If Jason McClain weren’t Executive Chef of the Jonathan Club (Los Angeles), he’d be an actor or hedge fund manager.
When he’s not hand-selecting bushels of sun-soaked Swiss chard or snipping delicate chive greens from his 3,000-sq.-ft. rooftop garden in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the Jonathan Club’s Executive Chef, Jason McClain, can be found smoking fresh-caught salmon in his butcher shop or designing an a la minute tasting menu inspired by the season’s bounty.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, McClain honed his skills under the tutelage of some of the world’s great talents: Jean-Marie Lacroix from his days at Four Seasons Philadelphia, Martin Hamann at the Union League Club of Philadelphia, and a prized collaboration with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa at The Shore Club in Miami.
- You’d be surprised to learn that I am an avid reader.
- If I could trade places with one chef it would be Daniel Boulud.
- One of my most memorable meals was at Brasserie Blanc outside of London in Oxford. It was raining and cold and it was late afternoon. I ordered a lamb shank with parsnip puree and it hit the spot.
- My go-to drink is French Chablis or Grey Goose and cranberry
- My last meal would be a Philly cheesesteak and duck-fat fries.
- My worst culinary mistake was serving rabbit terrine for an Easter brunch. Members kept saying, “No one wants to eat Bugs Bunny on Easter.”
- If I could change one thing about my club it would be that we’re known for sand dab. There are far better fish to be known for.
- My favorite junk food is French fries.
- If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be an actor or a hedge fund manager.
- I knew I wanted to be a chef when I realized I could create a thousand different dishes with a tomato. I love change. I could never be stuck in a cubical doing the same thing day in and day out.
- You’ll never see frog legs on the menu at my club, because I ordered frog legs once and they sent me a live frog. I had to kill the frog. It was terrifying.
- The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was an 8-minute soft-boiled egg, peeled. It took me 20 minutes to complete the order a la minute at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.
- I love being a club or resort chef because you really get to know the people you’re cooking for.
- When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m hanging with my girls or golfing.
- My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was putting too many ingredients on the plate. I had to learn to let the food speak for itself.
- If I were stranded on a dessert island, I’d want these five foods with me: potatoes, branzino, short ribs, grilled ham and cheese, and Snickers bars.
- I cook pupusas at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.
- If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be Warren Buffet.
- The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was from Martin Hamann, Executive Chef of The Union League of Philadelphia. He said, “Keep it simple.”
- My favorite celebrity chef is Anthony Bourdain because he’s witty.
- The most important thing in my kitchen is cleanliness.
- I want to learn more about vegan cuisine because more and more members are becoming vegan.
- Favorite ingredient: artichokes
- Most overrated ingredient: foie gras
- Most undervalued ingredients: potatoes and tomatoes
- One food I detest: calf liver
- One ingredient I can’t live without: Meyer lemons
- The rules of conduct in my kitchen are listen, learn and look the part.
- My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was spilling Bordelaise sauce on the floor, then slipping and falling while cleaning it up. Then when I tried to get up again, I slipped again. By the time I got my feet back under me, I looked like a pig who had been sleeping in the mud.
- From a culinary standpoint, I’d like to see clubs not compete with other clubs. We should compete with restaurants and hotels, and be relevant.
- In club dining programs, I’d like to see less buffets and hot-box cooking, which should be eliminated. And I’d like to see more special monthly themes and more food cooked to order.
- My favorite book is White Heat, by Marco Pierre White. He captured how hard the real restaurant business is.
- My favorite movie is Eat Man Drink Women.
- My favorite kitchen hack is not changing your container at the end of the night.
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