Foss Family Food Trucks: The Meatyballs Mobile
Photo by one of the first customers and fish monger extraordinaire, Carl Galvan
I am feeling as raw as steak tartare before being dressed… like a piece of toro falling off the blade of a Masahiro… like carpaccio awaiting a drizzle of good olive oil and sea salt. I’m feeling exposed as in a dream in which I’m walking down the streets naked…. like a negative that has just been shown light… like an infant entering the world.
Ideas are running through my head faster than I know what to do with them. There are several opportunities and exciting possibilities in development at the moment, but they have yet to take on enough of a shape to elaborate on with great confidence. Even the name of the net company all of these ventures will fall under is still too abstract to announce. Soon enough it will take on more of a shape, but my first business model cannot wait for that to be presentable.
What I can say, is that I am making the best effort to launch something as quickly as possible without bringing in outside investors. This is where a lot of the rawness comes in. I feel incredibly exposed and determined to not only bring in a positive cash flow in an unreasonably short period of time for a start up, but to continue providing for my family with the additional burden of paying for health care thrown on top of the mix. There are times that I have questioned myself, and there have been times I’ve desired the comfort of preparing refined cuisine in my old stomping grounds. For now I am the prep cook, line cook, head chef, gopher, accountant, PR agent, driver, and even pot washer of this venture. This aside, I am now on the field playing and not on the sideline watching the action. Hopefully this will be my time to shine, but I’d be lying to say I wasn’t frightened with all that’s at stake.
In a recent conversation I had with great friend, I came to the simple conclusion that my mind really needs to be focused on one thing first: Getting my food into the bellies of as many people as I can, and doing it in a fast enough manner that it may cause them indigestion (in the abstract sense). Along the way, I came close to signing up for a large scale pop up, but didn’t bite on it as I was unwilling to take the time commitment and financial burden without great confidence that it would be worth while. It was tough putting down my ego, but the chance will still be there down the line should I get my feet under me. There just is very little room for error in my world right now. In the meantime, another smaller and more casual attempt is almost a done deal.
The right answers in regards to a quick solution came quickly enough, and not surprisingly, through more friends. One put me in touch with someone looking to move a commissary kitchen, and the second knew of someone who had a fully licensed catering truck they were willing to rent. With these pieces making it capable to launch a mobile vending business quickly and legally, I bit the bait, and was out on the streets of Chicago on Saturday night. The menu for the evening consisted of a chicken curry, pork shoulder in a cola-bourbon bbq sauce, and meatballs in tomato sauce with mozzarella. Going forward from this week, I am going to simplify and focus the concept.
One of my favorite Brazilian songs is called Samba de Uma Nota (One Note Samba) by Tom Jobim. In translation, the lyrics refer to how a song is built upon a single note, how every note that follows comes as a result of the one before, but how they all are still rooted in that first note. Even though the song and melody may stray, all that has to be done for it to come back together is to go back to the original note. That is how the concept for this first food truck became ‘Meatyballs’.
About a year ago, my wife and I made meatballs at home. It posed a challenge in a kosher home, since you are not allowed to combine meat and dairy, and every good meatball I have ever made or eaten uses milk to help achieve the proper texture. To get around this, I substituted Coca-Cola and the results were fantastic. We began speaking of how great it would be to open a fast food meatball shop (this was before there were any anywhere), and I threw out the name of Meatyballs. Kenni thought it the perfect name, and I began building a business plan and brought on a realtor to help search out locations. A couple of them fit the bill, but each had a pitfall that prevented me from pulling the trigger.
The plan was still in motion when I was suspended from the hotel last December, and I realized I may need to get something up faster than I thought. The food truck concept took hold. I contacted a well respected journalist to cover the story of a fine dining chef leaving his gig to open a food truck, found out Chicago doesn’t allow for food trucks, started cold calling aldermen, and the rest of the story has been pretty well chronicled. It is now nine months later, and depending on how things turn out, I’m either coincidentally or ironically in the same position again of needing to get a business up on the fly. Only this time it is not a false alarm.
Like everything about my new venture, it will remain fluid. What you see one day may not be reflective of what is there tomorrow. What our moods are and what we learn from the people and experiences on the street will have as much bearing on what will come tomorrow as anything. So stay tuned and follow @FossFoodTrucks and me on Twitter to get real time updates on when and where we will be out on the town.
Hope to feed you soon.
F.U. Public Relations Company
Not sure what you were thinking it stood for, but the F.U. stands for ‘Foss Unlimited’. And as in Hair Club for Men, I am going to be the president of this start-up company and also a client.
Over the period of the last three years since I started my last position, it amazed me how much money was spent on our public relations company in compared to what came in as a result of their efforts. It is impossible to quantify, but in a day and age where there is so much that can be done by oneself, the exorbitant fees they demand seems to me akin to tossing money into the fire.
If you look at my media placements – especially this year – you will notice that almost all of them were a direct result of my own ideas, pro-activism, and posting on The Pickled Tongue. In my humble opinion, the anecdotes, movements, events, controversies, cuisine, and writing on this blog have brought ten times more business, one hundred times more attention, and one thousand times more of a value than any public relations company is capable of. Especially since it was designed and funded out of my own pocket.
Although any chef and restaurant can (and many do) keep a blog, few are able to provide content on it that is more pertinent than a website. Or they won’t post with any kind of frequency that gives readers a reason to keep checking in. Look around at other chef blogs and you will see little more than cuisine, or postings on a very irregular basis. In a day and age where so many of the popular chef blogs feature progressive, modern, molecular, or whateverthefuckyouwanttocallit cuisine, for there to be an interest in those few chef blogs of those who do not fit into that category, there better be something unique beyond visits to farms, beyond photos of food (which usually pale in comparison to the modern movement blogs), and beyond the latest event you’re trying to promote. There are some exceptions to the rule to be sure, but for the most part, I am one of the few anywhere that strips down the mystery that chefs veil themselves in. I am not going to say that I’d be unknown if it weren’t for the blog, but I would be much, much less in the public eye than I am today.
