Rachael H

I just wanted to thank Don for inviting me to do this chat, and I also want to thank everyone for writing in. Hope you all have a very Happy New Year, and I'll look forward to seeing you at CityZen! Cheers everyone! Rachael

Hungry prof, This is actually a very good question, and one I ask myself all the time, and unfortunately I don’t have the best answer. There are times I go out to eat and see something that I really like, the furniture, china, or even a concept that I think I might be able to adapt for my own. I have so many different ideas; none of them really mesh well. Sometimes I want to have something like CityZen; other times I think something more casual is the way to go. However I am sure about certain things like the cleanliness, and production. I know I would want the service to be attentive, but not overbearing. I will hope to keep the front of the house excited to serve the food, and the back of the house proud to make it. I just don’t have 100% of an idea yet. However, I do know that where I have worked in my past is going to have a major influence on my future, where ever it may go. Rachael

Jdl, So, this would be my “greatest hits” tasting menu. Keep in mind this menu consists of some of my favorite dishes, as a menu it’s a bit heavy, but I don’t think anyone would complain. So here it goes: Bluefin Toro Butter Pickle Ceviche and Yuengling Popover Horton Petite Manseng Foie Confit Plum Financier and Sarawak Pepper Gastrique Riesling Butter poached Maine Lobster Summer Truffle and Sweet Corn Chowder Arrowwood Viognier Wagyu Ginko nuts, Baby Carrots, Ciopplini Onions, And Crispy Shiitakes Volnay Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Souffle Milk ice cream 1928 Maury Rachael

Hi Lion, When I was living in California I was very spoiled from the amount of amazing produce that was available, and how easy it was to obtain. It took awhile for me to get used to the crazy weather patterns here that would wash out a field of crops and leave us with little to choose from. The markets here get better every year, which is great. It would be neat if some of the smaller markets moved away from so much produce and maybe a local fish or butcher shop would join in. I know at the Dupont market you can get a lot of cheeses and meats as well, but some of the smaller markets could add something like that to strike a bit more interest. I think everyone just thinks of markets as having flowers and produce. That’s one of the great things about the San Francisco market, for example, they offer a lot more. Rachael

JPW, I am sorry I didn't get to answer your question the night you were "flying solo", but if you find that to happen again I have a suggestion. If you can't make it to the bar at CityZen, then I would suggest the bar at Bourbon Steak. The restaurant just opened in the Four Seasons Georgetown. I was at the bar last night with a friend and had a great time. The area was bubbling with people, even on a Sunday. The food was great and they have very interesting wine and cocktails lists. I was very lucky, when I first came to DC Eric introduced me to everyone he came across. I have been able to get to know DC's greatest chefs. I have to say I admire them all, especially Jeff Buben. To be able to have a restaurant (or 2) for as long as Jeff or Michel Richard for example, in a city where new places are opening all the time, is definitely something to look up to. Rachael

Hi mdt, At CityZen we try to change the menu once a month, give or take. The process all depends on how big the lightning bolt is for either Eric, I, or any of the other cooks. There are times that Eric comes up stairs to the kitchen and says “Ok, I just finished the best tasting menu ever”, or at times he says “we need a bass dish, rabbit and lamb, any ideas??” It’s one of the great traits of the restaurant. I really think that collaboration is what makes a great restaurant great. Being able to feed off of another’s ideas shows just how much creativity one has. It’s also good for the cooks. If they have a really good idea, that may need a bit of tweaking and it ends up on the menu, they end up cooking that dish for the guests with such pride. And now for the fritter question. First we need to understand what the mushroom fritter means to the restaurant and the reason that everyone gets one. The mushroom fritter is indicative of what we do from a technique standpoint. Here you have a small, bite sized dish, that really only has 5 ingredients used in all three recipes. A very simple dish with such an intense result. Slicing thinly the mushrooms and drying for powder, making a sauce so silky smooth that in the end the fritter is really just a vehicle to be able to eat the sauce. It means welcome and it shows you what you are in store for. Dishes that satisfy you with flavor and refinement. You read about CityZen, the restaurant that changes all the time, but never the fritter. I can’t tell you how many people come for dinner, and ask for another round of the fritters. If this happens we thank them by giving a basket with a pool of the sauce on the side to dip them in. We even have regulars that request no mushrooms with their meal, but insist on the fritter. However there are the times that guests, like Don Rockwell, just don’t like the fritter, and that’s ok. (Don doesn’t really like anything at CityZen anyway) We are happy to give another canapé. The guests that do come and don’t turn it away, understand that it’s like being welcomed by an old friend at the start of a new journey. I'm just kidding, we love Don Rachael

