Opening Up

When Food Network star David Adjey first walked into The Rum House, he admits he wasn’t a believer of the owners’ plans to serve up a menu of Caribbean- inspired tacos. Despite the restaurant’s catchy title, it would require more than a unique cuisine in order for the first-time owners to witness their dream take off.

During this visit to the New Orleans-based establishment, Adjey, the seasoned consultant, chef and television personality, was disillusioned.

“What the heck is this?” was his initial reaction towards the place he was sent to save, an experience that was documented on his new show, The Opener. But after warming up to the taco innovation, Adjey says he thought their concept was a huge hit.

In The Opener, viewers get to witness Adjey take on numerous culinary challenges — such as Caribbean tacos — as well as the many other challenges first-time restaurant owners may face.

Asides from daring food choices, Adjey explains that quite often, aspiring restaurant owners don’t always get the hard work that’s involved; they only see the upsides, he says.

For Adjey, this is what dreamy diners get attached to. However, he also cautions that without a plan, running one’s own restaurant is more than just a glamorous pursuit.

“When I was chef at my own restaurant, people would come in and see me during  dinner, while pretty people and cocktails are buzzing by and they think, ‘I wanna be a cool guy. I don’t want to be an accountant anymore,’” he says. “They don’t see the grunt work that’s involved.”

While The Opener officially aired on the Food Network channel this fall, its inspiration is derived from a lifetime of lessons learned in the kitchen, says Adjey.

“My ‘aha’ moment came while owning my restaurant, but I walked away from it because it wasn’t making any money,” he reflects. “I’ve learned more from one failed business than I have during my entire career. This is where I draw my love from.”

Not even the sadness of closing down his Toronto restaurant, Nectar, could slow Adjey down.  He says the excitement of the show really gives an inside view of the business.

“It’s great, but it’s so hard for me to gush about because it’s my own show,” he says. “It’s just so much fun and different than anything else that’s on and gives the viewer an insight into the restaurant business no one’s seen before.”

With all that enthusiasm, it is equally difficult for Adjey to pinpoint his most memorable moment on set. To him, they are all individual.

“It’s hard to pick one over the other,” he says. “I guess it’s when the people involved with the show have their ‘Oh my God, I get it’ moment. Sometimes it takes a day; sometimes it takes a week, but I love that. I love when they’re able to say, ‘Oh okay, I see what you’re saying,’ and I may have already said it a hundred times already.”

Before earning his big breaks, which include being former personal chef to actor Dan Akroyd, as well as his appearances on the TV series Restaurant Makeover, Adjey was inspired to enter the business at a young age.
“When I was a kid, I was either going to be a chef or a florist. So my parents were like, well you’re a tough guy, go be a chef — but flowers are my weakness,” he says. “If you look at both artforms, both very tactile, [a] higher power creates those flowers and a higher power creates food.”

At the end of each day, Adjey says, the processes involved in the culinary (and by comparison, floral) world are like building blocks.

“Restaurants bring the pieces all together. When food [was] great, ambiance was great, service was great, music was great.” •

Holiday Hosting Tips

When dishing out advice, Adjey commonly refers to the Shakespearean phrase “To thine own self be true.”
 

“You don’t have to be all things for all people. Make sure you define yourself,” he says. In his opinion, it is also very important for first-time restaurant owners to come in specific — from the restaurant’s name and logo to the servers. To be successful, everyone on the team must be involved. In a sense, these tips can also apply to the planning of a grand holiday meal.
 

Passion is a key ingredient, Adjey tells his apprentices., “You can’t just glob food on a plate. When someone drops something in front of you and your jaw drops and you think it’s almost too good to eat, someone took the time to prepare that.”
 

After passion comes champagne, Adjey notes.
 

“Make sure your fridge is crammed with champagne,” he says. “Do not go to the grocery store first.” Champagne, he explains, pairs well with cheese and crackers, so you’re always ready to serve guests something before the meal.
 

One of his favourite Christmas time meals was from last year, in which he served up a Creole-themed feast, with sweet potato pie and gumbo.  Looking ahead to this season, Adjey will focus on hosting an open feast for his friends who can’t make it back to their homes and need a place to go.

Former personal chef to celebrity Dan Aykroyd, and star of his own Food Network show The Opener, David Adjey offers his tough-love approach to helping and coaching aspiring restaurateurs start their restaurant careers. A former restaurant owner himself, Adjey knows the ins and outs of owning and running a restaurant just as well as he knows quality food and succulent, hearty ingredients. Such adjectives can be used to describe his Tuna Steaks recipe, comprised of fresh tuna, gazpacho sauce and a sun-dried tomato spread.

To read more about the other chefs in the recipe feature, visit lifestylemagazine.ca.
 

Photo courtesy Shaw Media