Chef Jennifer Maloney has shucked and baked oysters for Keith Richards and seen Italy with chef Mario Batali. But she found her place at Cafe Sebastienne in the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, not that far from her childhood home in midtown.
If you missed yesterday's interview, you can find it here. Today she talks about where she likes to go for a bite in Kansas City and how she learned to love hot sauce. Tomorrow, you'll learn what a typical Friday is like at Cafe Sebastienne.
What's never in your kitchen? Beer. I hate beer. I like beer if I'm going to a concert, and I'll drink a cheap beer and a shot of tequila. Beer just fills me up.
What's always in your kitchen? I always have kale. I always have ranch dressing. I love ranch. Louisiana hot sauce and olive oil. I love hot sauce. I was in Memphis having fried chicken with my brother. And he put it on. Then I tried it, and I have to have it on everything now. I like chili flakes and heat, but not spicy chilis or jalapenos.
What would you like to see more of in Kansas City, from a culinary standpoint? I wish I could get a good Italian beef. I tried to put it on the menu here, but people didn't really get this big pile of roast beef. And fresh, awesome steamers.
What would you like to see less of in Kansas City, from a culinary standpoint? I just don't understand freaking molecular gastronomy. Why do you want dried foie gras powder? It makes me crazy. I don't understand the manipulation of food. I'm not on the bandwagon. I make a damned good mushroom bread pudding. That's the way I cook. It's not brain surgery. I love that people could come in and cook our food. I'll tell anybody how to cook, and they can do it in five minutes. I cook like a grandma, and I'm OK with it. My grandma was an awesome cook. Both my grandmas were awesome cooks. I grew up eating ethnic foods that were culturally rich, braised and roasted meats.
What was your best recent food find? I had the best freaking hot dog at Dog Nuvo. Hot dogs and champagne are a great mix. The saltiness and bubbly is perfect. I thought it was delicious.
Where are you eating if you're not at your restaurant? I like going to Pot Pie. Good little joint, great concept. Los Corrals has a fried taco that is hot and greasy. I live in Independence, and I'll go to Hi-Boy when I need a burger. But I was just in Portland, Oregon, and I had a really good burger. I don't need another burger for a while.
Late night, where are you eating? Where are you drinking?
I like a Boodles gin martini with two olives. I can usually have one of those if I'm out. The last place I went out to dinner was Extra Virgin. I had good tapas there the other night, and I like a good Zin[fandel]. If I'm out at a concert, I might have a PBR and a shot of Cuervo chilled.
What's your favorite local ingredient? I love Nature's Choice grains. I love their tomatoes and Crum's [Heirlooms] potatoes. I get grits from there, too. We're very lucky in the summer, springtime and fall. I love Green Dirt Farms. I've done some cooking out there, and I've got the scar to prove it [gesturing to a small burn on her right arm].
What do you make at home? I made an awesome roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and the gravy made from the fat of the chicken, because my husband asked me to. I cook a lot of pasta and fish. I bought spaghetti squash because I never cook it a home. I cooked it up with some olive oil, kale, tomatoes and chili flakes.
One book that every chef should read? Becoming a Chef [by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page]. It gives you a perspective on what it takes. It has good information about how to go about it. You keep your mouth shut and your head down, working hard. It's a good tool for a young cook to read. The Making of a Cook [by Madeleine Kamman]. It's all about the technique. I do love the Kitchen Confidential [by Anthony Bourdain]. His rants crack me up. I'm reading Marco Pierre White's book [The Devil in the Kitchen] right now. I don't believe in all that screaming and yelling. I'd rather coach.
Who's got the best barbecue in town, and what are you ordering? LCs. I get ribs and sometimes a pulled pork sandwich. I like the fries and baked beans. I love the slaw. I like sweet and spicy. The ribs are just really good.
A chef is only as good as ... her crew. Period. She's as good as her palate, too, but that's subjective. I think it's both. You really have to be able to work with people, and you have to know seasoning and what flavor combinations work. So much of being a chef is having a good temper.
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thank you for the fun article...i get greens and produce from natures choice,simply foods and crums.i also get crums grains. we make mushroom bread pudding... what a interesting chef series.
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