“You’ve got time, guys. Make sure it’s nice.” The heirloom tomatoes go on the plate first, followed by freshly sliced avocado. The pattern continues for a stacked salad of lightly seasoned tomato and avocado, topped with pickled onion and fresh, green mint. The tomatoes – bright red, green with red sunbursts, and light orange – are fresh from Little City Farm, Four Town Farm, and Schartner’s. Chef Matt also picked some of the tomatoes this morning from Gracie’s rooftop garden, several stories above downtown Providence. “Somebody’s gonna hold, and somebody’s gonna drop.”

Preparing the dish

Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad

As the kitchen staff puts the final touches on the salad, the wait staff is upstairs clearing tables of the first course. Kristie is at the bar, opening wine for the second course while Stephen is delivering freshly polished wine glasses, six at a time, to each table. At the wait station, between the kitchen and dining area, Jessie is filling silver star-shaped trays with forks. It is 7:45. “Let’s start running food, please.”

With the salad out, the wait staff has enough time to survey the dining room. Alan tells me they “want to make sure everyone has water in their glasses, everything they need, and are having a nice dinner.” Even with this interval, there is not much down time. Kristie is behind the bar making simple syrup, Steph and Travis are polishing wine glasses and silverware for the next course, and the rest of the wait staff is attending to the dining room.

Polishing wine glasses

For the wait staff, this sequence continues throughout the meal: prepping dishes, clearing tables, resetting tables, filling water and wine glasses, and delivering each new course. The trick is in timing and pacing, making sure the night moves efficiently and smoothly. There are big changes for the kitchen staff, though. The hot courses require a more intricate level of speed and precision- there is time to make each dish beautiful, but accuracy is key here.

Concentration

Blackbird Farm Angus Beef

The kitchen is divided into two sections: an outer ring lining the wall, and an inner rectangle filled with a worktable. The outer ring, facing the wall, includes the cold prep area, where, on most nights, salads and deserts are made and plated. To the left of that, along the back wall and the far wall, is a line of ovens, twelve gas burners, a flat top grill, and shelves with dozens of well worn pots and fry pans in a variety of sizes. The rest of the outer ring consists of space for used dishes, a dish sink, dishwasher, a hand washing sink, and a space for clean dishes. The steam rises continuously from the consistent flow of plates, glasses, and silverware making the journey through the cleaning cycle.

In the middle of the floor, surrounded by the ovens, pans, and sinks, is a large wooden work table. It looks like a cutting board that just happens to be the size of an extra large dining room table, and tall enough to work while standing. With the steam from the dish area, fire from most of the gas burners, the heat of the flat top, and the hot lamps that help light this workspace, the temperature in the kitchen reaches 93 degrees.

Even so, the 10 cooks standing at three sides of the table are barely breaking a sweat. It is time to plate and serve the next course. Just like the salad dishes, there is a specific order to follow, and even specific placement; “We need to see the ginger; that’s why it’s going on the left.” The ginger follows the sauce, meat, arroz, gravy, and garden lettuce. Chef Bruce Tillinghast examines the first plate, waving his hand from the plate to his nose to appraise the aroma. Ellen Slattery, the owner of Gracie’s, is the last in line; she inspects each plate, and wipes any trace of sauce splashes.

Smoked Trout with Black Quinoa, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Quail Egg, Crispy Shallots, and Chili Sauce

Slow Braised Beef Short Rib with Sauteed Rice, Shiso, Pickled Ginger, and Squash Puree

As the last course goes out, Ellen looks over the guest list one last time to ensure that everyone is served. Chef Bruce looks at her, asking, “Are we clear?” “We’re clear.” Chef Bruce looks around at the Gracie’s staff, and says a heartfelt, and simple, “thank you.” With this Star Chefs Dinner almost over, the kitchen staff at Gracie’s enjoys a toast of wine in honor of Chef Bruce. They will spend the next two hours cleaning, then go home. Tomorrow is Tuesday, and they will all be in early to get ready for dinner.

Coconut Tuile Cones with Passion Fruit Ice Cream, Tropical Fruits, and Chocolate Crumble

All photos by JWessel Photography.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chef Dinner Part 2 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chef Dinner Part 2 appeared first on Gracie's Providence.

Doors open promptly at 6 p.m. Guests gather in the candlelit lounge enjoying a Peruvian Cerveza Cusquena Lager or a lightly spiced Pisco Chicha Morada, a Peruvian-styled cocktail. The wait staff carry small wooden trays as they thread through the lounge; they offer canapés of marinated fresh tuna, with potato puree on a bed of Boston Lettuce, chicken and swiss chard empanadas, or fried root vegetable chips with a selection of chili dips. Gracie’s Chef Matt Varga and Chef Bruce are in their cooking jackets, greeting guests.

Root vegetable chips with chili dips

Chicken and swiss chard empanadas

Light from a dozen candles dances on bottles of Battle Cry Single Malt Whiskey, and Redemption Rye. Above the bar, an inconspicuous flat-screen television brims with colors from photographer Jason Wessel’s images of vegetables, knives, and flowers – all part of tonight’s meal preparations. Ceiling fans spin leisurely, and from behind the bar, slipping through the sound of many conversations and laughs, is the rattle of ice in a metal shaker.

