It’s clear that Chef John Griffiths is now a California boy. Dishes coming from his new gig at Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco speak of the Mediterranean influence with a big chunk of Sepharidic taste ribboning through. Nary a collard appears, though he credits his Southern Grandmother’s cooking as what sparked his culinary vocation. A current menu item-favorite of a smooth chicken liver pâté topped with pickled fresh peaches covers the modern comfort food terrain in a true Northern California way. He made his way west from Middle America to Sacramento’s Selland-owned stalwart, The Kitchen restaurant, before heading to the San Francisco Bay Area to cook for Bluestem Brasserie. As a lover of both rock climbing and bountiful produce, he has surely found the perfect mise en scène for his mise en place.
What is your idea of a perfect meal?
A variety of platters of grilled, or roasted, marinated and/or pickled vegetables… a little meat… some labne and a lot of Rose (wine).
What recipe still gives you goosebumps?
Great barbecue… Texas brisket.
What cooking personality, living or dead do you most admire?
Marco Pierre White.
What’s a style of cooking foreign to you that you wish you had down pat?
Japanese.
Which ingredients do you find yourself using the most?
Olives, nuts, anchovies, and different fish sauces.
What was your biggest culinary disaster?
Smoked tomato soup.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. What food do you dream of?
Oaxacan Moles.
What’s your most treasured kitchen tool?
Snips – something I can’t live without!
If you weren’t a chef, what other occupation could you see yourself excelling in?
If I weren’t a chef, I would want to be a professional rock climber or mountain guide.
Mario Batali has clogs. What’s your most marked characteristic?
My clean shaved head.
What food do you hold in the lowest of regards?
Fast Food.
What is the quality you most like in a chef?
Determination – you need to have this to work in the industry.
What is the quality you most like in a diner?
Open-mindedness.
Chef Boyardee or Colonel Sanders?
Boyardee.
Who or what inspires you?
In my day-to-day job as executive chef, I’m constantly inspired by ingredients. At Bluestem, we offer an ingredient-driven menu that focuses on a hyper-seasonal approach to cooking and seasonal plates that highlight locally sourced ingredients. The ingredients really drive each component of the dish and elevate the entire dish or protein that’s added to it. I’m very lucky to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have access to so many local and unique ingredients. I shop at our local Farmers’ Markets, which is where I get a lot of my inspiration from when creating the menu.
How do you take your coffee?
Black.
What food trend drives you batty?
Most of them.
In-N-Out or Five Guys?
In-N-Out!
What’s a childhood dish you loved that still sticks with you?
Chicken and dumplings.
What do you cook on your off days?
Tacos and grilled and roasted vegetables.
Go-to guilty pleasure food?
Polish food. I just got back from vacation back home in Detroit, where we had great polish food.
If you ate some poorly prepared blowfish sashimi and passed, what person or thing would you like to come back as?
A professional rock climber.
What is your catchphrase?
A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen.
