As we celebrate 30 years throughout summer, during a recent conversation about The Bear TV series, (more on that later!) someone asked me;
“What are chefs really like?”
The answer to that question is complex. You must start first with, what makes a chef? The crazy, artistic, creative with cigarette-hanging-from-the-mouth prototype such as Marco Pierre White, or his alter ego, the immaculately dressed in pressed whites and “pope-like” legendary, late Paul Bocuse? For now, for those who prevail for the long term, I would offer this; Successful chefs are a rare breed of near super-human. They are sinewy-strong and MMA tough. They are committed and impassioned, relentless and resilient, able to tolerate pain, stress, exhaustion, constant scrutiny and critique, with the patience to repeat themselves a thousand times over to the would be wayward brigade, trying to meet the high expectations of time and temperature, recipe and precision while working with products that themselves often vary from day to day or week to week. (“No two cows are the same” said a chef many years ago!) They are also able to listen, learn, evolve, work an alarm clock and avoid the trappings of self medication in order to quell the overactive brain, and physical pain associated with the job. The list goes on.
The vast majority of folks out there have no true idea of what chefs endure, if they endure, and very few could ever do it–the relentless pounding under extreme conditions, while delivering excellence to a demanding, often fickle and surely subjective audience.
We have been very fortunate to have had five “long term” chefs in our 30 years, and another five who were valuable for a shorter time. And, of course, our fair share of misses to fill in the gaps! But I will stay the high road (“it’s less congested” as my wife is fond of saying), focusing upon those chefs that contributed to our 30 years of success for a minimum of one year.
1994-2001 Ed Z (RIP)
Cobblestones co founder, Chef Z was tireless and meticulous, with an incredible palate and leader by example. Z, as he was affectionately known, was one of the quiet ones–only the person he was speaking to could hear him. He was a warrior nonetheless, a stealth one at that, whose skills would sneak up on you without expectation and “you’ll get it when it’s ready.”.
One morning I opened the doors at 8AM to find Ed asleep on the toilet after pulling a kitchen all nighter to get us prepared for a big holiday–a sight I can never unsee! I met Z in New York, directly after college, while working at a City Corp. owned resort. It was in Rye Brook where we decided over post-shift, ice-encrusted Beck’s beers (at the Cobblestone Tavern!) that we would start a business together. Sometimes buzzed banter actually comes true! It was eight years later, after each resettling North of Boston, that we began a catering business, This Affair began in 1989, for five years precluding the opening of Lowell’s Cobblestones of Lowell in 1994, where we set our culinary expectations bar well beyond anything that existed in Lowell at the time–happy to finally have support staff to wash the dishes! Chef Z’s Chicken Marsala and New England Clam Chowder are still tops 30 years later! Ed lasted 7 great but grueling years and we would never have survived without his tenacious work and incredible skills. In the end, with body and mind wearing down, although Z was a great mentor to many aspiring chefs, he was unable to transition to a more hands off, preservation-oriented position of kitchen management as Cobblestones began making money. Tired, with health issues mounting, Z sought family and more free time, found love, got married to a fun, loving woman, worked at a school for the blind, had two sons, and sadly passed away way too early at age 53, from health issues not entirely unrelated to his years of culinary grind. He is painfully missed but his legacy lives on proudly–with many more great stories to share at another time.
2001-2002 Marc Spooner
A huge presence from Florida’s panhandle with equally as huge shoes to fill, although he only lasted a year with us, Marc followed Chef Z and muscled us through re opening following our fire of 2001 while creating one of the very best dishes Cobblestones has ever had—A honey-soy glazed Sea Bass over basmati rice with coconut ginger butter—and maybe a Top 10 personal regret that we never got that recipe permanently menu’d! Marc had aspirations and went on to New York City for a spell, where he actually won the TV show CHOPPED, before becoming Chef to multiple professional sports franchises in Florida including the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. When Marc told me privately in the office that he was seeking a change, he did so in a messy-sobbing state that elicited both compassion and additional clarity at the level of stress endured in doing the job but also the emotional weight associated when a proud, talented and beautiful man comes to such difficult a decision. ‘Ya gotta know when to hold ’em…’
2002-2003 Old Phil
Old Phil presented as professorial, salt and pepper beard and spectacles, who said during the interview and menu tasting (that he requested) that he was a non drinker. Then, we learned that loved wine and according to one staff member, “smelling mirrors,” and he would come back from to work from his daily midday break wide-eyed with purple stained lips. But his Chocolate Silk Pie was ridiculously good and it’s base recipe endures on both Stones menus. In the end, Old Phil’s bad habits were his undoing–you can’t expect discipline and rigor if you lack your own. Last I heard; as a banquet chef in Florida, he walked into the function hall while drunk, stumbled and took out the band’s drummer and drum set! I giggle a little when I picture it.
