Q&A with Scott Michael Raczek
of Mr. Stox in Anaheim
There are restaurants with big wine cellars and then there's Mr.
Stox, an Anaheim landmark for more than 30 years. The challenge
for the restaurant's executive chef, Scott Raczek, is to make sure
his cuisine matches its exceptional wine cellar.
CMEplanner: How did you get interested in becoming a chef?
Raczek: I really didn't grow up cooking, but my grandmother was
a great chef and so I learned about great food early. I got interested
in cooking when I would go to The Cellar restaurant in Fullerton
while I was going to architecture school.
CMEplanner: You're only 45 now and you've been at Mr.
Stox for 20 years. You were awfully young to become an executive
chef.
Raczek:
I got my first head chef job at Le Chardonnay when I was
only 23. It was the premiere restaurant of its time here in Orange
County in the early 1980s. I was the only American working there,
everyone else was French. It gave me a really good education in
the basics of cooking. The Marshalls (owners of Mr. Stox)
had been through three chefs in two years. They came to me and offered
me the job when I was 25, saying they wanted to bring the restaurant's
food up to par with its exceptional wine list. It was too good to
pass up.
CMEplanner: It seems to have worked.
Raczek:
Well, they give me lots of freedom. You know diners in Orange County
are getting really sophisticated. They are only a step or two behind
major food destinations so we are now able to show them the trends.
The area is still conservative, but there are also a lot of young
people and a lot of wealth. They've been around the globe and now
they want the same level of cuisine at home. We still cater to a
meat and potatoes crowd, but now to the adventuresome diner as well.
CMEplanner: What's your food
philosophy?
Raczek:
I use as much seasonal produce and products as possible but I think
that's the case with most good restaurants. My staff and I really
put in a team effort and spend much time discussing my view of how
food should be. That is to say simple components, but something
that makes sense in your mouth. For example, take my halibut with
Chinese spinach and lemon. Aesthetically, it looks pleasing with
the red bleeding from the spinach and the mellowness of the halibut
blends so that everything works in the mouth.
CMEplanner: Mr. Stox is really known for its wine cellar isn't
it?
Raczek:
We have 22,000 bottles spread our over four side caves and
a big main area. There is no dining space in the cellar but we do
offer tours. We also have a chateau room with windows that looks
into the cellar so people have the wine ambience. Our vintages range
in price from $10 to $4,000 a bottle.
CMEplanner: With so much success here do you ever think about going someplace
else?
Raczek: I
think I'll spend the rest of my career here. I started a restaurant
called Eric's in Thousand Oaks and another in Salt Lake City,
which is attached to a hotel airport. I've also done some work for
Club Med. I like to open restaurants for fun in my spare time, but
most of my attention is at Mr. Stox.
CMEplanner: There are also some changes on the horizon in Anaheim aren't
there?
Raczek:
Nearly 1,000 new homes are being built up in a development surrounding
the restaurant that is breaking ground right now. There will be
high-rise condos and lots of shopping space. It will give the restaurant
a whole new dining base over the next five years and I'm very excited
about that. It also leaves open the possibility of opening another
Mr. Stox somewhere. Stay tuned.
* * *
Duck leg confit and boneless duck breast atop stir-fried bitter greens and a pureed mango sauce.
Mr. Stox Restaurant
1105 E. Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 634-2994
www.mrstox.com
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