Do you ever actually ask the chef?

[Gifted Gourmet]

the meal truly needs to stir something (other than hunger) within you. Top chefs are like interior decorators in their presentation; mixing colors, shapes and textures to be sure that they are eye-catching.  Next we come to the recipe itself. Top chefs rarely present a recipe as it is presented in a recipe book; instead they add their own signature to it...  Why not start collecting your own top chef's tips when you eat out. If there is something on your plate that excites you ask the waiter to ask the chef how he achieved that taste. Chefs are like artists and are usually happy to discuss their techniques with people who show a genuine interest.

article The Chef's Mindset

Have you actually ever done this?

Or do you eat, delight in the meal, and leave the restaurant, pleased and satisfied?

[Adrienne Carmack]

I ask my servers lots of questions, but I can't recall ever actually talking to the chef about how to prepare something myself. The closest I came was asking for a recipe for an incredible olive oil pound cake, which was a perfect dessert, but of course the pastry chef wasn't there during dinner time. They told me to call back but I never followed through enough to actually call when she was there.

I would probably feel like I was being too much of a burden to actually ask for the chef to come out of the kitchen to teach me how to do something. If they're good, the servers or sommeliers can usually answer most questions.

[ASM NY]

I will usually ask the server if it's ok to have a word with the chef, or ask a specific question regarding the preparation of different items. I have found myself talking to the chef when possible/appropriate. Just last night I ate a parmesan cheese marshmallow and I asked the chef how it was made, and he was more than happy to go through the process step by step and give me the recipe.

In many high end restaurants (more common in Europe than in the US) the chef walks into the dining room to chat with the customers. I have rarely asked for an actual recipe, but I have not yet been in the situation in which the chef does not wish to disclose how something was prepared.

What I would be more interested in finding out from professionals out there is whether chefs see customers wishing to talk to them or ask them questions about the preparation of their dishes as a nuisance. "I prepared your food, you ate it and paid for it". Should that be it as far as chef/patron relationship is concerned?

[jayt90]

When my fiancee and I had to arrange a pre-nup dinner for twelve, we had a late lunch at a chosen French restaurant, and asked to talk to the chef, who was also the owner. He came to the table when his chores were done, and we discussed a menu for the the proposed date. He even had a private room for us, and prepared several Bretagne specialties. We were pleased, and became regulars.

The only hitch was that the late lunch we ordered came with leg of lamb that was past pink, as we were so late into his lunch hour.

[BarbaraY]

I don't recall ever asking a chef for a recipe but I have often been asked for mine.

An amusing incident was the time a frequent customer from my previous employment came to my new job for a recipe.

I had to confess it was Bradley Ogden's.

[tammylc]

At the eGullet Heartland Gathering last year, I wanted to make a version of the caramelized zucchini served at Jose's Minibar in DC. While at the restaurant I had asked how it was made (easy to do since the chef is serving your food), so I had an approximation of the technique. But while we were off foraging for ingredients, Fat Guy called up the restaurant, asked to the speak the chef, and got the recipe!

[athinaeos]

i always want to ask the chef how (s)he puts a recipe together

i usually succeed in restaurants where the chef speaks english - i even dared ask helena arzak when i visited the restaurant and had a fantastic piece of fresh foies with caramelised pear and mango

i must admit though that i get the kick out of asking them before i order a dish whether they would be willing to prepare something that they fell like, regardless of whether it is in the menu or not, just cook it and bring it on the table - this could be because the fishmonger just dropped a basket full of good stuff, or because they had a nice dream the night before, or ...

it does not work all the time, but sometimes it does and it is quite rewarding

[Schneier]

I ask chefs about recipes and techniques all the time.

Just last night I had dinner at Union Restaurant in Seattle. My entree was a sweetbread-stuffed boneless quail. I was dining alone, and had a small table in the bar. Ethan Stowell (the chef) was taking a break from the kitchen, and asked me how I liked my meal. We talked about the dishes I had, and I asked him how he boned a quail. He told me the technique, and we talked about roasting techniques and cooking times. He even offered to sell me a few already boned quails that were in his refrigerator for me to take home. (I would have if I thought I could keep them cold overnight and throug the flight the next day.)

I do this kind of thing all the time. There are even times when I am menu planning for my own dinner, and ask the chef quesitons. This is more likely to happen if I know the chef, but I have done it on occasion with random chefs I don't know. I remember one instance -- I forget all the details -- where I was early for a large dinner and planning a menu that I was cooking later that week. The server and I started talking about it, and then the chef came out and talked with me. I have no recollection of the particular cooking problem I was pondering at the time, or the outcome.

