Thinking globally, cooking locally

A native Marylander who grew up in Frederick — “I know this whole Maryland thing,” he says — Nicholas Sharpe (“my last name has an ‘e,’ ” he says) is the recently named chef de cuisine of Capitol Hill’s uber-trendy and ultra-laid-back Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar. One of the first Hill restaurants to make California-hip food a beacon for stressed-out bureaucrats (yes, you’ll hear plenty of political palaver as you sip your wine), Sonoma has a management team that has always prided itself on serving farm-fresh produce and just-hooked fish in its clean-cut eatery.

And Sharpe is just the man to carry on its tradition.

“I bring to this restaurant [a love for] fresh, seasonal ingredients,” says the young man who remembers his grandmother’s Sunday dinners. “She grew up on a farm in South Carolina, so every Sunday she set a big table and cooked for the whole family,” he says. “She even had a Folger’s can for bacon fat.”

Those, indeed, were the days, and as Sharpe continues reminiscing, he talks of breakfast times when he’d dip the bread in eggs for French toast, and then sit and watch his grandmother cook all day.

“She’d show me techniques from Southern recipes that had been passed down in her family,” he says. “She’d show me, but told me, ‘You learn through action.’ “

But how did this all translate into his becoming a chef?

“The first job I ever had was working for a steakhouse in Frederick,” he says. “We got to eat all we wanted and we got to eat all night. I thought ‘This is great.’ “

Of course, the act of cooking itself interested him, so much so that he attended Johnson and Wales University for its culinary program.

After graduation, he returned to the D.C. area, already plotting out a career path that included really hard work.

“Older chefs have a brigade system where their staff do not get tenure,” says this 27-year-old. “Too many people get comfortable if they are on tenure. For me, it’s about progressing and having a self-motivated goal. If you choose the right path, you can succeed without classic training.”

Sharpe took his own advice, and started working at the consistently popular Vidalia, a Jeff Buben restaurant that affords its staff and chefs rigorous training.

“Vidalia has so many stars,” he says, adding that his next move was to the now-defunct Maestro restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner with chef Fabio Trabocchi.

“Maestro was my most favorite kitchen experience,” he says. “I saw techniques and product that you don’t see elsewhere, such as the fresh langostines brought in each Thursday, or the wild turbot, or the Sicilian tomato paste at $25 a tube.”

He later moved with Trabocchi to New York to work at the now-closed Fiamma restaurant, returning to D.C. just in time to end up at Sonoma. There, not only will Sharpe follow along with the seasons when shaping his menu, he’ll give his cooking a slightly Italian twist.

“I’ll get produce from small local farms,” he says, “and cook them with Italian techniques and my own twist plus all the flavors I grew up with in Maryland. The food will have no label, and the restaurant will still be a neighborhood place.”

Q&A with Chef Nicholas Sharpe

What’s in your fridge?

It’s disgusting. I have tons of leftovers in Tupperware and in the freezer. There’s tons of apple juice. I love it.

What’s your comfort food?

(He shakes his head.) I love ice cream. I don’t ever find myself eating when I am stressed out but my cravings are for Oreos and Cream. I have horrible eating habits … [I like] ‘greasy spoons’ places.

Where’s your favorite restaurant?

I love Latino food like Don Juan in Mount Pleasant. And Urban BBQ, Five Guys in Dupont, 2 Amys, A&J (Chinese) anything small that takes no time.

What’s been your luckiest moment?

I don’t think one is really lucky. You make your own luck. I’ve had great moments in restaurants where I’ve worked with great chefs. Then there’s a whole range of lucky moments.

What’s your signature dish?

I don’t know. I find that pigeonholes you. If I say “fish” then that is what people expect. I really like to cook everything … I have two flats of strawberries so I pickled them. I don’t know what made me think of doing that.

From the Chef’s Kitchen

Caponata

Offer this as a side dish or as an appetizer.

Serves 2

3 Tbsps. olive oil

1 tsp. thinly sliced garlic

1/4 tsp. crushed red chilies

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup diced eggplant

1/3 diced yellow summer squash

1/3 cup diced zucchini

1/3 cup diced peeled and seeded tomato

2 Tbsp. thinly sliced basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat two Tbsps. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilies, and saute. When the garlic has wilted, after about three minutes, add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft but have not turned golden. Add the eggplant, squash and zucchini, cover and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, and add the tomatoes and basil. Cook for two minutes, remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste and the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil.