Richard Hamilton

I get asked this question alot. People generally try and define cooking by French, Italian, Asian, etc.. I try not to be limited to those boundaries. My career has taken me many places and I have seen many styles of food. I truly try and cook for the moment, based on the ingredieants and to what my whim of the day is. On any given day you will see many phylosophies of food. Did I spell that right? Anyway, Asian, Italian, Southern, New England, French, Creole, American will all be on the menu. My technique is based on French but I love all types of food. I define it as Seasonal International cuisine. The seasons are the most important thing in my cooking. We wont search out ingredients that are not in season in my region, or at least in america...except truffles and the like. I know its vague. Its always a challenge to define and it may always be that way. Hope this helps

Yes its true Im away alot and love both being a chef and father. Finding time and ways to be a better family and closer family is a challenge. I love any and all meal periods with my family and we look for opportunities, like slower days we sneak out and have lunch or they will sneak in and join me for a quick pre meal dinner in my office. Mondays the restaurant is closed and I make that a full day unless other events or appearances come up. My wife has been with me, and I her, since the eighth grade and she is very familiar with the drill. This is nothing new to her. My son, has more of a problem with it, but also deals well and loves any time we have together. Its always a challenge and will always be one. Its the life we all have accepted. To a point..?..

No problem with the question: My kitchen staff is about 20-25. We are primarily dinner only off season and lunch and dinner plus an additional restaurant in the summer The Spiced Pear seats about 65 and on weekends we turn twice to two and a half times. Weekdays we turn one and a half times The kitchen is small by hotel standards. I have a custom stove made just for me at the heart and its beautiful. We have an additional prep kitchen, chocolate kitchen and garde manger areas as well as seperate pastry. Does this help?

Well Im not at home much. When I am my wife makes me cook some of the time. LOts of times she will trick me into cooking by purchasing items at the store she wants to eat, but has no clue how to cook and then tell me its going to go bad if I dont cook or thats all we have to eat comments. Shes clever like that. most women are. My son is 4 now and will be 5 at the end of November. He used to be alot more adventurous than he is now. He used to love caviar and foie gars, all vegetables and fish. Now, mostly because of his friends I think, he wont try many of those things which he loved before. A phase I know. He likes to cook with me when im home in the kitchen. I thinks its just to be with me and not for the cooking aspect. Either way Im happy because of it. I will not push him to be adventurous, but we will make him taste before he rejects the item. So at least he tried it. As far as experimenting on the family, I usually dont do it. I will buy things to play with at work and try things, but my wife does the shopping and plans the meals so she always knows what she wants to eat. At work I practice new things alot but will never put on the menu until Im satisfied with the results before. I dont think at this level and price point, guests need to be guinea pigs. Congrast on your family and the kids love of food. Alot of people miss the joys of eating and wont think outside their comfort level of fast food, chicken, pasta or steaks. Im glad to hear your family is wise to good food. Cheers!

Well its very easy to get "bored" with the food and not be inspired. My inspiration comes from many differen places and I am blessed to have seen and eaten alot of great food in my travels and career. On a daily basis I get inspired from the seasons, other chefs in magazines, my restaurant or in my memory. Foods from my childhood also bring up ideas for food in the restaurant or sometimes just personal cravings for other things I cannot find to eat locally. I , as most chefs, pull upon all things in my career to cook in my restaurant. Also, sometimes just looking at an ingredient in a different way gives me and idea. Like I love cauliflower puree, but when I get bored of it, I think of ways to make the puree differnt by incorporating different herbs, spices, other purees or flovors into. Also cooking it a different way or in a different broth will make it different. Sometimes I will look at another ingredient and think of a different ingredient. Like if I have Zucchini but want eggplant, my mind will try and bridge the gap between the two flavors giving me what I want without the ingredient I was hoping for. Confused yet? In any case, there are many ways to get inspired, but the key is to be inspired when you cook because when its uninspired, its usually a flop.

Wow, there are alot of very savvy people here asking great questions. This is no different. For me to find a good source, I furst have to have some knowledge of what they are doing. Like specific meat or fish. This usually comes from reading, traveling or other chefs. Once I decide to try the product, I call and have a long conversation with the grower, farmer or fisherman about their products. They will usually send to me a sample and I will also ask for some other chefs who use. If no other chefs use, I will go one a leap of faith and begin using based on my opinion of the conversation and the sample. With my menu format, I am never locked in and forced to use product I dont like. So if the product arrives and Im not satisfied, I can decide to remove from the menu and place another dish in its place. I will then call the source and discuss the problem and see if its a one time or whether it can be a problem that will continue to occur. Relationships with sources are based on trust. Both with me and also with them. So if it doesnt work and there is no trust we dont go any further. I hope this answers your question.