The greatest asset that chefs and restaurateurs have in terms of public relations, is that our trade is one that is fascinating and entertaining to the general public. Don’t believe me? Look at Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, or any one of the many other chef driven shows on TV. By putting some of my best and worst out there for all to see, it has not only helped to build strong relationships with many journalists, it cuts through the multitudes of ridiculous press releases they receive on a daily basis.
Don’t have time for this? That’s nonsense. I ran a three meal a day, 365 day a year restaurant, two busy bars, and room service for a 1700+ room hotel while maintaining a AAA four diamond dining room. I never had two sous chefs, and for over six months I did so without a single one. Less I fail to mention it, this was all done in a union environment. So please don’t tell me that your busy single (or even double) service restaurant keeps you too busy to do the same. I realize for waht it’s worth that I have been blessed with the skills to be able to siphon my words through a keyboard and onto your screen in a fashion that not only shows what my cuisine is about, it also expresses how I feel and who I am in a way that people can get it. In a day and internet age where there are more food writers out there looking for ways to make ends meet in an overly saturated environment, I believe it makes much more economical sense to hire someone to do some ghost writing than to pay a PR company that has more clients than they know what to do with. On that note, if my PR company is representing ten restaurants, how are they possibly able to promote one properly? Won’t they have to play favorites at some point despite the fact that their crappiest restaurant is paying them the same money as their best?
There are some out there in the business that ‘get it’. Ellen Malloy of Restaurant Intelligence Agency is one of them. It should be noted that she originally broke off from a large firm because she felt it was not providing a fair service to her clients. Her prices are much more reasonable than most, and she is in the process of putting together an ambitious online service that could revolutionize the business. To be sure as well, there were several representatives from other PR companies that also ‘get it’. The bottom line to me though is this: Journalists are inundated with press release after press release, and I would guess that aside from new openings and major changes to restaurants, the vast majority of them are a waste of time for them to read. What you need to take matters into your own hands, are the contacts of these journalists for these rare times, and start a blog that is pertinent, entertaining and revealing of who you are and what you’re about. And post at least once a week. They’ll sign up for the RSS feed for it and get the smaller stuff as they see fit, if at all. Just a guess, but I think most of the journalists are grown ups who may actually like being assertive and finding their information on their own instead of being spoon fed. It has amazed me how many of the major media hits I’ve received presumably come from nothing more than a Google search on a topic or ingredient I have covered.
I don’t mean to burn any bridges, but realize this may be inevitable. This is a very small city and a smaller community, and I may very well may wind up in the position that I need to once again work with a large PR company, if not the same one. Hell, for all I know by the time this is all said and done, I may need a PR company to represent my PR company. The bottom line is this: My wife, daughters, and I have our backs flat against the wall right now, and the potential fallout from this post is a risk I’m willing to take. Besides, there is a much larger bridge I’ve crossed that will probably stay in tact.
If anybody is interested in a ghost writer, looking for consultation, or simply for more information on this topic, please contact Phillip Foss of F.U. Public Relations Company at 312-315-6127 or by email at thepickledtongue@gmail.com.
Memoir Excerpt – New York, 1996
Baby having a baby, and two-thirds of the kitchen team.
If there is such thing as a generic way to go about living life, the road I have traveled has in no way, shape, or form been the over the counter variety. Little has come to me by script, and whatever will be next in my career fits perfectly into this shapeless mold. What follows is an excerpt of the story I am nearing completion of, and I am looking for an agent to represent this effort. If you know of one, please leave a comment or email me at thepickledtongue@gmail.com. Below is a small representation:
It was the beginning of 1996, and I was at the ripe age of twenty-five. I had been married a little over three years and I was working on my second anniversary with Le Cirque. The big news of my wife’s pregnancy hit me like a brick wall. I recall we weren’t taking precautions and I think I found the idea of being a daddy romantic. After all, why get married if you didn’t want to have kids?! My methods of reasoning were not very well thought out, but since I was already a married man at twenty-two, at least I was consistent if nothing else. With the prospect of fatherhood on the forefront, I could no longer manage as the sole bread winner on the meager salary of a saucier.
When relaying the 411 to good friend and Le Cirque pastry chef extraordinaire, Jacques Torres, he told me he knew of a place in the Village that was looking for a chef. The name of the restaurant was Chez Jacqueline. It was a quaint little bistro with a pretty solid following. They doubled my Le Cirque salary, and were very excited to see what I could bring to the table. Unfortunately, I was in over my head from day one. My number one cook could handle the responsibilities and do whatever he was told, but this didn’t involve much more than holding up the walls. I remember him once bragging about fucking chickens and sheep in his native Dominican Republic. Although I am gullible, there was sincerity in his boasting that never really sat well with me. My number two cook - who was still there on my last visit in 2009 – missed work with no notice on two separate occasions for getting drunk and then thrown in jail. The final cook spoke no English at all, and was so old then that he’s probably dead now.
There were some good things going on to be sure: Their technique for soup de poisson (Provençal fish soup) stays with me to this day. Other highlights when I arrived were the couscous special we’d run every Tuesday night, and the grilled calamari was also nice when properly prepared. Consistency was always the biggest issue during my short stint. Being used to the high output ovens, French flat tops and burners of Le Cirque, I was ill prepared for the beaten up kitchen equipment that we had to work with on this tiny line.
To make matters worse, New York was about to go through one of the worst winters it had seen in quite a while. I was about three months into the job, Sylvia was struggling big time in the first trimester of her pregnancy, and I would be gone from the early morning until the late evening.
It was in the middle of this winter that she miscarried. I was confused to say the least, but relieved deep down. Shortly thereafter I was fired. The restaurant had seriously over extended themselves in regards to my salary – especially considering the desolate dining room in these cold and snowy winter days.
