas have areas of town where commerce and restaurant choices are scarce. The people living in these areas often welcome food truck businesses and the culinary choices they bring.

If you are starting a food truck business and do not want to worry about the problems that come along with trying to get a permit to sell food out of your truck on a busy city block, search for alternatives like playgrounds, office parks, or locations where food choices are limited. You will be much more likely to get a permit to set up near one of these locations.

------------------------

Custom Concessions is a reputable manufacturer of concession trailers in the industry. Our concession stand trailers are custom built for our clients by highly skilled trained professionals who take pride in their craft. Visit http://www.customconcessions.com/

The First Annual Flavor of Napa

2011-12-13T15:28:55Z

The First Annual Flavor of Napa

by Chef Len Elias

The “Flavor of Napa” was a world class celebration of food and wine highlighting some of Napa's best-known chefs and winemakers. Events took place up and down the Napa Valley over 4 days in November and included culinary demonstrations, multi course dinners, wine tastings, and a closing brunch. Proceeds from the festival benefited the scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America. Participating Chefs included Thomas Keller, Bob Hurley, Christopher Kostow, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Richard Blais, Todd Humphries, Jeff Jake, Christophe Geurad and dozens of others. The main purpose of my visit was to lend a hand and support the culinary team at the Dolce Silverado Resort.

While I was there I did get to eat a few meals and do the tourist thing. I had lunch at Bouchons with a few other chefs and thought it to be very good, but a bit pricey for lunch. The service was less than stellar, but It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio, it may be the closest I ever get to a European vacation. I had the Duck Confit with Lentils and it was very good, worth the wait and service flaws. The other Chefs ordered a variety of dishes and a tasting and critique ensued. I was with Chefs from Barcelona, Toronto and Boston, so opinions varied and polite banter on technique and presentation went on throughout the meal.

After our meal we walked the streets of Yountville and ran into Chef Bob Hurley of “Hurley’s Restaurant”. Chef Hurley has been in the Napa Valley for 20 years and is a very friendly and outgoing Chef. He was celebrating game week at his restaurant and I had my eyes and tongue on his Wild Boar Baby Back Ribs, unfortunately I never made it back to Hurley’s, but I did run into Chef Hurley at another event and got to speak with him for a while, he is an amazing man. He did eat the appetizer I was serving and came back for more which made me very happy.

My next stop was the “Kitchen Door” located in the Oxbow Market. Chef Christophe Geurad who worked with Chef Todd Humphries at L’Espinasse in NY brought us there and I am glad he did. Melt in Your Mouth Duck Liver Mousse Flatbread, Korean Ribs, Charcuterie, Wood Fired Chicken Wings, it just kept coming, truly amazing, Chef Todd has a great restaurant, I think it’s the restaurant we all would want to eat at and own. More important than that, is that Chef Todd is another real guy, a nice man and an amazing chef. Later in the week I would get to work with Chef Todd. After that it was off to ZuZu’s Tapas and Wine Bar, a place I had written about on a previous Napa trip. This time it was a little different and proves to be a little more than I could handle. Drinking wine with a Frenchman, a Spaniard a Canadian and the owner was quite an experience for a sometimes wine drinker like me. I am more of a beer guy and paid for it the next morning, what the heck, you only live once.

The next day we all worked the opening dinner; Masaharu Morimoto prepared the first course of Pacifc Geoduck with Kinmedai Snapper. Chef Morimoto’s team of chefs worked like highly trained surgeons with few words spoken, their mission was clearly defined and 230 amazing starter courses were born. The next course was prepared by Scott Conant; Chef Conant’s team of Chefs came in earlier in the day to hand make over 2000 Rabbit Agnolottis they later returned to finish their dish with a Foie Gras Emulsion, all I can say is that it was off the charts. Chef Conant was a pleasure to work with and he stayed to assist in plating even after his course was done. The meal continued with Cindy Pawlcyn’s highly creative Bachelor’s Lamb Tagine. Chef Cindy also stuck around and was obviously happy to be there; she knew many of the Silverado staff and instantly became one of the crew. The dinner ended with the Dolce teams world class Miile Feuille. Every component of this dessert was handmade that day and was one of the best desserts I have ever seen or tasted.