Hello synaesthesia, You are probably right, but before I went to culinary school, I worked at Roadhouse Grill. I was a waitress before I went to Disney, and when I returned home (before culinary school) I worked in the kitchen. I worked lunches and dinners. I made the nacho plate, and worked the grill. It was definitely NOT fine dining, though I was learning. I was the only girl in the kitchen minus a women that rolled egg rolls in the morning that were filled with cheese and jalapeños. Yes, people thought that I couldn’t do it, but when they worked with me, they realized that I wanted to do it, and I did. Again, I can’t stress enough, everyone can do anything they want. If you work in a restaurant that is treating women inferior to men, please leave. Nothing good can come out of it. You also have to think that if the chef is treating women bad, it seems to me that he (or she) is probably treating the rest of the staff poorly. I can’t speak for Europe, they have a different culture and very deep roots, but I know that if I worked in a kitchen, and the chef screamed at me or hit me, I would not have returned the next day. For your other question, I have a few guilty pleasures. There is a bbq place in Rochester called Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The first one opened in Syracuse, and most recently NYC. The pulled pork sandwiches are amazing. They smoke the pork and ribs right in front of the restaurant. I have even brought a sandwich back for Eric, with his mouth full he nodded with approval. I don’t get to eat out to much, and when I have the opportunity I try to go to a place that I haven’t been to before. Though, my sweet tooth weakness is a warm brownie sundae with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream. Delish!! (That will be my only Rachael Ray reference) Rachael

Thanks for your question Thistle, I really have never been interested in actually partaking in the Top Chef, or Hell’s Kitchen type of show, but I love to watch them. They definitely are very entertaining!!!! I did watch the beginning of the episode you are talking about. I thought the paella dish was the perfect dish for the quickfire. Other than that, I think a polenta with a poached egg and winter vegetables would have been good too. Now, I have to say that I have had a few days to think about this, which isn’t really fair, and this was a VERY hard challenge. If you said lord’s a leaping, I would have done frogs legs. (I didn’t end up watching this part of the show, so if the chef did frogs legs, good job!!) I looked online to see some pictures of what the contestants made. The dishes looked like they were at least 2 bites. So I have to say, for 5 golden rings, I would make small parmesan tortellini, with a tomato water reduction that was buttered out, with some meyer lemon and capers in the sauce. I would steep some saffron in the milk before making the pasta to give it more of a gold color, plus the flavor would go really well with the rest of the dish. Five on a plate of course, they would be small. Rachael

Hi Dan, -If I had the opportunity to do it all again, I don’t think that I would change anything, good and bad. I really think that everything happens for a reason. All the people that I have met, all the situations I have experienced, had some impact in shaping my life, and I am happy where I am at right now. I guess I needed time to realize what it was I really wanted in life (that was when I was in nursing) and then when I realized what it was, I tried to get there as fast as I could. -Thin crust when I go out for pizza, not the cracker style, and when I make it at home it always ends up thick. (I always seem to use too much dough.) -After a hard day, a beer usually helps, and a friend to vent to (preferably one who is in the industry). On easier days, I TRY to go to the gym after work, but most of the time I’m too tired and I end up just watching some TV. I always need some down time. -I can honestly say that I have never been so mad at someone that I just started yelling at them. Whenever I feel my blood start boiling, I keep really quiet, and go through everything in my head. The worst is to blow up at someone, and then come to realize you are the one at fault. Usually by the time I finish contemplating the situation, I can sit down and have a normal “adult” conversation. -Yes, there have been plenty of times that I thought I may have made a mistake, and should have gone with a different career choice. As the years went on though, I found myself enjoying it more and more, and the stress became a welcome challenge. -As time goes on, balancing my work life and social life has become easier, especially since I have moved back to the east coast. I can see my family and friends in this area a lot easier. I just wish I did a better job of keeping in touch with some of my friends that are not in the industry, but I try. Rachael

