Doing the Atlantic, Chapter 4, Food Prep

Thursday, January 26, 2022

Villa Azule, Puerta Calero, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

A lot has gone on over the last 2 days. Right now I am chilling, with a beer, writing outside near the pool at Villa Azule, the house we rented near the Puerta Calero Marina. Here is what’s been going on.

We arrived in Arrecife on the Island of Lanzarote on Tuesday, we breezed through the COVID check point and collected our rental car, an orange little Nissan. We headed over to the marina in Puerto Calero and to check out Villa Azul, the rental house that Steve found online. And it’s great, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a pool, and most importantly a functioning kitchen with a freezer. The house located a few short blocks up the hill from the marina, with the hotel John is staying at is conveniently right between Villa Azule and the marina.

Dennis and I had lunch at a restaurant in the marina, met up with John and were surprised to see that Avocet was on the hard. However, it was nothing to worry about because John was just getting some routine work done. The yard had had 4 months to complete, but decided to wait until John was there to get it done. They need some nudging and constant reminders that we planned on leaving in just a couple of days’ time to prioritize the work.

The outstanding items were replacing 2 thru-hull fittings, I believe that they were both for the forward head. The yard was also replacing the depth sounder transducer, on the starboard side’s lowest hull point, just in front of the keel. In addition the yard was dealing with installing a new saltwater faucet, putting new seals on the diesel tank and figuring out the VHF radio issues. The boat’s interior was/is totally pulled apart. There is nothing to be done about that until all of the boat yard projects are complete; which are all scheduled to be done ASAP and with John’s prodding hopefully it will be soon.

Yesterday Dennis and I cooked, vacuumed sealed and froze a bunch of food. A gallon of Chili, a gallon of Bolognese and a gallon of Moroccan Tagine. As well as a gallon of mashed potatoes, 16 seared and cooked chicken breasts. We roasted, picked the meat from and vacuum sealed 3 chickens. We used the bones, skin and tough bits to make stock, which we used in preparation of some of the other food. We also did the same (cooked, vacuum sealed, froze) with roasted mushrooms and boiled carrots.

We got about two-thirds of the way through vacuum sealing the food before we smelled something electrical burning. Sure enough it was the newly purchased, specifically for this trip, vacuum sealer, smoke was seeping out of the corners. My fault, I didn’t take into account the voltage difference between American and European circuits. I just bought the cheapest adapter, the one without the built-in transformer to adjust the power. Up in smoke it went. Fortunately, John did have a vacuum sealer, it was a portable battery operated one, it didn’t really have a sealer, the seal was in the form of special heavy duty zip-lock bags. The vacuum part happened when you placed the battery operated pencil sharpener looking device over a designated spot on the zip bag, after filling and zipping, it would hypothetically remove excess air from the bag, it sort-of worked. A lot of effort for the same result of a carefully shut heavy duty Zip-Lock freezer bag.

After a day of shopping, cooking and freezing, which I have to say, was made even more difficult because of the lack of any cooking equipment and a severely inadequate refrigerator. We were chilling food in ice baths in whatever containers we could find including the containers that the meat was bought in; clean ‘em out refill ’em, Dennis’ idea. If we die from botulism it’s his fault.

At 7:30PM I picked up Steve and Victor at the airport. John met us at Villa Azul and we walked down to the marina for dinner at John’s local haunt The Upper Deck, a few beers, Fish’n’Chips and less than 20 Euros each, we were done for the night.

January 27, 2022

In the Morning Steve made us coffee, he brought some Ethiopian light roast (a personal favorite) with him. We enjoyed it, with it’s slightly sweet chocolatey flavors on the veranda. Thanks Steve.

I wanted to make Chicken-Coconut soup (recipe below), but I couldn’t find Thai fish sauce at the local supermarket, which is an integral ingredient in the recipe, I wouldn’t make the recipe without it. We looked online and found an Asian grocery store in the islands main city Arrecife. Steve, Dennis, Victor and I went on the mission to find the store and the Thai fish sauce. The store was located on a small thin side street in a rundown area of downtown Arrecife. There was no parking to be found, so Steve dropped Victor and I off while he swung around to pick us up after.

