A Chat With Tom Power

[DonRocks]

Let's all welcome Chef Tom Power of Corduroy to eGullet.

Many people who meet Tom are certain he's northern European, probably because of his Scandanavian good looks and Viking accent. It turns out the Viking accent has more to do with his stove than any marauding band of sailing Norsemen: Tom was born in New Jersey, and studied hotel and restaurant management at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. After completing a culinary training program at the Hyatt in Cherry Hill, NJ, he attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI.

Beginning his career at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, he detoured over to Baltimore where he opened up two restaurants for Classic Catering. It was there where Tom took his first steps on his inevitable path to fame: he became Sous Chef under Michel Richard at the Citronelle in Baltimore, and then opened the Citronelle in Philadelphia as Executive Chef before returning to the Citronelle in Washington, DC and working directly with Michel Richard.

After his tenure at Citronelle, Tom left to become Executive Chef at Old Angler's Inn in Potomac, MD from 1997 to 1999. During his time there, the restaurant won critical acclaim and awards:

Old Angler’s became the recipient of the coveted DiRoNa by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America in 1996, and for the first time, Old Angler’s Inn was mentioned in Gourmet Magazine’s “America’s Top Tables” review in 1998.  Phyllis Richman, Washington Post, placed Old Angler’s Inn in her “Top Fifty Favorite Restaurants” list in 1997.  In addition, the restaurant consistently received the Blue Ribbon award and three-star rating from the Washingtonian’s “100 Very Best Restaurants” list from 1997 to 1999, Tom Power’s tenure at Old Angler’s Inn

In July of 2000, Tom went out on his own and opened Corduroy. After four years, Corduroy has become widely considered a restaurant for people who love good food, and is being hailed as one of the unknown gems in the area. But one thing people may not realize is that Corduroy isn't just about one man trying to scrape out a living on 12th and K Streets:

Corduroy continuously supports different community events.  By providing donations, Corduroy participates in numerous auctions to benefit charitable programs like The Children’s Hospital, Children’s Fund sponsored by the District of Columbia Police Department, Dining for Life Foundation which helps support AIDS and Cancer Research Programs, Corcoran Art Museum, and various school auctions in the Metropolitan DC area.  In addition, Corduroy supports the cause of Les Dames de Escoffier in promoting women in culinary arts, as well as local farmers by participating in Arlington Farmers’ Market and cooking classes.

Without exception, everyone I've talked to says that Tom is one of the good guys, a gentleman with a quiet demeanor and a reassuring smile, quietly delivering great food and amazing wines at his little second-floor hotel restaurant. I suspect we'll all be looking back a few years from now remembering when Corduroy was an undiscovered secret, and we may as well go ahead and enjoy it while we still can.

Welcome to eGullet, Tom, and thank you in advance for being a guest in our house.

[John W.]

I'll start I guess.

Tom, what I like a whole lot about your place is the wine list. One of the more interesting lists in the city (not to mention way beyond reasonable). Could you talk a little about how you build your list, and how you were bitten by the wine bug?

[bilrus]

Chef Power,

I think you'll find that many around here on eGullet consider Corduroy to be an "undiscovered gem". But this status is not necessarily a good thing for a restaurant's bottom line

Two of the things that have crept into the conventional wisdom about Corduroy is that it is too "hidden" to be noticed and that the decor is too spartan. (I think the latter was mostly a result of Sietsema's "Airport Lounge" description).

I personally like the decor and I wouldn't think there is a lot of walk-in business at most middle to high end restaurants to make location a big issue.

But that said, do you see either of these things as disadvantages or are there benefits to working slightly under the radar, or am I just reading more into this than need be?

Edited September 13, 2004 by bilrus (log)

[Tweaked]

Chef Power,

Can you give a brief description about the concepts you use to develop a dish. Do you generally have a similar theme, what influences guide your hand, what sort of ideas/ingredients really get your juices going and makes you think, wow this is going to be a great dish.

Thanks

Tweaked

[mdt]

Chef Power,

It is always interesting to see the different paths that people follow in their careers. In regards to this who and/or what were your biggest influences over the years?

On a slightly lighter note, a few of us eGers have a strange obsession with deviled eggs. What would your take be on this dish?

Thanks and welcome to eGullet!

[Tom Power]

I'll start I guess.

Tom, what I like a whole lot about your place is the wine list. One of the more interesting lists in the city (not to mention way beyond reasonable). Could you talk a little about how you build your list, and how you were bitten by the wine bug?

