Last Friday I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at Mark Baker's farm with his family and about 15 others ranging from chefs to culinary students to a couple representatives from Cherry Capital Foods. Mark had invited us to his farm to show us a pig he is raising called the Mangalitsa Pig. It's a black woolly pig that originated in Hungry in the early 19th century that is know for its well marbled and very tasty meat. The really exciting thing about the Mangalitsa, at least for me, is its fat. The fat of this pig is unlike any other fat. It is light, flavorful and clean. The fat can be rendered down, cooled and then whipped up like butter and eaten just the same. We have started serving it along side of some Amish butter we are getting from Midland, MI at the restaurant with a little fleur de sel sprinkled on top of it; and our guests have fallen in love with its taste.
What impressed me most about my visit last Friday was Mark Baker's and his entire family's dedication to producing a world class product. They spoke with the same passion about what they are doing as I do when I talk about cooking. Their dedication to high standards equaled my dedication to high standards and when I left Friday afternoon I left with a renewed excitement for how amazing of a place I live and practice my craft.
Last night we had in the restaurant two of the farmers we buy from for their 4th wedding anniversary and since I'm pretty close to all the tables, and since it was somewhat slow, I was able to hear what they were talking about. It did not surprise me when the topic of their conversation was often on farming and growing their crops. The Welty's grow some of the finest produce I have ever seen. Their lettuce alone is worthy of being labeled a work of art. Jen Welty's bread is as good as anything you will find in the country.
Yesterday morning Jen, my business partner and co-chef, and I attended a round table put on by the Michigan Land Use Institute where over 60 farmers and buyers got together to see how we can work together better to increase the amount of locally raised and produced products being bought and sold up here. I again came away excited.
I have spent most of my career in upper end restaurants and more than 8 years being chef de cuisine at one of the finest restaurants in the world. In that environment it is easy to become some what an "elitist". I never thought about those who made my job possible. I never but much thought in those who tilled the ground; made the cheeses; produced the mustards; raised the animals that would eventually end up in one of my dishes. I was the talent and the food was great because I made it great. At least so I thought.
Not any more. Since I moved to Northern Michigan and began to have personal relationships with those amazing men and women who make my job possible, and even easy, I have dropped my elitist attitude. The food I make is great because of people who have as much passion for what they do as I do. The food at The Cooks' House is great because of these men and women who have dedicated their lives to growing the most perfect ingredients they can. It is because of their dirty hands and humble approach I am able to nightly listen to the praises of those who dine with us. The chalkboard that hangs in the restaurant listing the noble names of our farmers and produces is not there to act like some kind of self-congratulatory advertisement telling people how wonderful we think we are because look at all the local farmers we use. No, that chalk board is there to show forth the names of those who are the real talent in our restaurant.
What makes Northern Michigan such a perfect place to own a restaurant? Everything. I think those who have lived up for many years may have become numb to what is up here. Often I am asked somewhat incredulously why I would leave Vegas and the enviable position I held to move to "this". I answer the same every time, "because it is world class up here." The jobs our farmers and produces do warrants, no demands, of us excellence. It falls on all of us to take the embarrassment of riches we have up here in terms of raw product and present it as perfectly as it is given.
My experiences in the past few days have re-kindled my own commitment towards excellence. Not because I feel like I have to be best, no I think I'm past that, but because I have a responsibility towards those who work so hard to do justice to what they give me.
My heart felt thanks goes out to all of you.
enjoyed reading about your enthusiasm for the pigs. my brother and I have just made some of the lard from these pigs and we are going to make lardo, salami and liverwurst as well in the coming days. I can't wait to get back up to Traverse City to enjoy your culinary delights. I came back to dc to escape the winter and so far we have been hit with two major storms and one on the way. after four days they still have not cleared the side streets so the city is silent, something I usually only experience in michigan.
Posted by: louis santucci | February 08, 2010 at 12:43 PM
my goodness, well said, sorry I missed the Baker Farm event...keep pushing!
Posted by: Randy Chamberlain | February 08, 2010 at 03:22 PM