Dolce’s Silverado Resort was the host hotel and I had the opportunity to work side by side with many of these chefs and actually headlined my own table at the CIA Greystone during the Appellation Trail tasting event.

I had lost a lot of sleep thinking about how my dish would be received at this world class event. As a longtime resident of Georgia, my plan was to elevate BBQ to new heights and show what could be done with a little imagination. After weeks of trial and error: Barbequed Duck Confit with Creamy Stone Ground Grits, Pickled Collard Greens and Honey Mustard Foam was born. I would cure 60 pounds of Duck legs, confit them and serve with Southern Stone Ground Grits. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined and was well received by the guests; I served over 500 portions in about 2 hours.

One of my favorite events was the closing brunch with some amazingly creative dishes prepared by Chef Todd Humphries of the “Kitchen Door Restaurant”. I loved his food once again and felt lucky to be part of this.

More to come……..

WALL STREET INVESTS LUNCH MONEY AT VERONICA'S KITCHEN

2011-12-02T19:55:31Z

WALL STREET INVESTS LUNCH MONEY AT VERONICA'S KITCHEN

Like many women of her generation in her native Trinidad, Veronica Julien grew up learning how to cook under the watchful instruction of her parents and grandmother. "This was something every girl learned," she remembers, "but in my household, everyone had to learn how to cook and clean and keep a house, not just the girls." Julien, now a grandmother herself, credits her childhood training for the award-winning fare she serves from Veronica's Kitchen, as she calls her stainless-steel cart. Found on the streets of New York's Financial District, the cart is a popular mainstay among the lunch crowd for its Trinidadian dishes and punches.

Like the various forms of Caribbean cooking, a tasty, colorful hybrid of the many cuisines and cultures that left their imprint on Caribbean history, Julien is from a multinational household (her grandmother and mother were "born and raised Trini"; her father was an Englishman originally from Grenada). "Trinidadian [cuisine]," she explains, "is a little of everything— African American, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese. And a lot of Trinidadian dishes are Eastern Indian staples, like roti, curry, and pilau."

The verdant landscape of the Caribbean is another source for the richness of Trinidadian cuisine. "Growing up on the islands," Julien says, "we ate what we bred—cows, chickens, ducks, goats, vegetables, and fruits. My father fished, and would bring us fresh fish, too. A lot of city kids these days, they don't have what we had."

That bountiful childhood would serve Julien well later in her life in the United States. She had made a trip here in 1983, to visit a brother and sister who had immigrated, and loved the country immediately. However, she was hesitant about uprooting her family, which included two small children, and leaving her haberdashery business behind. After a divorce though, she felt she needed a change, and knew that she wanted to remake her life in a new country. "It was not easy," she says. "I knew it was going to be hard, but I did not know it would be that hard."

Julien returned to the States in 1985 and worked various restaurant jobs until she found employment as a consultant at a microfiche firm. She stayed there for seventeen years until the firm downsized and eliminated her job in 2003. "I thought, 'What am I going to do?' My sister said, 'You make great cakes. You could start there.' So that's what I did." Julien began selling her cakes to family and friends, and as word of mouth spread, was soon conducting brisk business supplying cakes for birthday parties and other celebrations. Gradually, she expanded her selection until she had a full menu.

By 2005, Julien had built a steady clientele and was ready to open her own establishment; a food cart seemed like the right step. "It was very slow when I first started," she says. "For three months, I would only make about $40, $50 [per day]. I didn't know how long I would last."

Soon, however, the tantalizing aromas from Veronica's Kitchen began attracting crowds. "I remember the first day that I made more than $50—I made $130, and it was a big day!" With the encouragement of her customers, and with family members cooking in the cart under her tutelage, Julien became a permanent fixture at her Financial District location, where she served up steaming lunches of such Trini specialties as Stewed Oxtail, Jerk Chicken, Curry Shrimp, Fried Plantain, and various styles of roti.

