The Naturals

Instead of relying on trucks carrying produce from California, Langton champions buying directly from farmers and local producers, cutting out the middleman. “We need more people to understand the connection of buying produce from the farm,” says Langton. The new market is steps away from Spoonriver, her new restaurant, so she’ll be close to some of her favorite farmers, including John Wemeier of Bar Five. He supplies her favorite smoked chicken, which only requires slicing, for her gorgeous summer salad. Her dish was ready in minutes, so she had time to joke with her colleagues. “Some guys like Lenny [Russo] will smoke their own chicken, tongue and everything. Not me. I’d rather have John get me this beautiful one,” she says, flashing her Joan Cusack smile. 

“I make everything from scratch,” says Lenny Russo, who got to the core of regional cuisine when he opened Heartland in St. Paul. Now he’s shifted his efforts to several concepts at the new Guthrie. As executive chef, he’s in charge of the upscale, ground-level Cue, slated to open June 27, and the fifth-floor pretheater area and fourth-floor crudo bar, as well as the catering for all the theater’s banquet venues. Teaming up with Bon Appetit Management Company, Russo shares the company’s vision that, whenever possible, buy local and sustainable ingredients.

From pan-seared trout to a cheese course, his seemingly decadent dishes definitely have a wow factor. In reality, everything is so healthy and pure, there’s no guilt, which makes sense since the fare comes from a guy whose idea of junk food is mixed nuts. He does believe, however, that when it comes to entertaining, “you can’t pour too much rosé.”

Just when it seems that chefs never have time to cook at home, summer comes and the restaurant biz slows down. Scott Pampuch says it’s because everyone is in the backyard barbecuing. Before he was bound to the kitchen, he’d spend three days prepping for big barbecues, smoking brisket, rubbing pork ribs, and basting chicken with beer and butter. He got inventive cooking for his family and friends. One of his favorite dishes is pizza, which is great for the grill, perfect for parties because of the DIY factor, and good enough to serve in his quintessential neighborhood restaurant.

“The key is treating the grill as an outdoor oven,” Pampuch says. Nearly everything except burgers needs some indirect cooking, so he heats his grill to 400 or 500 degrees for the best temperature and smoke combo. (He uses natural lump charcoal from Clancey’s Meats in Linden Hills.) He starts the food in the center of the grill, then shifts it to the edge to cook over indirect, radiant heat so it won’t burn, and puts on the lid. “In the restaurant, you sear for caramelization and color and then finish in the oven—all this translates to the grill.”

Pampuch says the secret to pizza is making your own dough, but that can be done well in advance. Then it’s quick and easy: He throws it on the grill, flips it, and moves it to the side to add fresh tomatoes or sauce, toppings (he uses grilled veggies and spinach), and cheese (Stickney Hill goat cheese).

Once all the dishes were on the table, chefs seated, and forks in hand, everyone went straight for the pizza. Just as Watson says, most people would rather eat simple, uncomplicated stuff than fussy food. But it’s got to be fresh.