Chef Crary at the Viceroy Santa Monica
Roasted Main Lobster lobster tortellini white beans fennel
forest mushrooms
Photos K&S Media 2012
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....
You may visit the Winter 2011/12 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :
1) go to http://www.citystyleandliving.com
2) click on the 'front cover' image, on the left hand side of your screen
3) to flip through the e-magazine, click on the bottom right hand corner
Follow us on twitter @CityStyleMag