Her reputation grew steadily, so much so that fan nominations and widespread acclaim, online and otherwise, boosted Veronica's Kitchen into contender status at the 2007 Vendy Awards. Five years later, she remains content with her success in the cart, but admits she has considered expanding her enterprise into a full-sized kitchen. "It is not easy. I'm from the islands, I like the heat," she says, "but it gets so hot [in the cart], you wouldn't believe it!"

And if she won the lottery, would she still be cooking? "Oh yes, I would!" she's quick to say. "But I always tell myself, if I came into money, I would do some volunteer work and teach preteens how to cook. In my family, the preteens are always curious, always asking, 'how do you do this, how do you do that?' Once they turn seventeen, though, they don't want to learn anymore. You have to start early." If her charges learn how to cook Julien's specialties the old-fashioned way, just as she did, it would truly be a public service.

Follow Veronica's Kitchen on Google Places

Published by permission of The Vilcek Foundation, © 2011. The Vilcek Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the contributions of foreign-born artists and scientists to the United States. Learn more at www.vilcek.org.

FROM OAHU TO VEGAS, ELENA'S WINS FANS

2011-12-02T19:51:32Z

FROM OAHU TO VEGAS, ELENA'S WINS FANS

Beautiful, lush Hawaii is a siren call heard around the world, one Theo and Elena Butuyan found impossible to ignore. In 1969, they left behind the comfortable life they had built for themselves and their two children in Dagupan City, of the Pangasinan Province in the Philippines, where Elena was a teacher and Theo an accountant. "We had read in the newspapers and heard from other people who left that Hawaii was the paradise island of the United States of America," Theo Butuyan says dreamily. "So we left the Philippines for greener pastures."

The Butuyans settled in Waipahu, Oahu, where they opened Elena's Home of Finest Filipino Food, a small lunch counter with six seats, and served home-style Filipino cooking. "You want to know why we named it after Elena?" Theo jokes. "So she would work hard."

Work hard they both did, quickly building a steady and loyal stream of customers – the majority of which were not, as might be expected, from the Philippines. Theo explains: "Filipino immigrants like to cook their own food at home [so] we cooked for the local people Japanese, Chinese, Tongans, Americans, Samoans, and Filipinos born in Hawaii."

The café's early success with the local population of all stripes led the Butuyans to expand. The following year, the couple moved to a larger space, doubling the capacity to 12 seats and featuring a small bakery. Open long hours, from 5AM to 10PM, Theo and Elena struggled to manage the business, Theo's full-time job as an insurance salesman, and their growing family, now numbering three young children.

In the beginning, Elena did most of the cooking, showing off the expert skills she had honed in her former role as a home economics teacher. Customers were hooked, prompting Theo to take lessons from Elena in the kitchen, in order to help keep up with customer demand. Cooking as a team, the Butuyans offered traditional dishes such as Chicken Adobo (chicken marinated in vinegar and soy sauce), Lechon Kawali (crispy roasted suckling pig), Pinakbet (pork sautéed with bitter melon, eggplant, and other vegetables) and Pansit (Filipino stir-fried noodles).

Ongoing success had them on the move again a year later, to a space in a shopping center with seating for 80, which they renamed Elena's Restaurant. The Butuyans continued working hard, bringing in staff, and, in time, their three children. At the height of their careers, a total of four more restaurants opened up in Honolulu, Aiea, Wahiawa and Kahului in Maui.

Even with multiple restaurants, the public still wasn't satiated. This time, the Butuyans decided to open three food carts. Known fondly as Elena's Lunchwagons, the carts make stops along a set route around the island of Oahu each day, serving favorites from the main restaurants.

"We started [the carts] about 20 years ago, long before everyone else," Theo says. It's been really good for the restaurant," noting that it brings their food to customers who can't make it to the brick-and-mortar location during the day. So popular are the trucks, in fact, that all bear a caveat that in the case the food runs out, the trucks reserve the right to go home early.

The Butuyans have never needed proof of their success beyond their popularity with customers, but they have received it⎯in spades. Elena's Restaurant has won the Ilima Award, a mark of distinction for Hawaiian dining, five times and in two categories: for Best Filipino Restaurant and Favorite Filipino Restaurant.

