Date: May 24, 2018 CHEFS ARE THE ARTIST OF THE KITCHEN By: Gabrielle Dondici Eating may be a necessity, but cooking is an art. A dish is composed of flavors, colors, and experience. Each bite allows the consumer to escape, branching away from the stress, or vulnerability they feel in their everyday lives. When I go to a restaurant whether it be for a drink or to chow down with my friends, I order and expect great presentation along with great taste. These two things come hand to hand. Chefs are the artist in their kitchen creating new combinations of flavor for us to try in addition to strategically placed on a dish. But where does the inspiration come from? How did these chefs go from cooking at home to creating this exceptional dishes? Throughout Philadelphia flavors are merged or broken apart, giving people to dive into each meal with curiosity and excitement of what they might experience next. I got to interview four chefs from four completely different establishments exploring not only what they put on the dish but the core inspiration of it. The chefs include Chef Matt Centifonti from M.A.T.T Gourmet Sliders, Chef Anh Vongbandith from Tipsy Bistro, Chef Jimmy Cronk from Destination Dogs, and Chef Caroline Hough from Porta. Chef Matt Cenifonti starting cooking when he was ten years old with his grandfather in the kitchen, this moment had sparked a passion for the culinary world in young Matt by the time he was 13 he was cooking professionally. Every time he steps into the kitchen he is bound to have fun, at M.A.T.T Gourmet Sliders on 36th and Market it is a family orientated business, serving burgers, wings and more. It is a traditional American joint, quick, easy, and delicious. While Chef Matt was assembling the burgers, he mentioned how sometimes he gets in a rut as a chef and, when he does he will “go to a restaurant or food market” seeking inspiration. “Look through a prism, and see something seventeen different ways,” he said with high energy. He continues to be innovative in his kitchen at M.A.T. T’s accommodating all customers. Keeping the motto of his kitchen “Never accept the standard, once you do you fall behind,” this keeps him, and his family motivated to continue to create. After meeting with Chef Matt, I got to meet the rest of the team who were very down to earth and outgoing, enjoying every moment they spend together in the kitchen together. As for Chef Anh Vongbandith’s kitchen runs a tad different with producing food that is (New) American at Tipsy Bistro. Tipsy Bistro located at 3131 Walnut Street. Three people are working in the kitchen that is relatively small however can serve approximately 64 people, taking 10 – 15 minutes a dish. Reminding her chefs “Don’t kill the food, it's already dead.” Anh also grew up with the passion for food, traveling the world picking up on the food culture of the places she has lived. There were different flavors everywhere, and growing up poor she had to eat and taste things that most people do not like the mongoose. However, within her kitchen she plays with the textual layers that go into a dish, encouraging her employees to “create what your craving.” Stepping into her kitchen, she explained to me that each ingredient and element that is put into a dish might taste disgusting at first but once put together it compliments each other. The Pork Banh Mí inspired by the Vietnamese culture. The pork is marinated and precooked before then painting it once again with a sauce. The sauce is bitter and gives off a terrible aftertaste. It is placed on the grill to until the sauce is caramelized. While that is cooking Chef Anh had toasted a roll just in order for it to be crispy but still soft on the inside, once that was complete she spread mayonnaise, soy sauce, and a sweet chili sauce from “edge to edge”, “everything is made in house” creating the flavors they wish to have in addition to being able to accommodate any allergy. Once the sandwich was complete the textural layers she talked about came to life; each bite contained sweet, chewy, tangy, spicy, creamy, and earthy sensations. Her creative process revolved around “creating food with flavor, so you don’t have to add salt or pepper,” which was a different angle to the culinary world that I have approached. Chef Anh was sweet and passionate, lighting up with a smile every time she would discuss a different element of her dish. She does not have the traditional school nor training yet each plate that comes out of her kitchen has a hint of the world to it. Similar to Chef Jimmy Cronk at Destination Dogs on 111 Walnut Street. He had created a concept entirely inspired by the world and the places he has traveled. He has been to Egypt, India, Europe, and South America. But why hot dogs? “I love hot dogs” he states with great enthusiasm; he then went on about how there are two things he wanted to do in life 1. To be on Saturday Night Live, and 2. To open up a hot dog place, in which he did. He has created an establishment that is “not an average place” according to Jimmy, and that it is a place to have fun and enjoy the food. He tells his team in the kitchen to respect the food and bring the energy level of the front of the house to the kitchen. Nonetheless, when it comes to flavors that are put into creating these insane hot dogs and sausages, he focuses on familiarity. Going out to eat and traveling, picking up on different aspects of certain dishes then creating it in a different form in his kitchen; they are not confined to one cuisine “just got to make a hot dog or sausage out of it.” Jimmy has always been in the culinary world at the age of 16 working in the industry continued his passion for food. Unlike Chef Caroline Hough from Porta at 1216 Chestnut Street, she pursued a degree in Art History and came out of college to be an art historian. The food called to her when she started culinary school she was drawn to “Asian flavors” and her dish of “choice was wontons” mixing different ingredients creating different flavorful wontons. Now, she is all about “fresh pasta, messing with colors shapes, flavors” says this well easily making a fresh batch of ziti. She then explains that her true inspiration is the “colors that define the dish” challenging herself with monochromic design element or a dish with only five different colors. She is constantly pushing herself to create more. Keeping the motto of “Be Better” in her kitchen, never staying at the skill level you began with. This spunky chef has a lot of passion for what she puts on the plate. Her creative process originates by “I just try to envision style and ingredients, in-house and work with the season.” Every chef is different; the food once impacted every chef in front of them. The creations continue to grow, and we are the people who can’t wait to taste what is next. Chef Anh Vongbandith said “if the plate is desirable to your eyes, then your taste buds follow” which I believe applies to every dish that all four of these chefs produce. It is an art form in which always changes and is inspired by the next thing.