←

John, Thanks for noticing my wine list, I spend a lot of time on it. I love the list at Firefly! I got bitten by the wine bug working as a cook/sous chef/chef in many restaurants and hearing the servers talk about what wine the VIPs were drinking. I started going to good wine stores on my days off and buying mixed cases to educate myself. At Corduroy I am the chef/owner/wine-buyer and bean counter so if I like a wine I buy it and put it on the list when I want to. I try to buy heavy in good vintages- we still have 94, 95, 96, 97 California Cabs, 98 right bank Bordeaux ... waiting to go on the wine list. The restaurant is only 4 years old but I am pretty happy with the maturity of the list. I like to fill out my wine list with more obscure wines(usually a good value- because of less press/demand). The values on my wine list are unmatched in the area. Here is a guarantee- find the same bottle of wine (year included) at a lower price on any wine list in the area and I'll refund your price.

I am glad to be here and looking foward to lots of questions.

[frogprince]

not a question, merely a sincere congratulations on a phenomenal restaurant alongside the aforementioned superlative wine list. both are exceptional.

cheers for running a great place

froggy

[Tom Power]

Chef Power,

I think you'll find that many around here on eGullet consider Corduroy to be an "undiscovered gem".  But this status is not necessarily a good thing for a restaurant's bottom line

Two of the things that have crept into the conventional wisdom about Corduroy is that it is too "hidden" to be noticed and that the decor is too spartan.  (I think the latter was mostly a result of Sietsema's "Airport Lounge" description).

I personally like the decor and I wouldn't think there is a lot of walk-in business at most middle to high end restaurants to make location a big issue.

But that said, do you see either of these things as disadvantages or are there benefits to working slightly under the radar, or am I just reading more into this than need be?

←

Corduroy is probably the most poorly located restaurant in DC. 12th and K Sts. second floor, deep inside a hotel (LOCATION,LOCATION , LOCATION!!) I was skeptical but signed the lease after eating on higher floors in the most obscure neighborhoods in Japan for a month (and cooking in the basement of Citronelle). It has been a rough road but we are out of the woods. July 17th 2004 was our FOURTH anniversary. In hindsight I would have probably opted for a more visible location (but that probably would have brought along with it many investors and equal headaches)

I am glad you like the decor.

When we opened the room was very "spartan" and we took many hits for it. The final straw for me was Tom Sietsema's "Airport Lounge" critique, I had to do something. CORE architects did a great job of giving the room a more personal feel. They installed a stainless steel beaded curtain around the bar, mirrors above the banquettes, and new lighting. The new look has a much more personal feel.

While I would like to be a little bit less under the radar (AKA more busy) It allows me to work the line, buy the wine, do the butchering, bake the pastry, recognize the customers and sometimes answer the phone. I've worked in very busy restaurants that start to become factories and that's not the the kind of place I want to own.

I am glad you mentioned walk ins. That is a huge issue for us especially during lunch. Customers think because they see empty tables that they don't need reservations. Reservations not only help secure tables but they help chefs and owners staff and buy accordingly. The area around Corduroy and the Convention Center is exploding with new offices. I think the future looks good.

[Malawry]

Hi Chef,

I have really enjoyed the desserts I have sampled in your restaurant. Can you please talk about your pastry program? Also what is your personal background with pastry?

Thanks.

[bilrus]

Hi Chef,

I have really enjoyed the desserts I have sampled in your restaurant. Can you please talk about your pastry program? Also what is your personal background with pastry?

Thanks.

←

That reminds me - last time I was there the Chocolate Hazelnut "Adult Kit-Kat Bar" wasn't on the menu. What happened? I thought your version was better than than the original at Citronelle.

[Nadya]

Hi Tom,

thanks for your time at eGullet. Hope you have the software figured out by now :) I was wondering if you can share a few insights on:

1. What is your most and least favorite thing about being a chef?

2. Is there anyone in the D.C. chef/restaurant community who you think does a particularly admirable job and why?

3. What is your take on the difference between working for a corporate/hotel-based restaurant vs. an individual chef/owner?

Thanks for your time, I look forward to eating at Corduroy one day.

[rhodegirl]

Hello Chef,

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.

When did you first become interested in cooking?

Who did the cooking in your family when you were growing up? And what kinds of food did your family eat? Any particular favorite dishes from your childhood that you still make now?

Do you cook at home on your days off, and if so, what are some of your favorite meals to make at home? Or would you rather do anything but cook when you're not working?

Now that you've been in the business for quite a while, do you feel your education Johnson and Wales prepared you well for the 'real world' of restaurants?

Thanks again!

[morela]

Hey Tom,

It's awesome having you here!

Here are some of my questions:

How often do you change your menu? What sort of restrictions does the hotel put on your creativity (in respect to ingredients or menu swaps)? Like, what do you wish you could do more of (foodwise), but for some reason you can't?

What are some the flavors we can expect this fall season?

I love your soups; what do you have in store me?

Mare Sea Bow Coo!

[Gary Tanigawa]

Hi Chef,

I've enjoyed your soup and fish dishes. In particular, I remember a fried whole sea bass from awhile ago and a crispy black grouper from last week. Do you have any guides or goals in what you want to accomplish with fish?