More significant, perhaps, is that Theo and Elena were convinced by their fan base to come out of retirement, which had expanded far beyond the shores of Hawaii. As the couple grew older, Theo gradually sold each restaurant one by one to their employees, and downsized their 80-seat restaurant to a 36-seat restaurant, a size their children could handle. In 2003, the couple left the restaurant and lunch trucks in the hands of their children, and retired to Las Vegas. But there, as Theo explains, "There are roughly 100,000 Hawaiians in Las Vegas. When we went to the casinos, we kept seeing all our former customers. They said, 'Theo and Elena, we miss your food; we want you to open up a restaurant.' So when our three children came for our yearly Christmas anniversary, our daughter brought up an idea to open an Elena's in Las Vegas with the understanding we would look over the business. Hence, we gladly came out of retirement."

No doubt these customers were especially hankering after Theo and Elena's four trademark dishes, variations of Filipino fried rice wrapped inside an omelet and smothered in a special sauce. So delectable are these creations that the Butuyans patented and trademarked them, in Hawaii and Nevada. That did not stop the many Filipino restaurants that have sprung up since Elena's Restaurant opened from serving very similar dishes. "We are the original," says Theo proudly. "When we first started, there were hardly any Filipino restaurants in Waipahu. Now there are so many." As to the patent/trademark infringements, Theo dismisses them: "Even though the omelets are trademarked, I said, 'Never mind; let them live, too.'"

Their largesse is understandable, given the Butuyans can barely keep pace with the demand for their unmatchable Filipino fare. The question remains, will Theo and Elena ever be able to come out from behind their aprons and enjoy their golden years in Las Vegas?

Follow Elena's on Elenasrestaurant.com Facebook Twitter

DESSERT TRUCK: BRINGING GOURMET SWEETS TO THE STREETS

2011-12-02T19:45:46Z

DESSERT TRUCK: BRINGING GOURMET SWEETS TO THE STREETS

America is a country of pioneers, and Jerome Chang, born to Taiwanese immigrants, can justifiably be considered one of them. In 2007, Chang became one of a handful of trailblazers forging the way for a new class of gourmet food carts, with Dessert Truck. The now-iconic vehicle, painted with the brand's whimsical logo, serves delicious, epicurean sweets of a caliber typically found only in top-tier restaurants.

A mouth-watering sampling of the sophisticated desserts offered on the truck includes Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with an olive oil ganache center, roasted pistachios, and vanilla ice cream; Goat Cheese Cheesecake with rosemary caramel and quince; and Espresso Panna Cotta with coffee-lavender ice cream, Nutella, and caramelized almonds. The crowning achievement, though, is the Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bacon Crème Anglaise, recently featured on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Dessert Truck's version was declared the winner in a blind taste-test by the public.

Like all pioneers, Chang faced many difficulties and challenges. Street food of the day was limited largely to hot dogs, pretzels, and halal food; there was no model for vendors serving high-end food on the street. "I basically set up a business model by myself," he says. Everything, from the concept to the permits to the food preparations, was new territory to be mapped out. "Even finding the right packaging was hard, because no one thought of gourmet desserts in an ice cream context, where you could walk down the street and grab something you could enjoy on a nice day," explains Chang. And despite its overwhelmingly popular reception on the streets, the truck weathered many setbacks, including a shutdown ordered by the New York City government in 2009, until the team worked out the kinks.

And while New York City still wrestles with establishing a system capable of accommodating the growing number of, and increasing demand for, food carts, street cuisine continues to evolve dramatically from its humble beginnings. High-quality food on the streets of Manhattan today is commonplace. For his part, Chang will accept only partial credit for the transformation⎯he believes it was inevitable. "There was a desperate need for good food to be affordable and accessible to people. If Dessert Truck hadn't come along, something else would have."

Chang's drive to democratize desserts in this country was influenced by his ties to Asia. On trips to his family's native Taiwan, he was inspired by the abundance of fantastic food available outdoors. "In Taiwan," he says, "the best food is on the streets and in the night markets. In New York, the best food is expensive, and it requires you to get dressed up and make reservations. That's why I wanted to start Dessert Truck."

