Top Chef Mark Simmons Brings His Kiwi Flair to Brooklyn

WHAT. Each week we interview rising stars in the world of fashion, design, food and culture about how they live their life and the places and things they love.

WHO. Two of my favorite foods are pickles and mussels – but who knew you could pickle a mussel?  I recently sat down with former Top Chef Season 4 contestant Mark Simmons.  Much to the chagrin of his fans, Mark was eliminated in the 8th episode, but that didn’t stop him from landing a position as co-chef at the Park Slope, Brooklyn organic eatery Get Fresh Table & Market.  Over a cup of café Americano and some pickled mussels Mark and I discussed his favorite haunts, dishes, and being judged by Tom Colicchio.

Mark, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me, I really appreciate it.

Absolutely.

Where exactly do you live?

I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, about a 5 or 10 minute walk from the restaurant.  When I first arrived in America I landed in Sunset Park.  Then my wife & I moved to Hell’s Kitchen for a while in Manhattan and I didn’t appreciate that so much.  It was such a small space.  What I have now is a huge garden area and a lot of room to move.  I need space.  I grew up on a huge, huge farm (in New Zealand) and you put me in a little apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, I mean come on, what’s gonna happen?

Living in Park Slope you’ve got a ton of choices for restaurants. Where do you like to get your morning coffee?

We do Stump Town here at Get Fresh Table & Market, and it’s pretty good.  Another of my personal favorites when I’m not in the building is Gorilla Coffee.  They’ve got a shop down the road (on 5th Ave) and their coffee’s pretty strong but they’ve got a good variety.

When did you come to Get Fresh Table & Market?

February of this year, so it’s been fairly new and we’ve seen the place change a lot.  It’s been really good.

What is your favorite part about being a chef in New York City and in Brooklyn, in particular?

In NYC I find that there’s a certain amount of competition that you get from working in big cities. There’s such a large amount of really good eateries and it just allows for a lot of competition and at the end of the day just makes you a lot better.  To talk about Brooklyn directly, there is a certain amount of camaraderie between the chefs and that’s reflective of me and of the restaurants around here.  If I need a dozen eggs on the fly they’re all willing to help out.  And it goes both ways – if they need garbage bags or whatever else we help each other out.  We have a fairly labor intensive job and if we can help each other out we certainly do because you always know it’s going to come back to you one day.

If you need an ingredient in a pinch that a neighbor chef doesn’t have, where do you like to go?

It’s a fair trek for me but I am very passionate about Indian foods, Indian spices, and curries.  There is an Indian spice store called Kalustyans  on Lexington and 28th.  If it wasn’t for Kalustyans and the knife store Korin  I wouldn’t leave Brooklyn too much because of this community that we have out here.

What is your favorite dish to cook?

Obviously being someone that’s strong on seasonal and local food, I very much rely on what’s around at the time.  I have a lot of tomatoes in my back yard and for me coming home from work I like  just a tomato straight off the branch with a bit of salt and olive oil, or with fresh cheese and balsamic.  I’ll be sitting in my garden reflecting, and that’s a nice dish.  That’s what I like doing.  Very simple from the garden.

As a chef do you like to take your work home and cook for your friends?

A common misconception is a lot of people think that when you cook all day you don’t want to go home and cook.  This happens to me once in a blue moon.  If I’ve had a real shit week I don’t want to go home and cook.  I want my wife to cook or order in.   But for the most part a lot of the specials and new items reflect what I’ve cooked for my wife that night.  She’s a very discerning critic, and if it’s not good she’ll certainly tell me.  So, I do like to cook at home, and that’s where a lot of my creative juices start flowing.  Sometimes it’s a success and sometimes it’s just alright, but that’s where it all starts.

Have you come up with many of the dishes you serve here while at home?

Absolutely, the majority of them.  And as far as cooking for my friends goes a lot of my friends are obviously chefs or others in the industry, or are from Top Chef.  So for those sorts of people, I’ll have them over on Sundays to roast a whole hog or I’ll BBQ a whole fish.  I generally cook the whole animal and serve it family style.  It’s a big thing in New Zealand, so we like to do that here. And especially cooking for my friends it’s the same sort of deal.  Being chefs, we’re all open to new and different things, so we use some of the “giggly bits” like fish ribs, sweet breads, hearts or livers – they’re more likely up for it.

