The Art of the Plate: CIC Grad John Ondo of Lana Restaurant Featured in Post & Courier

Thursday, August 13, 2009

CIC Grad John Ondo of Lana Restaurant Featured in Post & Courier

John Ondo: The man behind the magic at Lana Restaurant
By Angel Powell, Special to The Post and Courier
Thursday, August 13, 2009

"Charleston native John Ondo has worked in some of the best kitchens in Charleston. He honed his skills at McCrady's, Carolina's and Fulton Five before teaming with Drazen Romic to open Lana Restaurant and Bar in 2005. Lana features Mediterranean cuisine and has received accolades from the press since it first opened its doors."
To read the complete article: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/13/john-ondothe-man-behind-the-magic-at-lana/

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.