Child of Cleveland's West Side Market
"Best Chef" Gabriel Bremer On Music, Culinary Trends, Grandma's Food
What is it the rest of us miss about Cleveland that it’s turning out so many great chefs?
Something in the water maybe? I have no idea . There’s a handful I know - Dante (Chef Dante Boccuzzi, formerly of Manhattan’s Aureole now, Dante) back to Cleveland.
I think the market with my family, grandparents Pennsylvania Dutch, German- Polish. That had a lot to do with it for me.
Yet you started as a musician, tell me how you became a classical percussionist? Was your family musical?
My family wasn’t musical, but I was always exposed to arts, theater, classical concerts. Cleveland’s a great arts community. Saturday or Sunday, we’d go to the West Side Public Market then to the Conservatory or somewhere like that. I was encouraged to experiment whether it was drawing, painting. Food, too. All of the arts were part of the picture.
The market was a combination of farmers, produce vendors. It’s an old place built in the 1800s and built as a market, not originally anything else. Inside houses dozens of vendors, meats, sausages, fish, produce, kielbasa, a sauerkraut store. Lots of ethnic foods, mostly in those days, German, Polish Pennsylvania Dutch. Bakeries.
Do you think there’s a connection between music and cooking? Is there something about mining the tension between structure and innovation?
Yes, for me classical training is definitely present in how the kitchen is run. It helps give structure, I know that things are working at the level I want them to. Then the tasting menu is like a jazz set. We have the fundamental classical structure, and we all end up knowing where we can play. And, just like a musical performance, 6 PM is show time. Whatever happened during your day, put it away, curtain’s up.
What was it like to cook at Fore Street (in Portland, ME)?
Great! It was, for all purposes, my (culinary) school. Lucky enough, the opening crew was great. I think everyone from that crew now owns or runs their own place. Someone took me under their wing, saw some raw talent, and beat it out of me. I was exposed to so much as a new cook. You’d see scallopers coming to the back door, with a dripping bag full of scallops they’d just brought in. Foragers, come preceded by a small dust storm, with baskets of wild mushrooms, wild vegetables.
Your (fiancee) Analia’s very much a part of the team, how does it work, long hours together?
She runs the front of the house. Honestly, we’re so busy in our own things, it’s not like we even see each other!
What was the first meal you cooked for her?
Don’t remember exactly, but one of the first things was a free form apple tart.. with Ben and Jerry’s from the convenience store.
Tell me about Salts' Farm?
Just got back Monday with a whole bunch of stuff! It’s in Canterbury, NH right outside of Concord. Dad’s always been a very avid gardener. When he was getting ready to retire, he said to me, “I’d love to take this time with my retirement and maybe do this garden for you.” I was like, “Twist my arm!” Now we have 3-4 large plots, countless things coming out of it.
How has life changed since the Food and Wine “10 Best Chefs” recognition? What was that whole experience like? (Bremer was one of 2007's "10 Best.")
Since F&W a lot of people in Canterbury (the small town where Salts Farm is) wanted to pitch in. For example, now we have a lady that grows edible flowers and herbs just for us. None of these folks are professional farmers, they’re just excited about being a part of the Salts Farm team, knowing they’re contributing to what’s going to be served at Salts. It's one of those great things about a small town.
We have 10-12 different heirloom tomatoes, leeks, onions, heirloom potatoes, all the wild blueberries we want, 2 orchards we work with.
Your kitchen’s been described both as “Grandmother’s kitchen” and “a surgical operating room” which is it?
The “surgery” comment came about when a writer walked by the kitchen and noticed how quiet it was. When you walk by, there’s no chatter. High level of intensity, heads are down, working. It's a really tight, great group. Like an orchestra, with a conductor and score. It’s all quiet intensity and focus. Sort of like the classical music training.
“Grandmother’s kitchen” - that’s another way I try to describe what we’re doing. We’ve sort of settled on the term “Contemporary Comfort Food.” Flavors might be the same, the feeling should be very familiar, but the presentation might be a little surprising.
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Gabriel Bremer
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