Both of these instances turned out to be blessings in disguise. Despite the ways in which the miscarriage affected the marriage, it’s hard to imagine where I’d be if I had a 15 year old child now. I can say with a great deal of confidence that my life experiences wouldn’t be half as rich as they’ve been. That’s all retrospect however. The one thing I can say in hind sight is that I was not ready to be a daddy at twenty-five.
The real blessing however was in losing the job. It was about one week or so before I got the axe, that I was visited by my friend and colleague, Lisa Schroeder. She told me that the sous chef at Le Cirque had been fired for throwing a potato at a cook. He had apparently been warned a couple of times before about similar meltdowns since I had left, but this one sent him packing. So the day after I was fired from Chez Jacqueline, I decided to just pop my head into the restaurant to say hello.
When Sottha saw me, he shook my hand and immediately brought me into his office. It was common knowledge by then that the original Le Cirque on 65th street would be closing its doors forever in June, and was slated to move into the Helmsley Palace on 52nd street. The restaurant would be known as Le Cirque 2000 (even though the turn of the millennium was several years away).
Sottha offered me the vacancy. He once again asked me to go home and think about it overnight, but of course there was nothing to think about. Aside from the good salary, it allowed me to simply wipe the disaster at Chez Jacqueline clean off of my resume, and replace is with sous chef of Le Cirque. In the end, it was all good fortune. If Sylvia hadn’t become pregnant, I wouldn’t have quit in the first place. Had I not quit in the first place, it could be said the sous chef wouldn’t have had so many meltdowns in such a short period of time. Had that not happened, I never would have had the opportunity to reach the level of sous chef or invited to remain with Le Cirque in the move.
Even more so, if the baby had gone to full term – and I do say this with a sincere degree of reservation – there is no way I would be sitting here writing my story since it’s goddamn likely it wouldn’t be nearly interesting enough to write or read.
Food for Thought
So strange. Now that my Fridays and Saturdays are essentially free, I suppose I’ll put this post out that I wrote in May before it is essentially a moot point.
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I make no qualms about being Jewish, and now actually tend more to shout it out from a mountain top. I wasn’t always like this. I used to be more subdued, bordering on hiding the fact that I am Jewish. But two years of living in the Land of Milk and Honey – and a beautiful Israeli wife I brought back to the States with me – have had a big impact on my Jewish pride. I also happen to be at that age where many reconnect with their religion, but I don’t think I’m falling into that category. The truth of the matter, is that even though my wife and I keep a kosher home, I believe strongly that I was put on Earth to be a chef first, and a good Jew second. I also tend to shy away from any kind of establishment, religion included.
There is much about the two aspects of being a chef and a good Jew that collide head on in my world. For instance, the weekly holy day of rest from work known as Shabbat, lasts from sundown on Friday until sundown Saturday. These times are the busiest times in the restaurant industry, and the hours I most need to be in the kitchen. It is a sharp thorn in my side to not be able to be there with my family as they are lighting candles, doing blessings over the wine and bread, and enjoying each others company over a relaxed dinner. Traditionally, the man of the house is supposed to lead the festivities, and I feel a bizarre contradiction as I shirk from these responsibilities at the same time as I am fulfilling my responsibilities of providing for the food that is on their table. And though my wife and I knew what we were getting into when we signed the Ketubah (Jewish wedding contract), my two beautiful girls had no vote in the matter, and will have to grow up with this contradiction of a father who works on the holy day of rest and keeping a kosher home.
Which leads into the second contradiction: keeping a kosher household. I have never kept kosher before I met my wife, and I still don’t keep it outside of home. I love bacon, lobster, and cheeseburgers enough to believe that I never will. And I was sincerely disappointed when I ordered oysters while out for dinner with my wife a while back, and was told by her later that it made her sick to her stomach to even see me eat them. There is certainly something about religion that gets too close to brainwashing to me, but that’s for another topic.
So the reason this topic came into my head in the first place, was because I had a very thoughtful conversation with one of the rabbis at the synagogue my family attends. After the morning service, we were sitting over a cholent lunch, when he asked me to tell him a way that my profession as a chef correlates as a lesson back to Judaism.
I went on to explain to him that I believe there is no way to be closer to God than to be preparing the ingredients we have been blessed with. And while cooking and creating dishes, I try to look into each ingredient, see it for what it is, and listen to what it would like to be. If you can become one with the ingredient I explained, it can tell you how it wants to be prepared. Then all you have to do is treat it with care in the preparation and it can be lifted up to be more than what it was before. In short, let the ingredients shine on their own and not to be buried by other ingredients.
Hmmm… If you really consider that last sentence, and substitute ‘ingredients’ for ‘individuals’, isn’t that true of mankind in general? Don’t we all want our essence to rise up and not be buried in impertinence? How we are treated as empty vessels as children relates directly to who we become as adults, for better or worse.
I also explained to him that when I am ‘feeling the love’, I can become one with the ingredients and the results are almost always wonderful. When I do not have that focus or passion running through me however, I have learned to just stay away from creating until I feel it better. Forcing – though necessary at times – is not a good thing for my spirit, and can frequently wind up with me slamming doors, throwing pots or plates, and primal screaming like Kurt Cobain.
The reason I began writing on this subject in the first place was because I felt his response was very profound. I was ready for something to lead back to the coming of the Messiah, perhaps get a little lecture on the virtues of keeping kosher, or maybe even a stern condemnation of the fact that I would need to leave the synagogue soon, break the Shabbat, and go to work to cook for those hungry guests dining out tonight.
What I received was this short and powerful message: We are all blessed with a spirit and a body, but it is the nourishment of food that brings the two of them together. Your body is forever on the earth, but your soul is of another plane. It is from nourishment that your body can be lifted to fly, and the spirit can share in the magical pleasures of the Good Earth.
And this is the connection. Sure it can be said that other art forms – or even religion – can perform the same feats. But here is the difference with nourishment: When people are hungry there is little consideration for anything other than food. And when we are really thirsty, a glass of water can feel as euphoric as any epiphany. Every form of nourishment, from fast food to fine dining correlates to spirituality – or lack thereof – equally.
