Chef Bolivar Hilario
ÔRKiD Chef Chat
Tabor Erskin
Golden, the hour and the song. We sit on a back porch in northern Minnesota as a cool summer breeze comes up over the lake. The record player he brought hums a riff or two into the the settling dust of dusk. Tabor Erskin stares up out into the darkness and states solemnly ‘this’ taking it all in, simpering. His demeanor of someone who’s already lived a lifetime, uncrossing his leg to get up from the rocking chair, ‘ I have to get up early.. to cook.
Tabor Erskin has been cooking since he began making bread at his grandmothers bakery in a small rural town in Michigan. Kneading, fold and a second he just like the doughs, proofed. This gave him a passion for cooking, a space to practice and learn at the young age fourteen.
He grew up in a large farming community outside of Carson City, Michigan. Working on a handful of farms de-tasseling corn or bailing hay Tabor has always had a close connection to mother earth, the supplier of food. It shows, in the way he handles food and cooks with it.
Starting in a pastry training program he took the dive and added the savory elements. While obtaining an associates degree from The Culinary Institute of Michigan he met numerous chefs that impacted him, finding new skills and gaining new found perspectives on cooking. He even won a few awards while being part of a culinary team in school yet he says ‘those are not very important... I like to stay humble and not reflect too much on past successes. you know I don’t like talking about myself in these terms’. Its understandable, we cook, we are of service and often us kitchen misfits don’t like that kind of complimentary attention no matter how good you are at what you do. Yet here at ÔRKiD we showcase talent.. even on a small scale, its a thank you of sorts. A thank you, to our tribe.
Tabor is just that. His career has led him to numerous local bakeries and also larger establishment working along side chefs at Hyannis Port Country Club, the Minnesouri Angling Club and is currently cooking at The Søvengard in Grand Rapids Michigan. He has delved deep into the world of food fermentation and pickling. Erskin values game meat above any other and we believe that may have to do with his families love of hunting deer in rural Michigan. Ambition is in his nature, having future plans to travel more often to find the fresh and new ways to cook with wild food, real food.
We like to always ask our ÔRKiD Chef Chats what their current food obsession is. Tabor with no doubt in mind states cauliflower which is in season right now! The obsession is almost a childhood nostalgia.. yet hearing his excitement over a batch of freshly homemade spicy giardiniera and plans to ferment or pickled the leaves and stems later on you can not deny his mania. Smiling at the humbleness of such a vegetable it represents him well. In a matter of fact way he mottos ‘ Although I’m not a chef, find what you love and enjoy it as much as you can. Yes, we agree some cauliflower and yoga never hurt no one.
As the season comes to an end and the sun is now gone. Loons yodel over the lakes surrounding us. He packs up his records into a milk crate and nods, yes I need to cook tomorrow.
This is Tabor Erskin.
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chef Bolivar hilario
Chef Bolivar Hilario grew up most of his childhood in the Floridian heat. Though with his obsession for good food, nostalgia of red mole and snowboarding.. he has in recent years moved further and further north.
Chef 'Boli' has been working in this industry for close to a decade. Starting at a small asian diner as just a dishwasher. Pushing harder and harder each year making his way up through the kitchen brigade, from diner to Disney. Then with shredding' new focus he worked and staged his way through many kitchens such as, Aska currently one of Brooklyn's hottest tasting menus and Cosme a wonderful Mexican restaurant in New York City which just made it to the 40th best restaurant in the world. He's even cooked at Millwrights a well known fine dining establishment in Connecticut, South End in New Canaan, The Whelk in Westport, CT and the famed (now closed) Betony in New York City. Recently Bolivar became Sous Chef.. which is no small title to hold, especially if its at Community Table one of Connecticut's best and most interesting restaurants!
Celery Root is currently a new obsession of Chef Bolivar saying " Its simplistic, yet so unique having so many ways to cook and manipulate it". With all his experience, a wide open view on the world of food and a deep dedication to serve.. you know you'll be in good hands if he is in the kitchen.
