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Culinary Currents
October 2005
Executive Chef Bart Black Tees Off at Redstone
By Peter Langlois
 So
often winning a golf tournament comes down to being able to make a putt on
the 18th Green. I recall Phil Mickelson pulling this off to win the
Masters by sinking a birdie putt on the final hole at Augusta. That’s
pressure. I wondered what Executive Chef Bart Black is doing to fade the
culinary heat at what is certainly now the highest profile golf course in
Houston, maybe in the U.S. It turns out his attitude is much like
Mickelson’s.
In response to the press, Mickelson said he was doing his
job and having a lot of fun. Chef Black basically says he is handling the
culinary limelight in the same fashion: “I’m doing my job and having a lot
of fun doing it. I just don’t see how being dark or uptight is going to
help me or my staff perform at the highest level. When we’re having fun
and being creative we meet our members’ and their guests’ expectations.
That’s what we’re all about!”
He added: “I focus on being interactive with our members.
For example, 12-24 members participate in instructional cooking in my
kitchen each quarter by preparing four-course meals. To create urgency, I
set a one-hour time limit on prep and execution. Then I ride them a little
to give them a taste of reality.”
Of course, Chef does this with tongue firmly planted in
his cheek, but the point is he makes it fun. The members plate up each
course and serve one another. While you’d think members would pump him for
culinary tips, he says their most frequent question is: What’s that big,
funny piece of equipment over there? When he tells them it’s a tilt
skillet, you can imagine what questions follow. Soon he’s explaining all
the commercial equipment he’s chosen and why.
In another interesting setting, Chef Black ties together
a unique golf hole with recipes he’s borrowed from his Puerto Rican
Grandmother. At Redstone, one of the tee boxes is virtually an island, so
Chef has created an annual Island Event for the members. He confided to me
that several of the dishes are modifications of grandma’s empanadas and
gumbo. He also took a twist from her when he created a special tortilla
dressing to complement a veal dish he serves.
Chef Black describes his cuisine for the Club as
essentially Mediterranean, but he adds flair with artisan cheeses and
breads. Everything is made from scratch. He features extraordinary
sandwiches on his day menu and goes with monthly themes in the evenings.
“I keep it interesting for me, my staff, and my members. I never want to
lose that creative energy.”
Chef Black is above all a teaching chef. His advice to
young people interested in culinary: “Get your hands on every book you can
and read them cover-to-cover.” If you graduate from a culinary school, he
feels you’ve maybe gotten halfway there. “Reach out to learn at these
wonderful places: The Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island, MI); Little Nell
(Aspen, CO); The Cloisters (Sea Island, GA); The French Laundry; Charlie
Trotters,” all his personal picks. “You’ll not only learn but you’ll feel
more passion than ever.”
The bottom line on my conversation with Chef Black: He
isn’t fading the heat--he is the heat!
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Peter Langlois is founder of
www.RestaurantU.com: Tools of the Trade for Business, for School, for
Free!,co-editor of
Weekly Restaurant Connections (e-Newsletter), Culinary Instructor,
The Art Institute of Houston-Culinary, and Management, Marketing
and e-business Facilitator at The University of
Phoenix (Houston). Langlois is also a Malcolm
Baldrige 2005 Ambassador. He has a Political Science degree
from Michigan State University (Modern International Chinese Relations)
and an M.B.A from the University of Houston (Marketing and Business
Strategies). If you enjoyed this feature, you’ll probably enjoy his free
newsletter available on
www.RestaurantU.com.
Contact information: 832.860.5595 or
peter@restaurantu.com
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