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Metromix sat down with Chef Jill Rose, owner and—shall we say—creative director, of Chiboust, the French Mediterranean bistro, bakery and wine bar in Tarrytown. Rose opened up about recently taking the reigns as head chef, her love for travel and the essential difference between cooking and baking.
How has the menu changed since you’ve switched from the pastry side of Chiboust to the savory side of the kitchen?
I’m probably incorporating some pastry technique into the savory side, which I think is a fun transition. For instance, a new pasta dish has a butternut squash crème brulee. I’m not looking to make it a sweet transition, but some techniques are applicable to both sides. My approach to pastry incorporates savory techniques because that’s the background I had coming into pastry. So this is sort of the reverse, which is kind of fun.
Why did you make the switch?
One, the last few years were difficult because of the economy. I think every small business has felt the pinch. And I just felt like it was something I wanted to do. It’s my own creation, Chiboust. It’s a vision I was able to realize. So, when the change was necessary it just seemed like the natural thing to do. I’m really enjoying it. I don’t know that I expected to stay in the kitchen but I’m actually happy that I’m there. I don’t see any reason not to be there. It’s actually giving me more of an opportunity to push Chiboust towards the vision I saw initially. It’s allowing me to do that on my terms.
What is your vision for Chiboust?
I wanted a restaurant that served the kind of food I like to eat. That wasn’t afraid to be a little adventurous but was able to execute a classic approach to dishes as well, via a French-Mediterranean genre.
It’s the style of dining I think people would expect coming into a bistro. Casual yet sophisticated preparations. We want to remain a casual restaurant, but at the same time that doesn’t mean the approach to food is casual, although the plating may be casual. I want it to be a symbiotic relationship between the environment, the wine bar and the casual feel of the restaurant and the food on the plate.
We’re not content to put items on the menu to fit a niche or because that is what that is what the general population is getting at other restaurants and now that is the sudden trend. That is not what Chiboust is about. Chiboust is about creating an environment and an experience that is singularly expressive of Chiboust.
What are your favorite dishes to make at the restaurant?
I am really fond of braising meats and lusty dishes like that, especially now when the weather starts to turn. The first thing I think about is braising beef, short ribs, lamb shank, cassoulet. I love making those kinds of things.
How much influence does the season have on your menu?
Four times a year we change the menu significantly, and then we try to take advantage of smaller seasonal things that come in for a short time by running specials. Our specials are sort of fun interpretations. Right now I’m working with a seared duck breast as a special that is served with a nectarine compote with barley and quinoa. Whatever looks interesting at the market. I go to the Ossining Farmers Market every week.
Why did you decide to become a chef?
My goal was to use it as a vehicle to travel and have a reason for being in the country I was visiting. It gave me a connection to the place I was in because I was searching for ingredients, I was sourcing, I was learning technique. It gave me a reason for being there other than just being a tourist. There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist, but I wanted more than that. I would say my culinary aspirations have driven me to the places I’ve traveled.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I love food and I love culture revolving around food. Also, if I see a fruit or vegetable I haven’t come across before I want to play with it, work with it, taste it, incorporate it. That’s just something that drives me.
It seems like all the different elements at Chiboust—the bakery, the cocktails, the lunch and dinner menu—very much have your signature on them. How would you describe your palette?
I’m not sure I have the answer to that. I like simple, clean flavors. I like food to taste like it’s not coming from a can or a box or someone else’s recipe book. It’s sort of—it creates itself. You start to add this component with that component and, OK, what does it need? It needs something else or what am I missing? It’s not a formula, necessarily. It’s passion driven, I guess I would have to say.
What do you cook when you’re at home?
I like to cook Asian food. I’m always experimenting. I like hot and spicy. Fish tacos are one of my favorite things to make. Something simple, clean, fresh. Something different than I’m going to make and serve at Chiboust.
What are the staples in your home pantry?
Free range eggs, always. Coffee. Wine. Coconut milk. Thin spaghetti, thick cut bacon. I like to make spaghetti carbonara. I always have shrimp shells in my freezer, so I can make a shellfish broth. The shells are great to roast and they add a really robust flavor. What else? Cheese. Always.
Most essential kitchen tools?
Chef’s knife, of course. That goes without saying. A peeler, a cutting board. Whisk. Wooden spoon.
Do you have a favorite food memory?
I’d spent the summer in the south of France and I was traveling back on my way to Paris and I stopped in Burgundy to have dinner. My French was sort of hit and miss and I thought I ordered one thing and what I really ordered was calf’s head. When it came to the table it was actually the calf’s head. Yeah. But I sat there and I ate it and had a great bottle of wine. And I was sitting there by myself in the dining room and everybody’s looking at me. It was pretty funny.
What is the best food to make to impress a date?
Dessert is always an option. Dessert goes over big with whomever. So I think that’s a good idea. Whatever it is you do, do it simply and do it well.
A lot of people like to cook but don’t like to bake or find it scary. You do both. What do you think is the aversion?
I used to feel like that. I didn’t like that feeling so I went to pastry school. I ended up really enjoying it, it’s very creative.
The difference between baking and cooking: baking takes patience. Cooks are not geared towards that patient aspect of cooking. You have to think three days out when you’re creating pastry. If you’re making tart shells, the dough needs to be made, it needs to chill, it needs to rest, it needs to bake. It’s a process. It requires patience.
