One of the most exuberant young chefs in the D.C. area, executive chef Chris Clime of PassionFish restaurant in Reston takes to the job like, well, a fisherman. He loves seafood, he says, and his passion for fish somewhat mirrors the restaurant’s name. More importantly, Clime loves cooking, an art and passion he acquired while his family lived in Puerto Rico. “My dad was in the Navy as a fighter pilot,” he said, “and we were stationed in Puerto Rico. My parents did a lot of entertaining, and my brother and I helped out. He helped with the bar. I helped with making Caesar salad when I was 6 years old.” He pauses to explain the best Caesar-making techniques — coddled versus raw eggs, croutons, anchovies, whisking versus blending the dressing. By the age of 9, it seems, he had become a master at assembling this salad classic.
After graduating from high school, Clime headed straight to culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. Two years later, he moved to D.C. for a brief period, working in various kitchens and waiting tables. Then Clime headed to Charleston, S.C., initially to take courses on restaurant management. But as fate worked out, he ended up working for executive chef Ken Vedreneski, owner of Lucca Trattoria as well as working as a chef-of-all-trades at the very exclusive five-diamond Woodlands Resort.
| IF YOU GO |
| PassionFish |
| » Where: Reston Town Center, 11960 Democracy Drive, Reston |
| » Info: 703-230-3474 |
| » Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursay, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday |
When family matters drew Clime back to the metro area, he hooked up with Jeff Tunks, one of the owners of the Passion Food Group of restaurants: Acadiana; the now-closed Ten Penh; DC Coast; Ceiba; and, of course, PassionFish. In fact, Clime has worked in all of Tunks’ restaurants, gaining valued training and skills.
But it’s easy to say that he has found a true fit, where he can scour the global markets for the freshest seafood; use his Southern and New England seafood skills; and create knockout recipes that highlight the classics and showcase the exotic: from Dover sole to red Thai curry lobster. Clime has also plunged his hands into learning the art of making sushi, an art, says one Japanese authority, that traditional Japanese chefs spend much time learning. “I didn’t want to do the same seafood dishes that restaurants elsewhere do,” he said. “I also learned sushi [a major component of the restaurant’s menu], and now I am trained in it.”
As he looks back over his career, Clime says he can pick out two major influences on his cooking life: Chef Donald Barickman as a major influence (he was the former chef and owner of Magnolias, Cypress, and Blossom Cafe restaurants in Charleston); Ken Vedreneski; and his present boss, Tunks. “Jeff Tunks has had the most influence,” he says. “He leads by example and has a tremendous work ethic,” he says, “and he is very creative” and a master of concept development,” adding that at whichever of his restaurants Tunks happens to end up, he gets right into the kitchen to pull together marvelous meals.
Q&A
What is your comfort food? Crispy Buffalo chicken wings, blue cheese, and celery sticks, but I do not eat them very often. A meal that I eat at least five times a week is yellowfin tuna and hamachi nigiri. I eat that all the time; it is comfort food for me.
Do you have a favorite cookbook?
I have a library of cookbooks, and it is very hard to say. One of the many great things about working with Jeff Tunks, [and partners] Gus and David, is that they reimburse all their chefs for a cookbook once a month, and I have been working with them for 144 months … and I had several before I started with them. But if I was to pick one it would be my mom and dad’s Julia Child’s book on classical French cuisine. … I still remember my dad trying to meticulously go through the recipes, and my mom just trying to wing it.
What is your favorite ingredient? Salt in its many forms … Maldon Sea Salt, fleur de sel, fleur de sel gris, Hawaiian pink salt, La Baleine Sel de Mer; I even have salt blocks that you can use to cure fish like crudos or tiraditos. I really like those.
Which is your favorite restaurant? Cuisine?
Marcel’s in Washington, D.C. My favorite cuisine is contemporary American, which means basically everything!!
What’s in your fridge at home? Siracha, Coleman’s English Mustard, Cholula hot sauce, strawberries, blueberries, Romaine lettuce, Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged Irish cheddar, prosciutto, Oscar Meyer rotissiere-roasted chicken, deli meat, and turkey, sliced cheddar cheese, Horizon Organic Milk 2%, and whole Horizon organic milk, Luzianne Ice Tea.
Shrimp and Crab Nachos
Executive Chef Chris Clime
Serves 12
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound 70/90 shrimp (rock shrimp), shells removed
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, cleaned and picked
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, sliced
20 to 25 (6-inch) corn flour tortillas, quartered and fried (can substitute with store-bought corn tortilla chips)
3 cups grated pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup sliced pickled jalapenos
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the shrimp with cumin and garlic. In a bowl, combine shrimp, crabmeat, sour cream, and green onions. Spread tortilla chips on a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Top with shrimp and crab mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and top with jalapenos. Broil just until cheese has melted.