Thank you also. Let me know if I may be additional help. Good luck! Best Richard

Judith, Thanks for the question. You are correct,we, as chefs and restauranteurs, have access to products most people dont have. These products are very expensive and limited. But still there are alot of main stream products out there that are great and getting better in alot of ways then they used to be. At the Pear, I try my hardest not to repeat any dishes. We do repeat with ingredients as they are the main stay of our cuisine. For example, we always have Elysian Fields Lamb, Snake River Farms Kobe Beef, Four Storu Hills Squab, Veal and Poulard, Ingrids Lobsters and Scallops when available, and so on. These are items I like to use over and over. But again, the entire dish will not be the same, hopefully, twice. Does that answer your question? Maybe not. What else can I say about that to you? ← Thank you. Wonderful! I would love to be closer -- for me that would be much closer -- to Newport to enjoy your more unusual approach to the daily menu. Maybe two weeks with every night trying something you have created daily, coming from your kitchen. Your answer begs another question. Although the dish will not be the same, perhaps you might allow what method(s) for cooking the lamb, and scallops, (two of my favorites) for instance, do you prefer? ← Well I do have favorites for cooking certain things. Thats not to say I wont try different methodes from time to time. Lamb I usually will sear it at high heat and then finish in an oven while basting as I cook it. Lobster I cook sous vide with butter a la butter poaching. Scallops I sear la plancha and sometimes I will potato crust we have even cooked them slow in olive oil just till tender and also I love ceviche Fish I cook mostly la plancha but I will cook salmon, for instance, barely with just a heat lamp or under the radiant cook broiler very slowly. I also sous vide alot of fish these days and will poach in fragrant bouillions and wines. I hope this helps! Have fun

Judith, Thanks for the question. You are correct,we, as chefs and restauranteurs, have access to products most people dont have. These products are very expensive and limited. But still there are alot of main stream products out there that are great and getting better in alot of ways then they used to be. At the Pear, I try my hardest not to repeat any dishes. We do repeat with ingredients as they are the main stay of our cuisine. For example, we always have Elysian Fields Lamb, Snake River Farms Kobe Beef, Four Storu Hills Squab, Veal and Poulard, Ingrids Lobsters and Scallops when available, and so on. These are items I like to use over and over. But again, the entire dish will not be the same, hopefully, twice. Does that answer your question? Maybe not. What else can I say about that to you?

Well I do both kinds and variations from time to time. In this instance it was a thick one with hawaiian blue prawns. Again I dont know what about the sound of it didnt sound good to the guests but no one ordered it. Go figure.

Dave, thanks for the question. Im racking my brain trying to think of a doozy. As you may know with food, sometimes things dont always work as planned. I have done several dishes that were not very well recieved at the Pear. Maybe the biggest was a maple glazed Ivory Salmon on Ginger Stewed Cabbage. I liked it but I think it was maybe to different for that day of guests. Oh I also did a hot and sour soup no one would order. Never figured that one out. In any case, I try and give it my best and most of the time it works out. But, there is always a miss.

Hello, thanks for that question. Changing our menus daily allows us to use the freshest, best ingredients we can find. When we speak with our vendors, farmers, fishermen etc.. we ask what looks best. When the product arrives, sometimes there are problems or delays in shipping. I cannot decide it is quality enough to go on the menu till we see it in house. Thats when I will design a dish around what is in house. Some prodcuts come in very limited quantities and we sell out in a night. So again, redesigning the menu the next day allows us the flexibility or buying in smaller quantities and more allocated products. We are not married to a dish only to the ingredients we recieve.

The Spiced Pear stays pretty full year round. No room for a flux in seasons there, except like I said, some weekdays. Our outside, Terrazza, is very seasonal. Its only open in the summer and gets very busy when it is. So in that respect, we do see a flux. Produce and other products are easy, thanks to express mail and great purveyors. We are blessed with some of the best in the industry.

← Jason, First, thanks for having me. eGullet is a great forum for food minded people to gather. Second, thats a great question. I have been alot of places and worked with some very impressive chefs. I have been lucky in that way. Newport is a unique town. You do have that tourist section of things that tend to dominate alot of the restaurants in town. At the Spiced Pear, we have been fortunate to become more of a destination restaurant. Most of our guests drive over 45 minutes to eat with us. Thats makes us more than a tourist place. We do, however, have a challenge with slower weekdays that larger towns dont have. Our pull of people is not as great on weekdays as, lets say, a New York. That is ceratainly a challenge. Advantages are, well, first off, we are a very large fish in a little sea. Thats great to get a place like ours off the ground. Also, being in Newport is great for local supplies. The fishermen knock on our door with great catches that we can serve in the restaurant. All in all its a pretty great place to be. I have a great quality of life for me and my family that larger cities do not afford chefs who work as much as I do. Thats one of the biggest advantages. Thanks for asking