Success, on the first rack, as we entered the market, there it was- Thai fish sauce, even a good brand that I recognized, Squid Brand. Within a couple of minutes we gathered up the fish sauce, coconut milk, Thai red curry paste and ginger. Back to the villa we went so I could make the soup as soon as possible so we could freeze it solid before departure.

There is a god! Mahou, a Spanish brewery, makes an IPA! We bought an 8 pack of it to see how it is, not only is it good, it’s a session beer at only 4.5% alcohol. Upon further review, reading the can, we discover that it’s made in conjunction with Founders an American brewery known for its session IPA “All Day IPA”, next time at the store we bought 2 more 8 packs. Regular Mahou, Cinco Estrellas, is a good version of the mediocre typical Spanish beer, a small step up from Budweiser, I’ll drink it if that’s what’s available, however, I would rather an American craft IPA any day.

Just after 1PM, I went back to Arrecife to the Airport to pick up Jens. All went as planned, got him and dropped him back at Hotel Costa Calero the geriatric British retiree hotel that John was also staying at, with a plan to meet up later.

Back to the store Steve and I went, I forgot the cornstarch, which I use to slightly thicken the chicken coconut soup, 3 stores and one possibility, in Spanish it says “fine corn flour” with the only ingredient being corn, it looks promising.

While we were out, we decided to see if we could find a weed dispensary for some edibles. We were told by the waitress at The Upper Deck that there was one in Puerto Del Carmen, the next town over from where we were staying. With a little help from Google and an employee at a nearby CBD store we found it hidden on a little alleyway, off a side street, very close to the beach. Walking in the front door there was a tiny reception area, where if you wanted to buy something you had to “join the club”, $10, reasonable. Only one of us had to be a member, since Steve lived in Spain and is more likely to return to Lanzarote than I am. He showed his ID, had his photo taken and was given a piece of paper saying that the weed he bought was legal. Once we got past the receptionist we entered the back room, a large dark dingy room, with a short bar on the left, a pool table taking up the back half of the room, black lights, dank stench of weed in the air and two very stoned guys, one working, the other a patron. We asked about edibles, all they had to offer was Brownies and cookies, no gummies. After a few questions about potency we went with brownies, 100mg of THC per brownie, to quote the guy working the counter “a whole one will put you to sleep, half is just right”. My thought is no more than a quarter, we’ll see. Our brownies were bagged up for us and we were on our way.

Back to the villa we go, the plan is to finish the soup, then cook dinner on the outside grill and have a few drinks.

Well the “cornstarch” wasn’t cornstarch it was some sort of roasted corn flour, I threw it out.

For dinner we bought some whole Dorado a mild flakey white fleshed fish, small creamy Canary Island Potatoes, the traditional sauce for the potatoes (it’s a spicy smoky red pepper aioli) broccoli, chimichurri ingredients, lemon, salad stuff, cured meats, Manchego and bread.

The grill was a pain in the ass to get lit. But, after a lot of canoodling, taking the rack out of the oven, using some stones from the yard to prop the rack up for airflow under the coals we were able to get the fire where it needed to be.

Dennis set up the meat cheese and bread for a snack while I grilled the fish and broccoli. We had some drinks and as I expected the fish stuck hard to the grill, made somewhat of a mess and in the end was very delicious. I’m sure if I grilled fish on that same grill a few times I would perfect it.

Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meal, it was a nice way to start our time together. It was casual, great conversation, free flowing cold drinks and it wasn’t on the boat.

After a group effort to clean up, we discussed our plans for tomorrow- Customs clearance, get butane for the back-up stove, a gaff hook for fishing, Jens needed to get money exchanged and continue organizing Avocet.

I’ve been making this soup more than 30 years, it’s one of Colleen’s favorites. The toughest part of the recipe is finding all of the ingredients. The recipe calls for “cooked chicken”, It doesn’t have to be cooked ahead of time. You can poach sliced or diced raw chicken in the simmering soup towards the end of the cooking time. In a pinch you can grab one of those always way over cooked supermarket rotisserie chickens; pick the meat for the soup and use the bones for stock. Any cut up or picked leftover chicken will work. I have also adapted this recipe for beef or vegetarian versions, they are also wonderful.

