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Self-taught chef Justin Baumgartner has been whipping up creative concoctions ever since he was a "latchkey kid" scrounging up grub for himself and his brother after school. After honing his craft for years at some of New York City's most inventive and popular vegetarian eateries, the raw-food guru relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, where he is now the owner and head chef of Laughing Giraffe Organics, which supplies delectable vegan snacks and sweets to farmers' markets and natural-food stores, including select Whole Foods markets in Arizona and Southern California. Specializing in organic, raw, and gluten-free dishes, Justin also holds cooking demonstrations and workshops and caters special dinners at Camus, located inside the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix.
With the motto "Food made for people by people," Justin prides himself on making each dish by hand and is always tweaking his recipes so that each batch is unique. "This is the beauty of handcrafted products," he says. "Each batch has its own unique beauty." He adds, "My goal is to make a product that actually enhances the life of the person eating it." If you live in the Phoenix area, don't waste another moment before enhancing your life with one of Justin's lovingly handcrafted delicacies!
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Chef Spotlight:
Justin Baumgartner
Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
Yes. I have two little pugs, Daizee Liu Woo and Mugzee Wang Woo. Our lives revolve around them. We actually feel like they let us live in their house. I can't imagine life without them.
How long have you been a chef?
I have been cooking for myself since I was a young boy. My mother was a baker and always in the kitchen. When I moved in with my father at age 15, he wasn't much of a domestic goddess and gave my brother and me $50 a week to go grocery shopping. I was one of the notorious latchkey kids of the '80s and was left to make my afternoon snack/dinner when I got home from school. We weren't that good at it, so I think I really started making dishes then, when food got low or we had eaten all the pizza rolls. I would just start combining what was left in the cupboard to make a meal. I had a million different uses for ramen noodles. I have been a chef professionally for about five years now.
What type of cuisine do you focus on?
I usually prepare vegetarian, vegan, and raw food, depending on the occasion. I do not prepare meat, because I don't eat it—and you can't serve something you won't taste.
Have you or has your restaurant received any awards?
I have not. I've been a supporting player up until this point. It was a really big step for me to step out into the forefront.
Do you have a specialty?
My specialty is brunch food, oddly enough. I love brunch—I love the mixture of breakfast and lunch foods. I am not a night owl and don't eat at night, so brunch has always been my favorite meal to eat and to prepare as well.
What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
I think the most important thing is to forget you're cooking "vegetarian" cuisine. You can do any dish as a vegetarian dish. I also think that having a full arsenal of spices and not being afraid to use them is a huge component to cooking in general. I love to have full, robust flavors in my dishes. Last but not least, fresh vegetables are vital. There is a tremendous variety of vegetables out there that can be prepared in numerous ways. Try new stuff—experiment!
What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
Bottom line: If you make good food, people will like it. I think that if there were one "key," it would be not to mention it's vegetarian. I think that if you don't make an issue of it, then people won't even think to classify food as "vegetarian" or not.
What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
I think plant-based cuisine will become a predominate part of the dining experience. People are waking up and realizing how hazardous it is to eat meat these days. People are becoming aware of all the hormones and antibiotics in meat, and they don't want it in their bodies. Another factor is that more chefs are creating wonderful, plant-based menus and redefining vegetable-based dishes as a whole. What used to be a bland, boring type of cuisine is now a new, vibrant, fresh type of cuisine that is bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air to the industry.
Do you have a favorite cooking method?
Yes, I love to roast food. I just love the way it cooks slow and the sugars caramelize. I also love the way flavors infuse when roasted. I have been known to roast root vegetables with loads of fresh herbs and olive oil and make anything from a side dish to bread out of them.
Where did you train to become a chef?
I have no formal training as a chef. I guess you could say I'm self-taught, but that's not necessarily true—I learned from all the chefs who gave me a chance to work in their kitchens. I learned from trial and error. Most importantly, I learned that the best way to learn is to be confident in your abilities and step up to the plate whenever the opportunity presents itself. Even if you're not 100 percent sure you can pull it off, you'll find a way to make it work. I did the bulk of my learning in New York's vegetarian/vegan/raw food scene. After a short stint doing pastry service at Garry Robbins' Biltmore Room, I worked at Counter on the Lower East Side, where I had the opportunity to learn a few things from chef Chad Sarno. I then was offered my own kitchen in a small vegetarian restaurant in Brooklyn called Satchmo's. I then got the opportunity to work for Matthew Kenny and manage his 4,000-square-foot raw food commissary kitchen at The Plant in DUMBO. It was there that I really learned the bulk of my raw food knowledge.