As a chef, Chang is excited about the growing culinary movement that places emphasis, first and foremost, on the food. "All around the world, especially in East Asia and Taiwan," he says, "people don't care where their food comes from as long as it's properly prepared in a clean setting and it tastes great. Here, we have been focusing too much on the superficial elements of dining out. That's changing with the way we are paying more attention to how we source ingredients and how [dishes are] made, and food trucks are just a part of that movement."

Looking back, Chang recognizes that growing up as a first-generation American has always had an effect on his career. Raised in an affluent suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, by East Asian immigrant professionals, expectations were high in his family. His parents would have liked him to attend medical school; he went to law school instead. "Law school was a compromise," he says, and in accordance with the agreement, he earned a law degree and became an insurance defense lawyer.

But Chang was never satisfied with the life of a lawyer. "I always knew I needed to do something creative," he says. So in 2004, after one year of practicing law, he enrolled in the French Culinary Institute's pastry program. After graduation, he worked his way up to the position of pastry sous chef at New York City's famed Le Cirque restaurant. Even with that success it was not easy for his parents to come to terms with their son's career choice. "It was the most shameful [profession] they could think of, and they come from a shame-based society," Chang says.

Even in the face of his parents' resistance, Chang attributes much of his success with Dessert Truck to qualities instilled in him by his parents. "Their work ethic and high standards helped a lot. I didn't expect anything but to work like crazy," he says. "It sounds simple, and maybe I am playing into stereotypes, but it's true. I've seen it in a lot of other Asian pastry chefs in New York as well."

These days, Dessert Truck is running reduced hours of operation, with the team⎯which includes Chang's wife, Spanish-born Susanna Garcia, and French-born Vincent Joura⎯ working mostly out of their brick-and-mortar café, DessertTruck Works, on New York City's Lower East Side. And while Chang doesn't miss the headaches that come with operating solely out of a vehicle⎯legal, mechanical, and otherwise⎯he does miss the closer customer contact he has when "on the road." "People are more excited; it's dressed down and friendly. Working in a truck is just more fun."

Follow Dessert Truck on Dt-works.net Facebook Twitter

FROM ENFANT TERRIBLE TO CHEF INSTRUCTOR: CHEF ILIANA DE LA VEGA

2011-12-02T19:32:54Z

FROM ENFANT TERRIBLE TO CHEF INSTRUCTOR: CHEF ILIANA DE LA VEGA

We had a beautiful life. It was like magic," Iliana de la Vega says, remembering her family's charmed life in Oaxaca City, Mexico. There, de la Vega and her Chilean-born husband Ernesto Torrealba owned El Naranjo, a restaurant serving modern Oaxacan cuisine to an international following, carefully built over eleven years. With their two daughters, they enjoyed the cultural vibrancy of Oaxaca, until political unrest, stemming from a teacher's strike in 2006, threatened their happiness.

The strike, punctuated by violent clashes with the state militia, disrupted both their business and family life. Schools were suspended. Tourism trickled to a standstill. The local economy veered toward the edge of collapse, while the national government faced a widespread civil rebellion, which erupted after the 2006 presidential election. So when the opportunity arose, de la Vega and her family decided to leave their home and start anew in Austin, Texas, where they reopened El Naranjo ? this time, in the form of a food truck parked at the site of what they hope will one day be the future home of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

The truck serves Mexican dishes from across their native country (Oaxacan dishes remain El Naranjo's specialty), and de la Vega is proud of her authentic preparations. "What people know about Mexican food is still very limited, even though we are so close and share a huge border. So I chose to showcase traditional foods, and the reception has been good." The menu selection is not extensive, but changes regularly, with offerings such as Salpicón de Res Taco (a cold beef salad taco), and Swordfish Escabeche (a pickled fish popular in Veracruz). De la Vega also prepares signature moles, traditional dishes composed of complex sauces made by blending many ingredients and served over meat and rice.