Do New Yorkers, even the ones who consider themselves to be foodies appreciate the use of your “giggly bits” in their meals?

When (co-chef) Juventino and I first came on board at Get Fresh Table & Market it was salmon and chicken, and maybe filet mignon.  The customers know what they want and they come here because it’s good and organic.  I tried them out with sweet bread and fois gras, and they didn’t go near it.  So I just incorporated it into dishes and once they tried it they really liked it.  So it’s been a very slow challenge for me to introduce Brooklynites to items that are commonly overlooked.  For example, fish cheeks or jowls or livers.  I served fish bone marrow recently and the customers loved it.  There is a lot of satisfaction in introducing customers to something that they wouldn’t normally try.  When that happens it makes the customer feel good that they actually tried something for the first time, and I’m glad that I gave them the opportunity.  We have a clientele that’s building and they trust what we’re doing, and a lot of them say “What’s on the special tonight? Give us something that we haven’t had before.” And that’s the relationship I would like to build with everybody.

What are some of the major differences in the palates of a New Yorker vs. a New Zealander?

What I’ve noticed most is I think the New Yorker’s palate craves sweetness a little more than New Zealanders on the main courses as well as in their desserts.  And I can tailor to that.  Just as when I lived in Japan I found that they craved a bit more salt.  Working in Japan was a great experience, and I think some of the dishes on the menu and also my cooking technique reflect my time spent in Tokyo.  But also I think that the New York palate is also a lot more open or exposed to a lot more different cultures, whereas New Zealand is in a very remote part of the world, with some of the closest countries being those in Asia and Polynesia.  They’re really not exposed the way New Yorkers are, so with that comes a little bit more knowledge.

Where do you go after you leave Get Fresh Table and Market to get a late-night bite or a drink?

There are a couple of places around here that I’d like to mention.  A good place to go for a beer and a bite – really good fried chicken and really good beer – is down the road called Sidecar .  Because I like to watch the rugby with my expats and also the Australians, there’s an Australian bar called the Sheep Station , which is also not too far from here on 4th Avenue & Douglass.   Another good place for Japanese food is a place called ZuZu Ramen .  Good, cheap Ramen noodles – really good especially in the winter.  I’m not too much into cocktails but during long summer evenings I like a really good glass of rosé, either sparkling or flat. I just love it during the summertime.  It’s easy for me to pair that with hearty fish or light meat like chicken or pork.  Pairing food and wine is something that’s important to me.

What other chefs do you admire?

Well, you have your favorite restaurants that are close to your heart from all your travels.  I was recently in San Francisco where I cooked for a charity event.  Gary Danko owns a restaurant in San Francisco called Gary Danko , and that was one of the most memorable meals I’ve had.  My focus is local seasonal, and what Dan Barber is doing at Blue Hill at Stone Barns  is very honorable to me and is very motivational, and I’d like to do as much as I can to follow in his footsteps.

What was it like for you to be on Top Chef, and to constantly be judged by a board of people who seem to be fairly influential in the culinary universe? And did they have any influence on your career move after the show?

I’m not sure I was influenced, but I think that some of the critique that Tom Colicchio gives you, you take with you.  He had a lot of very valuable stuff to say.  I probably paid most attention to his critique as opposed to Padma (Lakshmi).  She’s got her opinion, but Tom C was very worthwhile – very good advice with his critiques.  I definitely try and keep in touch with a lot of the competitors & judges.  I’m in touch with Ted Allen.  He actually lives not too far from here.  I’ll probably see him in here soon.  I see Gail Simmons from time to time.  Tom (Colicchio) can usually be found at charity events.  

Would you ever consider moving back to NZ, or perhaps somewhere else in the US or in the world?

I think chefs are like nomads.  A lot of chefs travel a lot, and that’s how you learn from different ways.  I thought of living in India at one time – I’d definitely like to spend some time there, just because of the lifestyle and the climate, and the availability of different foods.  I would like to retire in New Zealand or Australia, but because I’m married to an American girl I’ll probably live here for a while longer.  We’re very happy.  I think in the bigger picture I’d like to move back there, but at the moment the most opportunity lies for me in New York City.

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