Chef Rita Cazares
Chef Rita Cazares, born and raise in the city of Puebla, Mexico. The city, now a world heritage sight is rich with color and history just like Chef Rita herself. In the early 90’s she made a life changing decision and moved to New York City where she met and was mentored by master chocolatier and pastry Chef Markus Farbinger. He took her under his wing at L.A. Burdick Chocolates where she was spent many hours learning the refined aspects of all thing chocolate and pastry. Later she moved with the company as they had moved to Walpole, New Hampshire.. here she found her feet and became head chef of all chocolate and pastry productions for the company. Upon moving back to New York City she became the Executive Pastry Chef for the michelin starred restaurant Wallsé and oversaw all the pastry production for Cafe Sabarsky a gorgeous viennese cafe overlooking Central Park situated inside the famed Neue Galerie where one can find the ever astounding ‘Adele’. She has even made limited cakes for certain shows at the Galerie taking inspirations from Klimt and Kandinsky. Having worked with Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner over a decade she was ready for something new. Chef Rita most recently has just become the Executive Pastry Chef at The Knickerbocker Hotel where she is closely working with Chef Charlie Palmer and Chef Christopher Engel to revamp and revitalize the pastry menus at the cafe, restaurant, hotel’s room service and even the St. Cloud roof top lounge… no small task. Yet, with her experience, expertise and eye for detail she will be in ÔRKiD’s view a ‘chef to watch’ for many more year to come.
Chef Cheyenne Broughton
Chef Cheyenne Skye Broughton
Growing up as an only child in the Minnesotan suburbs of the Twin Cities, with parents that ‘weren't the best cooks’ and zero to none baking experience other than a box of Betty Crocker she goes on to say ‘my mothers cooking skills consisted no more than pouring milk over cereal’. Yet as she grew older it was just her father and her eating late night TV dinners after school..it became a tradition for them to make special excursions to the grocery store to pick out the little boxes and hand crafted ‘gourmet meal’. These are fond memories of her’s which made them both slowly grow into a love for all things food. Chef Cheyenne’s father taught himself how to cook more and more meals which, eventually led to them even taking a sushi class together! A last, day dreaming conversations she had with her father at just 12 years old was operating a little family café, she lost him soon after. Cheyenne in her own way keeps that dream alive, still sautéing stir fry from time to time in a small wok just as her father did when she watched him many moons ago as a child, with that café idea always close to her heart.
Being grounded one to many times as a teenager…with basic cable and her box of Betty Crocker with hours to kill she watched everything on the Food Network which she says “was a show for old people or dormant housewives” but she found Duff Goldmans ‘Ace of Cakes’ which reignited her passions of childhood and started her practice of decorating cakes just like Goldmans himself. This led to her researching culinary schools for a higher education and the idea to start her internship at a local bakery. After countless applications with no luck, she made a short list of her three favorite bakeries and decided to just walked in. Cheyenne’s first encounter ended up with her at the counter ordering a donut, to embarrassed to ask for an internship.. bolting out the door donut in hand! The second bakery, La Patisserie went better after she made it through what felt as an eternal interrogation. Finally, she was brought in under Deb Thibodo where she worked every weekend until she was 17 years old then after acceptance she packed her knife bag to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA). She will forever be grateful to Chef Thibodo stating “she taught me basic fundamentals of pastry, how to have tough skin in the kitchen, and work fast yet smart and prioritized… She is my mentor and forever the craziest hard working stubborn chef I know”
Since Chef Cheyenne’s professional start in this industry at La Patisserie and after completion of her studies at the CIA she has worked in a handful of restaurants through Nantucket and Boston. Landing a job as Pastry Sous Chef at Liquid Art House in Boston working under Chef Giselle Miller where the team was awarded ‘Best Desserts’ 2015. Here she learned a lot.. anything from molecular gastronomy, to breads and learning to put a modern twist on the classics. It changed the way she looked at desserts giving them a refreshing balance, a dash of salt or acidity and not being afraid to change the cloying sweetness of what she was traditionally taught to make. Her personal belief is that dessert should not be such a segregated course. Saying “People tend to find it optional.. I want to create dishes that are vital to the entire meal, never too sweet. I think vegetables, herbs and spice have a place in the pastry world as much as fruit and cream does.” This is why ÔRKiD obsesses over Chef Cheyenne this month because just like us, she knows we are in a new era of food and if a dessert isn’t balanced, its not a complete dish.
