MAY
Mother's Day Coconut Cakes
Treat your Mom. Reservations for Mother’s Day may be full by the time you receive this, but you can still order your Mom a personal 6-inch coconut cake. Pre-order for pick up here.
After a long winter, spring is trickling onto the menu: Morels with our halibut; favas; Artichokes and turnips grilled over applewood; asparagus on the side.
Please meet David Nathans, our Chef de Cuisine. He moved to the Hudson Valley to join us a little over a year ago, capping a 13-year career in professional kitchens. He leads our kitchen team with a collaborative, long-term approach, hoping to inspire each cook to have a life in food.
We caught up with Chef David on his day off for a coffee and people watching on Warren St–but more importantly to hear about the chefs who shaped his cooking philosophy and the rituals that hold meaning in his kitchen. He speaks of hospitality as something generous and deeply personal—about leaving an impression that lasts long after the last dish is cleared. A shared ethos: it’s never just about feeding people. PS - please join us in the spirit of generosity on June 29th when Chef David hosts a classic Stissing House Feast to benefit Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood.
Who taught you how to cook with feeling, not just technique?
The two biggest influences in my cooking career are Anna Klinger (Al Di La) and April Bloomfield (Breslin). During one of my first services at Al Di La, I remember being pretty scared that they cooked risotto to order–a lot of restaurants will (slightly) precook the rice, but not there. It said on the menu to please allow at least 30 minutes, but I knew risotto to take at least 45, and while not doing anything else. I vividly remember Anna talking to me about how risotto should look, without even getting to the taste. How it should glisten, and the grains of rice should seem like they are under a blanket together. There was a Barolo (a nice heavy red wine) and bone marrow version that we would do in the colder months that was one of the best things I think I’ve ever eaten.
April was tough–she demanded perfection and would never settle for anything else. If someone wasn’t able to deliver, she would just do it herself. I worked directly beside her for the better part of two years, and then on and off again for another two. Plating and how food looked was more important to her than one would think. If you’ve had her food, the flavors are so amazing that you really don’t care how it looks, you just want to keep eating it. But I remember very clearly watching her watch me plate, and when she described how to plate something, her hands moved as if they were the piece of grilled escarole, or the perfect piece of grilled beef. And when she sauced a plate, it was as if the sauce just knew where to go.
You care deeply about the experience people are having when they come to Stissing House–how did you arrive at this level of care?
I think as a person I genuinely care a lot about other people. If I am in charge of taking care of someone, it’s important to me that they have the exact experience that I would hope to have. What we do as Chefs is exactly that. We would not exist without people walking through that door. And people would not walk through the door if we didn’t deliver a great experience. I have a few years of hotel experience and one of the best things I took away from that is always trying to deliver the best level of hospitality that we can give. No matter what. If people have dietary restrictions or requests, you have to take it seriously no matter how obtuse and wild it may seem. And if someone really loved something that they had once at SH, then I would try to recreate it (it hasn’t happened yet, but I can see it happening). If someone really loves something that they’ve eaten there, we send some home with them without them asking. It’s really, really important that we treat each person that comes in as if it’s their last time with us and we have to ‘wow’ them out of this world.
Describe a time you delivered unreasonable hospitality and how it made you feel:
At one of the restaurants I worked at, I remember a cook had family coming in for dinner and they had a family recipe for a very rustic bouillabaisse that had unusual ingredients, not so typical of the classic. They asked me if I would make it for their grandparents and parents. I took it very seriously, and I went out and bought all of the ingredients instead of just ordering them. It had to be perfect. I never met them (I had the cook bring up the soup themselves), but for a few years after that, I would be in touch with the old line cook of mine and they would say their grandparents still ask about me and talk about that night. Without sounding really corny, I light up a little bit every time I hear that. It really shows that what we do can have long-lasting impressions on people.
What’s a kitchen ritual or superstition you follow?
I’m not really sure I have one. I used to start service with a high five of all the Cooks and say “good service,” but I haven’t done that at SH yet. Maybe I’ll bring it back. On the ritual side of things, eating a family meal outside is a good one. When it’s nice out, it’s good to leave the walls that we spend so much time within. I try to make everyone in the BOH (back of house) do it, but a few people look at me sideways and think I’m joking.
A perfect day off in the Hudson Valley looks like:
Going to the gym early, taking my dog Bruce for a nice long walk, sitting somewhere for an hour or so, having a cup of coffee or something small to eat and hopefully people watching. Depending on the time of year, bopping around to a few farm stands, cooking an early dinner and spending the night going on another walk with the dog or watching a movie with Kari (my wife).
The last meal I ate that surprised me:
Casa Susanna, so so so so good. There was a blood sausage tamale that I would eat every single day.
An underrated food or ingredient, and how you’re using it:
Dried Mint. Such an impactful bit of flavor. It’s common in a lot of middle eastern cooking and Indian. We use it to flavor our lamb sausage along with sun-dried tomato and fermented Fresnos.
How has living here changed the way you cook?
I guess the most I’ve changed in this way is that I’m actually forced to cook more, which helps me to eat a lot healthier. Lots more veggies because of the great produce we can get, and just cleaner in general. We don’t use a lot of butter at the restaurant, and that has absolutely translated to how I like to eat at home. I’ve also become a gym person, so that helps lead into the healthy part.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given:
Keep your side of the street clean. If you are doing everything to the best of your ability, if you stay focused and motivated to do everything you can to make sure people are getting what they need from you (in general and in life), then you have nothing to worry about.
What’s an unusual source of inspiration for the dishes you create?
This is going to sound strange, but sometimes it’s how the air smells when you walk outside for the first time in the morning. If it’s crisp, I usually like to cook things that are slightly heavier and warm, but if the day is going to warm up you don’t want it to be too heavy. If I smell rain in the air, I want braised meat or a version of our pie (currently Venison).
What’s a go-to meal you cook at home?
I have two that are normally around in some form of leftovers. First, a very simple roasted chicken. I leave the chicken to dry out uncovered in the fridge for at least a day or two. Then I salt it and leave it one more day, or overnight. Butter under the skin as well, of course. I start it in a very hot oven, and bring it down after the skin is golden and delicious. Too many cooks don’t know how to do the simple things well. It’s a frustrating fact of today, with Instagram and the “celebrity” chef. I like to make sure I can focus on the basics myself, so I can pass that knowledge along to anyone who wants to learn. And there is literally nothing better than a crispy piece of chicken skin, or potatoes cooked in the drippings! I wish this was a more interesting answer, but I save the creativity for work. A second go-to and favorite is pork and Kimchi stew. I cook a lot of Korean food at home which is a secret love of mine.
In my fridge, you’ll always find:
Kimchi (usually homemade). Right now it’s seasoned sesame plant leaves and regular cabbage. Some sort of pate, right now it’s foie gras from Canada. Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup (as a Jewish kid from Brooklyn egg creams are a must). Kari Kari Chili Crisp (for obvious reasons, it’s my wife’s name, but it’s also the BEST). Steamed Japanese sweet potatoes.
Kitchen tunes–a long time love and a recent discovery?
Yes, I love music in the kitchen while prepping. It keeps the momentum going, especially if you are alone in the kitchen. I love a lot of 90’s hip-hop and rock and roll. Keeping it pretty classic.
David is the best!!