Just some food for thought from an unexpected angle.
Nunavut Char Dinner at Blackbird
It is too rare that an opportunity comes along to collaborate and cook side by side with fellow chefs. We all seem to do enough benefits and I am grateful that these offer the opportunity to get to know some colleagues, but they rarely amount to more than hellos and possibly drinks afterwards since we all are stuck in our own booths. Carl Galvan of Supreme Lobster had been trying valiantly to get a group of us together, and the unique Nunavut Arctic char offered the perfect canvas. I had featured the fish last year during its short run last year around the same time this The New York Times article ran, and had been so much looking forward to this dinner that all the mayhem that followed my departure last week wasn’t going to prevent me from being a part of this great evening hosted by Blackbird. The talent and product offered was phenomenal and notice has been served to the chefs taking place in an identical dinner planned next week at Kith and Kin next week. Book your reservations and don’t be surprised if a group of us crash it.
Chef Todd Stein
Chef Todd Stein - Char Crudo, Pickled Red Onions, Dill-Cucumber Jam, Toasted Pine Nuts
My offering - Slow Cooked, Watermelon, Cucumber, Michigan Wasabi (candied stem/charred leaves), Yuzu Pudding, Kentucky Bourbon Aged Soy
Chef Curtis Duffy plating up.
Chef Curtis Duffy - Char Confit, Red Sorrel, Anise Hyssop, Sweet Cicely, Fennel Blooms, Absinthe
Chef Brian Enyart of Topolobampo
Chef Brian Enyart - Smoked Escabeche, Chipotle, Olive Oil, Mussels, Frisee, Purslane
Chef David Posey of Blackbird
Chef Mike Sheerin of Blackbird slicing the whole roasted char.
Chefs Mike Sheerin and David Posey - Molasses Crusted Char, Sofie Miso Vinagrette, Ground Cherries, Wood Sorrel
Another vantage point - Molasses Crusted Char, Sofie Miso Vinagrette, Ground Cherries, Wood Sorrel
Chef Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia - Slow Cooked Char, Duck Gizzard Confit, Savoy Cabbage, White Beech Mushrooms, Sauce Matelote
Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy of Blackbird - White Biscotti, Melon, Cucumber, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream
Guests (and host Carl Galvan on the far right) in the Blackbird Lounge.
Sunday’s Pop Up
Bright and early in the morning at Gaztro Wagon. Photo by Curtis Duffy.
I just wanted to write quickly how wonderful it was on Sunday to cook more for the citizens in Chicago than for hotel guests.
The amount of support we’ve received has been humbling and our gratitude goes beyond those that words can express. Most of all I’d like to thank my wife Kenni for being so incredibly supportive in a time where there is so much of such immense importance up in the air. Both of us worked straight through the night on Sunday to make the pop up at Gaztro Wagon work (I ent 36 hours without sleep), and it turned out to be so emotionally rewarding that the both of us could likely have gone through another night without sleep. Also big thanks to Matt Maroni of Gaztro Wagon for lending us his space.
So here are a few photos that were posted on Twitter by Chef Curtis Duffy and Darwensi Clark – who as a side note contributes for what is by far the most entertaining restaurant review site in Chicago (if not anywhere) at Chicago Gluttons. They should really be considered in print for The Onion. I hope to see him work his magic on our pop up but am a little nervous to read what he write about Kenni 
As for what’s next, I don’t know. I have renamed the blog again (and promise the last time for a while) so as not to be labeled to close to any one concept. Stay tuned.
Some of our offerings: Homemade donuts, breakfast version of The Foss Hog, and Kenni's "Golden Brick"
Me and my Meatyballs. This and above photo taken by Darwensi Clark.
Leaps of Faith
As many are aware, I have departed my post at Lockwood Restaurant at the Palmer House Hilton.
It has been an amazing run that began on a leap of faith very similar to the one that is now in front of me, and I want to thank the hotel, the ownership, and all others for providing me with the platform, the opportunity, and the ingredients to make the venture the enormous success I believe that it was.
Over three years ago, my wife and I left Bermuda and a solid position for the States. It had been a full five years since I had worked on the mainland, my wife was six months pregnant with our first daughter, and we had neither had an income or health insurance. We celebrated our first anniversary in New York and then traveled to Israel. I returned from there to my home town of Milwaukee and had a couple of leads I had been working on – both consulting positions. That evening of my arrival, I looked on starchefs.com and saw a position for restaurant chef for a new, $10 million project the Palmer House Hilton was planning. Despite being a little skeptical about working in another hotel, I applied online and decided to follow up the application with a train ride down to Chicago the next day to follow up.
On the way down, I came to the conclusion that I would not visit any other restaurants as I had originally planned, but would get back on the train and just settle for one of the positions in Milwaukee if it didn’t pan out. To avoid hotel security, I arrived at the hotel through the front, and found the most inconspicuous looking door – which always seems to lead to the kitchen. I made my way to the chef’s office and found the Executive Sous Chef inside. I gave him my resume and we spoke briefly. He mentioned that the Executive Chef of the hotel was not responsible for hiring the chef of the restaurant and that the intention was to give the restaurant an entrepreneurial accent. This peaked my interest since I had already struggled in hotels, primarily because of the levels of command. The chef picked up the phone and said he was going to call the GM who was handling the chef hiring process. As he did, my cell phone rang and I quickly closed it not to disturb our meeting. He hung up a moment later saying the general manager couldn’t meet, but would certainly pass along the application for him to see. I thanked him, walked out of the kitchen and back into the hotel, and checked my messages. What I learned, was that while I had been in the office, the GM had tried reaching me. I naturally called him back and he asked if I was still in Bermuda. After informing him that I was actually in the lobby of the hotel, we met for two hours and put the process into motion that would be the best opportunity of my career, and one that likely saved me from a boring life of semi-obscurity in Milwaukee.