Chicken – Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

2 TB neutral Oil

2 cups small diced Onion

3 TB minced Lemon Grass*

3 TB minced Ginger

2 TB minced Galangal*

2 TB minced Garlic

2 TB Thai Red Curry Paste*

6 cups Chicken Stock

5 ea julienned Kaffir Lime Leaves*

1 ea small handful Cilantro Stems*

1ea small handful Thai Basil Stems*

4 cans unsweetened Coconut milk

¼ cup Lime Juice

¼ cup Thai Fish Sauce

3 TB Cornstarch

¼ cup Water

4 cups cooked chicken, picked, sliced

or medium diced

Method:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, sweat the first eight ingredients until translucent, about 8 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then turn down to simmer.

Using cheesecloth or a coffee filter, make a sachet with the lime leaves and the herb stems. Add the sachet to the simmering liquid, lightly simmer for 10 minutes.

Add coconut milk, lime juice and Thai fish sauce.

Bring back to a simmer, in a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water, making a slurry. Stir the slurry into the simmering soup, simmer for 5 minutes to slightly thicken the soup. Mix in the cooked chicken. Remove and discard the sachet.

*= Optional ingredient, the more of these ingredients you use the more depth of flavor your soup will have.

Garnish the soup with thin sliced scallions, cilantro leaves and rough chopped Thai basil. Optional garnishes are cooked mushrooms or halved cherry tomatoes.

Life After EVOO: Embracing New Adventures

Mar23

I’m sure by now you know that EVOO has closed. Last June, after 26 years we decided it was time step back and take advantage of our health and good fortunes by spending more time with our friends and family; I hope they feel the same way as we do. With EVOO closed I find myself in a great place with less stress and more time to do the things that I have dreamed about doing.

Colleen and I enjoying a bit of our
new found free-time.

EVOO had been a passion for me, I truly loved creating local-seasonal menus, the camaraderie and the rush of working a busy line shift. I am going to miss so many wonderful aspects of EVOO, especially the people, we were blessed with extraordinary co-workers and loyal guests, many of which have become good friends. That said, now several months after closing, I don’t in any way want to go back to long hours, working most nights, weekends and many holidays. Nor do I wish to have the daily stresses of running a chef-driven farm-to-table restaurant back in my life.

Colleen and I still own and operate our pizza place Za in our hometown of Arlington, MA, which recently celebrated 20 years of being in business. Being less than two miles from home it’s a super easy commute, quite often done by bike. The staff, many of whom have been with us for more than a decade, not only do they make my new less stressful, less-hours job easy, they make it a pleasure to be there.

With some of that extra time I find myself with a desire to continue to write about the things I enjoy. Most of my previous posts have been about EVOO. I now want to branch out and write about some of my other passions, such as the time spent with friends and family, the places I am fortunate enough to visit and sailing adventures may end up being subjects of future posts. I will also continue to write about food and the happenings at Za with an occasional recipe thrown in.

Speaking of sailing adventures, with my next blog I am going to introduce it’s new direction by sharing a multi-part post chronicling a sailing passage across the Atlantic Ocean which I took part in back in 2022. I documented our trip as it unfolded, writing details daily. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to partake in such an ambitious trip again and I wanted to have a keepsake, so I wrote about it. Follow the story and see how we delt with getting to the starting point in the Canary Islands while dealing in a newly post COVID world, provisioning the boat and overcoming a myriad of challenges along the way; ending in Guadeloupe 24 days after we initially set sail.

Let the adventure begin…

End of Summer Blues…Fish, that is.

Sep19

Bluefish… “blecchkk”, “it’s too fishy”, It’s too strong”, “it’s oily”.

Ahhhm, no, no, no and no!

Bluefish in the hands of someone who knows how to cook it, is an amazing versatile fish. Canned tuna and smoked salmon are perennial favorites to most and are way fishier, stronger and oilier than bluefish. Treat her right and you will end up with some great results.

