The James Beard Awards, allegedly the Oscars of the food world, are happening next Monday and three Boston-area chefs are nominated: Craigie On Main's Tony Maws, Lumiere's Michael Leviton, and Marc Orfaly of Pigalle. We spoke with all three and we'll be bringing you their thoughts on their competitors, the economy, and Boston's best up and coming chefs (spoiler: everyone loves Barry Maiden and Jamie Bissonette) over the next three days.
First up, Tony Maws of the much-lauded Craigie on Main.
Your local competitors for the Beard are Marc Orfaly and Michael Leviton. What attributes do they bring to their restaurants that are different than yours?
Obviously they are two talented guys, chef-owners who are committed to their craft. Having never worked in their kitchens I can really only say that I respect them both a lot and love eating in their restaurants.
The Beard Awards often go to established chefs. Which young chefs in Boston are you impressed with right now?
I think Jaimie Bisonette is doing a great job at Toro. Barry [Maiden] at Hungry Mother is getting lots of well- deserved attention. I've got my eye on a few sous chefs right now, wondering when they'll make their move...
After the jump, Maws on Craigie's expansion, his favorite restaurants in Boston, and more!
You moved into a bigger space last year, right as the recession picked up. How has the economy affected your restaurant? Any menu changes? Are customers ordering less food or saving on wine? What about plans for expansion?
This past year I moved a restaurant, my family, and had a baby so I can't begin to think about expansion!!! This is my dream restaurant and we hope our expansion will come within these walls as we get better as a restaurant -- I can't wait to see what we're doing in 6 months, a year, etc. We feel very fortunate to be as busy as we are, and since we are "new" I can't really comment on how the economy is affecting us as we have nothing to compare to. We also have so many more options here for people to explore: a bar and late night bar menu, brunch, a myriad of tasting menu options. We're thrilled with how we've been received and we'll keep knocking on wood to keep the people coming back.
Besides the size, what's the biggest change for you from running Cragie Street Bistro to Craigie on Main?
Everything really relates to the size in that we do some things differently here because we can, whereas we were limited by the size at Craigie Street. So now I manage differently, plan menus differently, delegate more (which I'm still getting used to!). We're on a bigger stage, both literally and figuratively, which excites me but I still have a lot to learn.
Where are your favorite places to eat and drink in the Boston area?
We love going to Jumbo Seafood in Chinatown -- my 11 month old son is addicted to the short ribs and loves to see the eels swimming in the tanks. Toro has been great. I'm a big fan of everybody else in Central Square -- this area has really become a great place to eat and drink. Highland Kitchen is also a great place for us on our Monday nights off.
You told Zagat recently that you were "a little concerned that people are more concerned about saving money than about sustainability these days." How do you combat that at Craigie on Main?
We just put our heads down and continue to do what we've always done: buying ingredients that we're proud to cook and serve because it's the right thing to do. We continue to educate our staff along with our guests. Eating sustainable and local food is good for the economy and people need to realize and appreciate how significant this is. We feel appreciative that so many diners do choose to eat at Craigie on Main because of the decisions we make, and because we know how to make the food taste good!
[Photo: Michael Piazza]
