AME Cuisine » drew

Music and Food What Do They Have In Common, EVERYTHING!

drew — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:56:52 +0000

Up until recently the answer to that question seemed obvious in my mind. I
like most love to listen to music when I prep food and also when I eat food.
It seems they really go well together hand in hand, like a happily married
couple finishing each other sentences in synchronized time. I mean think
about it we listen to music when we are sad we also tend to binge on food
in that same mode. We listen to music when we are happy too and so do we
dine in that same vein. But one thing I never expected to happen hit me
hard recently. Its seems to me that creating a dish and creating a song are
really one in the same.

On my “spare” time (Sundays only and late night after service) I have been
going into a recording studio downtown and working on a track I wrote called
“Sunday Morning” . Like a dish it all starts out as a general idea, I have
an idea of where it is going but have not nailed the details or the
polarities of how far I want to take it. All you know at this point is there
is a melody or an ingredient you want to work with. So lets then start to
get to know the ingredient or melody better, we play and play until our
fingers hurt or even until we burn ourselves as we get to know our
ingredient or melody better. Soon we become comfortable enough to introduce
it to some friends which means even more ingredients and more instruments.
As we roll with this melody or ingredient it starts to makes friends with
some of these new introductions while others get dejected within moments of
our next tasting or session. Believe me its a painful experience one minute
its bliss and you think you have something on Bowie or the next you are as
tasteless as a bad diner in middle America. At this point I realized
something about music I already knew about food, keep trying until you get
it right. Its okay to be influenced by something but still keep it original
even at the risk of subjective criticism or critical acclaim…

The pay off at the end of the day is why all artists go through this
sadistic process that can physically and mentally drain you…you have given
life to something with your own hands that never existed until you reacted
to that melody or ingredient that was floating in your head…..g

What Inspires Me?

drew — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:30:50 +0000

I often get asked what inspires me, and the truth of the matter is clear in
my mind. The obvious, or shall I say typical, answer as a chef would be
“walking through the markets and seeing what is fresh and in season”. Well
yes, that part of it is true to a certain degree, but for me the real answer
is other people. By other people I do not necessarily mean chefs; sometimes
it’s people in completely unrelated fields. Recently I was blessed
with visits from three guests that I am completely inspired by, and each in
their own way have found success despite the odds against them.

The first was Steve Nash. A fellow Canadian who despite being “too short”
to play professional basketball has managed to win numerous MVP’s and
is arguably the best point guard to ever play the game. Oh, and did I
mention he is really cool as well? After his dinner, he came into the kitchen,
chatted and took photos with myself and my crew. He is a classic example that
what may be perceived as a weakness by critics can be turned into a positive strength in reality.

The second guest was a fellow by the name of Derrick Borte who, after
working in television for most of his career, decided he was going not only write
but direct a movie. That movie, ” The Joneses” was featured at TIFF this year.
The movie stars Demi Moore and David Ducovny and we had the honor of doing the
after dinner screening for Derrick’s cast and crew. This film is awesome and
really gets you thinking about where our society may be heading. He told me it
took him 7 years from the time he decided to write it, to now being on the silver
screen. This tells me persistence is the key and never give up on your
dreams…

The third guest (last but definitely not the least) was Emily Haines of
Metric. Metric is an indy, partially Canadian band that has done what any
successful band has done and that’s create their own original sound.
Whenever a Metric tune pops up on my ipod it instantaneously stands out
from the other tunes. ”Fantasies” their current cd, is definitely a more
radio-friendly project then the other Metric cd’s, which is probably why
it’s their most successful project to date. But the trick they have successfully
mastered is that it is still Metric, unique and beautifully crafted music.
They are currently in Australia, then off to Tokyo, only to return to some
back to back gigs at Massey Hall. Ottawa and Montreal. Seeing them live is
a must see. I had to assure Emily that when “Help I am Alive ” came on during her dinner that it wasn’t a set up and their music along with other indy bands get steady play at Ame. What did I learn from Emily, Metric and Fantasies? That
reaching out to a broader audience creates new opportunities and done
well can be a beautiful thing with complete honor. Also to work as hard as
you can to get your message out there and the ones who will get it “fine”,
and the ones who don’t, well move on and don’t “fret” about it…..g

Cocktail Chefs. Honestly, its true

drew — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:43:48 +0000

During our reno period I had a chance to hang in NYC with some chef friends,
both in their respective kitchens and socially. Quickly I noticed the
cocktail trend has grown significantly during the past two years. Clearly
NYC was, and now still is, one of the pioneer cities for creating some of
the legendary drinks. To this day there still are a lot of old school
bartenders out there pouring signature drinks and sometimes the simple route
can be so the way to go. But this new wave of bartenders are really trying
to push the bar higher. Honestly, these guy are working, well, like
chefs, creating, mixing and mulling their own concoctions. Some taking a
refreshing sting on retro drinks and some using molecular techniques for
both the “wow” factor as well as flavor. Now let me clarify something: I am
not (or shall I say, was not!) a “cocktail ” type of person, until I saw the
amount of love these bartenders were putting into their drinks. I know what
it’s like to pour my heart and soul into a dish, so respectfully I opened my
mind and starting putting my faith into their creations. Night after night
I became hooked and found myself going to certain bars for a certain drink.
Even if I had to wait in line for an hour in a stinky hot dog diner in a
basement waiting to be escorted through a phone booth into a tiny bar that
seated maybe twenty people…(no, I am not kidding)… Yes, I slowly became
one of those people who would say, “oh you have to go to this bar and try the
bartender’s version of a Manhattan”. After trying just about every place in
the city that had a cocktail program, my brother and I decided we need to
have a serious program at Ame as well. Off we went around town here in
Toronto and we quickly decided the only guy who would really “get” what we
were looking for was Frankie, the owner and head bartender of Bar
Chef. Frankie used to work at rain as a bartender and we always admired his
passion to create and serve cocktails. Now at Bar Chef, he hasn’t stopped
with his passion, and it seems he is one of the founding fathers of a
movement happening here in Toronto. Frankie graciously put us on to our
current bartender, Moses. I remember our first interview with Moses and
Michael and I were very clear as to what we are looking for… the boundaries
were simple: the drinks had to have a Asian influence, be original, made in
-house from scratch, and, obviously, tasty. I said he could have full access to
the kitchen and our knowledge of techniques and suggested he work with us to
get a basic understanding on how to treat fruits and vegetables with some
love so they may return the favor in his drinks. And that he did, he also
compiled a team of fellow bartenders that share his passion. This team of
bandits are starting every day at the same time the kitchen starts, juicing and
creating everything by hand and heart. Now I realize we are not the only
game in town with a serious cocktail scene, but I feel we are now part of
that culture that is growing and I for one am proud to say clearly we are
doing our part to help this “movement” along… let’s hope it just continues
to blossom into the norm as we all need a good drink now and again…..g