Philippe Chin : The Philly Master Chef moved to Georgia
Happy Rooster
Azaleas are blushing on the Augusta National golf course. Classy
catered events are under way in historic homes. And the prized green
jacket awaits the next Masters champion.
There's no doubt it's spring in Augusta. But this year, there's a little
something different rustling in the genteel breeze.
Hear the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic roaring through
the stately Summerville neighborhood.
See the French chef swagger from bike to kitchen to dining room to
porch with a cellphone attached to one ear, a diamond stud in the
other and a Marlboro Light dangling from one hand.
Taste the arctic char with furikake sticky rice, the wasabi mashed
potatoes or the inside-out sushi roll, and understand why, next to a
ticket to Sunday's final round, the best "in" to have in Augusta this
weekend is a reservation at Bambu on Hickman. Open only two
weeks, the new restaurant at the Partridge Inn is booked solid.
"Bambu is my baby," said Philippe Chin, a celebrated chef who
shucked Philadelphia for the South about six months ago. "I created
the menu. I was here every day during construction. I decorated it.
I knew what I wanted."
What Chin wanted was a job in a warm place where he could do his
thing -- French-Asian cooking that is a natural to the Parisian-born
chef of Chinese descent. "I never thought precisely about doing fusion
cuisine," he said. "I just do food like me."
That food has brought the 38-year-old accolades. His first restaurant
in Philadelphia, Chanterelles, was welcomed with rave reviews from
local press and national magazines such as Esquire, Gourmet and
Bon Appetit.
In 1997, he was admitted to the Maitres Cuisiniers de France, making
him the youngest French master chef at that time. The next year,
the National Restaurant Association named him restaurateur of the year.
All of which has left polite Southerners struggling for the right
way to
ask: Why Augusta?
"I came down, met the owner, saw the property and fell in love," Chin
answered with the tinge of impatience that comes from being asked
the same question one time too many. "I love this town, the historic
homes, the galleries, the Soul Bar, the people. Do not take this town
for granted."
Augusta's charms aside, there is a bit more to the story. Chin traded
up from the tiny Chanterelles to a massive old social club in Philadelphia
in 1997. At the Locust Club, he ran a banquet hall along with a restaurant
and bar.
Business bustled at times, languished at others. Critics said the food
was always good, but the concepts -- not to mention the name -- kept
changing. In February 2001, the Locust Club adventure came to an end,
leaving Chin looking for a job.
"I went to Chicago, California, Florida. I had an offer in Hong Kong,
but
then I got the call from Augusta," said Chin, who admitted his first
question was "Where's Augusta?"
That call came from David Jones, general manager of the Partridge Inn,
at the urging of owner Gordon Cross. Cross and Jones were amid a national
search for a new food and beverage manager for the 156-room inn.
"We want to become the No. 1 food and beverage property in the Southeast,"
said Cross, who found Chin's resume on the Internet. "When we met Philippe,
we were electrified by him, his overall sense of creativity and the kind of
ideas
he had for the hotel."
Those ideas included keeping what worked, like the Southern buffet
lunch in
the Morris Partridge Dining Room, and tweaking what almost worked, like the
grill and bar menu. Chin suggested upgrading to offer steaks and chops with
a choice of sauces.
But, most of all, Chin proposed transforming a stodgy old banquet
room into
something entirely new -- Bambu.
"I was skeptical, frankly," said Bambu bartender Kelly Thaanum, who
was
working at the inn when Chin arrived. "No one could see it. Sushi bar? Fusion
restaurant? But this man knew and we went on his word alone."
In the bar, there's a purple, crackled-glass counter for sushi and
drinks and a
communal table designed by Chin that features pockets of dried spices artfully
arranged under the glass top.
In the 60-seat dining room are booths upholstered with vintage 1950s-style
large
palm prints. A waterfall, a mountain range (a tall, backlit, metal cutout),
calla lilies
and green bamboo set the tropical mood.
Bread service is fried rice paper chips, served in upturned paper umbrellas.
The
dishware -- aside from the matte black chargers -- is an eclectic set of
old plates
that look like they came straight from the flea market. Mini hibachis are
on hand
for tabletop s'mores.
