Free Agent

Recipe: Crispy Urfa Eggplant with Cucumber Yogurt

what restaurant life taught me

My first job out of culinary school was working at per se. The three star Michelin restaurant (in 2010) possessed an award winning team, a cast of restaurant elites. We had a saying that you either left per se to be a general manager or general managers left their jobs to work at per se. The expertise and precision executed on a daily basis eliminated the agnostic. You had to fully believe, there was no other way.

Cut to two full years after my departure from per se, I’m the youngest captain to ever take a section at The French Laundry. Upon hearing news there would be a position available for captain, I approached my friend and general manager with a sworn promise I was the only candidate fit for the job. I charmed the old guard at the restaurant with support and a willing attitude.

Fast forward three years and I’m the youngest manager at The French Laundry. I’m 28 years old with well rounded experience. This is my third time being hired within the company. I display an acute form of empathy and diplomacy, ideal for a post “me too” era in restaurants. Then 2019 came and went, I’m newly thirty years old and I have an itch for curiosity. At the beginning of 2020 I was on a month-long vacation around Sydney, Bangkok and Copenhagen. While working at noma on a scholarship, I made a promise to myself that I would eventually leave the states and take a chance on me.

The pandemic had other plans. Survival, both literally and figuratively, was my modus operandi. There was an 8 month bout in rural South West Colorado that urged me internally to move back to New York. I dabbled with fine dining again, achieving nothing but disappointment. I dipped my toes in the management pond, coping with risky behavior. Eventually I stepped down, I turned off the cycle of validation and permission seeking. My work, my life, my creativity flourished under love, acceptance, nourishment and artistry.

I’ve found one of the best restaurants I’ve ever worked at right at the end of the road, marking a time in my life. I’m grateful for restaurants for their divine indulgence and mastery of the senses. If it wasn’t for restaurants I don’t know if I would be betting on myself in this way. I’ve gained the confidence and the assuredness one needs to maintain a life in artistry. If it isn’t clear, I’m going full-time with my creative pursuits. There is no doubt, only self-acceptance that this has been my path all along.

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Crispy Urfa Eggplant with Cucumber Yogurt

Scored and fried, the eggplants rest atop a cucumber yogurt delivering heaps of satisfaction. Urfa chili has a delicate smokey quality perfectly suited for eggplant. The cucumber yogurt has the faintest amount of cumin, seemingly unnecessary, but I find the small amount is quite perfect. A scattering of mint and lightly dressed fresh cucumbers makes this feel quite composed. Impressive at every touch.