The Art of the Plate: Chef Frank McMahon of Hank's Seafood Restaurant Joins Students Today in Production Kitchen

Friday, February 22, 2008

Chef Frank McMahon of Hank's Seafood Restaurant Joins Students Today in Production Kitchen

There were lucky students and happy diners on Thursday when Chefs Council member Chef Frank McMahon joined the crew in the production kitchen.

Under the guidance of Chefs McMahon and Stefanelli, students cooked Chef McMahon's "Pan-Roasted Salmon with Leek, Truffle and Potato Risotto" as the Special of the Day in the Mikasa Dining Room.

Executive Chef of Hank's Seafood Restaurant, Chef McMahon is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Before coming to Charleston, he was at Le Bernardin in New York and Opus Restaurant in Santa Monica.

The Chefs Council of the Culinary Institute of Charleston provides insight and vision for the Institute's programming and academic offerings.

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What We're Reading

“Eating from the Ground Up”

Out just in time for the vegetables appearing at our farmers markets, Alana Chernila’s cookbook focuses on creatively using every root and leaf. While some of the recipes may be familiar concepts – think stuffed tomatoes – hers are packed with millet, basil, and parsley. Fried rice stars salmon, fennel, and Swiss chard stems. Roasted asparagus are sauced with a combo of butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, and tamari. Stone fruit, raw corn kernels, scallions, basil, and jalapeño make a cool salad for hot weather. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

"Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes"

“This book is my homage to the cuisine of my family,” Chef Todd Richards writes in his autobiographical collection of essays and recipes. “These are the ingredients of my people. This is my sermon about my Soul food.”

Bringing accolades for his stints at Atlanta’s Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons, James Beard nominations, and, of course, his prowess at Southern cooking, Richards seasons the pot with a powerful bouquet of flavors as he pays his heritage forward. Collards cooked with ham hocks are accented with piquant pickled collard stems. Blueberries are found in fried pies; strawberries are plated with champagne aspic, whipped cream, and honey. Grilled peaches pair with radishes on toast spread with pimiento cheese. Sweet potatoes are layered with cauliflower and crab in a lush gratin.

"Soul food," Richards tells us, "is the original cuisine of the South, born from an involuntary collision of cultures."
Published by Southern Living. $35.