B.A.R., The hotel purchases all the paper goods for all the outlets, and then I requisition them. Yes, they either buy from Sysco, or US Foodservice. It's hard to find a small organic producers for plastic wrap!! Rachael

Hi Rieux, My parents are from Marion. My father's parents still live there, and whenever I go for a visit we always make a stop at Mikes, on route 6 for linguisa pizza!! There's always the Lobster Claw in Chatham. Rachael

Hi MBK, If I only had 1 day in Paris this would be my list of must see’s…… Must start by eating a croissant aux amande. I would have to walk around almost every arrodisment. Walking is the best way to see Paris, I never took the bus when I was there, metro or taxi if I was in a real hurry. Hot chocolate at Angelina. I was never a big fan of the pastries there, but the hot chocolate is to die for. My favorite park to walk around in was always Jardin du Luxembourg. I am a big fan of Jules Cheret lithographs, so I would have to stop at the flea market Les Puces de Saint-Ouen. While I was there I would try to find some silver kitchen spoons. The ones I have now are a matching set that I bought at a yard sale for 5 euros on rue Mouffetard. I would stop at my favorite tea shop, Nina’s, near Vendome. It’s very small, but the teas are amazing, and the shop is very elegant. Lunch would be a ham and cheese baguette (with butter) from Paul. I know, I know, Paul is a chain of sandwich shops, but their ham and cheese is perfect!! Dinner would be at Ma Bourgogne. It’s a small bistro on the corner in Place des Vosges. It always has been my favorite place. On a nice night you have to sit outside, and then you can walk over to a bar and have a drink in the Bastille. If I was in town for a few days, then I would have to add another restaurant, but more like Pierre Gagnaire. I have never been, and would love to go. Rachael

Thank you for your question lion, A rubber spatula. I can’t cook without one. It makes so many jobs in the kitchen go faster, and cleaner. Scraping around the sides of a pot, getting every last bit of a product from your bowl or pot, or even using it to pass something through a chinois or tammi (as long as the food product is a bit thin or loose) Rachael

Good evening ladi kai lemoni, I eat everything (at least once ), except figs. I found out that I am allergic to them. I was at Everest, and Thierry, the chef de cuisine, asked if I’d ever had a fresh fig. I said no, and was excited to try it. It was good, and almost instantly my mouth began to itch. I went home and all the unpleasant reactions began. I have tried to just handle the figs, wash them or cook them. That doesn’t work either, I break out into hives. There aren’t many foods I haven’t tried. I am lucky because Eric likes to try everything, and makes us try them as well. The CityZen team went to Japan 2 years ago to cook at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, and I tried a lot of interesting foods there like whale, and sea cucumber intestines (I do not recommend). There aren’t many foods that I know of that I haven’t tried, but that doesn’t mean I have tried everything. It’s one of the best parts about traveling; discovering new foods that you never knew existed. Rachael

Thanks for another question Waitman, I really haven’t been too interested in the molecular gastronomy movement. I have dabbled a bit, as I think we all have, but I still prefer food I can sink my teeth into. I think it's great that it’s getting so much press right now, but if the power in the world goes off, I want to still be able to cook an amazing meal using just a wood-burning stove. I had my reasons for going to work at The French Laundry, and CityZen, but my reasons for staying have been because I'm inspired by the chefs thought processes, especially when it comes to food. I think if I wasn't, I wouldn’t have lasted very long at either place. It’s really important to find a restaurant producing food that inspires you. Remember, you will be there all day, everyday, until you leave. Rachael

