In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Jack Yoss, Vice President of Culinary at Hai Hospitality about his early inspiration, hands-on training, and the importance of having mentors and working overseas.
Yoss shares that his foundation for cooking came from Las Vegas and working for Wolfgang Puck restaurants for nearly eight years. He says he truly learned about people and how to work with different cultures while overseas. Yoss adds he was in Bali, Thailand, and other countries and when working in a foreign land, managing five hundred people that all have different customs, you learn to adapt very quickly.
I asked Yoss about the culture impacting his culinary style, he said, “I will never say that I fully understand the fundamentals of Indonesian Cuisine. You know there are hundreds of dialects, there are hundreds of regional cuisines, there are thousands of islands right, you're never going to fully understand that as a foreigner.” He adds, “but what I did get was a good base knowledge and that's definitely inflected the way that I cook these days.”
Yoss spent time working with Hai Hospitality before going overseas, and on his return, he joined the group again. Hai Hospitality is a restaurant group from Texas, their restaurants include, Uchi, Uchiko, Uchiba, and Loro an Asian smokehouse and bar by James Beard award winners Chef Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue.
Yoss is known for his in-the-trenches work style, he says, “You can't lead through email and you can't lead through text, first of all the very first and foremost is you have to get to know and build relationships with your teams and your team doesn't only mean your chef de cuisine or your sous chefs. You need to get to know the line cooks, you need to get to know the prep cooks and you need to be visible.” Adding, “getting out, getting on the road, and getting in the restaurants.”
To hear Yoss talk about the importance of mentors, his story behind the recipe for pork shoulder satay, his thoughts on the labor shortage, and what the future holds check out this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!
RECIPE
Pork Shoulder Satay
Ingredients:
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Bunch Cilantro Stems (separate leaves from stems - reserve leaves)
2 Palm Sugar Nugget or 3 Ounces
1/4 Cup Fish Sauce
1/4 Cup Sweet Soy Sauce (kecap manis)
3-4 Pounds Pork Shoulder
1 Can Coconut Cream
Steps:
Chop garlic cloves and cilantro stems and add to mortar and pestle
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and mash together
Chop a couple palm sugar nuggets and throw in the bowl and mash in as well until paste consistency
Next pour ¼ cup fish sauce and ¼ cup sweet soy sauce into the bowl and mix
Cut pork shoulder into even 1.5 inch strips then into thin slices and put in a separate bowl
Pour the sauce over the meat and massage meat with your hands
Marinate for anywhere from few hours to overnight
Take skewers and weave the slices onto them.
Push the meat down onto the skewer to keep the inside of it moist while allowing the outside of it to char on the grill
Put skewers on the grill and baste with coconut cream while grilling
Cook 3-4 minutes per side basting frequently
Once the satays are done, drizzle with more sauce and garnish with cilantro leaves