Interview with Chef Drew Van Leuvan of Room at TWELVE - Atlanta

Antoinette Bruno: When and why did you start cooking? What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?
Drew Van Leuvan:In 1989 I worked to make extra money while I was in school. Eventually, I was working more than schooling. I worked in kitchens for seven years and then went to the CIA. I had started studying history at UMass, but ended up going with cooking.

AB: Where have you worked professionally as a chef?
DVL: I externed with Jean-Louis Palladin at Palladin for 8 months, and worked with Geunter Seeger and Joel Antunes at the Ritz-Carlton. I opened Toast and ran the kitchen at Spice, and most recently was opening chef at Saga, which closed this year.

AB: Would you recommend culinary school to aspiring cooks? Do you hire chefs with and without a culinary school background?
DVL: Yes, it’s really great, but you have to go to a reputable one. Getting practical experience is also important.

AB: Who are some of your mentors?
DVL: Guenter Seeger taught me about refinement, and Jean-Louis taught me about bigger flavors. Today I read a lot and pay attention to what’s going on in Spain, New York, and San Francisco.

AB: What question gives you the most insight to a cook when you’re interviewing them for a position in your kitchen? What sort of answer are you looking for?
DVL: ‘What’s your five year plan?’ Some candidates expect to be an executive chef right away, but it takes more time. I want to know what I can do for them in the next year of two.

AB: What advice would you offer young chefs just getting started?
DVL: This business will eat you up and spit you out. It will make you hate it, and you’ll laugh about it, but at the end of the day it’s great. You have to love it.

AB: Is there an ingredient you feel is particularly underappreciated or underutilized?
DVL: Salsify and radishes – I like to roast them in brown butter and then wrap them in prosciutto.

AB: What are a few of your favorite flavor combinations?
DVL: Chocolate with almonds, and olives with caramel – which I put in my barbecue sauce – make nice combinations of sweet and savory.

AB: What is your most indispensable cooking tool?
DVL: My pasta machine.

AB: What are your favorite cookbooks?
DVL: The el Bulli cookbooks are mind-boggling; Alain Ducasse’s work is a great resource for simple, old French cooking.

AB: Where do you like to go for culinary travel?
DVL: New York: everything is there.

AB: What are your favorite restaurant – off the beaten path – in your city? What is your favorite dish there?
DVL: Wysteria has wonderful Southern food; Fritti for pizza; Pura Vida

AB: What trends do you see emerging in the restaurant industry now?
DVL: Putting pastry and savory together on one plate; food that is functional and playful.

AB: What is your philosophy on food and dining?
DVL: I want people to sit down and trust that they’ll have an experience. I want to get a reaction and also educate. I want to create delicious food while watching the bottom line.

AB: If you weren’t a chef what do you think you’d be doing?
DVL: I’d be a professional golfer.