RATF Classic #361 John Denison - Câche Câche
11/10/23 • 77 min
Flashing back to August of 2023 and our conversation with John Denison.
John Denison joins us at a time of big changes in his life. Having just opened his seafood bar, Câche Câche, he's on the cusp of marriage to a woman he met in Paris four years ago while working at Verjus. We will follow John on his culinary journey from the Portland Meat Collective and St, Jack, where he met Kate Hill and found a way to follow her to her beautiful Camont in Gascony. It was there where French cuisine got into his soul. He moved over to Barcelona and the world-famous Tickets to gain key experience in that kitchen before heading to France for four years.
Just as the pandemic started, John and Maddie decided to jump from France to Portland, where they both landed jobs at notable restaurants, St. Jack and Nostrana, respectively.
Now at Câche Câche, John fuses his love of French food with his background growing up in the DC area, delving into the foods of the mid-Atlantic coast.
Right at the Fork is supported by:
Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com
Flashing back to August of 2023 and our conversation with John Denison.
John Denison joins us at a time of big changes in his life. Having just opened his seafood bar, Câche Câche, he's on the cusp of marriage to a woman he met in Paris four years ago while working at Verjus. We will follow John on his culinary journey from the Portland Meat Collective and St, Jack, where he met Kate Hill and found a way to follow her to her beautiful Camont in Gascony. It was there where French cuisine got into his soul. He moved over to Barcelona and the world-famous Tickets to gain key experience in that kitchen before heading to France for four years.
Just as the pandemic started, John and Maddie decided to jump from France to Portland, where they both landed jobs at notable restaurants, St. Jack and Nostrana, respectively.
Now at Câche Câche, John fuses his love of French food with his background growing up in the DC area, delving into the foods of the mid-Atlantic coast.
Right at the Fork is supported by:
Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com
Previous Episode
#368 Aaron Barnett - St. Jack / Heavenly Creatures / Giant Squid
Canada born, LA-bred chef Aaron Barnett was on the path to becoming a veterinarian when he decided to bail and pursue his passion. From an early age, Aaron Barnett’s parents instilled in him a love of food. He was eating snails and dining on his mom’s home-made ceviche when other kids were munching PB & J. He attended culinary school in California before working in Vancouver, BC, and back in San Francisco. He moved to Portland and served as Executive Chef at two culinary icons.
Portland proved to be exactly the market Aaron was looking for and gave him the confidence to open his dream restaurant, St. Jack. While Aaron had experience in different styles and cuisines, he became known as one of the best French chefs in the West. As a result, the Lyonnaise eatery garnered Eater Restaurant of the Year and Aaron became a StarChef Rising Star.
Aaron opened another restaurant, La Moule, before consulting with other restaurants like Scotch Lodge, both of which opened to significant fanfare. In 2022, Aaron opened a fun spot, Heavenly Creatures, with his long-time friend and colleague, Joel Gunderson. Both decided they could help other businesses to benefit from their experience, and so recently they launched their own consulting firm, Giant Squid.
Aaron is hands-on at his restaurants, but works to balance the rigors of chef life with his love of travel and cuisine. Most keenly, his priority is his beautiful family of four.
Right at the Fork is supported by:
Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com
Next Episode
#369 Erika Polmar - Plate & Pitchfork Producer Fund / Advocating against Dollar Store Proliferation
Tireless food and industry advocate Erika Polmar joins us to discuss the nefarious plans Dollar General and other stores like it have to decimate local food economies. Erika shares the history of this movement starting with Walmart and the vacumm left in their wake for Dollar stores to step in and suck dollars from small towns, leaving a less healthy populace and food system as a result. We also begin with an epilogue from Erika about her 20 years doing farm dinners -- what their purpose was -- some of the joys and challenges, and why she decided to cease producing them. Links: Main P&P page with a link to the fund on the home page and in the menu https://www.plateandpitchfork.com The fund page is: https://www.plateandpitchfork.com/p/about/plate--pitchfork-producer-fund To become an advocate for independent restaurants & bars, become a donor or email subscriber by visiting: https://www.independentrestaurantcoalition.com
Right at the Fork is supported by:
Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com
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