Upon Returning to her roots in Minnesota she accepted the position as Pastry Chef at Handsome Hog in St. Paul. Working closely with Chef Justin Sutherland she has grown to find her own ‘voice’ and style creating fine dining dessert with global comfort and a southern spin. Cheyenne’s interpretation of ‘Peaches and Cream’ dessert alone has gotten her invites to events such as Cochon 555 and Zeitgeist St. Paul Food Opera.
Her current inspiration is taking a break from her pastry perch once a week and creating a ramen dish that runs as a special at Handsome Hog every Thursday. Experimenting with alkaline noodles and a variation of broths and proteins. ”Ramen is a bad ass.. there are less rules than in pastry.. all it truly needs is great broth and perfectly textured noodle.” It truly has become a passionate, freeing project for her.. without knowing ÔRKiD believes she's keeping her fathers love of food and café alive.. Go get yourself a bowl! But be sure to try her phenomenal biscuits and yes, obviously any if not ALL of her perfectly curated desserts.
Chef Alexandra Motz
Chef Alexandra Motz
The Minnesota air bites through our jackets as we try and warm up in a New Nordic inspired bakery in the North Loop. She wraps her hands around her coffee mug, tossing her hues of pink hair. Alexandra Motz is a humble force. An artist on plate and canvas is what got ÔRKiD’s attention in the first place. Alexandra comes from generations of artists, once you have seen one of her creation or eaten it, one notices, trust us.
She started working at restaurants at a young age and decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, whizzing through a compact pastry training so she could quickly be back on the job. The years following seen her leap and grow through many established kitchens in the Twin Cities such as Burch Steakhouse, Union, and 112 Eatery. The job that put her onto a new focus in food and art was her start at La Belle Vie ( now shuttered ). This is where she met Diane Yang, with whom she has stayed side-by-side with ever since the opening of the esteemed Spoon and Stable. Chef Motz is now the Pastry Sous Chef, and it is here that she can express her artistry on the plate. Geometric, its the best word to describe any of it. Starting with her art to the cuts of citrus she likes to use with dessert .. which is one of her favorite food seasons only topped by spring and summer because like her paintings.. there is color! Spoon and Stable has opened her eyes to this more then ever before because they work closely with a variety of local farmers which to Chef Motz has huge inspiration and has been a great learning curve.
Alexandra creates, this is who she is to her depth. When dreaming up new sweets, she sketches them out like a true artist before starting, if painting is on that days agenda she draws inspiration on how to format it in a way that is 3D like the brilliant plates she creates at Spoon and Stable. Check out her Doughnut Art series if you have a doubt. Chef Motz has been in numerous art shows and galleries like Art-a-Whirl, Gamut Gallery and PowderHorn Art Fair to name a few.. and has worked with many talented chefs from around the country. This is what sets her apart and embodies what ÔRKiD is as well in more ways then one. Chef or Artist, Alexandra is a person that you should pay close attention to wether it be food or art. She is a showstopper and creationist to the fullest.
She states ‘ you are never done proving oneself.. in any artist way, and we still have mouths to feed everyday’ as she points out the blue and yellow geometric tiling on the cafe walls.
P.S. Check out her current art on display at Coffee Shop NorthEast and Black Waffle Bar and definitely swing by the restaurant for some sublime sweets.
