Long Island's all-star chefs

Behind these restaurant greats are ... their mothers

BY JOAN REMINICK | joan.reminick@newsday.com

May 7, 2008

A mother's touch should never be underestimated, especially when it comes to culinary matters. Ask any successful chef to name at least one mom-influenced dish on his or her menu, and, chances are, you'll get several. You'll also unleash a stream of maternal memories -- flavors, aromas and anecdotes -- ingredients that enrich and season those who cook for a living.

Here are three all-star chefs from Long Island and their kitchen stories about mom.

ALAN KWAN

Tellers American Chophouse (New American steak house) 605 Main St., Islip 631-277-7070

Last year, Alan Kwan took over as executive chef at Tellers, bringing his own brand of Asian panache to the New American steak house menu. Kwan, who apprenticed under Gray Kunz at Lespinasse in Manhattan and cooked at the prestigious Gary Danko in San Francisco, attributes much of his success to his Japan-born mother, Hirumi Kwan, who met his Chinese-American father during the Korean War while he was stationed on an American Air Force base in Japan. When they returned to the United States, they lived with Kwan's father's family. It was there that his mother learned both Chinese and American cooking.

Background: Kwan, born in 1968, grew up in Orange County, Calif., where his mother still lives. As the youngest of six children, he helped his mom in the kitchen and appreciated the range of her expertise. "I love the Betty Crocker cookbook. My mom had one of the original three-ring binders. Every month, they sent inserts. She learned to cook American food through Betty Crocker and watching 'The Galloping Gourmet' and Julia Child. By the time we had our own house, my mom was very versed in Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine and could make a really good meat loaf." Kwan recalls going to the farm stand with his mother and picking up strawberries, tomatoes, oranges -- "whatever looked really good for that time of the year." That, he said, translated into his love of things fresh and local. "When I go back home, I still go to the farmers' market, if not to buy anything, at least to smell the produce."

Mom on the menu: "Looking back at my fall and winter menu, I have these Japanese squash, kabocha, which my mom used to make. She'd cook the kabocha in sweet sake, mirin and soy sauce. I roast kabocha with honey and maple syrup to mimic the flavor that my mom used to put in this dish." Kwan also features his mother's American roasted chicken with corn-bread stuffing on his menu. And then, there's his secret barbecue sauce. "Tellers is an American chop house, not an Asian-fusion restaurant, but I do at least a few hidden things that give a smile to my face. I do a baby back rib with a hoisin barbecue sauce that has the flavor of a Kansas City sauce but also an underlying flavor that people aren't sure what it is. That's just a part of my mom's Chinese cooking."

RECIPE

HIRUMI KWAN'S ASIAN BARBECUE SAUCE

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 large Spanish onion, sliced

About 8 whole coffee beans

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup water

4 cups (1 quart) ketchup

1 3/4 cups hoisin sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple-cider vinegar

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce