Kevin is in the Kitchen…at The Taggart Table
From rising star, to Star Chef, Kevin Penner has quickly become an icon of the Hamptons restaurant scene, introducing a new standard of fine dining
Kevin Penner has opened and managed the kitchens at cittanuova, The 1770 House, Della Femina and the Star Room in East Hampton.
Prior to coming to East Hampton in 1992 to open Della Femina, Kevin worked in Seattle, Chicago and NYC at a number of impressive restaurants. Kevin’s ancestors go back to Germany and Russia.
Read more about
chef Kevin Penner:
Chef Kevin Penner has had the friendly courtesy to share some creative thoughts with
Frank Duffy from the Taggart Table.....
The Taggart Table: So, what was breakfast today?
Kevin Penner: Coffee
Taggart: If I pick you up in 10 minutes, for lunch, where do we go?
Kevin: Spicy & Tasty, an awesome Chinese/Sichuan restaurant on Prince St., in Flushing
Taggart: High school was in Hampton, Iowa?
Any creative memories there?
Kevin: There was a very enabling environment. There was an openness that I valued. The openness is what promotes creativity.
Taggart: Where was college?
Kevin: The University of Iowa where I studied history and philosophy. My culinary experiences were working in bakeries and then getting hotel and restaurant experience at the Iowa Memorial Union, which was overseen by a French chef who worked with Jean-Louis Palladin. (who died at an early age) He was one of the early big name French chefs to work in the United States. Jean-Louis Palladin was a mentor to many, and he played an important role in my early days.
Taggart: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
Kevin: It was never an intention. My real intention was to go to graduate school and get my Ph D in Intellectual History, 19th and 20th century Europe, while I started cooking. When college was done I stuck with cooking.
Taggart: Any favorite cheese?
Favorite spices?
Kevin: All of them
Taggart: Why is everyone taking pictures of their food?
(A chef’s perspective)
Kevin: Captures a particular place in time. It serves as a visual checkpoint for where you have been. It helps you navigate your way down the path of cooking.
Taggart:
Do you spend leisure time in NY? Restaurants? Theatre?
Museums, Galleries?
Kevin: All of the above. I love going in there. I love museums all over the world.
Taggart: If you were not a chef, what would you be doing?
Kevin: I would be doing some travel writing. It’s hard to imagine at this point without some connection to food. And I do like growing it as well.
I grew up working on farms in Iowa.
Taggart: What’s your favorite area of Long Island?
Kevin: I am pretty fond of being on the farms, in the vineyards and tasting rooms on either of the two forks.
Taggart: What is your favorite vacation spot?
Kevin: Emilia-Romagna in Parma or Bologna. It’s the real agricultural heart of Italy. Great for vineyards, growing livestock, making vinegar, making cheeses, and olive oils. Another place would be Barcelona. These are great places for celebrating food.
Taggart: Name a few creative and inspirational heros:
Kevin: My parents who encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do, Chef Charlie Trotter (who died at the age of 54 from a stroke). People who encourage craftsmanship and passion are important.
Taggart: What ticks you off in the kitchen?
Kevin: Lack of organization, sloppiness, not keeping the work area clean, and lack of communication.
Taggart: The Long Island restaurant atmosphere has come a long way. There is serious variety, serious choices, and serious competition. Sad to see some come and go.
Kevin: There should be less fast food. Sadly, there is a large chunk of Long Island that relies on fast food. It would be nice to see more people peddling locally grown foods. One of the saddest things for me is someone having a meal in a car. It’s horrible and sad, and it’s dangerous.
Taggart: What do you do for fun away from cooking?
Kevin: Fishing and travel, trying different cuisines, visiting farms and wineries. I do a lot of reading.
Taggart: Who in the food world do you most admire?
Kevin: I cooked for Craig Claiborne and many east end people and I spent some time with Warner LeRoy, Pierre Franey and Jacques Pépin. James Beard is important, even though he was before my time. I think I have made four or five appearances at the James Beard House over the years. I also worked for Charlie Trotter. That’s a good bunch of pretty big names.
