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Up, Close and Personal with Jake Klein
Having been
brought up in a family of culinary experts,
Jake Klein was able to hone his skills at a
very early age. Today, Jake is well known for
his artistic style and exclusive Asian cuisine.
As the Executive Chef of Pulse,
a hip restaurant located in the Sports
Club/LA at Rockefeller Center, Jake stands
out as one of the most talented rising chefs
in New York City.
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NAC:
Your
family is very well known in the culinary world.
Your grandfather owned the legendary Raphil’s,
your mother was Miami’s premier restaurant publicist
and your stepfather is an award winning cookbook
author. Can you tell us how they have
influenced you?
JK: My stepfather, Steven Raichlen,
has been a great influence throughout my culinary
journey. He got me interested when I was very
young. My chores were to break down leftover
roast chicken to make stock! I’d say my training
started when my stepfather took me to restaurants
where we made a game out of guessing what was
in our food. I was a very mischievous kid, so
I was grounded many times. And as punishment,
I was given tedious prep work for recipe testing.
But I enjoyed it so much. I never let anyone
at home know how much I liked their punishments
(Laughs).
Also, when my stepfather went around to 32 countries
to do research for his famous book “Barbeque
Bible”, he came back with interesting barbeque
recipes from Southeast Asia as well. This really
intrigued me and inspired me to focus on grilling
as well as travel around
Southeast Asia.
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| NAC:
You’ve traveled and worked in many places. What
took you to Hong Kong? And how did you manage
to handle a restaurant as the Executive Chef
at an age of 23?
JK: I was offered the position of Executive
chef for Miami Spice in Hong Kong. The restaurant
was opened based on my stepfather’s book of
the same name. I had a language as well as a
cultural interpreter in Hong Kong who helped
me understand the environment and run a kitchen
with an all Chinese staff. Managing a restaurant
for me is being able to gain respect of co-workers.
This was my approach in Hong Kong as anywhere
else.
NAC: How do you
define your cuisine? What inspires you to create
them?
JK: I’d define my cuisine as “Asian
food cooked through the eyes of an American.”
It’s not Asian fusion. I always want to draw
a parallel line between Western and Asian cuisine.
So, I associate Chinese cuisine with French
since both are more sauce based and have an
elaborate style of cooking. Japanese cuisine
has a theme similar to that of Italian food.
Both emphasize fresh, simple and clean flavors.
For me, Chinese dishes stay in the spirit of
Chinese cuisine and Japanese dishes in the spirit
of Japanese cuisine. So, it’s not exactly fusion
cooking. Rather, my menu is fusion. It has a
great variety of Asian cuisine, almost like
a photo album of my
travel in Asia.
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Pulse at Sports Club/LA,Rockefeller
Center |
NAC:
Though you are a non-Asian, you are well known as an
expert in tofu dishes. What got you interested in tofu?
Jake's Tofu dish |
JK: Tofu is like a blank piece of paper.
It’s all about the texture since it does not have
much flavor. Tofu is easy to flavor and that’s
why I love cooking tofu dishes. I usually make
my own tofu or use Chinese tofu and marinate them.
When I started to play with tofu dishes and added
them to my menu, I was surprised that quite a
few people ordered it. It was more popular as
an appetizer than an entrée. Many of my
customers are Asians and vegetarians. But it’s
not only Asians who are fond of tofu, once a Western
businessman ordered a tofu dish and even called
me to the table to talk about it. With the advent
of protein-oriented diets, I think tofu is a nice
option. Steamed Tofu with Cashews and Miso is
one of my favorites.
NAC: What was your
most unforgettable culinary experience?
JK: Sitting in Kyoto in one of the temples
called Daitokuji-ikkyu and waiting for a 12 course
tofu menu cooked by one of the monks!! And what
was more interesting is they have been doing tofu
meals since the1400s. They cook these meals to
supply extra revenue to
support monks. |
NAC:
What is the most popular dish at Pulse?
JK:
Sake Grilled Beef Short Ribs. They
are really good! To prepare it, we braise the
meat with shallots, garlic and sake. Then we
debone the meat and take out the fat so it’s
just a chunk of meat. We grill it and then add
an oyster base sauce and it turns out to be
really delicious.(Click
here for a recipe)
NAC: How do you plan to
celebrate Mother's Day?
JK:
I am taking a day off and spending the day with
my mother. She loves when I cook, so I am planning
to cook for her; maybe a barbeque dish.
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The Most Popular Dish
at Pulse:
Sake Grilled Beef Short Ribs
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NAC:
What's next for you?
JK: Maybe a cookbook sometime soon! |
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