5 QUESTIONS WITH...TOP CHEF SEASON 9 VICEROY SANTA MONICA CHEF CHRIS CRARY

Chef Crary at the Viceroy Santa Monica

Roasted Main Lobster lobster tortellini white beans fennel
forest mushrooms
Photos K&S Media 2012

1. CSL: Why did you decide to try out for the show?

Chef Chris Crary: It’s one of those things where everyone has goals and things that they want to do. I just said in the next couple years I want to lose the weight, I want to see if I can go through this process if I can make it on to the show. I just want to push myself and push myself until I reach these goals and see if it could actually come to fruition. A lot of people say fame, money…nah. It is what it is.

2. CSL: What was the highlight of the show?

Crary: The highlight for me was getting to meet so many amazing chefs, seeing their styles, seeing the techniques that they have and ingredients that I haven’t used in that way. It’s like ‘wow why did I never think of that?’

3. CSL: What do you remember about cooking as a child?

Crary: When I first started cooking I was 10 or eleven and I thought I was cooking the most gourmet food ever - tater tots on top of ground beef with cheese over it. That stands out in my mind. Some of the better ones are: we had a cabin in Canada and we would go fishing over the summers and just catching fish and bringing it back for family. Being from Ohio a lot of my family had never had fresh fish.

4. CSL: What is your favourite moment in the kitchen?

Crary: That’s hard to narrow down to one. I think it’s one of those things where it happens almost every night - at the end of the night you get done with a busy service and you feel like you’re with your family and everyone’s gone through something very stressful and sometimes painful and now you’ve grown together. It’s a really great feeling.

5. CSL: Favourite ingredient?

Crary: Right now harissa or yuzu.

www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/santamonica

Look out for more on Chris Crary, the Viceroy Santa Monica and Los Angeles in the Summer 2012 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.

In the meantime....

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INSIDER SCOOP: CSL PICKS CHEF CONNIE DE SOUSA AS TOP 3 FINALIST IN TOP CHEF CANADA

Photo courtesy Shaw Media

As you know CSL has been privy to some excellent experiences and tasty meals at Charcut, since the grand opening in 2010. Chef Connie De Sousa has always been one of our favourites, and now CSL has even more room to celebrate, as De Sousa made it on Top Chef Canada (airdate: April 11 on Food Network Canada - see below). Suffice to say that, though the chef remained extremely tight lipped about the ultimate outcome (perhaps Top Undercover spy can be added to her resume. Trust me we tried to use our 'investigative skills' and all round charm to get some clues from the chef, but to no avail), we at City Style and Living magazine have accumulated our 'evidence' as to why we think Chef De Sousa may just have knocked out most of her competition and earned a spot in the Top 3:

Exhibit A: On a recent morning show, fellow competitor, and Executive Pastry chef at Nectar Desserts, Rebekah Pearse smirks at De Sousa several times . Our intuition tells us that this non verbal body language suggests that Chef De Sousa did very well.

Exhibit B: On a national entertainment show, host Thea Andrews indicated that 'the quite one's' are the ones to watch out for. Hmmmmm....Chef De Sousa, with her stealth twelve year ballet background (those dancers can kick any major professional sport's behind) could be described as having 'a quiet confidence', with some serious skills in the kitchen to back her up.

Whatever the ultimate results, we are proud of Chef De Sousa showing the rest of Canada "what we got."

We will be watching. Cross your fingers. Keep posted to The City Style and Living Blog for this ongoing story, as it develops.

CSL

www.charcut.com/

www.foodnetwork.ca/topchefcanada

See many more articles, and tasting notes from CSL's experiences at Charcut at:

http://www.citystyleandliving.com/

A TURNING POINT: THE OYSTER THAT CHANGED ME

Ok, perhaps that is a slight overexaggeration. Or, not.

Day 1: I had never tried a raw oyster, until very recently. Smoked oysters, fine, love them. Fried oysters, a la Louisiana style po boy sandwich - bring it on. Raw, on the other hand was something that I had never really considered. Why eat something raw, when it can be cooked? even slightly cooked?

My foray into the world of raw oyster was a humbling experience. Have you ever lifted a conch shell to your ear, hearing the pleasant roar of the ocean? Think of this, only in your mouth. A rush of potently fresh 'sea' umamiesque flavours rushed through my core. I almost lost it (not in a good way).

Gaining my composure, I asessed what I had just tasted. Interesting, but said raw oyster would have tasted better cooked. Or at least with some ounce of seasoning. I appreciated the experience, though, and it would not be something to forget.

After months of chalky, 'sea'-like flashbacks danced in my head, I concluded that raw oysters were not really my thing.

GOOD THINGS COME IS SMALL PACKAGES:
Day 82: The oyster and I meet face to face once again.

Photo: Copyright K&S Media 2008

I love beautiful things. There is nothing more intoxicating than a beautifully presented plate of food. Kensington Riverside Inn's Chefs Table speaks volumes to the art of a beautiful plate. Uber talented Executive Chef Theo Yeaman, and his team effortlessly (and efficiently) create these (see above) plates to perfection. One part season ingredient, one part molecular gastronomy (Chef Yeaman is one of the only chef's in the city to experiment with sous vide method for instance). From the heirloom tomato salad, with local goats milk feta and pine nuts to the intensely rich dungeness crab bisque with tenderly crisp beignet, to the rich, warm depth of the Chocolate molten cake -the use of colour, textures, and flavours was presented to the most enviable level at the restaurant (more on this in a future issue of City Style and Living).

So, there it was in front of me a fresh Atlantic oyster - seasoned, and garnished with mustard micro greens.

As my fellow diners finished their appetizer, leaving me as the last to try the appetizer, I suprisingly couldn't wait. With slight hesitation, I slid the mollusk down my throat, carefully taking in the full experience of flavours. I paused. This was a well seasoned, yet light, fresh oyster with a clean finish - a notable mild 'sea' flavour, but with enough seasoning to balance any residual 'chalky' flavours.

Photo: Copyright K&S Media 2008

I felt like I could eat another. Maybe even two.

The meal, from start to finish was seemless. Every dish equal to the next. And yet the oyster still lingered in my mind. I didn't know whether to be surprised, thankful or puzzled. This little oyster changed my perception of what a raw oyster COULD be.

The entire process of creating dishes was displayed in front of us (the kitchen is fully exposed). Chef's Table is literally an invitation inside the inner workings of a kitchen. It was a nice compliment that our Maitre D', Andrew Stewart, was well versed in food and wine parlance. Every dish was perfectly paired and suited to the dish in front of us. The service was very professional, detailed and maintained a down-to-earth formality, that was welcomed.

The little oyster prepared by Chef Yeaman was a turning point.

I think that you can guess what I will be ordering as an appetizer at my next visit to Chefs Table?!

Kensington Riverside Inn/ Chefs Table: 1126 Memorial Drive NW, Calgary; www.kensingtonriversideinn.com