Taggart: Favorite foods to cook with?
Kevin: Olive oil for sure, from different areas, from Italy or Sicily or Greece. I use lot of anchovies. Fish sauce from southeast Asia. Herbs and spices give food a lot of identity. Cumin and coriander are the cornerstones of cooking in my opinion. I like to cook with yogurt and cheese, and of course shallots, garlic and onions.
Taggart: What do you like to eat when you’re at home?
Kevin: I almost never eat at home.
Taggart: Are there any foods you just don’t like?
Kevin: Fast Food. Anything that is posing as food that comes from a grocery store. I am of the opinion that grocery stores aren’t really in the business of selling food, they are in the business of selling stuff designed to last forever....not to taste good or be nutritious. Most of the ideas of convenience sold by corporate culture in the US have ruined everything. The health of people, the health of the earth, the health of cooking and it’s sad.
Taggart: Backyard tomatoes are tremendous. I hope the term “Farm to Table” is accurately used.
Kevin: For the most part, it is, but you have to question your sources. On the east end, most of it is pretty solid.
Taggart: Favorite cookbooks?
Kevin: Jean-Louis Palladin’s book “Cooking with the Seasons” Books with metric measurements are more accurate. I like cookbooks with great stories and great pictures. History and culture is important as well as recipes.
Taggart: Any books that you may write?
Kevin: I would be open to it…there is more to cookbooks than recipes, great culture, knowledge and stories about cuisines are important.
Taggart: The Hargrave winery was the first on Long Island in 1973, and some thought it would not work, risks and opticals were plenty.
According to the Long Island Wine Council, there are now over 50 wineries located on Long Island. They were not even farmers. Trailblazers and visionaries… yes?
Kevin: A lot of people learned about the soil, the climate and the culture and jumped on the bandwagon and turned it around. Farming is hard work. I thought about being a farmer, I am glad I chose being a chef.
Taggart: What do you most love about your job?
Kevin: The creative factor. I have had exposure to a lot of different cuisines and different ingredients. I love the fact that I am engaged in the act of making something real.
Taggart: What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Kevin: Three, three star reviews from Newsday from three different restaurants. “The Culinary Hat Trick” as Peter Gianotti called it. Same with the Times. Having taught other cooks is a great thing.
Taggart: Any fun food moments with a celebrity?
Kevin: Many. When I was at Della Femina, Billy Joel came in a lot. One day he came in for lunch and ordered a 40 oz Porterhouse for two. We were not serving lunch at the time, and we accommodated him easily.
Taggart: Any TV chef(s) that you like.
Kevin: There are people that teach and the others who entertain. Ina Garten, “The Barefoot Contessa”, who I have known for over 20 years is awesome. There are elements of teaching and instruction with her. Anthony Bourdain has done a lot, and he is good for the same reasons.
Taggart: Gordon Ramsey…entertainment, or helpful knowledge?
Kevin: He can be both I guess. I have honestly never watched him on TV but some of his YouTube videos are very nice. He is a polarizing figure for sure.
Taggart: Do you give cooking demos or cooking events?
Kevin: Yes I have done a lot of them over the years.
Taggart: I spent time, years ago with Harry Chapin at his house. Would you do a cooking demo for Long Island Cares? Location is not important.
Kevin: Of course, perhaps at a winery.
Taggart: What else is there that readers might be interested in. What do people not know about you that you wish they did?
Kevin: They can keep up with me on my website which can be found at chefkevinpenner.com I am currently interested in exploring food, cooking and travel outside of the world of restaurants. I want to expand the lens through which we view food and entertaining.
Taggart: What’s next on your creative agenda?
Kevin: I want to promote cooking and food education for non-chefs. People need to know more about cooking and their food choices.
Taggart: Let’s wrap up with a good dinner. Where do we go?
Kevin: Stone Creek Inn, Montauk Highway, East Quogue. I hear many great things about it and I have never been there. Christian Mir, the chef/owner is a great guy. And Pizzetteria Brunetti, Main Street in Westhampton. The pizza is spectacular