Enter our end of summer bluefish:

cobb smoked Bluefish Fillet with corn risotto, grilled zucchini, tomato-basil relish and spiced popcorn

This dish is a hyper-local ode to New England. The fish is from the Cape, The corn and basil are from Verrill Farm in Concord, the zucchini is from Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, the tomatoes are from Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperrell and the popping corn is from Hurricane Flats, in S. Royalton, VT. You can’t get much more local than this. We have been making this dish for many years. Some years, unlike this one, local peaches are available and we substitute peaches for the tomatoes in the relish.

To prepare this dish, first we fillet, portion and then brine the fish in a salt, brown sugar, water solution in the refrigerator overnight. The next day we give it a quick hot-ish smoke, over corn cobbs, (that have been dehydrated and are left over from making the risotto), being careful to not cook the fish through. At this point we’re looking to just add some smoke flavor and not cook the fish. The cobb smoke really shines with bluefish, it’s offers a sweet and not too pungent smoke flavor.

When an order comes into the kitchen we take a portion, give it a healthy dusting of our not so secret spice mix and pop it in a pan with a mixture of white wine, garlic and vegetable stock and into a hot, 450 degree oven. Then we bake it until it’s just cooked through. This could be anywhere from 3 to 9 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. The best way to test the doneness of fish is with a cake tester, after a few minutes of cooking poke the thickest part of the fillet with the cake tester, if there is a change in resistance, it needs to cook longer, if it slides right through, it’s done.

I know this is a great dish, customers have been raving about it since it first hit our menu. However it was validated by the Great American Seafood Cook-off, an annual cooking contest held in New Orleans. In 2016 I was asked to represent Massachusetts. Of course, I was happy to do it; a weekend in The Big Easy, yes please. I went with Mark Dieffenbach, one of EVOO’s longtime sous chefs. I chose to cook this dish because, to me, it really does represent summer in Massachusetts and that was what I was asked to do. We had a blast, eating great food, a bit of drinking and I kind of remember some late night bowling with shots of whisky, and, oh yeah a cooking contest… We placed third, I wanted to win and if I said I was happy with third, I’d be lying.

Now let me digress, I have a family bluefish memory. It’s from when I was probably 8 or 10 years old. Some weekends my father would hook up with some of his buddies, head out on his boat in the Boston area or go to the cape on one of his friend’s boats to go fishing. Their goal was to to catch striped bass, but, inevitably the catch was bluefish, which my dad would bring home. My mom, a woman who’s lips, very rarely, if at all, allowed fish or any seafood what-so-ever to pass, would dutifully put the catch into the freezer and ultimately into the trash. However, one time, I’m thinking she wasn’t too happy with dad going fishing again, so she decided to cook it. She took the whole fish, guts, scales and all, covered it with mayonnaise, don’t ask me why, because I don’t know, and into the oven it went. About 2 hours later, which is at least an hour too long. Sunday dinner was served. The whole dried out stinking mess right in the middle of the dining room table. To my young eyes, it was scary. When mom served us fish, it was in the form of frozen fish sticks, never mind this big whole fish with sunken cooked out eyes and jutting teeth. I don’t think that anyone, including my father actually did anything more than poke at it. The stink of overcooked fish and guts remained for days. That was the only time that I can remember bluefish being cooked at home. On top of that my dad’s fishing trips with his buddy’s were scaled way back; I think he wanted Sunday dinner to remain as the usual- roasted meat and potatoes. This experience embedded lasting scars, it was a good 15 years until I tried bluefish again, not that I really tried it the first time. Which is another degression for a future blog post about fishing while sailing and cooking our catch.

Holy Cow!

Sep8

grilled roasted garlic studded pastured MA Beef Tenderloin with sour cream whipped potatoes and orange bearnaise.

This dish has been on our menu since we opened in June of ’98. Yeah, that’s 25 years of making the same dish over and over again. We have perfected it.