The next thing I knew, four of the above and below sixty foot pictures were posted all over Wabash and the game was officially on. I’m not going to go so far as to say that I was a “Gift for Chicago”, but Mom nearly collapsed when she saw it and good Jewish boys like me like making Mom proud. I recently inquired what became of the posters as I wanted to use them to wallpaper Talia and Noa’s room so they know that their daddy is always watching them. I have to admit that it was unnerving to learn they’re probably either incinerated or beneath the stench of tons of garbage.
In any case, Yesterday was a day that will last a long time in my memory. It started off with the collective announcement of our Pop Up Takeover of The Gaztro Wagon brick and mortar location at 5973 N. Clark that is planned for Sunday, wound its way through the city and a great deal of shopping, and then crescendoed with the announcement of my departure from Lockwood.
To be sure, it has been apparent to me for quite a while that the road I was travelling down was contradictory to that of the hotel, and I truly believe this was inevitable pretty much from the first time censorship entered the picture. It has been a long and winding road from the first time my internet personality took over the virtual Lockwood landscape, and this aspect has been as much a part of this downfall as it was part of the ascent. As a matter of fact, I have been quoted recently as saying that, “If it weren’t for my internet personality, my career would likely still be in an eggshell.” The good news, is that I will no longer need to think twice about what I write here, but that moment is anti-climatic since I have two hungry little tummies
Exact details will be forthcoming on what happened.
Speakeasy Throwback in Review – Part 2
Round two of photos of The Speakeasy Throwback. Photos by Lorenzo Tassone.
Slurping down the oyster offering of the great Dave Carrier.
Adam Seger of Hum Botanical Spirits
David Posey of Blackbird
Chef Todd Stein
Chef Frank Brunacci of Sixteen
Chef Patrick Sheerin of the Signature Room
Chef Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat
Kenni and I with great friends Avner Avidov and Shelly Kleinmann
Koren Grieveson speaking with David Carrier and David Posey.
Patrick Sheerin and Rodrick Markus
Ryan Poli of Perennial
At the podium with wife Kenni. Photo by Anthony Tahlier
With the entire crew. Shawn Koch is on the left of the bathtub.
Pop Up 1
After a successful and very draining 24 hours that had myself not only developing very rudimentary signage and business cards for our grassroots proprietary venture, my lovely wife Kenni and I just prepared and served about 700 portions of our newly named Puffy Pan Bread at Share Our Strenth’s, Taste of the Nation. My eyes right now are being held open with toothpicks and I believe that is going to be a common theme over the next couple of days as I am elated to announce we will be “popping up” in the brick and mortar restaurant of Matt Maroni’s Gaztro Wagon venture (NOT on his food truck).
For those unfamiliar, pop up restaurants is a movement that has been gaining a great deal of speed recently, mostly on the shoulders of Chef Ludo Lefebvre. I met him briefly during my guest blogging assignment for the food truck wing of the NRA Show in May, and saw that his pioneering ways was recently written up in The New York Times.
In any case, Matt asked this week if I had any interest in doing this. I immediately thought it a great idea and planned on giving it a go next week Sunday the 22nd. Considering how the world turns and circumstances unfold however, Kenni and I decided to make a go of it this week.
So here’s the deal:
- Our newly formed Foss Family Food Trucks will be taking over The Gaztro Wagon Restaurant (when the restaurant is normally closed) on Sunday, August 15th at 5973 North Clark Street and make it our own.
- During this time we will be market testing several of our food truck concepts in a live setting for the general public.
- We will open at 8am and serve homemade donuts until we close or sell out (the latter is much more likely).
- From 10am – 2pm we will be serving a brunch that will feature both a Golden Brick and Puffy Pan Bread concept.
- From 2pm until 8pm we will be serving a variation from our Meatyballs Mobile food truck concept.
- Though subject to change (there is a HELL of a lot of shopping to do), you can download the menu here.
I hope you can come out to experience what I hope will be the first of many such endeavors!
The Speakeasy Throwback in Review – Round One
Apologies for the delay in getting this posted, but it has been a most unusual week since the event. Anyhow…
Of all the environmental, political, and social causes I have been involved in this year, this was an extrememly special evening not only for how it turned out, but more so for those it helped. Over the past few months, the Koch family have gone from strangers to friends, and it was a distinct honor that goes beyond words to be able to bring this benefit into being. So many facets of the evening were born out of my 40th birthday party, so big thanks to John Kinder of Death’s Door Spirits and Adam Seger of Hum Botanical Spirit for conceiving this summit of local distilleries. Also a big thank you to Katie Koch (Shawn’s wife) and their team of friends and family for taking a great deal of the load off of my shoulders in the preparations. Most of all, thanks to my wife Kenni Foss and my children Talia and Noa for the incredible love and for not being selfish with me.
Huge thanks to all of the chefs and participants in the Speakeasy Throwback for donating their time, services, and talent. These include:
- Koren Grieveson – Avec
- Frank Brunacci – Sixteen
- Mike Sheerin – Blackbird
- John Des Rosiers – Inovasi
- Dave Carrier – Kith and Kin
- Andrew Zimmerman - Sepia
- Stephanie Izard – Girl and the Goat
- Brendan Sodikoff – Gilt Bar
- Ryan Poli – Perennial
- Jerome Landrieu – Callebaut Chocolate Academy
- Paul Fehribach – Big Jones
- Todd Stein – Cibo Matto
- Patrick Sheerin – The Signature Room
- Koval Distillery
- Death’s Door Spirits
- Hum Botanical Spirit
- Rare Tea Cellar
- North Shore Distillery
- Templeton Rye
- La Colombe Coffee
Additionally, I would like to thank the Palmer House for hosting the event, and to those who donated items to the silent auction. Finally, thank you to ALL who came out or donated in support of the evening.
After expenses, the evening raised almost $12,000 for the Shawn Koch Foundation to help pay for their exorbitant medical bills.
I truly hope all who participated and all in attendance had as great time as I did, and if the smiles in all the pictures are any indication I believe all did!