2003-2004 Young Phil
The first episode in my 30 years of ownership that I can recall understanding; “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” Young Phil got promoted when we needed to move away from Old Phil. In the beginning, we both hoped he could handle the job (he had great potential) but we both found out soon after that he was not quite ready to commit to all that this big job entailed. With too much “hiding”, not enough team building or humility, he ultimately went on to open his own restaurant and found out on his own dime! Despite my anger at how poorly he finished his tenure with us, he attempted years later to make amends; “Now I understand what it takes.” I believe he is now in banking. Another one bites the dust….
2004-20010 Manny Besana
Very much a cerebral “country gentleman”, I was certain after the first interview that Manny wouldn’t be “tough” enough. But being from my own hometown in New York (what are the odds?!), a 2nd interview made me think, just maybe. The personification of “Never judge a book by it’s cover!” Despite being slight and as quiet as Chef Z, Manny proved to be a lightening fast cook, cerebral, calm under pressure and a great team leader. He went on to lead at our next venture, moonstones in 2008 and executed upon the higher culinary level that we sought there—setting the table for the next 16 years of success before moving with his family to more serene environs up in the farming-rich ‘North country’.
2009-2014 Paul Dubuque
Paul Dubuque was there the very first year we opened Cobblestones, as a teenager with no experience–referred by his father (“Keep him out of trouble”) and showed up looking very much like a young Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen, black leather, white tee, sunglasses…ready to bring perspective, humor and commitment to our environment!
Paulie initially trained under Chef Ed Z with another young man, Matt Sorenson, and those 3 guys anchored Cobblestones kitchen for the 1st couple of years before Paul moved out west to continue his training (and have two beautiful daughters!). He returned years later “just in time” to take the leadership reins from Manny (as we opened moonstones) and provided us with a trustworthy, impassioned, stout and ever-more skilled Chef—and to this day remains involved and available to counsel on recipes or, provide us with musical talent as alter ego, Hal Holiday. (Paul also represents the latest of a dozen couples who all met while working at Cobblestones before going on and getting married!) Perhaps Paul’s greatest Cobblestones claim to fame is suggesting that we offer our Ben Butler Buffalo Wings as boneless Buffalo tenders—the #1 selling menu item every year since, but also his ability to motivate others and create an environment of respect, kindness and a winning attitude!!
2014-2016 Rob Jean RIP
Chef Rob Jean was one of the most skilled chefs we have ever had. A paragraph is not nearly enough space to chronicle this legendary local chef. We met when he opened his very first restaurant in his 20’s, in Lowell, a year after I opened Cobblestones, 1995. He was culinarily ahead of his time for Lowell but for the year he was in business he would come to Cobblestones after they closed at night and he and I would drink expensive tequila and discuss this crazy business, and possibilities. He spent years after, honing his craft in some of Boston’s top restaurants and we continued to joke about our eventually forming an alliance. It finally happened many years later, as his Boston tenure termed-out at a time that our restaurants were ironically struggling to maintain consistent excellence, “handcuffed” by bad habits and my lack of better oversight and direction, but with enough cash flow to afford his Boston-built salary. Chef Rob became head chef at moonstones, made swift and effective changes before then turning attention to Cobblestones to help solidify kitchen operations there, as well, while nudging the current Chef in a direction that would provide him a better lifestyle. Unfortunately, Chef Rob and I had differing ideals, two heads too big for the same room, and he would not embrace the “science” required for growth that I sought for us. The most quotable Chef I have ever met, I regret that we were never able to strike a longer term collaboration. Rob went on to open his own quaint and delicious PigTale restaurant before he too passed away way too early, at age 49.