De la Vega kept the name El Naranjo, but its incarnation in Austin is a marked transformation from the original establishment. And despite the restaurant's acclaim, its contemporary interpretations of customary dishes met with resistance from native Oaxacans when it first opened. "The perception was that I was from out of town, a Mexico City girl, not an Oaxacan. How dare I cook Oaxacan food?" De la Vega was, in fact, born and raised in Mexico City, but she grew up learning to cook with her family, who are from Oaxaca.

Also meeting with resistance was de la Vega's decision, for both culinary and health reasons, to prepare the traditional moles of the region without lard ? a decision regarded as "almost sacrilegious," says de la Vega. In the early days, prominent members of the community would return dish after dish to the kitchen, without even a taste. It almost ruined the restaurant; but eventually de la Vega carved out a reputation for herself, and these days, she is amused to see many cooks of the region following in her footsteps.

Her radical reputation in Mexico notwithstanding, de la Vega now holds the position of Chef Instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, and is an acknowledged authority on Mexican and Latin American cuisine. True to her upstart past, however, she confides that she doesn't believe culinary training makes a chef: "Going to culinary school does not make you a chef; it will give you the tools to become one. The title of chef you have to earn in real life, from spending hours in the kitchen, and gaining respect for your work and knowledge. You will learn a lot of techniques and methods, but the taste comes from the extra passion, not from school. It's in you or it's not."

It's clear that de la Vega's passion springs from her homeland. "Oaxacan cuisine is very creative and very unique ? it's a blend of native ingredients and techniques with those from other cultures. With just a few ingredients, you can have a lot of flavors." This is aided in part by the fact that Oaxaca is the most biodiverse region in the world for chilies ? the quintessential Mexican ingredient. There are over 150 known species of chile plants, with a wide range of flavors beyond mere hotness; most, in fact, are not particularly spicy, but instead produce earthy, smoky notes. The chiles also take on different characteristics depending on whether they are used fresh or dry, making the art of mastering chiles an ongoing one. "I am still learning," says de la Vega. "Every time I go back, I find something new. There is always something I have never heard of before."

When pressed, de la Vega admits that if she could choose, she'd rather be working in a brick-and-mortar restaurant instead of a truck, where space is limited and the temperature can quickly rise to 120 degrees. However, at the end of the day, both restaurants and food carts aim for the same goal ? "empty plates," she says. "That is the best thing."

And she's certainly proud to join the ranks of street vendors, a celebrated position in Mexico: "There's a wide variety of street food in Mexico, from tacos to empanadas to tortas," she says. "It's more than food; it's a cultural expression. One person makes one thing, and he or she is the master of making that one thing." If de la Vega's rapidly rising street cred is to be believed, she has undeniably achieved the status as a master of Mexican cooking.

Follow El Naranjo on Elnaranjo-restaurant.com Twitter

HOME STYLE COOKING IN A CART, CZECH STYLE

2011-11-22T19:56:45Z

HOME STYLE COOKING IN A CART, CZECH STYLE

For many, the road to becoming a professional chef is a long and arduous one. For Karel and Monika Vitek, owners of the Tábor food cart in Portland, Oregon, the journey was much longer and more unpredictable than most.

"We would not be in the food business if we had remained in the Czech Republic," says Monika. "But being immigrants gave us an advantage."

It was not an easily earned advantage. Karel first attempted to escape from the former Czechoslovakia, then under Communist rule, in 1984, by applying for a one-day tourist visa to Turkey. He was foiled, however, by the presence of undercover police in the region, and forced to abandon his plans.

Karel made a second attempt the following year, this time by forging documents permitting him to travel to nearby Yugoslavia. On his own, he made his way to the border between Yugoslavia and Austria, where one barrier remained between him and freedom: the Mur River. Karel realized that his only chance was to swim fast across the expanse: "It was a short border and turned into Hungary quickly. You had to be careful, or you would drift into another Communist country."

His only hope for making it across meant leaving behind the few possessions he had taken with him when he escaped. "It was springtime, the water was gushing down from the glaciers, and it was brown and fast and furious. I couldn't take anything with me," Karel says. "But it's amazing what people will do for freedom, whatever that means for them."

