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10 February 2010
Posted in
6) Winter Health, Naturally
It's a treat to eat at The Coastal. You're going for breakfast, but you're getting an experience. There is a tremendous amount of pride that goes into Mark's cooking... and talent! The presentation is clever, and the tastes... intentionally scrumptious! In his recent past he was behind the scenes at Halifax Waterfront's Bish restaurant. He runs his own show now: The Coastal. He states to follow how The Coastal came to be and why he now 'loves' what he does...
Food for Thought by Chef Mark Giffin (The Coastal)
An old chef once said to me “Cook what you love”. It took many years to realize exactly what he meant. I spent the first 21 years of my career cooing in restaurants I couldn’t afford to eat in. I loved creating dishes using exotic and expensive ingredients. It was a challenge, but it really pushed me to learn about food. Though I loved cooking really fancy dishes, I personally loved to eat burgers or pizza or spring rolls. So I wasn’t cooking what I loved, I was only loving what I cooked. This was an epiphany.
The best food I’ve ever had has been on beaches in Costa Rica, the streets of Bangkok, paddies in Sri Lanka, the taquirias in many American cities. Or just simple home cooked dinners at a friend’s. I realized that’s what I love and decided I should be cooking. Thus The Coastal was born. I was finally going to “cook what I love”.
The Coastal is small for a reason. Restaurants have a huge negative environmental impact, and the more seats the bigger the imprint. This has always troubled me. Having a cozy little spot keeps things fresh and allows me to have greater control over my footprint on this planet. While my love for the cuisines of Latin America and Asia presents a challenge to acquire local ingredients, where ever possible we choose Nova Scotia produced goods, and continue to find more local suppliers.
I decided to provide the recipe to Les Oeufs Hiver as it is a dish that can be made by going down to the Brewery Market on Saturday and purchasing every ingredient there.
Good luck, and happy eating.
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