I came up with this dish while I was still the chef of The Bostonian Hotel and it’s since closed, highly acclaimed restaurant Seasons. I was roasting lamb legs for a sandwich we had on the lunch menu, for extra flavor we would poke holes in the meat and stuff them with garlic before popping them into the oven. While the legs roasted the garlic would also cook seeping mellow sweet slightly caramelized garlic flavor into the meat. This process got me thinking about doing the same thing with individual beef tenderloin steaks. Since the beef would cook much faster than the lamb, I thought that using garlic that was already roasted would work with similar results. I was right, this dish is fantastic. The dish never made on to the Seasons menu, it came close though. I was planning on adding it to the fall menu when I decided that after almost 10 years at the hotel it was time for me to move on and open my own place. I knew then that this dish was coming with me and would be the star of EVOO’s menu for the foreseeable future, I was right.

The pastured beef we use is almost exclusively from Carne Locale, a Waltham, MA, based company, run by Andy Carbone. Andy works directly with Massachusetts livestock farms distributing their products to some of the areas finest restaurants.

The vegetable accompaniments change with as the local growing seasons change. Depending on the time of year you can get it served with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus or as we are now serving it with green beans.

An testament to the love that this dish receives, my wife has often commented, hopefully jokingly, that she would “dump my ass” if I ever took it off the menu. So it remains…

Valentine, oh, Valentine

Jan31

Well, it’s that time of year where restaurants like ours try to entice you to bring your paramour to their establishment for what is promised to be an exquisite evening of fine food and wine, and, as a possible / hopeful prelude to uhm… other enticements.

We’re no different, this post is a shameless promotion of our Valentine’s Menu. Our locally sourced Here’s the Love Menu will be available starting at 5 pm on Friday, February 14. The menu is a prix fixe menu with several choices available in each course, priced at $65 for 3 courses and $95 paired with wines chosen by our beverage director Dan Harrington. The menu is vegetarian friendly and we can always accommodate our vegan friends.

Dock, Duck

Marinated baked Cod

If you’re trying to impress your date, don’t go to the super expensive, over-the-top formal place where their only concern is their bottom line. Impress them at EVOO where we believe that if we take care of our co-workers and our community, our bottom line will take care of itself.

We take pride in being the Massachusetts’s only Good Food 100 Restaurant. This is a really big deal to us. We have their highest rating of 6 links, which is solely based on our food purchases; it means the vast majority of the food we serve is sourced locally and ethically. The point i’m trying to make is- dining at EVOO will not only impress your Valentine, it will help us support our local farming community.

Me and my Valentine!

So, come on in and spend some time with me and my Valentine, we’ll both be here, working hard to exceed your Valentine’s expectations.

Here’s a little Valentine’s music for you…

Lamb Sandwhich

Jan22

Continuing with the lamb we received from Feather Brook Farm- A sandwich on our lunch menu.

Slices of Roast Lamb Leg with Smoked Cloumage, Pickled Green Tomatoes, Lettuce, Red Onion and Carolina White Barbecue Sauce on Mark’s Cumin Focaccia

lamb leg in the immersion circulator

We marinated the legs in a mixture of garlic and spices and then sous vide’ the legs at 137 degrees for 3 hours. We then chilled them in an ice bath, finally put a nice sear on them before slicing them.

The cloumage is an artisanal fresh, creamy cheese from Shy Brothers Farm in Westport MA, which we smoked in our backroom smoker. The Lettuce was grown in The Food Project’s greenhouse in Roxbury, MA. We pickled the Kimball Fruit Farm’s green tomatoes last September. Mark our excellent lunch sous chef made the Focaccia.

More Lamb Love

Jan18

Just like I said in the previous post- ” the chops will sell out quickly”, they did. We’re on to the loins, which also will be gone fast.

I marinated the loins with a lot of herbs, shallots, garlic, mustard and EVOO

Next I vacuum sealed them and sous vide them for 2 hours at 137 degrees.

lamb loin going into an ice bath after being immersed

At pick-up I seasoned the loins with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and then seared the loins.

After letting the it sit for a few minutes I put a few thick slices on the plate with the rest of the ingredients. The final result is perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious!

We got a lamb

Jan16

Farmer Tad

Farmer Tad from Featherbrook Farm in Raynham, MA brought us a lamb. It’s our first lamb in a long while, unfortunately our long-time supplier of local lamb bought-the-farm and we had been looking for a new supplier.

