Chefs love to talk about the state-of-the-art gizmos and other prized toys they keep in their kitchens. That’s for good reason. Moody’s chef Joshua Smith’s signature charcuterie probably wouldn’t taste the same without his custom-designed Enviro-Pak, an all-in-one cooker, smoker and chiller. And Ken Oringer, who just reopened his newly expanded Uni, indeed has quite the conversation piece in his Julia Child-autographed turkey baster. But many chefs find that their favorite kitchen gear comes with family history and a sense of heritage attached. From a well-seasoned pan that was passed down through the decades to a knife that set one famous chef’s son on his own culinary journey, here are some local toques’ treasured tools from the family tree.
ERICA KEEFE, Five Horses Tavern
“As a chef, you get to know the feel of a tool in your hands. It becomes an extension of you,” Keefe says. She grew up baking with her grandmother, who used this 59-year-old French-style rolling pin she had received as a wedding gift. “We had dinner at her house every Sunday, and no matter what, there was always dessert.” Pastries became a particular passion for Keefe, and when she turned culinary pro, Grams gifted her with the pin. Now it’s used to roll out dozens of caramel-glazed cinnamon buns served during weekend brunch service at Five Horses’ South End spot. “It’s not terribly expensive. It’s not made of some special wood,” Keefe says. “But I know how it feels.” She’s married to Brian Keefe, sous-chef at Marliave, and already knows which wedding gift of theirs she’d like to pass on to future foodies: “A bright red Le Creuset Dutch oven. I keep it over my stove because it’s too pretty to put away.”
Tools of the Trade
By Scott Kearnan | Photo Credit: Nicole Popma | Feb. 12, 2016
Chefs love to talk about the state-of-the-art gizmos and other prized toys they keep in their kitchens. That’s for good reason. Moody’s chef Joshua Smith’s signature charcuterie probably wouldn’t taste the same without his custom-designed Enviro-Pak, an all-in-one cooker, smoker and chiller. And Ken Oringer, who just reopened his newly expanded Uni, indeed has quite the conversation piece in his Julia Child-autographed turkey baster. But many chefs find that their favorite kitchen gear comes with family history and a sense of heritage attached. From a well-seasoned pan that was passed down through the decades to a knife that set one famous chef’s son on his own culinary journey, here are some local toques’ treasured tools from the family tree.
ERICA KEEFE, Five Horses Tavern
“As a chef, you get to know the feel of a tool in your hands. It becomes an extension of you,” Keefe says. She grew up baking with her grandmother, who used this 59-year-old French-style rolling pin she had received as a wedding gift. “We had dinner at her house every Sunday, and no matter what, there was always dessert.” Pastries became a particular passion for Keefe, and when she turned culinary pro, Grams gifted her with the pin. Now it’s used to roll out dozens of caramel-glazed cinnamon buns served during weekend brunch service at Five Horses’ South End spot. “It’s not terribly expensive. It’s not made of some special wood,” Keefe says. “But I know how it feels.” She’s married to Brian Keefe, sous-chef at Marliave, and already knows which wedding gift of theirs she’d like to pass on to future foodies: “A bright red Le Creuset Dutch oven. I keep it over my stove because it’s too pretty to put away.”
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