Chef Eric Simeon of Grace will be cooking at the Grand Tasting for Harvest on the Harbor the end of October.

Chef Eric Simeon began his culinary career in California’s Bay Area, working at various culinary hot spots including Wolfgang Pucks Postrio. From San Francisco he moved to Maui where he was inspired by the Asian influenced island cuisine and cooked for well-known restaurants such as Roy’s and The Kapalua Bay Hotel.

In 2000, Eric moved to New York and began cooking at Terrance Brennan’s Picholine,

where he became Executive Sous Chef. In 2003, Eric then moved over to the well-known modern Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit. Through his cooking tenure, Eric has participated in various projects with Marcus Samuelsson’s Townhouse Restaurant Group, including AQ Kafe in New York and Washington Square in Philadelphia.

Eric’s cooking is not only inspired by the vast cultures of the Islands, Bay and Apple, but also from the Creole and Mexican dishes of his family that he was raised on.

Now as the Executive Chef of Grace restaurant, Eric is enchanting patrons with his unique vision of a menu that combines classic dishes with modern culinary techniques and local flavors.

Let’s see what Eric says with our questions.

Maralyn: What is your favorite recipe and why?
Eric: Last year for our Mardi Gras celebration I created a Lobster Gumbo. I love it because it takes a traditional recipe from my family and modernizes it, and adds a bit of Maine.

Maralyn: What is your favorite ingredient to work with when cooking and why?
Eric: I always have plenty of representatives of the lily family close at hand: shallots, onions, leeks, garlic, and scallions. They provide the backbone of so many dishes.

Maralyn: What is your favorite cooking utensil and why?
Eric: My favorite piece of cooking equipment is the immersion circulator. It allows me to cook with amazing precision and consistency, and even to transform foods into something completely new.

Maralyn: Do you have any tips for those desiring to become a chef?
Eric: Travel and explore as much as you possibly can. Never forget that being a chef is about making people happy, not about being an artist.

You can learn more about Chef Eric at

Website: http://www.restaurantgrace.com/

Restaurant Facebook Page

If you want to check out more details for Harvest on the Harbor go tohttp://www.harvestontheharbor.com/. Norm and I hope to meet you there.

Big Blend Magazine NoraLyn
Member: Society of Professional Journalists”Success” was Indie Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards