Interview with the chef

Interviewed on 20th March 2010  

by Jeff Kasten -/ Independent Food Critic  

Jeff : Chef Patrick, as with any recipe, any number of ingredients are required to make a dish a success. 

The art of cooking is as much about the influences that have shaped that chef's life, as it is about ability. In your case, world travel has played a significant role in how you cook, so I hope you don't mind if my interview touches on both areas. 

Chef : Pas du tous, without the traveler, there would be no culinary.  Everywhere I have been and everything I have seen comes through in every dish I cook. 

Jeff : What nationality are you ?    

Chef : I carry both French ( Father ) / US ( Mother ) passports.  

Jeff : What languages do you speak, besides English ?  

Chef : I actually spent the first seven years of my life attending French based schools, so it wouldn't be a stretch to call this my first language.   

Despite eventually moving to the UK school system, a mix of English and French was always spoken in our home because my Mother, having lived a significant portion of her life in Europe, also spoke it fluently.   

My Father's little joke was if I ever lost my French he would take my passport away.  

Jeff : Where were you born and when :  

Chef : Munich, Germany on the 31^st of January 1968.  

Jeff : Munich ? Your not German, how did you end up being born there ?  

Chef : My Maternal Grandfather, a commanding officer in the US Air force, who served in Africa, the Pacific and European theaters was stationed in Germany, after it fell in World War II.    

When he retired he became Vice President International of a company producing aircraft engines and was posted, successively, in Paris and , later, Munich. 

Jeff : OK, that explains why your Mom was in Germany but your French Father ?    

Chef : My Father met my Grand Father in Paris. He was employed by the French company which was negotiating a joint venture with the engine manufacturer mentioned above. The US company decided to abandon the JV and moved to Munich. My Father was offered the job, and accepted.  

My Mother was working as my Grandfather's assistant and the rest is history and then I showed up.  

Jeff : How long did you stay in Germany ?  

Chef : Not long at all. We were there six months before my Father was offered a job by a partner company in Hong Kong. 

Jeff : How long did your family live in Hong Kong and was it fun ?  

Chef : We stayed in Hong Kong Until 1974, so about 7 years. Yes I have some wonderful memories of Hong Kong, the kind where you can bring up snap shots of moments in time. It was in Hong Kong where  my palate began to take a decidedly Asian direction.  

At the time, and in fact throughout my childhood, having a live-in Ah Ma ( maid ) was very cost effective. As a result, I was blessed with home cooked local food from the moment I could eat solid food. Unlike my cousins in the West, who were being fed oatmeal, Nutella and mashed peas, I was feeding on rice porridge and star fruit. Chili peppers were also slowly introduced into my diet. The impact was significant.  

Cantonese cuisine is the perfect introduction to Chinese food, because it typically relies on softer flavors, thicker sauces. It's a condition of their geographic location, because it can get quite cold and Canton was and, in some cases, still is very agricultural, so meals needed to be robust to carry farmers through the day. The hotter the climate the thinner the sauces get.  

Jeff : So seven years in Hong Kong ? Where did your family move next ?  

Chef : Next stop was Singapore, which is where my roots began to grow. After having worked under someone else for so many years, my Father decided it was time to start his own company. South East Asia was in the midst of it's assault on the world economic stage. Singapore is considered to be the crossroad of Asia, therefore, it made complete sense.  

Jeff : Was it fun growing up in Singapore ?

 Chef : Singapore will always be home. Not only because it was were I lived until I was 19, but also because my family still lives there.  

Singapore was everything one might dream of when they think of Asia, but so much more. Having only, 10 years prior to our arrival, gained it's independence from Britain, while very much part of Asia, the history was steeped in British colonial influence in both the architecture and so on. You had to dig deep to find anyone who did not speak English, so the transition was easy. 

Singapore, from a cultural and culinary standpoint, has three primary ethnic groups, Chinese, Malay and Indian, in order of population share. But as with any melting pot, years of co-mingling cultures have resulted in a central culture quite unique to Singapore. This blend was most reflected in the food.  