Chef Benjamin Moenster
Sun-rays beam through the large windows that face Washington Ave in the North Loop of Minneapolis. You are met with tones of wood, decorative lighting, and hues of slate blue. Many of you contributing in the food scene of the Twin Cities will surely know this elegant restaurant, Borough. Or perhaps you have heard of Parlour, a bar known its delicious smash burger and extensive list of cocktails. Insert Chef Benjamin Moenster, helming the kitchens of these fine establishments, foregrounding his passion and techniques for us to enjoy.
Starting out in the kitchen at a young age, Chef Ben, a native of Denmark, began working at an ocean side inn while studying culinary arts at Aarhus Technical School. Upon arrival in the United States, he diligently started to advance his career. Starting as a line cook at the (now shuttered) La Belle Vie, he worked alongside Minnesota’s top culinary talent. From there he moved through a handful of kitchens in Minneapolis - a list that includes Sea Change, The Lynhall, Heyday and Monello to name a few. After some persuasion from mentor and former boss Micheal DeCamp, he joined Borough last year. Since then, Chef Ben has brought life back into this restaurant, with his fresh forward food and his energizing personality. In the span of a few months, his art has not only pleased the eye of a foodie, but is recognized by the larger Twin Cities food scene as well. Nominated for a Charlie Award - Rising Star recently, his work was also highlighted in Esquire Magazine through his superb mackerel dish with roots in ode to his motherland. These large accomplishments are not to be underestimated, and is a reflection of his hard work. Chef Ben is on an ambitious, goal-driven path and is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the Twin Cities food scene.
Unlike some in the industry, his attitude is one of humility and gratefulness, standing apart when saying: “keep your rock-star attitude of this industry at the door”. And it shows, in the way he cooks and in the way he leads his kitchen. Now, as Chef de Cuisine in his own space at Borough, he has rediscovered a new found freedom in which he can think, experiment, and grow at an even quicker and finer pace. Currently all the variables of fruits and their endless possibilities in applications to savory cuisine, is his revisited, yet new obsession. Think dishes with rabbit and cantaloupe, and new thoughts on stone fruits with savory tones - hits on the menu at Borough.
Chef Benjamin’s passion for this industry is not limited to just food and service, but is found in the never ending aspiration and desired goal to grow, learn and create an even better foundation in which to better this industry as a whole. All the different personalities in this industry, each with their own perspectives and thoughts on food and service, excite him. Saying ‘keeping this open mindset to the people and colleagues around you with their thoughts, views and experiences, push you to become better as a cook and a chef’. It is this that pushes him into new frontiers of his own cooking and we at ÔRKiD think you should keep an eye out for him!
Allen Mickey
Born in South Dakota on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation. Someone that ÔRKiD has kept in close observance and admire greatly. We sat down with him recently to pick his brain, probing for his thoughts on food and life.
Self described class ditcher and chronic truant. Much of his childhood upbringing was affected by the lack of security, emphasizing - food insecurity. A shy child but was always told otherwise, from an early age he’d make tremendous messes in the kitchen hours before his family members or parents woke up, leading to major frustrations and points of contention within his already unstable and resource poor household. Messes using the typical main breakfast focused ingredients that he now works tirelessly and actively to root out of North American households - sugar, dairy, white flour.
Allen recalls a lot of troubled times primarily rooted in the lack of resources provided within his own household and his path would be highly telling of that previously experienced hunger - food.
This led him to the kitchen. In 2012 he started as a dishwasher at a little steak and fish joint located in South Dakota on Lake Kampeska, the owner was oblivious on how to run a kitchen so he was exposed to “many liberties”, for better or worst. Yet, that owner always had a job for him even if he had just been released from jail ..again. ‘Conducive’ Allen states as his eye wanders to the leaves rustling above him on the patio - he soon moved to new stations as cooks grew tired of the chef while he stayed relatively quiet yet ambitious in this new kitchen environment. This eventually lead to opportunities to create soups, house dressings and time to practice his knife skills. This was his first taste of scratch cooking, a turbulent summer of 2012 only a mere seven years ago.
