Cooked Raw by Matthew Kenney

Author:Matthew Kenney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Familius
Published: 2014-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

Maki Roll

Top crisp nori sheets with a mixture of pulsed jicama root, pine nuts, and rice vinegar—dry to evoke a rice-like fluffiness. Wrap the sheets around generous chunks of avocado, soy-marinated shiitake, asparagus, and tomato. Roll it tight, and the resulting roll is both artful and edible, a clean variation on a classic.

PURIST

New York loves a comeback. As ruthless as it can feel being on the receiving end of a good old-fashioned Manhattan lashing, the way back up can be a truly heartwarming experience. From those few who were there for me during my freefall, to others who disappeared from my circle while I toiled away making flax crackers and raw cookies in obscurity, to some of my harshest critics, most everyone seemed supportive as I worked my way back into the industry.

The new restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, would be the first time in nearly fifteen years that I was involved in a project that could have all my attention. I had no clients, no books being published, and certainly no empire to run. I had less going on than I did when I built Matthew’s so many years ago, so it was a real pleasure to give my all to one entity.

Our budget was limited, and although Chodorow and I were both known for doing high-budget projects, we did this one on a shoestring. There were essentially four spaces to design: the kitchen, the garden, the dining room, and the takeaway shop. We started with the best: the garden. I came across a gorgeous photo from one of the Aman Resorts that showed low-slung, cushioned benches surrounding a fire pit. While we were not doing the pit, I thought this would be a unique way to create the warmth of an indoor space outdoors. We could not afford a big-name general contractor, so instead, I hired my college buddy Russell to oversee everything. Russell wasn’t your typical spreadsheet-and-timeline kind of guy. This would add a lot of color to the whole experience.

“This is a little loosey-goosey for me, but okay,” Chodorow said in response to Russell’s messy, nonsensical bids.

He wasn’t sure this could work, but something told me it could.

Russell took me to a lumber yard in the Bronx and showed me a dark wood called IPE, which he suggested for the outside. It turned out to be ideal, and we built a large fence all around the perimeter. Rich, chocolate wood and cushioned outdoor banquettes enveloped the entire garden. We left a few feet behind the benches open to plant a pretty little herb garden. Chodorow’s beautiful wife, Linda, did the planting, and we sourced some very sexy burgundy and grape fabrics for the benches and chairs.

The dining room was easier: a simple, little, low-ceilinged space with absolutely nothing special about it. It was about the size of the private dining room we had at Commune, nothing more than what I would once have considered a throwaway space. We painted it so many colors before deciding

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