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
I love to work with fresh vegetables, especially root vegetables. I really enjoy using fresh vegetables for things you wouldn't normally use them for.
In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
I think the biggest mistake is made by people who are not very knowledgeable about how to use food in a variety of ways and are programmed to cook in one style—like French, for instance—and for them, vegetarian food represents bland, boring, plain food, so that is how they prepare it. They are so used to using beef stock or butter that without using those things to flavor the dish, they don't quite know how to make it exciting.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
Mexican food, hands down. I grew up eating it every day. I incorporate Mexican flavors into the food I eat every single day.
Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don't have to face?
Yes—if they push being "vegetarian" too hard. Like I said before, if you have good food, people will eat it and talk about it. Most people eat a wide range of food, and good is good, so forget about labeling your joint and just turn out the good vittles. Vegetarians will get the word out, and you won't scare off the steak-eaters in the meantime.
Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Experiment! There is no "wrong" way to cook. Whichever way results in a fantastic dish is the right way. Cultivate your own style and be bold with it. You will never be able to please everyone, but if you can please yourself, then other people will follow suit. I very rarely create a dish that I really think is off the hook that is not well received. Trust your instincts, and don't be discouraged if not everyone likes your dish.
What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
First and foremost, you need a full and diverse spice rack. You can never have too many different spices on hand. Second, I think it really helps to have a supply of homemade vegetable stock in the fridge at all times. This can be used for soups, sauces, deglazing a pan—all sorts of stuff. I also think a diverse supply of beans and grains is important. Grains like quinoa and amaranth can add a whole other dimension to a dish. There are so many types of beans and so many uses for them that it's always a good idea to have different kinds around to experiment with.
Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
I am a little ashamed to admit it, but I really like a lot of the processed vegan "junk" food that is out there, like Soyrizo and Tofurky. I don't know why, but I just love stuff like that. I don't really eat it all that much, but I really enjoy it when I do. At the end of the day, all that stuff is really processed and isn't the best thing to be putting in your body, but boy, does it taste good. I really love Soyrizo in my chilaquiles for brunch!
Have you had any noteworthy comments from or experiences with diners?
Every comment is noteworthy. Customer feedback, good or bad, is invaluable. It really brightens up my day when customers take the time to e-mail or call and tell me something good after the fact—they've gone home, and then they've taken the time out of their day to let me know they enjoyed the food I served them. I also really enjoy watching people take the first bite. You really know whether it's good or not by the look on their face. Sometimes people fib, but that first look never lies.
Give some specialty tips for how best to prepare tofu.
Tofu is a great product that has so many possibilities. What I love about tofu is that it is like a sponge and absorbs all the delicious flavors. My tip for preparing tofu is the following:
- Get a medium-size deep baking dish and line the bottom with stuff like sliced garlic, onions, jalapeņos, fresh herbs, lemongrass—anything you want. Use all your favorite flavors.
- Slice extra-firm tofu into 1/2-inch-thick pieces and put them on top of all the good stuff that you lined the bottom with. It's OK to layer the tofu—all the pieces don't have to be in direct contact with the bottom, but it's even better if they are.
- Cover the tofu with your choice of liquids (e.g., your favorite sauce or vegetable stock). Don't be afraid to experiment and mix flavors—that's the fun of this dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 400°F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the dish from the oven, remove the foil, and let the tofu cool in the liquid. As it does, it'll shrink up, sucking up all the flavors like a sponge. If you can place the hot dish in the fridge with the foil off, you'll get even better results.
- After the tofu has cooled, remove it from the liquid and eat it just like that, or you can bake it in the oven at 300°F on a cookie sheet to make it a little crispy.
Marinated Kalamata Olives
Scalloped Parsnip Baja Tacos
Sweet Herbed Roasted Root Vegetables
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Chef: Scot Jones
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