Jeff : How much of an impact did Singapore make on you as a chef ?  

Enormous would be an understatement. They say that you can eat for a year in Singapore and never have the same dish twice.  

It is a food nation so everything center's around eating.  

It was ( is ) a  culinary heaven on earth.  

What makes dining, in Singapore, all the more special is that very little of the food served is watered down to adapt to anyone, like one might find in the West, where, as an example, Thai food is softened considerably.  

Singaporeans want and demand the real thing, although, in some cases you will find Western style dishes adapted for the Asian palate, but if locals are looking for an authentic Italian, French or even Mexican meal, it is easy to find. A result of the smaller but purchase power strong expatriate community. 

The factor that made the most impact though, for a student like myself, was ( and still is ) that a balanced, freshly cooked local meal was cheap. For a few Singapore dollars I could have a protein, a veg and a starch cooked on the spot. Beyond, of course, flavor Asians demand freshness. 

Beyond the incredible options available at retail establishments, because Singapore was were we planted our roots, my Rolodex contained a mix of friends from all walks of life and cultural origins. As a result, I saw a completely different side of culinary Singapore by way of dining at the homes of my many local friends.  

Nothing can compare to a great home cooked meal and it was when I was sitting around these kitchens that I got a chance to see all of the raw ingredients being prepped and used. While my friends were goofing off, I was watching the cook.  

Besides watching the ingredients being applied, often times, especially because one only needed to go to the corner food stall to get the known dishes on might crave, for next to nothing, often times these home chefs were just cooking their own recipes.  

As a result of these experiences I learned quickly that, when you crave a certain dish, it's the flavor profile and texture your longing for not, necessarily a specific dish.  

I spent many years yearning to duplicate dishes, which often ended in disappointment, until I looked back and realized that all of these Mothers and maids I had watched cook all of my life were not cooking dishes that had names, but that I enjoyed those foods as much as the ones I gorged on at  the local makan ( food in Malay ) stall.  

I could write an entire book about just my years in Singapore. I will always miss that part of the world.  

Jeff : While living in Asia, did you and your family travel around that part of the world ?  

Chef : Absolutely ! It doesn't matter where you live on this planet, if you are in one spot for too long, cabin fever sets in.  

Because Singaporeans observe four major religions ( Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity ) there are more public holidays observed in Singapore than I have ever experienced in any other country. All of which presented the perfect excuse to get out of dodge. 

If it was just a long weekend, the family along, with numerous other friends, would pack up our cars and drive, as a convoy, up the East Coast of Malaysia to a stunning spot on the beach, named The Coconut Inn. I still dream of that place.  

It doesn't get more basic. The huts were literally ten steps to the beach, through tall palm trees, cold showers, a bed, a mosquito net and if you splurged for the luxury package, you got a small stand up fan.  

If you wanted to cook for yourself, which we always did, each chalet had it's own BBQ pit ( hole in the ground encircled by rocks. )  

There was a communal fridge but it was always stuffed with milk and other perishables, so every meal for the day required a trip to the port to choose the catch of the day, direct from the fishing boat. One night it was Grouper, the next lobster, all for next to nothing. It was heaven. 

As with all of my travels, I could write a book about Malaysia and my experiences there. Going from Singapore to Malaysia was like being teleported to another planet. One minute you were in a ultra modern metropolis, the next you were sharing the road with oxen and in some cases even tribes people dressed in loin cloths carrying blow pipes ( called Orang Asli ) An amazing way to grow up. 

When we had more vacation time, we would fly somewhere, China ( our first trip there was in the early 80's when the door to foreigners had only been opened a crack ), Bali, Manila, Bangkok. The list goes on and on.  

Jeff : How about travel beyond Asia ?  