Below photos taken by Anthony Tahlier. More pictures will be forthcoming!
Peter Vestinos mixing the bathtub of booze.
Throwing back before The Throwback.
Cooling the bathtub of booze with liquid nitrogen.
Master of the blaster, Adam Seger.
In the tub and on the floor.
Explaining the concept.
Opening remarks.
Pondering the silent auction.
Mrs. Foss sampling the bathtub brew.
A Sleepless Dream
There is so much running through my mind this evening that sleep is elusive. I fell asleep on the couch at around 1:30am only to be woken by my one year old daughter Noa’s deep cough at 3:30am. Since then my mind has been wandering over the new venture I was dumb/bold enough to advertise on the blog.
So we need to prepare close to 1000 portions of Puffy Pan Bread for the Share Our Strength – Taste of the Nation on Thursday evening and I’m not even sure where we will be mixing the dough, buying the ingredients, preparing it, or even how much it will cost. Of course the cost of the babysitter needs to be taken into account as well, but she doesn’t care whether we’re doing our work for a charity or not and I don’t think the IRS considers her a business expense.
Beyond Thursday, this is a scary time:
- Where will the financing come for the project that is ahead? The start up costs are low in comparison to other projects, but under capitalization is the biggest pitfall in any start-up. Somebody will come to the plate.
- We’ve started to look for a step van online, but then the conversion process needs to happen. For our concept that should be relatively simple, but there are still a lot of aspects to that which is brand new for us. We will need a commissary kitchen, hiring, payroll, marketing, refrigeration, hot boxes, water tanks, a generator, hand sinks, licenses, logos, detailing, and plenty more that will unveil itself in this process.
- How are we going to balance this? Half of this family still has a day job that requires a great deal of attention and energy (our kids), and the other half is the lone chef of a very busy restaurant/hotel operation.
The best thing we have going for us right now is Matt Maroni – who as most know is the real driving force behind the food truck movement as I posted here. Although I had the good timing to make a splash on the scene before anybody else, there is no chance that the proposed legislation would be sitting in front of city council right now were it not for Matt’s due diligence. As he is already in his truck and on the street, he will be a great resource and I believe is planning on consulting food truck start-ups as a side business.
I am a determined individual and where there is a will there is a way. The Taste of the Nation on Thursday will happen and will be a great time. The rest is going to require a great deal of planning, foresight, time, patience, and resolve. Unfortunately, more sleepless nights are sure to be waiting and should be included in the start-up costs. I think I’m going to watch Sportscenter.
Foss Family Food Trucks – Puffy Pan Bread
Kenni Foss - Hotter than puffy bread right out of the pan!
The focus of this blog is going to be veering from most things culinary to a conglomerate effort that will chronicle the development of my wife Kenni’s first -and hopefully ensuing – food trucks. Though I guess that’s still culinary, to reflect this movement, the name of the blog has been changed to “The Pickled Tongue & Puffy Pan Bread Chronicles”. The name of the net company will be Foss Family Food Trucks and check out our twitter feed
Hopefully the time that follows will take readers down the trials and rewards that come with opening a food truck, and help to bring attention to the fight to allow for live cooking on our city’s streets. On that note, the food truck ordinance is sitting on the desks of alderman across the city and it is expected to be debated at the next joint session in September.
In origin, Puffy Pan Bread is the traditional Tunisian street food sandwich called Fricassee. The sandwich took on the name of fricassee from the heavy French influence in Tunisia, and the word is translated from French as ‘separated and fried’… which the dough is. Considering that fricassee in cuisine has come to mean a wide array of preparations, we felt it best to separate itself from its original name. As such, Puffy Pan Bread is the name we’ve given to the delicious sandwich dough my wife Kenni (Israeli native with Tunisian background) is famous for in our tight knit circles.
So what exactly is it?
It is a baguette like dough that is fried in a pan, sliced, and then filled with numerous fillings. We will be diversifying this when we hit the road, but at home they consist of:
- Slow Simmered Tuna in olive oil
- Tahini
- Hummus
- Boiled Eggs
- Marmomah (tomato fondue)
- Grilled Eggplant with mayonnaise
- Fried Eggplant
- Onions and Mushrooms
- Olives
- Israeli Salad (tomatoes and cucumbers)
- Schug (spicy paste)
Though I will be involved in business development, this will be Kenni’s enterprise and we are hopeful that we will get the business off of the ground in the coming months. Where it will go from there is anybody’s guess.
For those of you who have not yet had a chance to try the bread, we will be featuring it next week at the Share Our Strength – Taste of the Nation. Tickets for the great cause are available at the above link.
Kenni and I will be there representing our new business model and hope to see you there!
Tunisian fricassee (a/k/a Puffy Pan Bread) on the Foss table.
Flash Seared Scottish Salmon – Watermelon, Cucumber, Wasabi (Charred Leaves, Candied Stems, Pickled Root), Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Aged Soy
The amazing soy sauce and fresh wasabi is available from Rod Markus of Rare Tea Cellar – 773-561-3000.
Props to Andrew Brochu of Kith and Kin on the charred leaves idea.
Graham Elliot vs. Chicago Magazine
Since deciding it best to leave creative writing off of the Pickled Tongue for reasons I’m not going to get into, I decided to start writing ‘memoir style’. In about the last 2 months, I am 56 document pages and 36,000 words into the process and am only in Brazil in 2002. I’m not sure if it is a good read since I haven’t looked back on it yet, but if anybody knows/is a publisher or agent, please contact me by email at thepickledtongue@gmail.com as I would like to know if there is anything there.
In any case, I am going to break this moratorium as dawn is breaking on a Saturday morning, and I have been considering the fiasco between Graham Elliot Bowles, Chicago Magazine, and John Des Rosiers. These are my thoughts:
Most locally know the story. Graham Elliot held a premier party to introduce friends and journalist to what was going to be offered at Lolapalooza; the first chef driven, major rock concert event – not only in Chicago – but maybe anywhere. He brought together many of the participants to show off their offerings, build momentum, and celebrate Chicago. It certainly appeared to be a laid back and fun time with Perry Farrel in attendance.
