Charles chef Jason Zukas
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
Before taking over as executive chef at Charles in the West Village, Queens native and Chopped victor Jason Zukas honed his culinary craft at restaurants including Blue Water Gril, La Bottega, Ouest and Shutter Island's Sunset Beach. On November 8 at Charles, exclusively for Zagat Presents, Zukas will host a special three-course dinner focused on fall flavors of the Mediterranean.
Zagat Buzz: You have a Mediterranean background. How do you take advantage of that in your cooking?
Jason Zukas: My mother is Sicilian and her family were fishermen, so growing up I was always exposed to Mediterranean dishes and flavors. Being familiar with those ingredients allows me to exercise my creativity.
Zagat Buzz: For the Zagat Presents event, what is your overall inspiration for the menu? Any standout dishes?
JZ: I didn't want to over-complicate things, so I decided to use only the best ingredients that will perfectly complement the wine pairings for that evening. I’m keeping the menu clean but with bold flavors. I'm looking forward to my short rib ravioli with porcini! It’s a dish I really enjoy making because there are lots of flavors to work with.
ZB: You trained with Tom Valenti at Ouest and John DeLucie at La Bottega. What are the biggest lessons you learned from them?
JZ: The biggest lesson I have learned from Tom Valenti was how to use bold, deep flavors and how to cook with lots of love and passion. From working with John DeLucie, where we were doing light Italian food, I learned that when using light, clean flavors coupled with the highest quality ingredients, dishes speak for themselves. My style can best be described as a combination of both of those lessons.
ZB: There are plenty of seafood options on the autumn menu. What do you like best about cooking with seafood? What fall flavor combinations work best with it?
JZ: What I like best about cooking with seafood is its versatility – there are so many different and great dishes you can make with it. You can keep it as light as you'd like, or bolster up the accompaniments to make the dish more seasonal and warming. For this menu, we’re using seasonal apples in the scallop dish.
ZB: You’re self-taught. How do you think this shaped you as a chef and where you are today?
JZ: Going to school was never an option for me, so I had to work hard to be where I am today. My practical experience taught me more than any school could, as I knew that I had to learn from every single experience in order to make it in this competitive industry. Learning on the job really taught me to be humble in the kitchen and in life and not take anything for granted.
The three-course dinner, including wine pairings and welcome glass of champagne costs $95; two seatings, 6:30 and 8:30 PM; to reserve e-mail reservations@restaurantcharles.com, or call 212-206-1208 and reference “Zagat Presents.”
– Aynsley Karps