Hi goldenticket, In all kitchens there is something that male and female colleagues both bring to the table and a talented chef can take those positive ideas and put them towards the good of the restaurant. However, I think that sensibility is not only weighed between females and males, but male to males, or female to female. I think the best way to look at the kitchen staff, is not at groups of males and females, but a collective group of cooks. My approach to plating and thinking of dishes is different than some of the cooks, but that only has to do with my history. I learned a lot from working for Thomas Keller, I took from it what I wanted to continue through out my career. Other cooks spent time working for other chefs, and have adapted those ideas for their own. I never felt that I had to work harder to gain the same respect. I think I was to busy trying to learn everything I could to really notice. I really felt that I had the same chances as all my male colleagues. There was even an event in France that I was asked to do with Thomas Keller, none of the males came!! Rachael

Thank you for your question synaesthesia, Actually there is a lot of difference between a restaurant like CityZen and a restaurant a bit more casual. The food, service, décor, and staff. If you are paying a high price for dinner, you want exactly what you paid for. If you go out to eat and pay 20 dollars for your meal, while your meal could be excellent, in order for it to be so cheap there are certain necessities left out that are needed for a fine dining meal. For instance, you could go to any restaurant and get a sturgeon with potatoes, bacon, apples and beets, like you can at CityZen. The china probably won’t be very expensive, and the sturgeon may have been previously frozen. The apples may have been blanched rather than sous vide. The potato would probably be sliced on you plate rather than a millefeuille layered with bacon. The time, hard work, and money we put in to your meal as a whole is what makes it fine dining. Also, there are the products; wild fish, fruits and vegetables from small farmers, truffles from France and Italy, wagyu from Japan, and cheese from all over the world. These are luxury items that if done well, anyone would be happy to have the opportunity to experience them. And then we can’t forget the front of the house. When you go out to eat at a fine dining restaurant, you should feel taken care of. The service is always your first and last impression of a restaurant. Polite staff, correct explanations of dishes, the proper wine, anything you need to complete the experience.

Hi Don, A typical day starts at 9 am (Currently I am on the morning shift. Eric has me switch every so often - sometimes I'm in the morning, and sometimes I work side-by-side with him during service). In the morning we have a prep cook, meat butcher, pastry cook, and Amanda, the pastry chef all working. We start by setting up the kitchen, turning on the ovens, putting down the floor mats, and getting our stations together. Produce usually arrives just after we have finished, so we have to put that away. 9 times out of 10 they forgot to send us something, or what they sent us was wrong, so I have to call them to get it right. Also if there are any engineering issues, such as lights out or ovens not working, then I have to call them to come and fix it. Now to prep…I write myself a list of things I’ll need to do the night before, and then depending on the night’s service, Eric will add on to it. I’ll start with any sauces and risotto that is needed. I do a lot of the fish butchering, with Sara, our prep cook. So for this menu, I have tuna and perch to portion, clams and scallops to clean, lobsters to cook, clean and portion and lobster stock. By this time the night crew has started to arrive. Once I finish my prep work, I start any projects that Eric has lined up. It could be anything from a menu idea he has that he wants tested, or pickling and jarring summer vegetable to use during the winter months. We have our staff meal at 5, after I fill out requisitions for products we may need from that hotel for the next day. Then I start ordering. I take care of the fish, cheese, any dry goods, and produce. By the time I finish, Eric has already started service, I tie up any loose ends, and then say goodnight. I think my strengths would be organizing my day. It may take writing things down, working faster, or not talking very much on the busy days, but I get it done. Also, I would have to say, working service. I like the pressure on a busy night. I am comfortable enough on the line that I know if something is wrong I can fix it, and if I can’t, I know I can come up with something to replace it. I have seen a big difference in the way I expedite now from when I first started at CityZen. As for my weaknesses, I know there is still a lot for me to learn. Talking to purveyors and getting the product I ask for the first time, when there is an issue with the food runners working through it with them, managing staff etc. I know I am very far from being the “perfect” chef. For me, the job is only fun when it is mentally stimulating as well as gratifying. Rachael