That is if one can resist the "bambrulee," Chin's gingered twist on
the classic
French dessert. Or if there's room at all after a starter of surimi crab
cocktail or
a bowl of Thai spiced soup and a main course of pesto risotto or sesame-crusted
tuna loin with a balsamic-soy glaze.
"There's nothing, nothing else like this in the city," said Sandra
Blackwood, as she
shared cocktails with friends in the bar last week. Blackwood lives within
walking
distance of the inn, a plus for the former Morningside resident. "This is
a big step
forward. Augusta needs this kind of excitement."
Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun has cooked with Chin at several national
events and
predicts good things. "He'll do well as a big fish in a small pond because
he's not uptight,
not arrogant," Rathbun said. "He's a bit of a ham. He's got the right attitude.
He's not an
egomaniac. He can make friends with the locals."
He already has, quickly becoming a recognized neighborhood fixture
roaring to the
inn on his Harley each morning. Chin has catered local social events and
hired local
talent for the kitchen and wait staff, one of whom could be heard last week
saying: "No,
it's not like my Mama makes, but I think you'll enjoy it."
Chin knows Masters week is his big debut, so he asked some friends
in Philadelphia
to come down and help out. And though the unique style of the restaurant
has already
created a buzz to rival midsummer cicadas, Chin said he hasn't really begun
to show his
stuff.
"I'm not taking real chances yet. There are no sweetbreads on the menu.
I have to build
up that trust," he said. "But soon, I hope people will come and say, 'Oh,
Philippe, just cook
for me.' "
James Andrews
That's too bad, that he's gone. I had heard he wanted to bail when
Philippe's and Chin Chin didn't go well, but I was kind of hoping he
wouldn't. I went to Philippe's and had one of the best meals I've ever
had. I mean it was damn good.
Karen Y Byrd
Yes, it is a shame! But, as the article says, he can be a big fish down
there. That's a lot harder to do here now!
KByrd
Happy Rooster
James Andrews wrote:
More about Phillipe recently from the James Beard Foundation:
http://www.jamesbeard.org/events/2002/09/013.shtml
Friday, September 20, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110
This past spring in Augusta, the incredible anticipation leading up to
the annual
Masters Golf Tournament was nearly overshadowed by another exciting event
in town--the debut of award-winning chef Philippe Chin's latest restaurant,
Bambu on Hickman at The Partridge Inn.
Chin, who gained national acclaim for his contributions to the Philadelphia
dining scene, is best known for his East-West fusion cooking, a style he
comes
by naturally as the child of French and Chinese parents who loved to cook.
Born and raised in Paris, Chin determined by the age of 12 that his
future would
be as a chef and restaurateur. His training began at the famed Ecole
Hôtelière de
Paris, after which he worked at hotels in Paris and Deauville. At age
19, he was
tapped to become the executive chef of Le Santal in St. Martin, one of
the most
well-regarded restaurants in the Caribbean. An opening at La Cocotte in
West
Chester, Pennsylvania, lured him to the East Coast, and he soon moved to
nearby
Philadelphia, where he honed his skills at restaurants like Atop the
Bellevue,
Treetops, and Restaurant 210 at the Rittenhouse Hotel. The first
restaurant of his
own, Chanterelles, was named Best New Restaurant by both the Zagat guide
and
Philadelphia magazine, and in 1997 was listed among America's Top Tables by
Gourmet magazine. Later that year, Chin became the youngest chef ever to be
inducted into the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France. With so many accolades
under his
toque, he was able to expand to a larger facility, Philippe at the
Locust Club,
which received raves from critics like Judy West of Philadelphia Weekly,
who
wrote, "His skillful interweaving of classic French cuisine with Asian
accents (or
vice versa) is as masterful as it was at Chanterelles."
"And now he's ours...all ours," Deb Barshafsky wrote in Augusta
magazine. Chin
has taken to Augusta's charms as well, adapting his style to his new
environment,
relaxing a little, and letting his Asian heritage assume more of a
starring role in his
dishes. One thing is for sure, this is a chef who is constantly evolving
and is always
full of surprises.