Q&A With Chef Robert Sulatycky
of Seasons Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
Chef Robert Sulatycky looks almost too fit to be a chef. Maybe
that's because he eats his vegetables. And maybe that's because
he likes his vegetables. But, let him tell it:
CMEPlanner: How do you like living in Chicago?
Sulatycky: I love it. The cold weather in the winter doesn't bother
me, because I'm from Canada. Though I've worked all over the world.
CMEPlanner: Where?
Sulatycky:
Well, I was lucky enough to work with Marco Pierre White of The
Oak Room (Michelin three star), in London, England, and Michel
Roux at le Gavroche (Michelin two star), also in London.
And I worked with Benoit Guichard of Jamin in Paris (Michelin
two star), and with Executive Chef Michel Roth at the Hotel Ritz
in Paris (also Michelin two star).
CMEPlanner: Anywhere else?
Sulatycky:
Yes. My grandmother's kitchen. My grandmother lived to be 101, so
I had a lot of time to learn her simple cooking methods. It was
my grandmother who really inspired my passion for cooking.
CMEPlanner: Where were you
before you came to Chicago?
Sulatycky:
I was the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.
CMEPlanner: When did you come to Chicago?
Sulatycky:
In August, 2002. I really loved this beautiful hotel immediately.
It's a combination of graciousness and luxuriousness, and Seasons
restaurant here is all of that. Plus it's comfortable and spacious.
The windows overlook Michigan Avenue, and people love the view.
The magic of this hotel is that it looks old - it has the richness
of a hotel with a grand old tradition, yet it has every contemporary
amenity.
CMEPlanner: What is the best part of cooking for you?
Sulatycky: My
favorite is keeping one eye on the calendar, planning for when the
best, most fresh, highest quality ingredients are coming. Like in
February, I'm already anticipating the arrival in a few weeks of
the California morels. I know that soon there will be fava beans,
soft shell crabs in the late spring. I really get excited incorporating
great seasonal items into my menus. Not that I do total change.
I add something if it's there - right then - like wild Copper River
Alaska salmon, from mid-May till mid-June. Then that's it. It's
gone, and off my menu.
CMEPlanner: To get back to Chicago, what pleases you about it?
Sulatycky: This
is very much a cosmopolitan city with a small town feeling. It has
the hustle-bustle of New York, but not the craziness (most of the
time). The food scene is exploding, and because the dining public
I serve is more adventurous, it's more challenging. I try to be
more creative, use only the best, highest quality ingredients. That's
what drives me; it goes back to anticipating those fresh morels.
CMEPlanner: Are you pleased about the
awards you've accumulated here? What are they?
Sulatycky:
The hotel gave me a list. (Reads): The hotel received the 2005 AAA
Five Diamond Award, and the 2005 Mobil Five-Star award. Zagat in
2004 ranked Seasons in the Ten Best Restaurants in America,
and the only restaurant in Chicago. Dennis Ray Wheaton (Food Critic
of Chicago Magazine) "recognized both Seasons and
Chef Sulatycky as one of the top restaurants in the city. John Mariani,
national food critic, says "Chef Sulatycky is the best chef in Chicago's
haute cuisine league right now." I think another award that really
was exciting was the Prix Viand I won at the Bocuse d'Or World Cuisine
Contest - it was in Lyon, France in 1999.
CMEPlanner: What else about your career pleases you?
Sulatycky:
I'd have to say it's my passion for wine and food pairing.
I think the first time - that was 1996 - I reached the first level
of certification, with distinction, from the Court of Master Sommeliers,
American Chapter that was exciting. I'm also enrolled in the Diploma
Program of the Wine and Spirit Trust in London. And, I'm a Visionary
Member of The American Centre for Wine, Food and The Arts in Napa,
California. My wife and I like to collect wines. On my day off,
I scour wine shops for a deal, or go on the Internet.
CMEPlanner: Do you have a favorite wine?
Sulatycky: I
have about 60% California Cabernets, about 30% Bordeaux, the rest
largely Burgundy and Sauterne.
CMEPlanner: Any other hobbies?
Sulatycky: Travel.
And, my wife and I like to dine out. I think you could say that
visiting renowned international culinary and wine making regions
is a priority for both me and my wife. We also enjoy weekend trips,
quick getaways
CMEPlanner: What are your hours at the hotel?
Sulatycky: 9
a.m. to 11 p.m. (Laughs) You've got to love it. Love what you do.
And I do. It's all about the food. It doesn't wear on me… And the
ingredients, taking them, exploring all the fresh seasonal ingredients,
their textures, flavors, how they appeal to the senses. Then, presenting
them in a simple menu.
I want the people I serve to understand
the complexity of simplicity when they see it on their plate.
* * *
Roasted saddle of rabbit filled with truffles and
leg meat of rabbit served with a truffle-scented consomme with roasted
baby vegetables (golden beets, Thumbelina carrots, baby turnips).
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
120 East Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 649-2349
www.fourseasons.com/chicagofs
|