Make it he did, and once in Austria, was granted asylum. "Everyone was very kind," Karel remembers. Six months later he made his way to the United States and settled in Portland, where he pursued a degree in philosophy at Portland State University. Years afterward, he met Monika, who was visiting a cousin there. "I left when [the Czech Republic] was already a free country," she says. "I didn't have to make the difficult decision of leaving and never being able to go back."

Nevertheless, leaving home created a void for both of them, one they tried to fill by cooking. "We were interested in cooking because that's what defines home, and we were very passionate about the food because we could not get it anywhere else," says Monika. The couple began by cooking socially, for both American and Czech friends in Portland. After much encouragement, they decided to open a food cart, and named it Tábor, after Monika's hometown and in tribute to their culinary heritage.

Karel, who spent many hours as a child watching his mother in the kitchen, now prepares most of the food for the cart. Czech cooking is a time-consuming process, so "it seemed to me that she cooked continuously," he says. Today Karel relies solely on those memories of taste and process ⎯ no cookbooks or formal training to re-create the foods of his childhood. "Sometimes I am in awe," Karel says of the way he learned to cook. "My grandpa was an excellent cook as well, and even though he passed away long ago, I wonder if he was lining up behind me and giving me a hand."

Tábor serves Czech specialties, such as goulash (a meat and vegetable stew), spaetzle (soft egg noodles), schnitzel (a breaded and fried meat cutlet), and bramborak (a Czech-style potato pancake), all made from scratch. Although these dishes are common across Eastern Europe, they vary greatly from region to region. "They might use the same ingredients," says Monika, "but there are very distinct differences in the timing, temperatures, and presentation of the meals that create different outcomes specific to the various regions." The Viteks also serve a few Americanized versions of these dishes, such as the Schnitzelwich (a schnitzel cutlet sandwich with paprika and horseradish spread), as an introduction to Czech food. "Then, if our customers are feeling adventurous, we recommend something else," says Monika.

Thanks to the Viteks and Tábor, Czech food is gaining prominence in the United States and beyond all due to word of mouth, as the couple has never paid for advertisements or promotions. Tábor has been featured in Bon Appétit, the New York Times, Details magazine, and the Toronto Sun.

The Viteks are eager to seize the opportunity their success is bringing to teach their community about Czech culture through cuisine. They offer cooking classes and visit local schools with food samplers to bring lessons about European culture to life. "We recently brought strawberry dumplings to a preschool class," says Monika. "This is not a very traditional dish; it's more like a grandmother's dish. They were very excited."

The Tábor cart, painted in cheerful red and green tones, is located in the Pod, a popular lot in Portland, at SW 5th Avenue and Stark Street, that is home to a variety of stationary, rent-paying food carts. Leading the trend toward gourmet food carts, the Pod is now a national dining destination, where the Viteks enjoy the friendly, competitive vibe among the vendors. "It's good for everybody. We watch each other and we try to better ourselves and be number one," says Karel.

For now, the Viteks are happy to be operating out of a cart. "We played around with the idea of a restaurant, but it's a huge commitment," says Monika. And after such a long journey to get to where they are, staying put may be a welcome idea.

Follow Tábor on Schnitzelwich.com

Published by permission of The Vilcek Foundation, © 2011.  The Vilcek Foundation is
a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the contributions of foreign-born
artists and scientists to the United States.  Learn more at www.vilcek.org.

WHERE KOGI GOES, LA FANS FOLLOW

2011-11-22T19:42:56Z

WHERE KOGI GOES, LA FANS FOLLOW

part2 of "Keep On Truckin'!- Immigrants Keep Food Trucks in High Gear"

It's easy to dismiss food cart dining as just another trend, one that will soon burn out on the flames of its own popularity, as trends inevitably do. But consider the fact that Kogi, the popular Los Angeles-based fleet of trucks, has more than three times more Twitter followers than the Council on Foreign Relations, and, all told, more social media supporters than some small countries have citizens. Trend or not, there is something astounding in Kogi's reach and resonance.

