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Candle 79 takes the delicious, wholesome goodness of Candle Café
and adds sophistication and artistry to the menu, thanks to its talented
chef, Jonathan Grumbles.
Candle 79
154 E. 79th St., near Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10021
212-537-7179
http://www.candlecafe.com
Hours:
Monday–Saturday
Noon-3:30 p.m. and 5:30-10:30 p.m.. |
Chef Spotlight: Jonathan Grumbles
Restaurant: Candle 79
Chef: Jonathan Grumbles
Position: Head Chef
Age: 32
Q. How long have you been a chef?
A. I've been a head chef for 5-plus years.
Q. Do you have animal companions?
A. Three-two dogs, Irving and Sadie, and one cat, Kiko.
Q. What type of cuisine does your restaurant focus on?
A. Seasonal, organic vegan cuisine with international flavors.
Q. Do you have a personal specialty?
A. Implementing local ingredients in as many ways as is possible.
Q. What is the most popular dish at your restaurant?
A. Any crusted seitan dish we do goes over extremely well.
Q. What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
A. Great ingredients, respect for the food and a passion for whatever
it is you are cooking.
Q. What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
A. To make the food delicious. If you make a dish with the freshest
ingredients aesthetically and texturally pleasing, how can someone not like
it? We get compliments all the time at the restaurant by people who are
so surprised that vegan food could be so good, but I always believe if you
follow the aforementioned guidelines, it’s a sure thing.
Q. What, in your opinion, is in store for the future of plant-based cuisine?
A. I believe it will continue to grow in popularity and evolve culinarily.
At the same time that these ridiculous high-protein diets are soaring in
popularity, so is a conscious plant-based diet. The trend diets will be
just that, especially with the growing concern over mad cow and other food
safety issues, as well as health concerns regarding rampant obesity, heart
disease, and a myriad of other ills that come with the typical meat-based
diet. I think chefs and the public are becoming more aware of the amazing
potential of plant-based cuisines, and many of the top “mainstream”
restaurants in this country are offering amazing plant-based options.
Q. What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
A. It depends on the season, but wild mushrooms, chiles, corn, tomatoes,
all greens, and winter squashes are definitely up there.
Q. In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
A. A lot of times tempeh and tofu dishes are butchered because people
don’t properly marinate them.
Q. Fun question of the day: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
A. Either Mexican or Japanese.
Q. Do vegetarian restaurants have any special obstacles that they face versus meat-based restaurants?
A. Sure, we automatically have 90-plus percent of potential customers
doubting us. It also requires more thought in preparing when you don’t
just start with an animal-based protein as the focal point of your menu
item.
Q. Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
A. Buy the best-quality, local, and organic ingredients that you can,
and be adventurous.
Q. What are some food ingredients you recommend that vegetarians and
vegans should have in their kitchen for cooking?
A. Olive and one other good-quality oil, good-quality soy sauce, dry chiles,
fresh garlic, a nice selection of whole spices, rice, beans, and as much
fresh produce as you will eat.
Q. Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are
particularly fond of?
A. I definitely have a weakness for Soy Delicious. Desserts in general have
greatly improved over the last few years.
Q. How do you best prepare tempeh?
A. The key to preparing tempeh is to bake it in its marinade, which has
to include some type of soy sauce, for at least 45 minutes. It then takes
particularly well to coating with cornmeal and seasonings of your choice
and pan-frying.
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Chef: Scot Jones
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