Tad, who already brings us chickens, rabbits and eggs mentioned to me that he was growing a few lamb and wanted to know if we were interested in one of them. I jumped right on it, telling him we would happily take one of them off his hands.

Tad’s lamb awaiting processing

We have a long history of serving locally produced lamb. I have been butchering and cooking them since long before we opened EVOO. I became quite proficient at it; I would time myself to see how long it would take to butcher the lamb into the desired pieces for roasting and braising. I can easily break-down a lamb in less than 7 minutes; my record is 2 lambs in 11 minutes. Keep in mind butchering is my least favorite job to do in the kitchen, I’m a closest wanna-be vegetarian and I just want to get it done as quickly as I can. The below video of me breaking-down a lamb is a couple of years old.

We have already started serving the chops with some braised meat:

Herb Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops and Braised Lamb with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Crushed Olives, Pickled Cauliflower, Parsley, Marcona Almonds, Goat’s Milk Feta and Mint Salsa Verde

Being just one lamb there are not a lot of chops, even paired with braised lamb meat we will only have 7 orders before we switch the chops out with roasted loin which will only make an additional 5-6 orders. Later this week or perhaps the beginning of next we will have a roasted lamb leg sandwich on the lunch menu and a braised lamb dish, possibly a pasta dish. Then it will be gone…

loins to be sous vide

legs waiting to be marinated, roasted and sliced for sandwiches

New Vegetarian Dish

Jan16

Polenta Croquette with Braised Spinach, Stracciatella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Parsley, Last Summer’s Tomato Sauce and Pine Nut Crunch

20200115_125144

I have written in the past about my approach to vegetarian dishes, you can check out my previous post here.

This dish came about when I was thinking about what should we do with all of the plum tomatoes that we put up in Mason jars this past summer. To me that’s the coolest thing about this dish; we are using local tomatoes in the middle of January. Sure they’re not fresh tomatoes. However, they were bought from local farms (Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA and Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell, MA) during the height of the local season. So.. we are still supporting the local community and best of all- they’re freaking delicious!

20200115_235120

To go with the tomatoes-we made polenta croquettes with Four Star Farm’s (Northfield, MA) cornmeal. We braised The Food Project’s (Roxbury, MA) spinach and topped the croquette with stracciatella from The Mozzarella House (Peabody, MA).

This one of the many vegetarian dishes that we have produced where you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy.

Spotlight on Peter and Colleen McCarthy

Jan15

About a year ago (maybe, closer to 2) we got a new website; with the new site my blog got lost in the shuffle for a while. Well it’s back and I’m going to start with a post that Steve Kurland our business partner and the general manager in Kendall Square produced for EVOO’s 20th anniversary. At the time we had been periodically writing a spotlight about different employees. Steve would ask them a bunch of questions and I would write an intro with a few anecdotes about the employee and through in a few photos. For EVOO’s anniversary post Steve wanted to Spotlight Colleen and I.

I’m pretty sure that this post did go out on social media, so it may be old news to some of you. But I do think it should be in a blog since there is so much of our and EVOO’s history in it.

Me and Colleen in Spain.

Spotlight on Colleen and Peter McCarthy, by Steve Kurland

I first met Colleen and Peter when I lived in Union Square. EVOO was just opening in its original location on Beacon Street in Somerville and I loved the place. The food was locally-sourced, unique, and of course delicious. It was the atmosphere though, that first attracted me. I could feel the love and care in EVOO. The staff truly cared, and everyone did their best to make EVOO successful. As a guest, EVOO was warm,welcoming, and customers quickly became regulars.

EVOO’s original sign from Beacon Street in Somerville

I soon became friendly with Peter and Colleen, so when I looked to get out of the corporate restaurant world, I asked if they knew of any opportunities at independent restaurants. Luckily, this was just as Za, in Arlington, was getting ready to open. so timing was perfect. It has been 14 years. and I am genuinely happy I found such great partners.

Za, 138 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington

Colleen is one of the kindest people I know. She truly cares about all the people she comes in touch with at the restaurants. Long-time guests are friends, and Colleen goes to great lengths to take care of employees who need her help.

