Cooking with Jean-Georges

In late November, Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten sat down with after hosting a master cooking class at Three on the Bund.  The interview will be published in the January issue, but here’s a sneak peek at what the Michelin-starred chef had to say about his start in Asia and why he’s going casual. Make sure to pick up the January issue when it comes out to find out what he’s got planned for expansion in Shanghai!

You cooked several dishes today – will any of them be on your menu here?

The cod is already on the menu here. It’s a dish we put together about two days ago. We went to the markets, saw some cabbage, some seaweed, made some combos. You know, put it together. Then I’ll bring it back to New York too.

What is the purpose of your visit here?

To change the menu, bring some new items to the menu. We always bring about two dozen recipes to try with [Jean Georges Shanghai Executive Chef] Kim. We take the best of [our restaurants around the world] and others we create here, like the cod.

Why do you do host the cooking class when you’re in town?

It’s fun, it’s like camping. It shows people you can do it with nothing. Sometimes you think you need a full-blown kitchen and it’s not true. Little burner, wood fire, whatever it is – you can cook. It makes it a little more accessible to people.

Tell me about your new book Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes.

It’s more simple, it’s more who I am. At the restaurant you try to impress people a little more. Is it really what you want to eat? Not necessarily. But at home it’s what you want to eat because you feed yourself. So today [at the cooking class using his book’s recipes], I cooked what I really want to eat.

You have an affinity for Asian flavours. What is it about Asian food that appeals to you?

In 1980, when I moved to Thailand, that changed everything for me. I was 23 years old and had the chance to go Asia. I only knew French food and it was just a revelation – a new palate of flavour. I blended it to what I knew and I took advantage of it.

Did you travel much when you lived in Bangkok?

I travelled all over Southeast Asia on a dirt bike. I went to Vietnam when it was closed. There were no visas then. You gave 50 bucks to the guy and he let you through. I just visited, stopping and eating at restaurants on the side of the road, around the temples.

By yourself?

Yes, by myself. I wanted to see everything. Any time I had vacation, I was on my bike, looking around, travelling to north, south, east Thailand. Some times I arrived at a border and say, ‘Can I go?’ ‘No, you can’t go.’ But someone told me you can always go if you pay somebody. I went to Saigon when it was still called Saigon. I was a rebel! When you’re 23 you have no fear.

So how do you travel now?

Not by dirt bike. I’m more civilised now.

Where do you like to eat when you’re in Shanghai?

I love the breakfast places. I love the crab and xiaolongbao, the usual things. Last time I was here, I found a street not far from here that does curries. The broth is very thin, but it’s curry. I thought, ‘What is curry doing here?’. We found out tha tin the 1920s and 1930s all the security were Indian. They brought their spices with them and you can see traces of India here. No one talks about that in books, you have to go out and find it.

How do you decide where to open your restaurants?

I wouldn’t do a deal just to do a deal. We have five offers every week. I don’t want to become a slave of my work. If I don’t love it, I don’t do it. We live only once, so I want to make sure I don’t miss anything, but if I don’t enjoy it anymore, I’m the kind of guy who runs in the opposite direction.

How do you like to travel?

The best way to visit a city is to go straight to the market and see how people eat, live, shop. It gives you a good idea of what you’re going to find in the restaurants.

I went to Bali for New Year’s Eve in 2000. I said if the whole world was going to collapse everyone is going to die, I don’t want to wake up in a city with concrete. I want to see a palm tree, I want to see rice fields.