Chef Todd Schulte is constantly thinking about new sandwiches to feature on the menu at Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout and the Genessee Royale Bistro -- the two restaurants he owns and manages with his wife, Tracy Zinn. Fat City had a chance to discover more about his favorite foods -- the things he eats to pass the time between sandwiches.
Yesterday, the Baltimore-born chef talked about the origins of Happy Gillis and how he came to live and cook in Kansas City. Tomorrow, Schulte will detail the recipe for the perfect sandwich.
What are your culinary inspirations? I was trained in classic French technique. So even if I wanted to open a Mexican restaurant, I would rely on French technique. What I try to do is stick with stuff that's pretty recognizable and maybe introduce new things here or there. I really stick with the classics. We don't have a French restaurant, but all our sauces and stocks are made in that style. I guess my inspiration is classic stuff; molecular-gastronomy-type stuff is just past me.
What was your best recent food find? Tacos al pastor at El Camino Real. Besides the fact that they're delicious, they've got this little tortilla press. I loved it so much that I found one on eBay and bought it. It sits on my desk in the office above [Happy] Gillis. It's just waiting to be used when we open up Happy Gringo. That's when I'll finally get to use my flour tortilla maker.
What's your favorite local ingredient? I've been really happy with Boulevard beer. I love the Smokestack series and their small bottles. Lately, I've been on a nice little Pale Ale jag. I had a fantastic tour there a few weeks ago. They took us down into the bowels of the place, and we were drinking stuff that was in big old vats. It hadn't been bottle-conditioned, or yeast wasn't even added yet. It was fascinating to try different stages of different beers along the way.
I also love the tomatoes that my farmer gets me. Growing up on the East Coast, I certainly thought the best tomatoes came from the eastern shore of Maryland. There is something about the soil in the tri-state area that people in New Jersey swear by. I didn't think anybody could have tomatoes like that. But then I got Crum's and Organic Way.
What's one food you hate? I've been trying to find something to do with eggplant. I can't get it. I deep-fry it, roast it, grill it, marinate It. I remember I was in Italy and I had literally run out of money early in the trip. But I could scrape enough together each day to go to a little place with sandwiches -- I guess they would call them paninis. It was a cafe that was very popular with American students. And they would make this sandwich with cheese from Switzerland -- it had holes but it wasn't Swiss cheese -- wilted spinach, and mayo at room temperature that they would pull off a shelf. Then they'd pull this eggplant from a jar. It was thinly sliced with garlic, chiles, herbs and olive oil. It was this beautiful, stinky, sliced eggplant. I used to eat that sandwich every day and I can' t find eggplant that tastes like that anywhere. I can't make eggplant taste as good as it did then -- being in Italy probably had nothing to do with it. As for my least favorite, I'm not big on organ meats. I was lucky to do the tasting menu at Daniel, and when they asked if there was anything that I'd like them to steer away from, I told them, "foie gras."
What's one food you love? Sandwiches. I love sandwiches. All kinds, too. I never really completely subscribed to the open-faced sandwich. I guess because it's not a sandwich. I really wish I had more time to devote to sandwiches. That probably sounds stupid from a guy who has a sandwich shop. But I know my wife [Tracy] would say sandwiches, if they asked for my favorite food on the Newlywed Game.
What's never in your kitchen? Usually me cooking. I'm never in the kitchen cooking. Well, that and organ meats.
What's always in your kitchen? Some sort of cheese. I love all kinds. Eggs. Beer. Because we don't cook a lot at home, we do find ourselves eating out a lot. When we do decide to cook at home, it's always very fresh. Probably one of my favorite things at home is a can of olive oil. We have friends who live in Tuscany who brought it to us. They buy it right before they leave. They walk down the street, and it's freshly pressed. The olive oil is cloudy and fluorescent-green. It looks like something from Chernobyl. It's so fruity and peppery and acidic. And you have to use it once you break that seal because it's oxidizing. You want to ration it, because you know you're not going to get another one until next year, but you can't.
Where do you like to eat out, if you're not at your restaurant? We go to Bluestem a lot. They have a great Sunday brunch. The past few times, I've spent a little more time in the lounge. They had a chili there on Valentine's Day that was fabulous. We go to Room 39 for breakfast. Nate at Cafe Europa does a nice job. I've never forgiven him for taking the fried clams off the menu. I like to see James at Blue Grotto; they usually have a few fun things tucked away. We go to Lawrence and 715; the folks there are really nice.
What would you like to see more of in Kansas City from a culinary standpoint? I would love to see more ethnic restaurants that are done well. I'd like to see a really good Indian restaurant. I love Swagat but I only go there when I'm going to the aiport or coming home from the airport. I'd like to see some more casual eateries that are more authentic. I'd love to find a really killer authentic little Italian place with little bites. More casual French restaurants. I think they're doing a nice little job at the Westport Cafe. I love Le Fou Frog, but it's more of a sit-down dining place. I just want more places where I can have a couple beers, a couple little snacks or a nice little plate of pasta.
What would you like to see less of in Kansas City from a culinary standpoint? People doing stuff without any theory behind it. Maybe more theory and less chains. I'm not against chains. I have a wonderful friend that manages the M&S Grill. They have a great happy hour. I don't think the chains are beating up the independents. If you're a good independent, people will come.
If you could steal a recipe off any menu in town? I want the chicken and cabbage salad from Sung Son. I get it every single time. It's crispy, refreshing and sweet. It's salty and savory and crunchy. I could eat it in the winter and the summer.
One book that every chef should read? It used to be called Culinary Artistry [by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page]. They released an expanded edition. Becoming a Chef is a fabulous book that had a lasting impression on me. Maybe The Flavor Bible. They take an ingredient like chicken and then look at different preparations and seasons. And then there's a list of all these ingredients that go with it. I look at it every time I sit down to write a menu. I've gone through several copies. Let's say you start with chicken, and it says pistachios go with chicken. So then I look up pistachios and see basil. And suddenly, I've got an idea for a roasted-chicken dish. I bounce back and forth and cross-reference. It's such a cool tool. I don't know if everybody uses it that way, but I love it. .
Who's got the best barbecue in town, and what are you ordering? I like Oklahoma Joe's, but I never get there enough. I usually eat something pork and I love sides, any mayonnaise-based side I can get my hands on. I eat cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad. I'm a potato-salad whore. I'm the guy at the block party that if there are 12 different kinds of potato salad, I'm trying them all.
A chef is only as good as ... the people he works with. I'd be lost without the people I work with. For me to say the ingredients or the equipment, sure there's truth in that. But it's not a one-man show. It's the people we are surrounded by.
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