Despite her Southern roots, Nashville native Karen Hayes, chef de cuisine at the Roof Terrace Restaurant in the Kennedy Center, does not cook overtly Southern foods. Instead, her dishes are lighter, and she draws her ideas and many of her ingredients from the global pantry. But going from a Southern cook-at-home girl to a chef heading a prestigious Washington kitchen has meant plenty of hard work honing her skills and developing an international palate.
Like many of her contemporaries, Hayes whetted her appetite for cooking during a break from schooling when she worked as a waitress, bartender, and manager at local restaurants. But what was going on in the kitchen intrigued her: she often asked the various chefs to explain techniques and recipes, then she would head home and try to re-create the same dishes. As a result, Hayes found that she was happiest when cooking.
“I parlayed this into a full-time career,” she says. “I even visited the Culinary Institute of America, but chef Douglas McNeil at the Four Seasons told me I was too old, and that I should just go work in good kitchens, and listen, learn, and listen some more. I would get the same kind of education. … They [the culinary students] don’t get enough practical training. They see the class instructor writing on a blackboard, but they really need hands-on experience. … The longer they are a line cook, the better off they are.”
In Hayes’ case, McNeil’s advice inspired her to look for work in a professional kitchen, starting at the bottom of the ladder. Luckily, she landed a job as prep cook with renowned D.C. chef Ris Lacoste, at 1789 Restaurant. Luckier still, Lacoste’s two sous chefs — Jeff Eng and John Wabeck — generously shared their cooking knowledge. “I just wanted to learn,” she says, “and I tried a little bit harder.”
Her next two posts — with Robert Weidmaier at Aquarelle and what was then Marcel’s, and Brian McBride at the then-Melrose restaurant (now the Blue Duck Tavern) — provided Hayes with the advanced training and discipline that has shaped her into the cook she is today.
Now running this enormous kitchen, Hayes is to develop the menu and create the fare — though the Center’s famed Sunday brunch buffet remains with its full spread of breakfast and brunch items.
“I love that I have been given free rein,” she says, noting that working in a corporate environment and for a restaurant that seats 270 provides different challenges. But in the end, what counts for Hayes is that — using the right techniques and striving for perfection — she can continue to enjoy her work and to create her eclectic fare. And what does Mom think about her daughter’s success? “She’s just glad I am doing what I love,” Hayes says.
In Hayes’ own words
Do you cook at home? Very rarely. I am not at home and I have nothing in the fridge except condiments and some half-and-half. On the nights I am at home I buy enough ingredients on the way home or I eat out. I can’t stand finding rotting food in the fridge.
What is your favorite dish? There’s only one dish, and it would definitely be shrimp, although I am allergic to it. It would be Mom’s shrimp Creole.
What is your comfort food? Popcorn and ice cream, and I have an affinity for mashed potatoes. The ice cream thing is a family genetic [trait].
What do you do in your leisure time? I just bought another motorcycle, my third. I just love it. I haven’t been anywhere on it yet, but I used to go to Shenandoah.
What do you think you’ll be doing in 10 year’s time? Probably running my own restaurant and figuring out how to retire here in D.C.
Where do you get your inspiration? From anything, anywhere. Sometimes it’s color, sometimes it’s texture. I would love to marry food with music, and probably my first choice would be jazz. But the build-up is so intense that it might be hard to do.
Asian Pesto with Halibut
Serves 6
Look for pea shoots at an Asian grocery store or specialty food store. You will find kaffir lime leaves at a Southeast Asian market, usually frozen. Any leftover pesto can be covered tightly and stored in a refrigerator for up to one week. If you can’t find pea shoots, substitute spinach.
6 (7oz) halibut fillets
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
Asian Pesto (recipe follows)
Watercress or pea shoots
4 cups Kaffir Ginger Broth
(recipe follows)
6 radishes, quartered or halved, depending on the size of the radishes, for garnish
Season halibut fillets with salt and white pepper. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Heat the oil for a few seconds. Place the halibut in the pan, and cook until a light golden crust forms; flip the fish over and cook until done — when the interior of the halibut is just opaque. Remove from pan and spread pesto on top of halibut. To serve, place a few watercress leaves on the bottom of a bowl, add a 1/2cup Kaffir Ginger Broth over leaves, and place fish on top, Garnish and enjoy!
Pesto
4 blanched garlic cloves
1/4 cup toasted cashews
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup Thai basil
1/2 cup basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
To blanch the garlic cloves, place garlic in a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, strain, and repeat twice. Place the garlic, cashews, cilantro and basils into a food processor, and process until smooth. Once smooth, slowly add the oil until mixture is of a spreadable consistency, and season with salt and pepper.
Kaffir Ginger Broth
4 cups fish stock or clam juice
Small handful kaffir lime leaves
1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
Salt and white pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, combine the fish stock, kaffir lime leaves, and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors of the ginger and the kaffir impart themselves in the stock. Remove from the heat, and let steep for 1 hour. Strain the broth, season with salt and white pepper and let cool.
If you go
The Roof Terrace Restaurant
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
202-416-8555
Dinner: Open Sunday through Wednesday 5 to 8 p.m. (based on performance schedule) and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Brunch: Most Sundays, 11 a.m.