Hi Tweaked, This is an easy question A clam bake. No doubt about it. My family is from Cape Cod, Ma. Even though my parents don't live there any more, a summer hasn't gone by where I haven’t gone for a visit. Clam bakes are a meal we have for every big occasion, even after my high school graduation. My grandmother is from Portugal so we always have to have linguisa or chourico with all the other fixings. Rachael

Hi Dan, you actually have the most difficult questions so far. It’s hard to pick favorite foods, I have so many. I guess my favorite food to cook for myself would be homemade pizza, not frozen. I would have a popcorn tree, always warm, buttery, and salty. My favorite thing to make for friends would either be pasta, or gnocchi. I am going to have to get back to you about what food I would be; I have no idea on that one. I have one really HUGE kitchen horror story. Just after we finished a week of test dinners at Per Se, we were finally open for our first service. Lunch went well. However, while I was getting ready for dinner, and I was no where near ready, the kitchen filled up with smoke. Now, earlier in the week the front of the house was having trouble with the fireplace in the dining room, and the room would fill with smoke. A few of us thought the smoke in the kitchen was another fireplace disaster. At one point I did find it strange that there were only 2 people in the kitchen, another line cook and I. When Thomas Keller came in screaming followed by firemen, I high-tailed it out of the kitchen, and out of the building. What had happened was a small electrical fire began in the wall, but because the support beams were wood, it turned into a very big fire! When the firemen came in to put out the fire, they kept burning themselves on the bonnet stove. They had asked to turn it off, and it was, but it had been on since 5:30 that morning and it holds a lot of heat. So the firemen decided to hose down the stove to cool it down. A sight I wish I saw. And to answer your last question, you'll have to fight that out with Eric! Rachael

Thank you for your questions qwertyy, First, I never felt that my experiences differed from the men in the kitchen. I saw men pass by me, however I also saw myself excel past some men. If women have trouble getting respect in the kitchen, they most likely need to be more aggressive, confident. There isn't much time for a timid personality. I can see how for some women " It just isn't worth it", but I truly believe you get out of things what you put in them. When you produce a product that is exactly what was asked from you, what can they say, really. It is a bit different working for a female chef. It is hard to explain what is so different, but there is something. I have only worked under 1 female, so I am not an expert. I really think that the personality of the person has everything to do with it. No matter what industry you are in. Some people are easy to get along with, some are not, male or female. Rachael

Waitman, I agree, there are more females in the pastry department rather than savory. I never felt any sort of pressure to get “out of the heat” though. I do, however, wish I spent more time learning pastries. Not that I ever want to be a pastry chef, but I think it is important, as a chef, to learn all aspects of the kitchen. There are many times where pastry and savory overlap. For example, on the CityZen menu we have a “clam chowder” dish. It’s a parsnip crepe soufflé, with a tarragon veloute, clams, bacon, potatoes, etc. A crepe and soufflé are most commonly found as a desert, but with the understanding, you can apply it as anything. Going to France was something I didn’t mentally prepare for. I never studied French. You can get by ordering a meal or trying to take a bus, but in a busy kitchen, people screaming orders, it’s crazy. It’s a small kitchen, 1 sous chef, 1 pastry chef, 6 cooks, and 2 pastry cooks. In the first week I learned my numbers between 50 and 80. Why?? Because, when I asked how many covers there were for that night, it was always somewhere between those two numbers. Cooking is cooking though. The cooking was the easiest part. Helene is very talented. I did hear about the rumor that she got her second star because of her father. He had a Relais & Châteaux in the south of France for something like 30 years. When he died, he left it to her. She sold it, went to Paris, and opened her own place. People say that the relationship between her father, Michelin and Relais & Châteaux, is why she is succeeding. I ate there before I started, she deserves every star. I think now, diners treat women the same as men. If you go to a restaurant, have dinner, are very happy, and the chef is a woman you would talk just as highly about it as you would if the chef was a man. (At least I hope so!!!) Actually, when I first started at CityZen, the male to female ratio was equal. Plus, there were more women on the hot line than in pastry. I think it all has to do with what the woman wants for her career. Some may be happy in a small comfort type of place; others may prefer a large, corporation. What ever makes you happy and successful! Rachael PS. I can't take any credit on the rockfish dish, that's all Eric

