Sebonack Hole 18
After returning home from Switzerland, I was fortunate enough to
be able to stage at Lespinasse under Gray Kunz. As I cleaned the
endless amount of baby artichokes, I kept my eyes and ears open
because you didn’t know who may be working next to you. In this
kitchen, the young chefs included Andrew Carmellini, Floyd Cardoz,
and the Executive Sous Chef Troy Dupuy, for whom I would later
work. It was there at Lespinasse where I got my first reality check
when Chef Kunz said I had worked next to the entremetier long
enough and would start the next day working the service. I was
so nervous that I was there the next morning at 6 am before the
start time of 8 am, and I got the whole station set up. The evening
entremetier showed up and said I was doing a great job, and lets me
put out the first ticket - what a rush! At the end of the day, I was
rewarded with another tasting menu prepared by some of the most
talented chefs in New York City. I knew I made a good impression,
as the first course was three baby artichokes with a pairing knife
with a side of Band-Aids! commis chef. I was over the moon until they realized I didn’t have
any proper work papers and had to move on. My heart was broken,
and the Chef saw it in my eyes as he broke the news to me. He
thanked me for my efforts and told me never to give up, as he loved
the passion I showed.
Anthony, for someone who has all of this training, it’s
impressive that you still chose to pursue a culinary degree. When I got back to the States, I landed a position in the Gotham Bar
and Grill in New York City with Alfred Portale. It was quite the place,
doing 300 covers a night for dinner and 180 for lunch. Chef Alfred
Portale was very precise with his cuts, flavors, and food quality. It
was a great environment for my first “real job” in the industry. It was
here I learned speed and consistency. Since then, I’ve tried to push
my career by learning one significant thing at each place I worked to
carry forward to my next experience.
It was at Lespinasse that I knew that I wanted to pursue this as a
career. I attended the Culinary Institute of America and graduated in
the summer of 1995. After I had graduated, I decided to take a year
and work in London, England. I started at the Hyde Park Hotel just to
get my feet wet in London, and I experienced a whole different level
of cooking. I then fought my way into Le Gavroche, which was the
first Michelin-starred kitchen where I worked. The Chef was three
star Michelin Chef Michel Roux. I didn’t know much about him when
I started, but I had the highest regard for his focus on discipline and
respect. After three weeks, I was offered a full-time position as a
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Destination Golf .TRAVEL
Mossimann’s Belfry?
I went on to stage at Mosimann’s Belfry, under the direction of
two star Michelin Chef Anton Mosimann. I learned how to cook
food in a more natural way i.e. poaching fish in sea-like water and
being able to get intense flavors out of each ingredient. I finished
my time in London by working in one of the most famous hotels,
The Dorchester. It was ironic that I got to work in the exact kitchen,
though with different chefs and concepts, as Chef Anton Mosimann
did when he earned his two Michelin stars.
Alfred Portale?
Tell us about your stagiaire position at Le Louis XV with Alain
Ducasse.
In 1998, I returned to Europe and went to Monaco and worked