Whenever you think of Hurricane Katrina, you may also think of chef Jeff Tunks. Not that he is a high-force wind, but because his New Orleans-inspired restaurant, Acadiana, has been a real mover in raising funds for hurricane relief. Indeed, on the restaurant’s opening day in September 2005, Tunks and fellow D.C. chefs gathered for his “Po’ Boy Power” event, for which they sold carryouts of shrimp remoulade and Roast Beef Po’ Boys, the proceeds of which were donated to the Louisiana Disaster Relief Fund.
But if you think this Midwesterner is solely identified with Cajun and Creole cooking and Louisiana-style seafood, think again. Exuberant and supercharged Tunks can cook it all: contemporary American with DC Coast; pan-Asian with TenPenh; and Hispanic with Ceiba.
“This is based on my work experiences,” he says. “I’ve brought three coasts together into Washington, which is such an international city with so many ethnic cuisines.” He adds that keeping the prices and service levels uniform at his four restaurants allows his customers to lunch at one place, then dine at the next.
CIA-trained and having worked with such culinary superstars as Dean Ferring of the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and the French-trained Takashi Shirmaizu at the sister restaurant, Mistral, Tunks nonetheless credits his grandparents and their farm for teaching him his fundamental respect for food. And as a teen, he traveled frequently with his dad to New Orleans, where he ate out locally, thus learning the taste fundamentals of Louisiana cooking. Later, his eclectic cooking experiences — from the River Club Restaurant in Washington to Loew’s Coronado Bay in California to Azzura Point and The Grill Room in New Orleans — his helped propel Tunks into his current status as one of D.C.’s foremost chefs: recipient of countless “best ofs” in food magazines and the winner of the Chef of the Year 2003-04 by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. He is listed in The International Who’s Who of Chefs.
As Tunks reviews his spectacularly colorful and diverse career, he attributes his success and eclectic style to his two mentors and to his extensive travels, when he samples, experiments, shops, and talks to local chefs for ideas. Back home in D.C., Tunks admits he enjoys cooking and working in all four of his restaurants. But as an afterthought adds, “I feel comfortable with coking at Acadiana,” he says. “Restaurants are like children. You spend more time with the youngest.” Besides, Tunks is planning another Katrina fundraiser at Acadiana, slated for June 10, and notes that he is on the board of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Real Southern roots for this Midwestern chef.
In Tunks’ own words
What is your favorite dish? If I’m by myself, it’s Japanese food. If you are around food all the time, you become callous, and facing a nine-course tasting menu seems like torture. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy three-star restaurants. With my family, it’s dim sum, and Vietnamese pho, because my children like the noodles. … I don’t get tired of eating the octopus salad at Ceiba. Or I could eat chow foon every day for lunch. Acadiana serves great decadent foods; I’ve gained 12 pounds and I’ve got to walk it off and I’ve already begun to start the regimen that helped me lose 125 pounds and feel proud to tuck my shirt in.
What is your cooking philosophy? I’m sort of an “older dog” and am not smitten by new things. I know this sounds simple, but I want to showcase the best seasonal ingredients without being too precocious. … I don’t want a “special occasion” place. When I eat, I want to eat.
What is your most important ingredient? Salt. But I like the crossover to Asian-Hispanic seasonings: cilantro, chilies, spices. I like bolder flavors.
Who cooks at home? Because I work four to five nights a week, my wife becomes the sous chef at home. But cooking is not a chore. I really enjoy outdoor cooking, and grilling simple things such as chicken, pork tenderloin and leaner proteins. With this, we add chopped salads.
What is your comfort food? A really fatty steak, a Porterhouse or rib-eye. Or my mom makes homemade chicken noodles with really fatty stock. Homemade egg noodles over mashed potatoes.
What’s in your fridge right now? I’m a creature of habit, so there is V8 juice, Diet Pepsi, Asian condiments, yogurt, Horizon milk, sliced turkey.
New Orleans-Style Barbeque Shrimp
From Acadiana restaurant
Serve with charred lemon halves, a sprig of rosemary, and hot French bread. Serves 1
Barbeque Shrimp
7 fresh gulf shrimp (U-10), heads on
12 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
6 to 8 oz. shrimp stock (see below)
Peel the shrimp, leaving the heads and tails on; reserve the shells for shrimp stock. Over high heat, sauté the shrimp in 4 ounces butter with garlic, black pepper, rosemary, parsley, and Creole seasoning for about 2 minutes. Add 6 to 8 ounces shrimp stock and the remaining butter. Cook until the shrimp are just firm and the sauce has emulsified, about 6 minutes total cooking time.
Shrimp Stock
1 quart shrimp shells
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 shallot, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 cups water
In a large saucepan over high heat, sauté the shrimp shells, garlic and shallot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for approximately 1 hour. Strain and reserve.
Tunks’ Restaurants
» Acadiana, 901 New York Ave. NW; www.acadianarestaurant.com; 202-408-8848
» Ceiba, 701 14th St. NW; www.ceibarestaurant.com; 202-393-3983
» DC Coast, 1401 K St. NW; www.tenpenh.com; 202-216-5988
» TenPenh, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; www.tenpenh.com; 202-393-4500