Thanks.

[Tom Power]

Chef Power,

Can you give a brief description about the concepts you use to develop a dish.  Do you generally have a similar theme, what influences guide your hand, what sort of ideas/ingredients really get your juices going and makes you think, wow this is going to be a great dish.

Thanks

Tweaked

←

First and foremost I play the execution of a dish through my head to be as certain as possible that it will intergrate well with the rest of the menu and especially the station that will produce it. I like to serve crispy whole fried fish and I prefer fried soft shell crabs over sauteed. I'd rather not have one of them on the menu than be faced with trying to fry 3 orders of each at the same time. I really don't want to end up with a big greasy and soggy mess. The same thought process is applied to each station. I have six burners and half of a flat top on the fish station, so I need a good balance between how many pans/burners each dish uses. I really want every dish to go from the pan to the plate to the table in about 30 seconds.

There is no set theme for the menu. In different social settings people are always facinated that I am a chef and invariably ask me what kind of food I serve or even better what my specialty is. I always respond American food. Most people don't know what that means and some of them start asking about cheeseburgers.

That's when I change the subject.

High quality ingredients cooked well is what I am really after. I try to develop good relationships with the farmers and fishermen that I buy from and let them be my inspiration. Corduroy has a small menu that can be changed 10 minutes before any meal, so I let the ingredients make the dishes. I try to buy as much local produce as possible and let the seasons steer the menu.

[Tom Power]

Chef Power,

It is always interesting to see the different paths that people follow in their careers.  In regards to this who and/or what were your biggest influences over the years?

On a slightly lighter note, a few of us eGers have a strange obsession with deviled eggs.   What would your take be on this dish?

Thanks and welcome to eGullet!

←

Hmmm, Deviled Eggs? Where are the soft balls that Rocks promised me when I agreed to do this? Just to get off the spot I'll use chervil mayonaise and vidalia onion confit (cooked in the same fat that I use for confiting chicken legs) The more I think about it the more I want to fold in some really frothy egg whites to lighten it up. I am very excited about the organic eggs I buy from Sunnyside Farm in Virginia. They make everything better.

Locally I learned a lot from Michel Richard and Robert Wiedmaier. Both stressed attention to detail, technique and flavor.

Edited September 15, 2004 by Tom Power (log)

[Tom Power]

Hi Chef,

I have really enjoyed the desserts I have sampled in your restaurant. Can you please talk about your pastry program? Also what is your personal background with pastry?

Thanks.

←

Four years ago when I opened Corduroy pastry was very low on my totem poll of priorities. Finding bartenders that didn't steal and bus boys that spoke english was a much more pressing need. I didn't have much luck finding an affordable pastry chef whose style matched my own. I paid the price in some early reviews of the restaurant. Slowly the staff started to gel and I had more time for pastry.

I have a very limited pastry background. Before moving to Philadelphia to be the chef of Michel Richard's restaurant there I spent 2 weeks in the pastry kitchen of the Baltimore Citronelle. Thank God for those two weeks, soon after I arrived in Philadelphia the pastry chef there quit and again(for the first time) I couldn't find or afford anyone to it. So I worked my way through it.

The experimental wine dinners that I do at Corduroy have really pushed me to make new desserts. For those dinners I usually write the menu under the gun and then have a month to figure out how to pull it off. I am very happy with the response to the "baked chocolate sabayon" that grew out of a half baked idea for an Italian wine dinner.

I try to keep my desserts simple and lightly sugared so the flavors are pure.

[Tom Power]

That reminds me - last time I was there the Chocolate Hazelnut "Adult Kit-Kat Bar" wasn't on the menu.  What happened?  I thought your version was better than than the original at Citronelle.

←

I am sure Michel is cursing you as I write this. Michel Richard ate at Corduroy not long ago and missed his favorite dessert "Michel's Chocolate Hazelnut Bars". I apologizied and explained that I needed to have my own desserts. He suggested,

with a straight face, that I tell everyone that it was my invention and that Michel had copied me. I knew no one would believe it so I kept the bars off the menu.

It's a great dessert, maybe I'll bring it back to make everyone happy.

[Tom Power]

Hi Tom,

thanks for your time at eGullet. Hope you have the software figured out by now :) I was wondering if you can share a few insights on:

1. What is your most and least favorite thing about being a chef?

2. Is there anyone in the D.C. chef/restaurant community who you think does a particularly admirable job and why?

3. What is your take on the difference between working for a corporate/hotel-based restaurant vs. an individual chef/owner?

Thanks for your time, I look forward to eating at Corduroy one day.

←

Thanks for calling me Tom - the chef thing makes me feel like I am working.

1 Favorite- being a connector in the relationship between farmer/producer/ fisherman and the eating customer.

Least Favorite- Working when everyone else is playing- but you get used to that

2 I love Palena and what Frank Ruta is doing there- I think he deserves a lot more attention. His food is among the best in the world.