It's Kogi's tasty Korean-Mexican fusion fare that has its legions of fans clamoring. Using Twitter and other social media outlets to announce locations and specials, the trucks cruise the streets of Los Angeles serving up fusion dishes such as Kogi Kimchi Quesadillas, tacos stuffed with Korean barbequed short ribs and spicy pork, and their signature Kogi sliders.

Kogi is the brainchild of Seoul-born and LA-raised Chef Roy Choi and his business partners Filipino-born Mark Manguera and Korean-American Caroline Shin. Choi and Manguera met while working at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and after Choi was laid off from his position as Chef de Cuisine, the pair ran with their idea of a Korean taco truck. Since forming in late 2008, the brand's explosive popularity has led to the addition of four more trucks ⎯ a bona fide fleet. And in early 2010, the team opened Chego, a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Yet one has to wonder if there is something beyond tacos and quesadillas to inspire such a devoted following. Within a few minutes of chatting with Choi, that something becomes apparent: it's the way both Choi and Kogi speak to a populist movement, in food and in culture. There is a determination in Choi to be his own person, even if it means being an outsider, and a fierce embrace of Los Angeles's ethnic subcultures, which live largely in the shadow of the city's grandeur.

"Kogi is a very personal story," says Choi. "People think it's Korean-Mexican fusion, but it's not. It's the flavor of K-town and LA and the blocks where we're from, of how we immigrated and how we started speaking English. All of that is in the taco. It's like graffiti."

Much of Kogi is influenced by Choi's upbringing in an immigrant family, both the good and the bad. His parents were highly educated in Korea, but never found employment in the United States that made use of their degrees and doctorates. The Choi family moved often, from neighborhood to neighborhood and job to job. They opened liquor stores, convenience stores, and restaurants, determined to make their own opportunities when none were presented. "It's been a tough life, let me be real," acknowledges Choi. "You have certain realities facing you, like racism, language barriers, not being offered certain jobs even though you know you can do them." But, he says of his parents, "that was a common thread growing up, the stubbornness in the way they've held onto their lives." In time, their tenacity paid off, enabling the Choi family to move into a more affluent lifestyle as Roy and his sister grew up.

It was that same willfulness in defining the terms of his own life that led Choi to launch Kogi. "That thing called success is very twisted ⎯ everything Kogi is, and what I am, is everything I was told not to be. Chilling on the street, talking to anybody, no matter where they came from, sharing the last cigarette, eating on the street, wasting the time, watching the streetlights come on. All of these things that we are expressing through Kogi, I was told that those same things were a waste of my life."

Despite graduating as speaker of his class from the renowned Culinary Institute of America, and holding positions in prestigious establishments such as Le Bernardin in New York City, Choi was not at home in the world of fine dining. Indeed, it was not until Kogi took off that Choi really came into his own as a chef. He was named one of Food and Wine's Best New Chefs in 2010, and Kogi has been featured in publications as diverse as the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Giant Robot magazine, and has earned mentions on the BBC and even at a recent TED conference.

Whether cooking in a five-star kitchen or selling food out of a shopping cart, Choi believes what matters most is dedication and resourcefulness. "A lot of that comes from an immigrant background: taking what you have, making it the best you can, and living a better life. I had a truck, no job, a few thousand bucks; and we did the best we could."

Perhaps the clearest indicator of Choi's success to date is the number of trucks around the country with similar concepts. There's Chi'Lantro in Austin, Taco Chino in Chicago, West Coast Tacos in Indianapolis, and Kimchi Taco Truck in New York City. By and large, most of these purveyors of Korean tacos credit Kogi with sparking the trend, but Choi shrugs off the hype. "It would be selfish to be caught up in the movement," he says.

Despite the proliferation of such trucks, neither Choi nor Kogi show any signs of slowing down or burning out. This is, typically, what separates a trend from a revolution.

Follow Kogi here.

Published by permission of The Vilcek Foundation, © 2011.  The Vilcek Foundation is
a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the contributions of foreign-born
artists and scientists to the United States.  Learn more at www.vilcek.org.