| CHEFS
NICK ROBERTS & BROOKE WILLIAMSON
AMUSE CAFÉ
796 Main Street
Venice, CA 90291
310-450-1956
Biography
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Interview:
Antoinette Bruno: Why did you
begin cooking?
Brooke Williamson: I was always
interested in cooking, since I was 5 years old.
Nick Roberts: Cooking kind of
picked me. I was working at a coffee house and there I started baking
and decided I liked it. I decided to enroll at the culinary academy,
and while there, many good chefs took me under their wings.
AB: Who is your biggest culinary
influence?
BW: Ken Frank, when I was working
for him. Michael McCarty, the sous chef at the Argyle Hotel.
NR: John Gerber, the sous-chef
at Highlands Inn, and Rocco DiSpirito.
AB: What are some of your
favorite ingredients?
BW: It depends on the season,
but I like to use figs and garlic.
NR: Any type of fresh fish.
AB: What is your most indispensable
cooking tool?
BW& NR: A fish spatula
and spoons.
AB: Where do you like to go
for culinary travels? Why?
NR: San Sebastian, Spain. The
whole city is centered on food and they have such phenomenal cuisine.
I’m inspired by chefs such as Arzak and Ferrán Adría.
BW: South of France, where
there is simplicity and attention to good quality ingredients.
AB: What is your favorite
culinary book? Why?
NR: The
Making of a Cook by Madeline Kamman. She breaks cooking down
to normal chef’s
mentality so everyone can understand it.
AB: What interview question
would you ask a potential line chef?
BW: A lot of people want to
get into the kitchen because they think it is glamorous and it is
the opposite. I want to know if the candidate has got the passion
to get through it.
NR: Where have you worked and
for how long? I like to see them work for one night and see them
in action.
AB: What advice do you have
for culinary students?
BW: Have an open mind; you
won’t be making $40,000 the first year you get out.
NR: Do it because you love
it; not because it’s a paycheck
AB: Where do you see yourself
five years from now?
BW/NR: In another restaurant.
Our plan is to have three restaurants. Amuse Café plus a
casual and elegant beer and wine bar and a fine dining restaurant
as well.
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