You would never know by his subtle demeanor, but three sentences into your conversation you discover that Chef Karlo Evaristo is fully immersed in a culinary adventure where the precise combination of ingredients culminates into a delightful and gratifying tasting experience.
Below is a bit of Q & A, but of course you meet him Monday 1/8/18 in Seal Beach ~ Come on a lark with us!
Q. What is your idea of the perfect meal?
A. I love tasting menus. Little bites of different flavors is more appealing to me than a big portion plate of one dish. The more courses the better.
Q. Which living food-related person do you most admire?
A. I think in the U.S., for a lot of cooks/chefs/foodies/homecooks, Thomas Keller would probably be on top of their list for a “food-related person” that they admire.
Not only has he brought American Cuisine on the world map, but he played a big role in training and inspiring the next generation of Chefs. Think about it, if it wasn’t for him, there would be no Alinea, no Benu –and even Noma’s Rene Redzepi trained with him.
Q. What is your greatest extravagance?
A. I have “slight” addiction on kitchen knives. I spend way too much than I should on them. BUT, I love it. I don’t regret buying any of them. I currently have 20+ something knives and all of them are handmade by super talented blade smiths.
Q. What is your view on the current state of the culinary world?
A. I think it super approachable. A lot of chefs are offering menus that are pretty affordable and would be similar to the type of food that you would get in super high end/super expensive spots.
Also there is a lot of attention on food and the Chefs behind them. Which I guess is good for all of us in the industry.
Q. What is the quality you most like in a chef?
A. Passion. Doing everything with passion, success and everything else will follow.
Q. Which words or phrases do you most overuse in the kitchen?
A. “Heard” & “Behind”.
Q. When are you happiest?
A. When I create a dish and it tastes delicious :).
Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Laser beam organization.
Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. My son.
Q. Where would you most like to live?
A. San Francisco/Napa, or Philippines.
Q. What is your most treasured ingredient?
A. Salt.
Q. What is your most marked characteristic?
A. Fair.
Q. Who are your favorite culinary inspirations?
A. Rene Redzepi, Christian Puglisi, Thomas Keller, Andre Chiang
Q. What is your motto?
A. Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.