[babka]

1 Favorite- being a connector  in the relationship between farmer/producer/ fisherman  and  the eating customer. 

Tom,

could you talk a little bit more about that, please? How do you find your producers/farmers/fisherfolk and how do you get your good goods?

[Tom Power]

Hello Chef,

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.

When did you first become interested in cooking?

Who did the cooking in your family when you were growing up? And what kinds of food did your family eat? Any particular favorite dishes from your childhood that you still make now?

Do you cook at home on your days off, and if so, what are some of your favorite meals to make at home? Or would you rather do anything but cook when you're not working?

Now that you've been in the business for quite a while, do you feel your education Johnson and Wales prepared you well for the 'real world' of restaurants?

Thanks again!

←

The summer before starting high school I worked as a caddy at a country club. That was in NJ so as the weather got colder there were less rounds of golf being played at the club...and less work for me. The country club needed a dish washer and I gladly took the job. I immediately loved the energy of the kitchen and all the colorful characters that I worked with. The kitchen was straight out of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential- lots of shady stuff going on. As a 14 year old boy I was very amused by it all - The free pitchers of beer we got every night didn't hurt either.

As a dish washer I had to help with the prep work. Slowly through high school I advanced my kitchen career on a part time basis. In those pre Food Network days aspiring to be a chef wasn't nearly as glamorous as it is today. After graduating high school I took a cook's assistant job under my first real chef (Dave Everet who is now the chef at Ford's Colony in Williamsburg) After nine months of seeing what real food was all about I headed to culinary school. I knew I wanted to be a chef.

My mother cooked when I was growing up. She meant well but it was not gourmet food. She would buy fresh things and stick them in the freezer. Even as a young boy it didn't make sense to me. I still get a little embarassed when my mother comes to Corduroy and orders everything well done. At least she has stopped the sauce on the side stuff . My father liked to bake bread as a hobby and he made some nice bread.

I don't get a lot days off but my favorite thing to make on an off day is a reservation. I never cook at home. When I bought my house 6 years ago the home inspector discovered that the oven was not working. I still haven't had it fixed. Last Sunday I visited family in NJ and wound up cooking dinner for 6 in my mother's kitchen. They were thrilled and I was frustrated. Home kitchens are tough to cook in.

My time at Johnson and Wales was well spent. I learned a lot of techniques and strange vocabulary but I came out of cooking school as green as everyone else does.

[DonRocks]

I don't get a lot days off but my favorite thing to make on an off day is a reservation.  I never cook at home.  When I bought my house 6 years ago the home inspector discovered that the oven was not working.  I still haven't had it fixed. 

←

This is classic stuff, and needs to be submitted to some sort of literary committee for a non-fiction award.

[Tom Power]

Hey Tom,

It's awesome having you here!

Here are some of my questions:

How often do you change your menu?  What sort of restrictions does the hotel put on your creativity (in respect to ingredients or menu swaps)?  Like, what do you wish you could do more of (foodwise), but for some reason you can't?

What are some the flavors we can expect this fall season? 

I love your soups; what do you have in store me?

Mare Sea Bow Coo!

←

I am glad to be here.

I let the seasons change the menu. I try not to make a big deal about changing the menu. The menu can be changed daily and as things go out of season they get replaced.

While negociating my lease with the hotel I made sure to retain complete control over the menu - they can't make me cook anything I don't want cook or prevent me from serving anything. I defintely have less control over my enviorment as a resturant owner in a hotel. Corduroy is the "exclusive food and beverage provider" for the Four Ponts Hotel. That is a good thing and a bad thing . I can control the reservation book for the restaurant but if all 265 hotel guests decide to order room service at the same time (It is a factor in menu planing) I am up the creek with out a paddle.... and they love to do that when the restauant is full. The hotel also has about 10,000 square feet of meeting space and sometimes the catering requirements put a lot stress on the kitchen. The hardest part of the hotel generated business is that it is so sporadic....one week the catering is busy and the next week room service is busy.

Vidilaia onions are slow roasting at 12th and K as I write this at 2 AM for Soubise soup. Kabocha and Blue Hubbard Soups are on the way also.

[Tom Power]

Hi Chef,

I've enjoyed your soup and fish dishes. In particular, I remember a fried whole sea bass from awhile ago and a crispy black grouper from last week. Do you have any guides or goals in what you want to accomplish with fish?

Thanks.

←

I like to make soups... it's very rewardng to be able to balance flavors in a single spoonful. I am extremely hands on with the fish at Corduroy- its my favorite thing to cook. I try to buy the freshest fish available on the market every day.

My fish purveyors know I am picky but that I trust them so if they need to substitute species they do.

[JPW]

Tom,

On a indirect food matter. Are you getting hit by the hotel employee strike?