Scott Tycer

No, I try not to have any "signature dishes". I do incorporate chef's tasting menus each night. Tonight the chef's menu is: Gulf Blue Crab with Fresh Hearts of Palm Leek Soup with Smoked Pork Spring Chicken with Corn and Mustard Braised Leg of Lamb with Polenta Butterscotch Bread Pudding Ginger Granite They are priced anywhere from $75 - $95 per menu.

At the commis level, I employ hispanics and entry level culinary students. At the cook and chef de partis level, mainly culinary students with experience, occasional south american, european or hispanic. At sous chef level, experienced and graduated culinary students. Yes, the 6 oz. portion is acceptable these days. Houstonians have agreed to pay the premium for a well-executed meal, no matter the portion size. I still believe that working in different cities in the United States builds a good chef. It helps build credibility and experience when you do decide to return to a smaller market.

I take a very inclusive view of regional cooking. I consider myself American, I have lived in many places across the United States. It almost seems that if I were to do only Southwestern or Southern style cooking, I would be a food historian. I choose to cook with all of my experiences and use all of my tools that I have gained from living in many different regions. One negative aspect of cooking regionally or exclusively, is that it almost becomes a signature. You come and go in the public's eye. You are unable to evolve and chnage in what is current in food trends. So, I choose to pull from all of my experiences and have those influence my menus. ← What do you think is American? I've actually never asked an American chef this question. ← I think American is a cross-ethnic historical perspective that is used as a tool to create a unique identity as a chef. I've eaten sushi once a month for the past 8 years, and it is part of how I eat, just like I eat mexican food and italian food, it makes up that part of me which is American. I beleive American food is traditionally what you decide you like to eat. What food you enjoy in America, is American.

I take a very inclusive view of regional cooking. I consider myself American, I have lived in many places across the United States. It almost seems that if I were to do only Southwestern or Southern style cooking, I would be a food historian. I choose to cook with all of my experiences and use all of my tools that I have gained from living in many different regions. One negative aspect of cooking regionally or exclusively, is that it almost becomes a signature. You come and go in the public's eye. You are unable to evolve and chnage in what is current in food trends. So, I choose to pull from all of my experiences and have those influence my menus.

Joel Robuchon, Wolfgang Puck, and Tony Demes have all had an influence on my work. Joel for his dedication to technique and the elegance and simplicity of his work. Wolfgang for the way in which he motivates other people. He always demonstrates incredible integrity and devotion to the guests he serves. Tony for always doing it his way and never ever, even after 15 - 20 years changing what he does.

Well, I think that what I like most and least about my job is all relative to how I am feeling on that particular day. There is always so much going on, so many changes - some positive, some negative and they all have an effect. For example, someone being sick and rearranging schedules and taking care of that issue, or receiving a really positive comment one night - it will change the way you see the business. There are always a series of ups and downs. I currently like the positive praise that I receive for what I do. I never like the bad back and knee pain. I'm sure you've also experienced these ups and downs in your work.

First and foremost, chefs are always looking for the highest productivity. It is good that you are getting your face out there and meeting chefs. The more you keep coming around, the more they will think about you. For example, one of my guys came around 3 times in two months and now he is tracking to be a sous chef. Everyone would love to work in a great kitchen, but there is no guarantee that it will be that way. Some chefs get press that they may or may not deserve and some kitchens don't get any press, but are great kitchens. For example, Houston's - it's all about becoming fast and learning how to run numbers. While the food may not be everything, you still learn speed around heat and accuracy around heat, which are very important in the kitchen. These are the first steps. In tightly run fine dining kitchens, you need to be fast, accurate and extremely knowledgable about technique. My question to you is, where all have you applied for work?

I have been heavily influenced by Alice Waters. I learned a lot of Wolfgang Puck. He is an Empire builder and a great chef, if not more. He instilled in me an outstanding work ethic and discipline. This is what I have personally gained from him, not necessarily his cooking style. I feel that I am different in my interpretation of New American and the mixing of ethinicities are more subtle than Puck's. For example, where I would use 1 bottle of wine for a sauce, Wolfgang would use 2 bottles for the same sauce to pop out the flavors. Wolfgang is all about bright flavors, where I am more subtle.

We are not always on the lookout for critics. We are always critical of our own execution, we are our own worst critics. I have learned that the more time you spend worrying about the next critic walking into the restaurant will make you crazy. Critics like to hide their identity, so when we do realize that there is a critic here, we strive to give them the same experience as any "regular joe". We want everyone who comes in to feel that they are treated to the highest standard, regardless of who you are or who you work for. At this point in my career I am still working on building a reputation for myself. If I am starting a dining trend in Houston, I want the message to get out there.

Thank you for the compliments. As for the market in Houston, there is an amazing collaborative effort between all of us. For example, we recently had a great collaboration on a Tsunami Fundraising Event to Benefit Save The Children. The event was held at Aries with chefs Monica Pope, Phillipe Schmit, Charles Clarke, Laura Hamilton, Robert Del Grande and myself. We got together for a great cause and raised over $17,500 for the charity. I also collaborate with many chefs through Kraftsmen, and the processes involved in great artisnal bread baking.

I believe that there is an element of art in all cooking. By definition, art is self-serving, a representation of something you create. So, the more art you put into the cooking, the more manipulation you are engaging in. Aside from the important scientific knowledge that Ferran Adria puts into his cuisine, there is also a lot of art and manipulation involved. My food remains simple and adheres to the notion that we eat to provide nutrients for our bodies and also to provide a great experience and the manipulation is not something that I choose to exaggerate.

Tha t is a great question. Gravitas is the name of the new restaurant and like aries, it is in an old building. The style of food will be similar in proteins but different techniques and presentation. The feel of the restaurant will be Modern American bistro.

The Bakery has done quite well since the interview with Rob Walsh. Aries uses Kraftsmen regularly. I showcase the mainstays of Kraftsmens production. We use the sourdoughs and lean italians as well the fruit and nut breads. We sell kraftsmen on its execution of the most commonly consumed artisinal breads.

Has there been much progress since then? Do you continue to see demand growing? ← Bank and Bistro Moderne are significant restaurants in Houston. T'afia has done extremely well in this market as well. I still get a lot of interest from culinary students from out of state and I do see the demand growing in Houston.

What brought about the change of direction in your life? ← I am the son of a finish carpenter. I was a craftsmen from the start. However, I believe that my success is a combination of both experiences. In cooking, we compose dishes always with the perceptions of our guest in mind. College helped me to realize cooking is not an objective medium and it can be manipulated in some interesting ways.