Peter Rudolph, executive chef, Campton Place, San Francisco
-- Hotels, 6/1/2007
 Peter Rudolph Executive Chef Campton Place, San Francisco |
Twelve years into his professional career, Rudolph's "high-concept technique," "stunning" plating and "playfulness" earned him honors as one of StarChef.com's Rising Stars in San Francisco. He takes this signature combination of skill and creativity into one of San Francisco's most lauded dining venues, Campton Place Restaurant, as well as three other outlets and banquet operations. "My goals are to achieve excellence in all outlets, to remain in the kitchen and to have fun with my team," he says, "and-to love every dish I create."
What inspired you to become a chef?
I was cooking at home for friends and family and I was really enjoying myself. Everyone was telling me how good I was at it so I thought I would give cooking a try. I don't believe I ever made a conscious choice to become a hotel chef. I have almost exclusively worked in hotels, so it seemed like the natural progression. I would someday like to try it as an owner/proprietor.
How hard was the road to success?
I don't have any real horror stories. My first job was in a pizza parlor, but my first job in a contemporary restaurant was Blacks Beach Cafe in Santa Cruz, Californai. I got to where I am today by hard work, talent, luck and the support of a lot of great chefs. I attended Culinary school at the California Culinary Academy. I joined the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in 1995. That is when the school of hard knocks started. The chefs I learned the most from are Joel Antunes, Gunter Seeger, Troy Thompson and Xavier Salomon.
When did you have that “eureka” moment when you felt you’d really mastered a dish?
I have become very good at cooking over the years but to say that I’ve mastered a dish is, for me, a very hard thing to say. I think that “mastered” is too subjective. Cooking fish was hard to learn, sauce making is a life long journey. The hardest thing to learn was to manage properly.
What makes management so challenging?
As the executive chef, I manage, run and inspire my whole division. I am responsible for the cuisine and for the success of each of our outlets. I work with the rest of the executive committee and the general manager to make Campton Place a great hotel. It is very difficult to be a great chef without being a great manager. Campton Place is an intimate hotel, so we are able to provide great service to all of our guests. Given the size of the hotel, I don't think our total cover counts would be very impressive but the dining experience is. Twenty-two cooks produce all the meals for four outlets—seven days a week, three meal periods. There is no such thing as a typical day.
What are your signature dishes? Which dish was the most surprising success?
Some of my signature dishes are: Cuttlefish Risotto with Crispy Pork Belly and Egg Yolk; Butter Poached Maine Lobster with Carrot Uni (sea urchin roe) Sauce and Exotic Spices; and Lamb With Pistachio Puree and Coffee-scented Celery Root. The success of the cuttlefish was the biggest surprise for us.
What’s next on your culinary radar?
My cuisine will continually evolve as I find new flavor combinations and push myself to improve. My culinary aspirations are to continually create and/improve my unique style. I would like to get to a point where I love every dish that I create. That sounds impossible to me. I don't believe in changing a whole menu. My menu is alive; it is changing constantly. One to two dishes a week change year round. My cuisine is inspired by the markets and seasons. Things change rapidly if you are really interested in using local, sustainable produce. I let the produce tell me when it is time to change a dish. The ingredients that are hot to me are anything raised, grown or produced in a manner consistent with the sustainability of our planet. I focus on foods that are returning to the simpler way of production where true natural flavor is the goal.
Describe your wish list.
I would say a plancha (Spanish grills), a self-cook oven, tasteless hydrocolloid soluble in oil and lots more.
What are the hottest food trends?
Sustainable, bio dynamic food. A good portion of San Francisco diners are very intelligent and support their local, organic farmers market. I wish that more would realize the importance of supporting the restaurants that buy and use that produce. I feel lucky to serve people who want to eat what is good for them and the earth. Tasting menus, multi course meals. I think people are starting to desire meals that take longer than 20 minutes to eat. Portions become smaller and there are more opportunities to eat different dishes and enjoy the dining experience.
How does the Vita-Mix blender enhance your culinary scope?
I use the Vita-Mix/ Vita- Prep for pureeing and mixing liquids. Emulsifications work well in the variable speed machines as well. I think the best thing about Vita-Mix blenders is the homogenization of sauces that blend for for a while. Soups take on a different texture if you leave them in the Vita-Prep for a long time.
What would you compare your Vita-Mix blender to?
I would compare it to a helicopter with a turbo.
What keeps you in the kitchen after 12 years?
My favorite aspects of this job are butchering, sauce making and creating new dishes. I love cooking meat. I think a lot about each dish and the design. It isn't a chore; it’s part of the process. I enjoy creating all parts of the menu. There are aspects that I am very strong at and others for which I ask for help. My team of sous chefs, pastry chef and I work together to make sure taste, design, technique and the finished product is perfect.
Is there anything that stresses you out?
Balancing everything that needs to be accomplished in a day. For me, the hardest part of the day is getting started, dealing with all the issues of the hotel and organizing answering e-mails and getting to cooking. The hardest part of the day for the staff is 4:50 p.m. when they finish getting set up and go on break.
What about customers—are they always right?
No the customer isn't always right but I will make changes to customize their dining experiences to their needs or desires. Everyone is different. I don't expect to change people or their dining preferences. I want them to have a memorable dining experience with me. That's it!
What are the most unusual requests you’ve had from customers?
In the beginning celiac disease restrictions (wheat allergy) sent me for a loop. Now they are very common place. Night shade allergies aren't very common. I once had someone ask me to deep fry a steak.
What are the keys to making hotel restaurants, especially fine dining, profitable?
For me, profitability relies on budgeting properly, banquets, total utilization of all products in different outlets, balancing menus and being creative with products you love, not just expensive ones.
When you get home, what’s on your table?
My favorite things to cook for myself are livers, kidneys, burgers, pasta and salads. At home we eat all the great food that my amazing wife makes. She is a great cook and sometimes I find inspiration for dishes in the food she cooks, definitely in our conversations.
Aren’t your wife and family a little intimidated?
I hope not, but if they are, I just tell them to get over it. I am generally a really nice person.
Whose cooking inspires you?
I respect a lot of different chefs. I love the styles of Michel Bras, Andoni Luis Auduriz, Gray Kunz, Thomas Keller, Joel Antunes, Gunter Seeger. My favorite meals have been with Joel Antunes, Troy Thompson, Michel Troisgros, Daniel Paterson, Ron Siegel and my wife.
What would you want for your birthday dinner?
Last year we went to the Houses of Prime Rib. But I enjoy a nice home cooked meal of grilled rib-eye, potato turnip gratin, big green salad with mustard vinaigrette and a chocolate pot d' creme with ice cream for dessert.
If you could serve anything, regardless of food costs, what would be on the menu?
I would create menus with produce delivered daily directly from the farms, sea and pasture. That is the biggest cost—getting products that are harvested properly and haven't gone through the whole commercial distribution process and set for days or weeks in warehouses waiting to come to the restaurant. I love foie gras, caviar and most things that are really, really expensive.
Were you prepared for the “star chef” phenomenon?
Prepared for what? I am just a guy who creates good food for people to eat. I don't consider myself a star. If I see one paparazzi, I quit. That's it. I'm gone. I wish the best for all the super-duper stars of cooking.
What would you do if you weren’t a chef? Is there time for any hobbies?
Hopefully something that I loved doing. That is the beauty of this job. I love it. As for the off hours, I enjoy cycling and being a father and a husband.
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