The second is the sheer number of choices available. As the number of restaurant options increases, so too does the quality rise. Every restaurant in town is held to a high standard. If an establishment fails that benchmark, it would not be able to survive for long. Finally, California is blessed with long growing seasons and great source ingredients. When Chef Jossel speaks to his friends in New York or Washington, they chat about the fact that there is great produce everywhere. However, the California seasons are just longer. For example, there are amazing peaches in New York—though they may only be available for three weeks. In San Francisco, fresh peaches are available for two months! That is something very exciting to him. In terms of food philosophy, Chef Jossel prefers simple recipes with just two, three, or four ingredients. He makes sure
A few of his favorite Bay Area restaurants: Robin Delfina LoLo
he does not overcook or undercook, over-season or under- season the dish. “Just cook it properly, make it shiny on
his process with us. In his opinion, everything starts with the chicken itself. Get the highest quality poultry you can at a very fresh butcher. Brine it with a salt-sugar-water-herb solution for three or four hours after cutting into similar- sized pieces. After brining, soak it in buttermilk and toss with a mixture of flour, cornflour, salt, and cayenne pepper. Deep fry them at 300 degrees Fahrenheit—it takes about 11 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through but maintain
the menu and then celebrate (it),” he says. Chef Jossel’s current
maximum juiciness and crispiness. To him, it is not impossible to make at home but it requires some technique and lots of attention to detail. It all goes back to his belief that if the base product is amazing, the chef only needs to facilitate and bring out its best. “Enlivening the ingredients… that's my job,” Chef Jossel says.
obsession is the perfect fried chicken and he was gracious enough to share
101
Powered by FlippingBook