In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era—he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.
Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities. The Tomato gives it a culinary twist.
Chef Jeremy Charles, Raymonds Restaurant and the Merchant Tavern, St. John’s, NL.
“We have been tying a lot of salmon flies,” says Jeremy Charles, on the subject of what has he been doing during the shutdown. “Salmon season starts in three weeks; we will be ready.” Although his restaurants, Raymonds and The Merchant Tavern, co-owned with Jeremy Bonia, are closed due to Covid-19, The Merchant has been offering takeout Thursday-Saturdays. “We hired five staff back and are doing 50-60 take-outs a night, five minutes apart. It’s bringing in a bit of cash flow and saving some jobs.
“It’s been quite nice actually. I have been able to spend a lot of time with my son and daughter (Iris, 5, and Hank, 8) camping out in the shed with the wood stove watching movies. (What movies? “Tank, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter,” says Hank).
Chef Jeremy Charles’ deep reverence for nature and for the ways of Newfoundland inspires everything he does. His goal as NAIT’s Chef in Residence 2020 is to inspire this same passion in the students. The passion for what he calls ‘cooking from your backyard.’
Illustration by Gerry Rasmussen
Hometown
St. John’s, NL.
Years cooking
22 cooking for a living.
Where would you like to live?
I’d love to live in Italy. I went there on my honeymoon. Wouldn’t it be great to spend a year there, rolling hand-made pasta, finding a new sausage around every corner?
Your Favourite food/drink?
I love a glass of white Burgundy and a piece of roasted fish or snow crab.
What would you be doing if you weren’t cooking?
I’d be working as a guide on a salmon river in Labrador. There are no commercial fishing rights for Atlantic salmon but you can fly fish for them, to catch one or two for your own consumption. Indigenous people can net outside the ocean. It’s a hot topic. Controversial.
What do you most appreciate in your friends?
People who are easy-going, kind, laid-back, who enjoy the outdoors. Low stress, loyal.
In a dish?
I really enjoy simplicity and freshness. Terroir driven.
In a cook?
Passionate, open-minded, hard working. We’ve been fortunate that way.
In a wine?
Love white Burgundy, the acidity, freshness, the complexity, the balance.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Are you sure? Looks good. Hey bro. “Hey dude,” says Hank.
Who would be at your dream dinner table?
“I know who,” says Hank; “Levi.” (Their firstborn, who died in infancy.) Lee Wolf, a fly fisherman who was the first to fly fish in the wilds of Newfoundland. My dad’s dad who was a fisherman and hunter; Joey Smallwood, (I love Newfoundland history); Jacques Pepin and Wayne Greztky.
Who would cook?
My grandmother. She’s 92 and makes beautiful Newfoundland food—fish and brewis, jiggs’ dinner. “I love her pumpkin pie,” says Hank.
Current culinary obsession or exploration
I have been making a lot of hand pies, sweet and savoury with the blueberries we freeze in season and a moose ragout. Turkey dinner with peas pudding. We cook the carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, potatoes and carrots in the salt meat broth and serve with pickled beets, mustard pickled vegetables and Newfoundland stuffing made with Mt. Scio Farm savoury, a staple ’round here.
Best (cooking) thing that ever happened to you?
Cooking with Michael Stadtländer at the chefs’ conference on Eigensinn Farm when I was pretty young. It’s a magical place. It was my first experience with Canadian cooking; I met chefs from across the country. It was life changing.
Meaningful/crazy food experience?
Two weeks with Anthony Bourdain, hunting and fishing. Dave McMillan (Joe Beef) called me and said, ‘Anthony Bourdain is coming to see you’. I was a bit nervous, but the time we spent together was quite amazing and totally unexpected. We were in the woods hiding (moose hunting). No paparazzi. He really enjoyed the simplicity and the natural beauty. No egos, no flash, just the ruggedness of it all.
Mentors?
Otto Daniels taught me in school at St. Pius X Culinary Institute, he opened some doors and sent me on my way. Claude Pelletier, one of the first chefs I worked for in Montreal. In Chicago Paul Kahan took me under his wing and became a friend. How he ran his business and operated his life taught me a lot.
Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?
I love pizza. I go to Venice Pizzeria and order the thin crust Hawaiian with feta and hot peppers.
Philosophy
Simplicity. Respect the ingredients; let them speak for themselves. Regional cooking—cooking from your own backyard. I just think keep it simple.
What’s next
Fishing! Going out in nature. I’m trying to simplify things. We have been joking around about another book—Cooking at Moose Camp. We did a cooking segment for enRoute and the book website is up now, wildnessbook.ca