Members of the media were invited to bring coverage to the food offerings of the festival, and all of the participants in attendance offered small samplings of their product. When the media is invited to these ‘buzz building’ events, it is normally to just get a blurb in their publications and for networking. These were the results from the gathering that nearly caused a riot over the weekend:
- A mini review with stars was posted by Cassie Walker and appeared on the Chicago Magazine blog.
- Graham Elliot lambasted the post on Twitter, and still had about 138 characters to spare.
- John Des Rosier then took GEB to task in this blog post.
After mulling over the thoughts of my good friend and Inovasi chef/owner John Des Rosier – and though there was a light hearted feel to Ms. Walker’s writing – I have come to understand how and why it is that Chef Bowles felt the way that he did.
I traveled back in time to the hard hat, introductory party we held for Lockwood before we opened to the general public. We offered small, bite sized samples to members of the media to pique interest and increase the buzz for the undertaking. Though there was major stress and pressure on us to deliver, the evening itself was fun and laid back. This said, if anybody would have thought to give detailed opinions about each of the offerings and write about them, I would have had some serious issues with it. Hell, I took offense to a legitimate review right after we were open and publicly took that critic to task, but I’m not going to re-open that now. Although I don’t think it needed to get as personal as it was taken later in the ensuing argument between Graham Elliot and Chicago Magazine, I believe his calling them out for the post was absolutely in the right.
When you receive an invitation to a dinner or a party in someone’s home (really what these buzz building parties are about), isn’t there an unspoken protocol that states that you shouldn’t openly criticize the clothes, taste, and food of the hosts? Of course we are all entitled to opinions and to speak them, but aside from young children, the elderly, and Borat, context really should be taken into account. Could Chef Bowles have been more articulate in his initial tweet and open lambasting of a journalist? Absolutely. Should the writer have taken an introductory cocktail party to task? Absolutely not.
Some have stated to me they felt Graham Elliot’s response was calculated and a PR stunt, but I disagree. As a matter of fact, his calling attention to the post has placed him in not only the unenviable position of crossing a major publication, but it also brought a tremendous amount of additional attention to the mini critique in the first place.
Graham Elliot has been made responsible for the ENORMOUS task of feeding high striving food to potentially hundreds of thousands of people and looked foolish in front of those colleagues he commissioned. If I was among the group that brought my samples to an unfamiliar setting for what was supposed to be a fun and happy afternoon, and then was put down for my offering, I would be discouraged at the very least. As such, I can very easily understand his need to quickly and assertively come to the defense of the others. If the vast majority of the comments were light hearted and positive, perhaps this would all have been fine. We as chefs are extremely sensitive to stars, and as soon as those were added to the comments of the offerings, a flood gate was opened. As a result, what I felt was a relatively innocent and tongue in cheek blog post, became a blind sided slap in the face. I know stars make for entertaining reading, but was it really warranted in the setting? If you were to go to Lollapalooza, visit each booth, and then critique the offerings, that would be more fair… but still kind of bizarre for a venue set to feed hundreds of thousands.
To say the least, I have a good rapport with several great journalists. I greatly admire what it takes to write on a daily basis with a purpose, passion, on a deadline, and with integrity. It is an art of its own to be sure. There is much that chefs and food writers have to offer each other. At best, I associate it to monkeys cleaning each other’s backs. They each serve the other a vital purpose and simply make each other’s life better. The one thing to remember though, is that this is not a ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario. Without the chef coming first, the restaurant critic or journalist cease to exist. As such, though most chefs are not known to be very articulate (and Chef Bowles does not fall in that group), it really shouldn’t be such a shock when a chef retorts with conviction. If chefs were better writers, I am sure there would be many, many more rebuttals. The topic of chefs calling out their critics has been coming up more and more in the media and inner circles within the industry, and I for one like knowing that journalists are being policed. Calling out criticism can very surely be done out of wounded pride, but I don’t believe that was where this attack came from since it wasn’t even Graham Elliot’s offerings that were berated.
Aside from the common denominator of food, the art of food journalism has little in common with the art of cooking, and it’s no secret that legitimate publications have been struggling to stay relevant in the internet age. As such, there is increased focus on having any published material be gripping for the reader. But there are still unwritten rules. Since we as chefs are held to standards by our critics, why does it come as such a surprise when a chef responds to what we feel to be poor journalistic practices? Granted we can be more off the cuff, direct, and even inappropriate in our rebuttals since we tend to come off as punk-esque. Still, a lot of attention has been brought to the Chicago Magazine blog and I’m sure there is more than one guy in a suit at the publication that is very happy with this. Chef Bowles is an immensely talented chef, a great guy, and has the stuff icons are made of. He preaches off of a big pulpit, is very entertaining, intelligent, and brings a great deal of attention with him. And I applaud him for calling out the journalist… if not so much for the manner in which it was done.
Soft Shell Crawfish, Andouille Filled Chicken, Etouffee, Absinthe Bubbles
This preparation made our menu Saturday night and we will be donating half of the $16 cost to the relief efforts of Protect Our Coastline.
Additionally, while attending Shift Drinks at the Exchange for Schwa’s chef/owner Michael Carlson’s guest spot as bartender, I got to speaking with Sepia’s chef Andrew Zimmerman about collaborating on a dinner to benefit Gulf fisheries. He was into the idea, but when we got in touch later that week, he mentioned that Paul Fehribach from Big Jones was already putting something together with Sarah Stegner chef/owner of Prairie Grass Cafe. As such, I am pleased to say that we have both joined on for this evening and will be collaborating with a plethora of great colleagues for the Chicago Gulf Oil Spill Benefit at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on July 25th. Reservations can be made by making donations to either of the two funds in the link for the event.
