If working for one of the best chefs in America doesn’t make you one of the luckiest chefs in D.C., it’s hard to know what it would take. That’s the case with young Jason Maddens, who in his late 20s, finds himself at the helm in Michel Richard’s go-get-’em American eatery, Central Michel Richard.
A local boy who grew up in Sterling and went to school in Maryland, he majored in engineering so could graduate and design aircraft. Maddens’ life certainly changed with his year off after college. He moved to West Virginia, and ended up working in a local restaurant. “I really liked what I was doing,” he said. “I was scared to tell my mom I wanted to be a chef, but she was happy with the decision.”
Maddens enrolled in L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, and had the good fortune to serve his externship at Falls Church’s restaurant, 2941, when he worked as executive sous chef. And after graduating from L’Academie, Maddens says he has been cooking ever since, heading to Europe to backpack for several months, eating his way through 11 countries.
| If you go |
| Central Michel Richard |
| Where: 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW |
| Info: 202-626-0015 |
| Hours: Lunch, Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Mon.-Thurs., 5 to 10:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat., until 11 p.m. |
Upon his return, Maddens headed to northern Florida, where he pursued several different jobs, from serving as executive chef at Jackson’s Bistro in Tampa to working as a butcher at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. “Jackson’s was right on the water,” he said, “and I had the freedom to create the menu. … Management was free with the food (primarily fresh seafood) and I experimented to see how things worked together.”
And as Maddens points out, he learned another basic culinary lesson: how to run a kitchen. “That was the first time I was in charge of the kitchen, and I learned a lot about management,” he said. “I also saw how specific cultures are with their food.”
About one year ago, with his Florida experiences firmly under his belt, Maddens moved back to the metro area, and was hired by Michel Richard to help establish Richard’s new restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, Michel by Michel Richard. Then Richard moved Maddens to the executive spot at Central, and his life seems set for the time being. “I’m loving it,” he said. “I have spent time with Michael and I am comfortable with what he is cooking. Now I can give him a dish and know how he is going to react. He wants me to love what I am doing.”
And love it he does, having now developed a style of his own. “Michel is into textures in every dish,” said Maddens, who has learned how to adapt that style. Maddens can even point to his own signature dish from Central’s summer menu. “We did an olive-oil poached halibut served over creamy leeks and potatoes, and drizzled with a wine sauce. It was a good dish.”
Has he any regrets that he chose cooking over engineering? Not at all, he says. His family comes in often to eat, and to watch him working in the kitchen. “It’s a lot of fun,” he said. And he really means it.
Q&A
What is your comfort food?
Italian food, a bowl of pasta with red sauce and with garlic bread. Just like my mom and grandma made.
What are your must-have ingredients?
Salt, then duck or lobster because I can use the entire animal.
What’s in your fridge?
A lot of condiments. Apple sauce, yogurt, lots of fruit. I make chicken stock and freeze it. Meat for my wife for when I work.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
At home with my wife.
Which is your favorite restaurant?
Liberty Tavern in Arlington.
Recipe
Walnut-Crusted Salmon with Caramelized Root Vegetables and Butternut Squash Sauce
Serves 4
Salmon Mousse:
8 ounces very cold salmon scraps
5 ounces very cold cream
Salmon:
4 (6-ounce) portions salmon fillet
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Root Vegetables:
2 large golden beets
2 tablespoons olive oil or more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ?-inch cubes
2 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into ?-inch cubes
3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into ?-inch cubes
2 celery roots, peeled and cut into ?-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cold butter
4 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
chopped fresh chives as garnish
For the Sauce:
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
4 ounces maple syrup
1 ounce sherry vinegar
1 quart chicken stock
Spice mix (recipe follows)
Spice mix:
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
? teaspoon ground nutmeg
? teaspoon ground cloves
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the mousse, pur?e the salmon pieces in a food processor until smooth, then slowly drizzle in the cream. Keep this mixture cold. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of the mousse to your salmon portions. Press the salmon, mousse-side-down into the walnuts.
To prepare the root vegetables, coat the beets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil with a small sprig of thyme. Roast for 45 minute to 1 hour, depending on how big your beets are. When fork tender, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Remove the foil and rub the beets with a heavy-duty paper towel to remove the skin. Cut the beets into ?-inch cubes, and set aside.
Blanch the remaining vegetables separately in boiling salted water, until tender but not mushy. Using a very hot, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat about ?-inch oil over medium heat. Just when the oil starts to smoke add the root vegetables in an even layer. Wait 30 seconds before moving them, then shake the pan to color the other sides. Pour out onto paper towels. When ready to serve, melt the butter in some chicken stock, and add the vegetables. As the stock reduces it will thicken slightly and coat the vegetables with a light glaze. Add a small amount of whole-grain mustard and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
To make the sauce, sweat the onion and squash in butter over medium-low heat, and continue cooking for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add the maple syrup, sherry vinegar, and spice mix. Let the mixture cook until it thickens, about 8 minutes more. Add the chicken stock. Cook over medium-low heat until the squash and onions are soft. Pur?e the mixture while still hot; it will be smooth, but not thick enough to hold peaks. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
To prepare the salmon, heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat, and when hot, place the salmon in nuts-side-down. Cook over medium heat to set the mousse, then bake for 3 minutes. Return the skillet to the burner and gently turn the salmon over. The nuts should be golden brown, and the salmon will be just medium. Continue to cook gently until desired doneness.
To serve, spoon about ? cup sauce on each individual plate, arrange the vegetables over the sauce, and place the salmon on the vegetables.
