Kate Cyr
Banquet / Sous Chef at Larks
Anna: Where did you grow up?
Kate Cyr: Davis, California
Anna: Did you eat your veggies?
Kate Cyr: Davis is a huge agricultural area. Very earthy, farmers markets, etc. We ate a lot of salads! I remember no6 liking brussel sprouts! I love them now, though!
Anna: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
Kate Cyr: It was a progression. I kept coming back to cooking. I went to culinary school after working in an upscale restaurant (Mace') in Sacramento. A few chefs had been to school, and thought I too would benefit from the education.
Anna: What is your favourite food memory?
Kate Cyr: My Grandmother was an adventurous cook, and an artist. She cooked with me from a young age, taught me how to experiment and come up with my own ideas. Making ice cream with a hand crank machine and oulling taffy in the back yard! She would use a grinder that hinged on the pull-out cutting board to make stuffing on the Holidays. The giblets, onion and celery would be cranked through. I can still smell it! And it would leak from the bottom, so she would place a bowl under it (on the floor!) to catch the "juices" which, of course, she would use. My grandmother never wasted anything!
Anna: Where were you trained and how difficult was your training?
Kate Cyr: Like most cooks, I'e had a lot of on the job training. I attended NECI (New EnglandCulinary Institute in Vermont). It really was brutally honest, in the sense of being true to the profession. Unlike most schools at the time, it was completely hands on. The students all ran the business. From managing to cooking, cleaning and purchasing - all of it! So, for students like me, who had already worked in the industry and knew what was in store, it was the best education anyone could ask for! The students who wanted to be a chef, but didn' know how much work it would require? Not so much! There were a few less students after the first internship!
Anna: How do you get your inspiration?
Kate Cyr: From a job well done; a sense of accomplishment! The people around me, and really beautiful, good food to play with. Imagination!
Anna: Favourite kitchen equipment or gadget?
Kate Cyr: A good knife! And a pair of tongs (you' be surprised what can be reached with a pair of tongs!). A new Sharpie and a hot flame!
Anna: Best piece of advice you would give a home enthusiast?
Kate Cyr: Don' be afraid to put your own spin on things! A recipe is just one person's idea, an outline.
Anna: Best cooking tip for a novice just getting into the business?
Kate Cyr: Work in a restaurant before going to culinary school.
Anna: Funniest kitchen incident?
Kate Cyr: I asked a dishwasher to strain a chicken broth before he left. I came in the next day to find a hotel pan with beautifully braised BONES AND VEGETABLES! It was an early lesson in communication.
Anna: Who in the food world do you most admire?
Kate Cyr: Passionate people who come in every day, anddo it again: and, Julia Child (who I grew up watching on TV and was fortunate enough to meet). I was the only woman in most kitchens, when I started cooking.
Anna: Favourite foods to cook with?
Kate Cyr: Whatever is in season and looks good!
Anna: What do you think is the most challenging ingredient to work with?
Kate Cyr: Yeast. It' alive and sensitive to it's surroundings (like most of us).
Anna: What do you like to eat when you’re at home?
Kate Cyr: Comfort foods
Anna: Are there any foods you just don't like?
Kate Cyr: Foods that contain preservatives that harm us.
Anna: Favourite cookbooks?
Kate Cyr: Harold McGee on the science and lore of cooking; anything by Thomas Keller, Julia, or Alice Waters; the Food Lovers Companion, and the Joy of Cooking.
Anna: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Kate Cyr: Wherever life leads me.
Anna: What is going to be the next big thing in the food world?
Kate Cyr: One never knows!
Anna: What do you do for fun?
Kate Cyr: Spendtime with my husband and the people I love, walks with Rufie and Taylor, music and movies, and - fortunately for me - my job!
Anna: Where is your favorite place in the world?
Kate Cyr: Hopefully, wherever I am.
Anna: What do you most love about your job?
Kate Cyr: It's exciting, challenging, never boring, and there is always enough to do to keep me busy. The people who are drawn to this profession are hardworking, dedicated people who love what they do!
Anna: If you had just one wish, what would it be?
Kate Cyr: That doing the right thing was always the clearest and the easiest thing to do.