A rendition of this will be my offering. The idea was to get as many flavors of New Orleans onto the dish as efficiently as possible. The chicken breast is from Gunthorp Farms and it is filled with andouille sausage that is folded into a chicken mousseline with a touch of tarragon. It is rolled up and cooked in the steamer at 145° F for 1 hour. Photo of the end product is below.
The next step was the étouffée. To make this, we liquefied equal parts celery, green pepper, and spring onions in our Vita-Prep, and then cooked it with a blend of canola-olive oil until all of the water was cooked out and the vegetables began to caramelize. We then added some spice to it, deglazed with dark beer, added a rich shellfish stock, and thickened it with a golden brown roux. Before straining a small bit of tarragon was infused in.
The soft shell crawfish are a relatively new item in town. When they came onto the market, I was pretty sure they were going to become the latest rave. But from speaking with our fish monger extraordinare Carl Galvan in regards to what I should offer, he said they never really took hold. So that did it. The soft shell crawfish come from the Gulf Coast, and arrive frozen on a vacuum packed tray. Because of the care in which they are packed, they thaw very quickly. They are also delicious, and soooooooooo much more unique than soft shell crabs. They aren’t cheap, but a little bit can go a long way.
The absinthe bubbles I essentially ripped off of my good friend Curtis Duffy. I was recently a guest judge for a trout competition along with chef/journalist, Louisa Chu, and Chicago Sun Times Food Editor, Janet Fuller. The competition was hosted by Carl and Clear Springs Trout, and Curtis prepared his masterpiece with something he called, fennel in the philosophy of head to tail. An absinthe foam finished that off and I stole it.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t have arrived to the absinthe foam on my own. I have a great affinity for all kinds of anisette, was already working the flavor profile into the dish, love bubbles almost as much as my two daughters, and had recently learned how big a part absinthe has in the culture and history of New Orleans during my first visit in March. But seeing as how Curtis got to it first, the credit goes his way!
Here’s his offering.
Olive Oil Poached Clear Springs Trout with Trout Brandade, Fennel in the Philosophy of “Head to Tail”, Black Olive, Pommery Mustard and Sweet Cicely
While on that note, Andrew Zimmerman tied Curtis for first place with this brilliant and harmonious entry:Pave of Clear Springs Trout, Jamon Iberico, Marcona Almond Picada, White Asparagus and Romesco
Finishing in third place is tough, but considering the competition and the amount of offerings he finished in front of, Pops for Champagne‘s Chris Walker’s dish can hang his head high for this unique rendition of the classical meuniere. Great job, congrats to all, and big thanks to Carl and the good folks at Supreme Lobster for hosting the event!
Salade Nicoise
The World Has Enough, But There is Always Room for One More
Slow Simmered Tuna
Flash Seared Big Eye Tuna
Fork Crushed Potatoes
Quail Eggs
Roasted Peppers
Tomato
Cucumber
Favas – (haricots vert are in tonight)
Tapenade
Niçoise Olives
White Anchovy
Greens
Lemon Vinaigrette
The Speakeasy Throwback: A Summit of Local Spirit Producers and Chefs to Benefit Shawn Koch
A few months ago, as I was getting ready for my 40th birthday party, I had the good fortune of having Adam Seeger of Hum Spirits and John Kinder of Death’s Door Spirits assisting me in the creation of the drinks to be paired with the miracle berry I was planning on handing out for my guest bartender gig at Pop’s for Champagne. Towards the end of the tasting, we spoke of getting together all of the local spirit producers and a bunch of chefs for a cocktail party in Potter’s – the bar here at the Palmer House.
With John’s assistance, we coordinated the spirit producers and met at the bar about a month later. Realizing how unique of an event this would be, the idea came to me of holding the event in the historic Empire Room – which used to be the center of the cultural community here in Chicago. I walked them over, the hotel ok’d it, and here we are.
The idea all along was to donate any proceeds to a charity, and some groups were thrown out at our initial meeting. About a week later, I met cancer patient Shawn Koch and his wife Katie when at long last, my daughter Talia and I brought over the donations from the aforementioned guest bartender shift. As I was driving home that afternoon, the idea of making a difference with a single individual hit me like a brick. It makes even more sense when one considers the tie in to the distilleries as Shawn was a bartender at the Paramount Room before being stricken with a rare form of brain cancer.
So without further ado, I am proud to announce what will be one of the better parties in Chicago this year. Hope you can make it and please spread the word! Reservations are now closed, but there is availability at the door. The entry is $95.
Unfortunately, Chef Curtis Duffy will not be able to join us this evening. He has been replaced by Chef Todd Stein from Cibo Matto. Patrick Sheerin from the Signature Room has also been added to the bill.
NBC’s Today Show
Here is the link to the Today Show video for those yet to see it.
For those visiting The Pickled Tongue blog for the topic of Asian carp, please click here to learn the evolution of my involvement with this invasive species. At present, I am actively researching means to produce the fish on a scale that could have an impact on the problem, so stay tuned for that.
In addition to this unique undertaking, earlier this year I initiated a movement to bring food trucks onto the streets of Chicago. As a matter of fact, the first proposal is going in front of the City Council on June 9th. We need all the public support we can get, so please post your thoughts on this bulletin board. And for those here in Chicago, let your alderman know how you feel about the most prohibitive restriction on the great Chicago food scene since the infamous foie gras ban.
To say the VERY least, right now is a very exciting time in my career. And probably the best way for you to keep abreast on both of these topics - and the rest of my happenings in this quickly changing world – is to follow me on my Twitter account.
Also be sure to check out the the home page of this blog, the short video clip above, and register on the side bar to be regularly updated by email.
Thanks for visiting The Pickled Tongue, thanks to the the Today Show, and most importantly, an enormous thank you to all those past and present who put themselves in harms way to protect our way of life. Although often lost amidst the festivities, please take time out this Memorial Day to remember and pay gratitude to those heroes and families that have paid for our freedom with the ultimate sacrifice.
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