Hi Zora, and thank you for your questions. Well, my first day at The French Laundry, as you can imagine, was nerve wrecking. It was 9 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I arrived at 5:30 in the morning; this is the time the commis and butchers start. One of the commis was out sick, so I had to fill that spot, luckily a sous chef, Lisa, was working with me, and training me. I tried to make everything perfect, though nothing was. I remember making potato diamonds. When I finished, I showed Lisa my work. She looked at it, shook her head, and then threw it in the trash. I tried again. A couple months later, Lisa told me she was surprised I lasted as long as I did. She said she thought for sure I wouldn’t make it. Learn fast. That’s one important thing I learned in the beginning. Next, I learned that in this business, you really need to want to learn. So many people go into restaurants, like The French Laundry, and act like know it alls. Confidence is good to have, and very important, but to be over confident is sudden death. Questions are always important. I asked a lot, I still do. You just have to know which ones to ask and when. For example, Thomas once told me that I asked too many questions. Not meaning that it was a bad thing, but imagine someone would stop you from what you were doing, 3 or 4 times a day, to ask a question. With all the work you would have I am sure you would find that annoying. I learned to consolidate, and ask 1 question in a way that would answer 2 questions that I would have. I still try to do that with Eric. If I have a few questions I try to hit him as soon as he gets to work before he starts his day. That way when I can’t find him, because he is in meetings or on the phone, or writing a menu, I don’t have to bother him. For your second question, I did not have a lot of influence growing up. My parents were very young when they got married, and I was born a year later. My mom worked, my dad worked as well as went to college, though my parents say that when I was a kid, I LOVED to eat. They have embarrassing stories of me eating too fast. The only thing I can think of was when I was young - my grandparents had a small garden in their back yard. In the summertime, any vegetables we had for dinner always depended on what was ready. They had a blueberry and blackberry bush. I would get excited when I was told it was ok to pick some berries. I would eat more then I brought in. I guess I always had some sort of relationship with food, cooking was another story. Rachael

Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone (especially Don) for having me. I never knew "what I wanted to be when I grew up" like some people did when they were in high school. When I decided not to finish nursing, I took a ton of beginning classes, like geology, anthropology, psychology....nothing really stuck. I had a lot of friends that did the Disney college program. From anyone who hasn't heard of it, it's for students to spend 6 months at any of the Disney theme parks, you all live in an apartment complex called Vista Way (this is starting to sound like an episode of Real World, and sometimes it felt like it!) I was told that when you apply if you put food and beverage as your top choice for placement, then you were a shoe-in. That's exactly what I did. First, I worked at the Sunshine Season Food Fair in the Land pavilion at Epcot. I was a cashier, at what was basically a food court. I hated it, I asked if I could transfer and they had an opening in the kitchen. I thought I would try it out. Now, I was never into cooking. I remember when I told my dad I wanted to go to culinary school, he looked at me like I was crazy. He said the only thing he ever saw me cook was hot dogs and Raman noodles. For some reason I really took to working in a kitchen - a professional kitchen - I struggle at home. Disney wasn't inspiring at all. It was just a starting point. Inspiration came later... Rachael

You all have to realize, chefs, no matter at what level, may want to open another restaurant. They do this because they want to fulfill another part of their passion. They don't want to open a duplicate of what they have, they want to reinvent themselves. They train their staff at home. Thomas Keller's opening staff at Per Se all worked at The French Laundry for at least a year. Cedric and Dawn both worked at Citronelle paying their dues. I would hardly call any of them talentless cousins!! Most of the time they open restaurants that they themselves would want to eat at when they are not working. Yes, Bouchon is Thomas Keller's food. Its not French Laundry food, but that isn't why you go there. The same thing holds true for Central. You go to these restaurants to eat what the chef would want to eat, when sitting at the bar, or when their family is in town. You go to be involved in a new experience. Plus if you make dinner from The French Laundry cookbook, you are not making Thomas Keller's food, you are trying to duplicate Thomas Keller's food and ideas.