Away from the activity and conversation in the lounge, Melissa and Andrea are working quickly in in the lower level of the Gracie’s kitchen – a section known by the staff as Pastryland. Dessert is Coconut Tuile Cones with passion fruit ice cream, tropical fruits, and chocolate crumble. Keeping ice cream cold in a kitchen is a tricky task, so the pastry chefs place a tray of ice down, then work on top of that to remove the fresh ice cream from silicone molds. Melissa moves the mini ice cream balls back to the freezer to await final assembly just before the dessert course.

Coconut tuile cones

With all the activity, it would be easy to forget the planning and preparation that goes into an event such as this. The reality is that this evening’s meal began several weeks ago.

Chef Matt Varga and Chef Bruce sit in the lounge at Gracie’s, with the light of a sunny day illuminating the bar and their work. An open box of pastries, a bottle of water, and several notebooks with recipes and ideas sit on the table next to them. Chef Bruce relates the joys of a recent trip to Peru, and his experience with the exciting food and culture. He wants to bring this same food culture to the Star Chefs Dinner at Gracie’s, with local food and ingredients as the means to express that aesthetic.

Mid-summer produce offers an abundance of choices for the two chefs to work with. The waters off the coast of Rhode Island are also teaming with Black Sea Bass, Tuna, and squid, as well as clams and quahaugs in shallower waters. Chef Bruce says a seafood course, such as ceviche could nicely combine the richness of Rhode Island waters with the fishing culture of Peru. The two chefs meet on several occasions to plan and prepare for this meal, and the final product of that work is taking place now.

Before the first course, nine members of the kitchen staff gather downstairs to set up the ceviche plates. Two long tables are placed end to end, and covered in a white tablecloth. Two rows of rectangular white dishes, 52 in all, are arranged side by side on the table. Chef Matt prepares one plate as a model for the other plates. There is a very precise order and placement for items on the dish, and each chef is responsible for one item. The lobster tail is positioned first on the plate, then a small section of corn on the cob, seasoned with oil, salt, and pepper. Two scallops come next, followed by a portion of sea bass, mussels, squid rings, a dash of fleur de sel, a lobster claw, and lastly, a seasoned sweet potato.

Each member of the kitchen staff works around the table, carefully positioning their piece of the culinary artwork one by one as they go. Chef Matt reminds the team to “be tight on the line, guys”, making sure the “line” of ceviche is thoughtfully placed to ensure that the fresh plate is presented looking its best. Chef Bruce walks around the table last, finishing each plate with cilantro.

Rhode Island seafood ceviche

Fresh Rhode Island seafood ceviche

The colors are brilliant- bright golden orange marigold petals, beautifully flecked red and white lobster, and summery green cilantro give the dish a visual warmth, and show off the groups ability to step back, and allow the ingredients to present their full potential. With the dishes ready, Ellen, Bruce, and Matt attend to checking the guest list to make sure everyone has arrived, but also to check guest notes for any allergies. “We need a watermelon salad for a shellfish allergy.”

“These are ready. Do you wanna go get runners?” Alan, a waiter at Gracie’s, heads upstairs to notify the staff that it is time to go. The room switches from preparation mode to an energetic and noisy conversation that would only make sense to someone familiar with restaurant language.

“Alan, two go to eight.”

“Heard.”

“Laura, you have one and two.”

“Why don’t you take five and six.”

Jesse, you wanna do one and two at twelve.”

Table numbers, seat numbers, and a call and response (“Alan, two go to eight.” “Heard.”) come from a dozen different voices in the low-ceilinged preparation room downstairs. The swinging door to the stairs and up to the main kitchen and dining room moves continuously for the next few minutes as waiters are in and out, up and down the stairs, until all 50 guests have received their plates.

Chef Matt, Chef Bruce, and Ellen all smile, then head upstairs to address the dining room.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chefs Series Part 1 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chefs Series Part 1 appeared first on Gracie's Providence.

photo by JWessel Photography

Tillinghast grew up in a family that loved to cook, and his grandmother’s Griswold cast iron fry pan is still one of his favorite kitchen tools. Along with cooking, he says “color has always been an important element in my life, beginning with the big Crayola box that took the rainbow to new heights.” He attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where he received his BFA in Graphics in 1968.

From 1970- 1972, Tillinghast taught art in the Providence Public Schools, then moved to Lake Tahoe, working as a waiter and “tableside cook” at Harrah’s. In 1979, he attended the Modern Gourmet Cooking School, where Madeleine Kamman “opened the door to flavors for me and I found when cooking I think about putting flavor elements together the same way I think I have always thought about using color combinations.”

Photo by JWessel Photography

In 1990, Tillinghast and his late wife, Pat, opened New Rivers Restaurant. Local chefs often credit the couple for initiating the local and seasonal food movement in Providence, but he credits Kamman with the inspiration. “She taught us to use ingredients that grow together because they work together.” In truth, this is not a big leap from his appreciation of Bauhaus artist Josef Albers and his work with adjacent colors. “Whether dealing with food or color, there is always that delicate balance…and energy involved.”

This is the balance and energy we are excited to bring to Gracie’s on Monday, August 11, 2014. Chef Tillinghast will preside over a seated five-course tasting menu, with wine paired by The Savory Grape. This is also a rare opportunity to enjoy Chef Bruce’s menu; he sold New Rivers to a long-term employees Beau and Elizabeth Vestal in 2012.

Make your reservation by emailing Keira Langan at keira@graciesprov.com, or by calling Gracie’s at (401) 272-7811.

Photo by JWessel

The post Star Chefs Dinner with Bruce Tillinghast first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Star Chefs Dinner with Bruce Tillinghast appeared first on Gracie's Providence.