Working 70 to 80 hours a week seems like child’s play to this young, hip and extremely energetic executive chef at Arlington’s young, hip and extremely energetic Tallula Restaurant, part of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.
New to his post, Andrew Markert is not new to the group’s network of local restaurants and their kitchens, having served as the chef de cuisine under chef Anthony Chittum at Vermilion, the group’s contemporary American restaurant in Old Town Alexandria.
Indeed, Markert is no newcomer to kitchen duty — not by a long shot. This Baltimore native conceeds that he was never really into books and studying, preferring, instead, to do his own type of learning in the kitchen.
“I was always experimenting,” he says. “My family was big into cooking, crab fests, corn and talking. Both my parents cook a lot: My dad is good with spaghetti and meatballs; my mom does everything else.”
And, he notes, his tattoos are a memorial to his food-oriented godparents, with a butcher’s scene inked on his rib cage. (Note: He did not display it.)
Now at the tender age of 26, Markert looks back over a short lifetime of kitchen work, saying that for the past 11 years he’s been in and out of kitchens here and overseas. He got his first break in high school, when a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, a friend of his father’s, gave him a job in a kitchen. Subsequently, he worked as a farmer with a nighttime job working as a line cook, attended Johnson & Wales, where he received a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, and among other places, worked at D.C.’s august Citronelle as a line cook.
“I did that just to see if I could do it,” he says of this very rigorous kitchen experience. “It was intense and fun.”
But for the present, he says, he intends to stay with the American casual dining scene as he develops his style, which he describes as “melting pot” and “playful, fun New American.” How does that play out on the plate?
“Well, it consists of different components,” he says, “such as duck with caramel corn (his signature dish) or pasta with jasmine tea worked into the pasta dough or blueberry jam with a rack of lamb. I got this last idea from a dessert I used to do in Rhode Island.”
Where else does he get these ideas, one wonders. He answers that he turns often to the “The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity” so he does not crib ideas from another chef. Then he goes on to describe his rabbit pappardelle with candied pearl onions and pistachio froth, and you have to think that “The Flavor Bible” stirs up some offbeat ideas, so much that the word “playful” doesn’t quite sum it up.
Despite these culinary whimsies, Markert says that some day, once he feels his skills are matured and well honed, he wants to own his own restaurant and return to the “fine-dining” kitchen philosophy he witnessed at Citronelle. And the restaurant’s name would be what? Why, Vanilla, of course.
Q&A with Chef Andrew Markert
Do you cook at home?
If I have time. Probably pasta, grilled steaks and fish.
What’s your comfort food?
My dad’s spaghetti and meatballs. Those are the best meatballs I’ve ever had. I used to make them for the line cooks when I worked at DISH.
What is your cooking philosophy?
Have fun with food. Use the best ingredients from local farmers. I was once a farmer myself. Some people take kitchen jobs too seriously. These should be play and work, otherwise you will get burnt out.
Where do you go out to eat?
I love Pho 75, but I am always up to trying new things. I have been to a couple of big-name spots. But I like Lost Dog and Rustico for the beer list. I go to Brickskeller for burgers with grilled salami and bacon. That’s delicious with German beer.
From the Chef’s Kitchen
Caramel Popcorn
Serves about 4
2 1 ⁄ 2 quarts popped popcorn
1 ⁄ 2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 ⁄ 2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 ⁄ 4 tsp. baking soda
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the popcorn in a very large bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in baking soda. Pour the mixture in a thin stream over the popcorn, stirring to coat. Place the mixture on a large baking sheet and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking it into pieces.