2016 Tiffany Natinsky
Really, really good people–I will remember forever, as Tiffany fought against the toxic male kitchen mentality of disregard and disrespect, how great she was as pushing a plate in the window back to the cook who plated it, and demanding that they do it “the right way!? High standards, incredible grit and an excellent Chef while she was with us, Chef Rob identified Tiffany as “ready” for the helm and she gave it all she had while she lasted–a trustworthy, results oriented and cooperative chef, no longer in the business.
2016-2017 Kaeo Yuen
Poised to bring us to a 3rd, then 4th restaurant at a time we were preparing for our 3rd concept, Stones Social, Hawaiian born Chef Kah-ay-oh was the cleanest, calmest chef we ever knew. Zen like even. “Everybody lies” was his response to management’s claim that his new sous chef tells lies. So simple and prescient. Kaeo proved too comfortable with the corporate hotel kitchen life he had grown accustomed to and I was told after he departed that while we struggled with payroll cost, he liked playing video games on his phone in an empty dining room. Hotel chefs are certainly a different breed in my experience, fulfilling the “business side” of the equation but falling short on the creative-drive required for the rest of the “chef” job, and perhaps a discussion for another day.
2018-2020 Soren Christiansen
Chef Soren joined us following a couple of disastrous hires, bringing his huge personality, spirit of cooperation, the knowledge of a long career and a cerebral approach to our kitchen. With a varied culinary background that made Soren a great fit for our multi faceted environment (tavern+fine dining+event nights+functions), he brought a higher level of planning and organization to our kitchen and was setting up nicely to be the yin to a younger yang as we poised for growth, until our momentum was derailed by the pandemic. He returned a couple years later to support the return of Chef Enx!
2021 Covid and another very bad decision by us!
2022- Enx Dadulas
One of the best phone calls I’ve ever made. I remember the day that I sat in my condo parking lot, scrolling my phone for inspiration in seeking a replacement for the disaster of a head chef we had hired during the pandemic–someone with way too many personal issues to be responsible and accountable to the rest of our team. Ans also, an asshole.
I was desperate. Chef Enx, trained originally by Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s Hawaiian fusion, had been our head chef in the early years of moonstones, but was just not ready for the position at the time, not enough control in more ways than one! A terrific culinary talent, Enx went on to get married, have children, start his own restaurant, learn much more about all the other things that create a successful kitchen, eventually close it down and work for others before I was able to convince him to rejoin our group. Since that memorable day, Chef Enx–whose has many recipes that have lived on at moonstones–has brought a higher level of food excitement, great energy and team building and astute fiscal attention to our kitchen–and if all goes according to plan, will remain the head chef at Cobblestones for years to come!
In between times Robin Dupell-Me Myself and I
I would be remiss if in chronicling the successes, I did not at least represent the gaps between–in painting the painful picture of maintaining high level kitchens over the course of 30 years and 16 years. Transitioning from one chef to the next is fluid in a perfect world–the sous chef is prepared to step into the role of #1. Although it has happened for us on occasions, it is more the exception than the rule. There have been multiple times that I, or our “down by law” GM Robin Dupell (once moonstones opened) had to put on the chef’s hat and lead the team until a new chef was hired, those times when critical errors were made or unforeseen circumstances dictated and we became rudderless. Those times that we have hired in the past: A chef that was addicted to heroin (inconsistency and dishonesty are the greatest indicators of addiction), an angry, burnout, a chef who didn’t understand that building consensus from the crew was paramount and being a dick makes people want to choke you (true story!), a chef who couldn’t understand that hitting on the servers was not appropriate, or a chef who decided a week later that the commute was too long, there has been “us” interim chefs, ready and willing to take the reins! And I will say this to anyone planning to run a restaurant; Have recipes, have proper procedures, value your teams, cross train and know the job and be really really good to the chef you have! (But also have comfortable shoes and a good relationship with the bartenders…just in case!)
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