Chef : While Singapore was our official home in the world, almost all of our extended family members still lived in the West. So every summer, we packed three months worth of stuff into our bags and jumped on the next Air France flight to Paris ( No matter where we ended up, Paris was always our jump off point because this was where all of my Father's siblings lived and still do ). 
After spending a few days in Paris, the following couple of weeks were spent on the road visiting the company's my Father represented in Singapore. This meant racking up countless miles from Switzerland to Spain.  

With business out of the way, our last stop was where we would lay our hats for a couple of months. Parents would rent a house somewhere for the summer. One year it was Ansedonia ( Volcanic black beach town on the west coast of Italy ), the next, Benidorm ( on the southern East Coast tip of Spain ), or Fontainebleau ( a couple of hours outside of Paris ).  

Every year a new place. Every year a new food experience.  

It wasn't until after I left home for college that I began to fully appreciate what my parents did for my brother and I. I remember so many times when I complained that I couldn't have that dumb toy but my parents chose to wrap the world in a bow, as their gift to us, I will forever be grateful. 

Jeff : When and why did you leave Singapore ?  

Chef : My parents wanted me to experience life outside of Asia so when the time came for me to further my education, I packed my bags and moved to New York City. That was in the summer of 87. I stayed in NYC for 8 years.  

Jeff : Did your traveling stop at that point ? 

Chef : Absolutely not. My parents remained in Singapore, so I went back every Christmas. I missed Singapore and the food so much that I was willing to fly an extra 6 hours, in the US, to catch a Singapore Airlines flight, which at the time, only had routes flying out of California.  

It was also at this time that my parents decided to finally buy a pied a terre in Provence, in the South of France. So I continued to spend my summers in Europe. Provence and the Mediterranean made another monumental impact on my culinary sensibilities.  

A simple trip to the market, anywhere in France, but particularly in the South was to me, like being a child in a candy store. From the cheese vendor, who had a picture of the goat from which the milk had been harvested, to Saleme, my North African spice vendor, to Martin, our olive farmer whose oil came from trees up the road and was pressed in the village communal press. If there was a heaven for chef's, a fresh market in Provence was it.  

Jeff  : You mentioned that you only lived 8 years in New York City, where did you move to next ?  

Back to Singapore, but not alone. I met my future wife in NYC. She had never been to Asia and I was yearning to go back, so we packed our bags and our dog Mamba and a new journey began.  

Not that I needed any excuse to hit every single food joint from my past, but having a virgin palate to expose made the cook's tour, that much more fun. 

During the three years we were there, I worked for my Father and spent two weeks, out of every month, traveling throughout Vietnam. I found myself, as I did in China in the early 80's, exploring a country that had just re-opened it's doors, after decades of being closed to the outside world. It was an amazing adventure both in terms of sights, as well as the food.  

My wife and I had our honeymoon in Saigon.  

Jeff : One last stop on Chef  Patrick's world wind tour... why Scottsdale Arizona ?  

I won't bore your readers with a long winded explanation of the reasons, let's just say that it was time for a change. From a culinary standpoint, living so close to the Mexico has introduced me to an entirely new set of ingredients and cooking style. 

Thanks to my Texan Grand father, the smell of cumin did permeate from my Mother's kitchen in Singapore, on special occasions, but it remained a mystery until I moved here.   

Jeff : OK, so far my questions have centered around your world travels and your culinary influences, at what point did you start cooking ?  

Chef : Ah, cooking, well we have to take a few steps back in my history. 

While, I had of course, fiddled around long before, my move to New York is what flipped the chef switch to the on position. It took less than two weeks before I began to suffer Singapore food withdrawals.  

New York City is, in it's own right, a culinary Mecca, but in the eight years I spent there, I was never able to find a place that offered what I craved most. This is not to say I didn't eat well there but... 

You find anyone outside of Singapore who has lived there, the refrain is always the same “ I miss the food “. 

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So I learned how to cook it all for myself.  

Fortunately, New York did offer an abundance of most of the appropriate raw materials, so I spent many hours scouring Flushing, Queens and Canal Street in the city. 

While getting it right was no cakewalk, the years spent watching others cook paid dividends.  