Knowing it was time to grow - he took a leap and moved to Minneapolis. A cold December night, alone wandering through a new neighborhood looking for a vice and a job. He stumbled upon Ray J’s. — ‘Those loud people in the back would eventually become my new family. I always enjoyed much of the same things my brothers and sister enjoy in this industry, a beer and a bump’. Reaching over the table he winks ‘can I bum a cig?’”
Every odd job he could get he tried, numerous fast food chains, a hand full of QSR establishment to pouring concrete was a daily grind.
Through all that he found The Butches Block - Now he may have caught him after his prime, but Fillipo Cafari was a dog with fight. Chef Fillipo had a tantrum and temper on par of his roman ancestors. It was here that Allen took his basic knowledge and forged his techniques in the heat and pressure of the kitchen. ‘I got to work with a chef of great passion’ he say. Allen discovered a love for animal butchery, whole muscle cures, food preservation, and the food industry as a whole. He came to understand his own self worth and eventually leaving The Butcher Block - not sure of himself or the his future. Yet as 2015 came to a close, he searched for something more.
Over time Chef Mickey moved up the ladder in numerous establishments around Minneapolis such as Popol Vuh and Borough the latter where he’s still called “Boroughs Official Bad Boy” holding the title of most burgers ever made in one service for their adjoining establishment Parlour Bar. He learned to be respectful of others working these often less than desirable jobs, never being too concerned with working for big name chefs —even if he’s met some pretty cool chefs he states.
That shows in stride now that he wears multiple hats of talent in this industry. Being a butcher, public speaker, indigenous food educator and team leader. To Allen, what he does now is more telling than what he has done or the roads of past.
Chef Allen Mickey has had a huge summer. He became part of The Sioux Chef Group and works closely with their Indigenous Food Lab. He has been learning, educating and engaging with the vast communities of Native American tribes and the public through out the mid west of the United States and works closely with Sean Sherman where they are committed to revitalizing Native American Cuisine. A culture that has been oppressed and often inaccessible, these chefs, forager, ethnobotanists, food preservationists and artists of any kind are fighting to breathe fresh air into. Not only into North American cuisine but also in reclaiming the important culinary culture of Native Americans. Chef Mickey campions this cause with gusto. He travels to numerous tribes rebuilding their communities while educating them on the importance of their diets and past provisions, all while learning and documenting from others as well. It is a lofty mission in ÔRKiD’s opinion and we could not be more proud of his work, goals, and vision.
He goes on to say “While the indigenous food sovereignty movement is in full swing different variations and heirlooms of major food sources for Native Americans are being discovered and introduced to the public via food summits, pop-ups , private catering and private guest dinners. While these ingredients are not new and the dialogue we are opening is far from a fad I would still like to draw attention to the many fruits, meats, vegetables and grains indigenous to our region of North America. The goal of working with Native American communities to establish food sovereignty is about community restoration and cultural preservation. By re-establishing our traditional foods and cutting out colonial ingredients we can improve our lifestyles and strengthen our communities, their minds, and bodies by raising health awareness and solving food shortages whilst combating poverty. Each tribe will be able to distinguish themselves by representing their regions with better understanding.
Through this we will see ingredients never before utilized in any modern practice and better yet will bring old medicines and health practices back to our tribes”.
Chef Mickey’s goal is to help save lives of indigenous peoples — shedding light on his culinary culture while preserving his heritage and assisting it into the 21rst century. Allen’s current cooking obsessions and methods of teaching are, the fermentations of berries and preservation of fruits, whole animal butchery and the cataloging of various drying methods with wild game. Animal fat chips, smooth bean soups, anything green and spicy!
Chef Allen Mickey is on a journey and his future is brighter than ever -He’ll have his tobacco now.