I admire Peter’s high standards and drive, but mostly appreciate his passion. He puts his imprint on the restaurant every day–through his concern for people, and for our environment. He has taught so much to so many, and has worked on sustainability long before it became the popular thing to do.

Colleen

You are a proud and capable CPA. How were you drawn into the restaurant business?

Pete dragged me in… For years, Pete aspired to open his own restaurant. I knew he would someday open a restaurant but honestly didn’t think about how it would impact my career. At the time I was working for Parent, McLaughlin & Nangle, CPAs, and really enjoyed my job.

We opened EVOO in June 1998, and for the first two years I worked both jobs. I would work at PM&N during the day, and then head to the restaurant most nights. It was pretty exhausting (especially during tax season), but hey, I was only 29 and we didn’t have kids yet, so it’s what I did.

A few years in, the front of the house manager told us that she was moving on, so Pete and I talked it over, and I made the decision to leave public accounting and work at EVOO full-time. It wasn’t an easy decision, but a decision I’m glad I made. Of course, we weren’t sure about how we would be working together, but figured we’d give it a shot. It’s been great. As long he understands that I’m always right things will go smoothly!

As EVOO comes up to its 20th Anniversary, how is it different than you thought it would be in 1998?

I never thought we’d be operating in a larger space in Kendall Square, that’s for sure.

We opened ‘old’ EVOO on Beacon Street in Somerville. It was a 70 seat restaurant with a small bar and open cooking line. We had an amazing core staff and a lot of long-term regular guests. One of our regulars was developing the Watermark Building, and invited us to take a look at the space. At the time, our son Shane had just been born, and we had recently opened the first Za in Arlington, so I was in no position to take on that move.

A few years later, when the residential piece was complete, we were approached by yet another regular who was in charge of leasing the space at the time. This time around, the move made sense… so after twelve years, we moved EVOO to Kendall Square. The ‘new’ EVOO has 120 seats, including three rooms that can be private rooms. We also opened a second Za location in an adjacent space, with a shared bar. I’m not sure what I was thinking taking on this project when our kids were one and four, but it was a good decision. Kendall Square is a pretty cool place to be!

You are surrounded by your family and long-time friends at work. How did this happen?

First and foremost, I’m really lucky to work with my husband, Pete. The rest sort of just happened. Dan, my brother, was the first employee; he worked the bar a few nights a week to help us when we first opened.

Nina, who I’ve known since I was 16, and grew up with Pete, started working with us a few years later. Steve was a regular and friend at ‘old’ EVOO, and he became a co-worker when we opened Za in Arlington. He became a partner when we opened in Kendall.

Then, there’s a whole lot of people that started working at EVOO and Za who have become long-time friends. I joke I’ve known Tiego for over half of his life. We’ve even had a few nieces and nephews of long-time employees come to work for us, so that’s pretty cool. We are really lucky to have such a great bunch to work with!

Do you have a favorite all-time EVOO menu item?

The Garlic and Parsley Studded Beef Tenderloin with Sweet ‘n’ Smoky Onions, Sour Cream Whipped Potatoes, Carrots and Orange Béarnaise is my all time favorite EVOO dish. I used to joke with Pete that if he ever took it off the menu, our marriage may be over. He did take it off the menu for a short time (was he testing me??) because he wasn’t able to locally source the cut he wanted to offer. Thankfully, he was able to find a new source for local grass fed center cut tenderloin, so our marriage survived!

What do you look for when you go to other restaurants?

Good food and good service. Sometimes you want to just go out and grab a quick dinner, but the food should still be good and the service, welcoming and friendly (see pet peeve below!). Obviously, the restaurant has to be clean too. It’s always interesting to watch the way the staff interacts. My kids even comment on various things we see. We usually joke those are the things we discuss in the car on the way home.

What makes you crazy when you go to other restaurants?

My biggest pet peeve is when no one thanks me on the way out, or says goodnight. I find it especially frustrating when employees and managers are standing right there, but don’t acknowledge us, or bother to thank us. There are so many dining options, and feeling appreciated on the way out or not impacts whether or not I want to go back. It’s your last impression on the way out.