So my suggestion is to just ask. Chefs like talking about what they do, and there's nothing better than an appreciative audience.

They know you're not going to steal their recipes and open a competing restaurant across the street.

[torakris]

At the eGullet Heartland Gathering last year, I wanted to make a version of the caramelized zucchini served at Jose's Minibar in DC. While at the restaurant I had asked how it was made (easy to do since the chef is serving your food), so I had an approximation of the technique.  But while we were off foraging for ingredients, Fat Guy called up the restaurant, asked to the speak the chef, and got the recipe!

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Yes, and I was standing next to him while he did it! Does that count?

I would never have the nerve to do that myself....

[Gifted Gourmet]

I would never have the nerve to do that myself....

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Mid thread new question:

Why are people so intimidated by chefs? Particular thinking here?

[moosnsqrl]

OMG, chefs are the most accessible practitioners/artists in the world. As long as you are mindful of their workload and aren't demanding attention to the extent it interferes with the preparation of other patrons' food, my experience is that they truly enjoy explaining the origin and execution of their dishes.

I think the reluctance to approach them is more about timing than anything else. I consider a well-timed stroll through the kitchen an adjunct to a fabulous meal. Mind you, I don't consider it part of the tariff - there are times when it's inappropriate - but in most cases if it doesn't constitute an intrusion to doing business, most chefs are OK with it in my experience.

That said, I would love it if chefs would weigh-in on if my beliefs are true or if you're really just biting your tongue and being polite.

[torakris]

I would never have the nerve to do that myself....

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Mid thread new question:

Why are people so intimidated by chefs? Particular thinking here?

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This may be just me... I am actually intimidated by almost anyone. You should have seen the way I was shaking when I met Steven for the first time earlier the day....

[Irishgirl]

OMG, chefs are the most accessible practitioners/artists in the world.  As long as you are mindful of their workload and aren't demanding attention to the extent it interferes with the preparation of other patrons' food, my experience is that they truly enjoy explaining the origin and execution of their dishes.

I think the reluctance to approach them is more about timing than anything else.  I consider a well-timed stroll through the kitchen an adjunct to a fabulous meal.  Mind you, I don't consider it part of the tariff - there are times when it's inappropriate - but in most cases if it doesn't constitute an intrusion to doing business, most chefs are OK with it in my experience.

That said, I would love it if chefs would weigh-in on if my beliefs are true or if you're really just biting your tongue and being polite.

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I think that chefs as a whole cannot be classified into one answer. As with each chef, each PERSON is different. Some chefs like being asked questions about their food and others do not.

I worked in an open kitchen for many years, and had customers literally eating 3 feet away from me while I cooked their meals. It was a situation that was conducive to a lot of talk about the food and about how I was cooking it. It was a fabulous job in that respect. I got to know a lot of regulars and garnered a "following" so to speak. Because i was in an open kitchen, I felt that it was only polite to speak to the clients....and I also gained a few friends from this relationship.

Other chefs are very secretive about "their methods" and would even lie about recipes in their own cookbooks, just to make the client think that they are Gods!

It is a tough question to answer....but as I always say....nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If you don't ask, you'll never get an answer. And what's the worst that could happen? A server who says: "The chef is busy right now"....or...."The chef is unwilling to part with that recipe..."?

My old chef used to put on a show....but that is another story.....He liked to throw things...but NEVER at guests!

[ASM NY]

Why are people so intimidated by chefs? Particular thinking here? 

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I think it's mostly because like in many other industries, there are a lot of big egos and some people are not the most receptive.

[deltadoc]

I've asked the chef many times over the years. Mohamed Ahmed took me back into the kitchen several years ago and taught me almost everything on his Middle Eastern menu because he considered me his best customer.

Down in Puerto Rico at Mangere, the chef gave me the recipe for Penne alle Mastriciano.

At Thunder Bay Grill in the Quad Cities, the chef wrote out the recipe for the Filet with Blue Cheese Demi-glace.

The list goes on and on.

I agree that the chef likes the attention, and if you truly know your food, they'll be more than happy to talk with you at length.

One exception, and that place is out of business now, was a request made for the Green Peppercorn sauce served at Nicki's Bar & Grill in Minneapolis. She'd rather have me pay her the compliment of continuing to come to the restaurant and pay for the pleasure of the sauce!

doc