Jeff : You specialize, then, in South East Asian cuisine ?  

Chef : Not at all. This was merely what got the plane off the ground. There is no question that Asian cuisine remains one of my key influences, ranging from Korean to Vietnamese, however, my years in Provence contributed greatly to my culinary foundation, so my loyalties are split right down the middle between South East Asia and the Mediterranean.  

Sometimes they overlap.  

Jeff : Were there any chef's who played a role in shaping your cooking style ?  

Chef : While I wish I could include every chef I have ever met, because each has added another layer to my sensibility as a chef, ultimately I must credit my parents.  

It was through years of watching them toil in the kitchen that drove my passion and desire to cook.  

I lost my mom a few years ago to illness, which is a very difficult subject, but she was, without a doubt, my greatest influence. She poured her heart and soul into every single meal, she was a true artist. 

There wasn't a single person who had the chance to sit at my Mother's dining table who didn't walk away delighted.  

Her food was so clean, delicate and elegant. She was able to coax the natural flavors out of everything, the simplest of salads made you feel like the ingredients were growing in your mouth. It's an art form.  

I learned the most important lesson from watching her cook, which is that it doesn't matter how many components you have in a dish, you must treat each one as a completely separate entity, as though you could serve each one as a dish by itself, like one would treat each instrument in an orchestra.  

At the right point, you throw them all together and out comes the most beautiful music that, in it's perfection, hides the hours and hours of work that went into creating that one seemingly simple dish. 

I miss her dearly. 

I would, however, be remiss if a huge dollop of credit wasn't given to my Father because before my parents met, my Mother's culinary repertoire consisted of badly burnt toast.  

My Father laid the foundation. It was always a treat when Papa got the coals burning. Merci Papa ! 

It's in my blood.  

Jeff : With all of these different influences, how would define your cooking style ?  

Chef : The only rule I live by is  “ ignore the rules “.  

I enjoy creating hybrids. I will always adhere to the key flavor notes associated with a regional cuisine, but refuse to adhere exclusively to the expected range of ingredients or spices.  

The term " fusion " is overused and bandied about by any chef who cooks a western dish and adds a garnish of Bok Choy, but, for lack of a better term, I suppose it fits in my case too.   

I might cook a Mediterranean meal but accent a dish or two using spices or ingredients exclusively associated with Asian cuisine. I might throw a curry leaf into my bouillabaisse to give it a delicate exotic twist or throw Kai Lan ( a vegetable native to Asia ) into a pasta dish.  

Sometimes it's planned and sometimes I may have that ingredient lying around and say “ why not “ ? “  

My objective in playing these little " tricks " is not so much to amaze but rather to open new doors, for my clients and guests, to worlds that they may not be familiar with. 

I yearn to expose people, who have not had the incredible good fortune that I have had to travel the world. I want them to experience the pleasure of all of these amazing “exotic “ foods and ingredients.  

Sometimes though you have to sneak them in or hide the origins of a dish because, despite the maturation of the American palate, some ingredients are still considered “weird“ even if, often times, they are simply cousins of ingredients grown right in their backyards. It is a process and one that I thrive on. 

I am planning a blog that is going to center around this very concept. More on that another time.  

Et voila, that's my story. There is so much more to it, but I can feel your readers nodding off. One day, maybe, a book.  

Jeff : One final question...besides cooking do you have any other deeply rooted hobbies ?

Chef : Music...I spent many years as a DJ and I have a small studio at the house, where I compose funked up downtempo grooves. Another love passed down by my Father. 

I grew up listening to Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk et al. While my friends, in high school were listening to metal, I was gettin down to the likes of MJ's " Off the Wall " and Hot Chocolate, just to name a few. 

These days, it's Tech House and old school hip hop masters like Pete Rock and Rakim.

If the beats and baselines are thick and juicy, I will dig it. I am also a drummer !  


Jeff : Merci Chef Patrick, je vous souhaite bonne chance ! 

Chef : Avec grand plaisir cher neveu, et merci a toi !