Who cooks at home, and what’s your favorite dish to make?

When he’s home, Pete cooks, we are pretty spoiled. Unfortunately for me, Pete’s not home most nights, so the nights I’m home, I’m head chef. I call myself a mom-cook. I cook pretty basic food, but I think I cook it pretty well.

Our son Shane (13) will eat anything, and I mean anything. He was the kid who wanted to try a fish eyeball when he was 11 (no thank you). And then there is Caitlin (10). She’s a little fussier, but she’s come a long way. The other day, I asked them what my best dish is. Shane said steak and cheese subs, and chicken piccata.Caitlin said homemade mac ‘n cheese, and fettuccine alfredo. We always make it a point to try to sit down for dinner together on the nights we’re home.

Peter

You have spent so much of your life and career working with and promoting local food and local purveyors. What motivated you to start working this way?

While working at The Bostonian Hotel in the 1980’s and 90’s, I was exposed to a few local farmers: Eva Sommaripa from Eva’s Garden, Verrill Farm’s, Ken Ryan’s Van, and Roger Jones to name a few. They were so passionate about what they were growing, I wanted to support them by buying as much as of their produce as we could use. It helps put meaning into what we do; we strive to be a part of our community.

As EVOO comes up on its 20th anniversary, how is it different than you thought it would be in 1998?

I don’t know, in 1998 we were just trying get by; there was a lot to figure out. We were mostly thinking day to day not really looking too far ahead. After a few years, we settled in and moved ahead, opening Za in Arlington. A few years later we moved EVOO to Kendall Square and opened a second Za location in an adjacent space. It will be interesting to see what the next 20 years will bring.

You are surrounded by your family and long-time friends at work. How did this happen?

They all threatened to expose me for what I really am. So, we’re stuck with them.

Where do you like to eat when you’re not working?

My favorite place to eat is at home, with Colleen and our children–whether it’s a simple meal on the grill, or an elaborate all day experience, there is no place I would rather be.

Do you have a favorite dining experience (other than EVOO and Za, of course)?

It’s sunset on the beach in Nerja, Spain. I’m with my brother Steve, brother-in-law Dan and a couple of friends, and we go into the beach-side bar and for some beer, and ask about food. The proprietor sends us out to the beach with our beers, assuring us food will be taken care of.

A few minutes later the proprietor is making a wood fire on the beach, stoking it, adding a bit more wood as needed, replenishing our beers. Once the coals are just right he brings a bucket of fish out to the fire. He skewers the fish on fairly thick planks, slits the skin to keep it from curling while cooking, and seasons the fish with coarse salt. He then jammed the planks into the sand, so the fish would lean over the fire, with their drippings creating a pleasant smoke while gently cooking them. All the while, he kept the beer flowing. When the fish was finished, he simply slid the fish off the planks on top of some crisp romaine lettuce, adding a healthy squeeze of lemon juice and a long drizzle of EVOO. It was so good!!! Quite often the simplest preparations are the best.

The other extreme would be upon visiting Paul Bocuse’s eponymous restaurant in Lyon, France, where the master himself met Colleen and I at the door with flutes of Champagne, giving us a wonderful personal tour of the restaurant, followed by a perfectly prepared and presented 8 course meal.

You mentor many people? Any hints for others, and did you have an important professional mentor?

Treat people how you would want to be treated.

Kitchen work is stressful enough; you don’t need some egotist with a tall hat and limited skills yelling at you, blaming you for their inadequacies.

Give good directions and constantly follow through with critiques that will make your cooks better. Understand that everyone is different, so you should find ways to use an individual’s strengths, and guide them to better their weaknesses.

Chef Billy Poirier

Professional mentors? Billy Poirier was the Executive Chef at the Bostonian Hotel when I started working there in 1987; it was an eye-opening experience. My previous experiences at lesser quality restaurants, and at culinary school paled in comparison to the food being prepared at the time, which was, all made in-house with seasonal ingredients.

Other mentors whom I did not work with, but respect their work, are Gordon Hamersley, Jasper White, Lydia Shire, and Alice Waters.

Pete's Blog

Food, Travel, Sailing, Za and EVOO

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