Chef/Partner Mark Dommen, One Market
Every Friday and Saturday evening beginning tonight, October 2, One Market chef Mark Dommen will present his changing "Weekly Beast" menus spotlighting various whole animals including goat, Duroc pig, Muscovy duck and lamb. Chef Dommen explains, "Over the last several years, our guests' appetites have grown more progressive, with a desire to explore new dishes. This is an opportunity for One Market to showcase the local meat purveyors we've been working with in a new way and for me to revisit dishes from my past such as Beef Heart which I prepared with Jean-Louis Palladin." These special dishes take advantage of ingredients from local farmers and ranchers and will be available a la carte and as a five-course prix fixe meal for $49/person. Wine pairings will be $20/person for half glasses with the prix fixe menu or can be selected individually.
Fortunately for Examiner.com readers, Chef Dommen recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions. Take a look at what he had to say. In my next article, chef Dommen shares his recipe for apple wood smoked bacon wrapped pork tenderloins.
DB: I understand that you were classically trained and that Hubert Keller was one of your early mentors. Where did you attend cooking school and was Fleur de Lys your first professional cooking job?
MD: I attended cooking school at the California Culinary Academy. Back then, it was a much smaller school with a real focus. Fleur de Lys was my first professional cooking job after I graduated from cooking school. Before that, I had worked in a small restaurant in Santa Rosa called La Provence. It served "continental cuisine," and I'm not sure that term is even used today anymore. But I started there as a dishwasher and then worked the pantry and then the line. It allowed me to develop some very basic skills, especially my knife skills.
DB: What was the most important skill that Hubert Keller taught you?
MD: I don't know if there is a single most valuable skill Hubert taught me. He taught me the dedication it takes to be successful. He taught me about working with precision. He taught me about the value of treating your staff well and he taught me some great cooking skills. All of these things left a lasting impression on who I am as a person and chef.
DB: Who or what inspired you to become a chef?
MD: I kind of fell into the profession. When I was sixteen years old, my father told me to get a summer job to pay for my gasoline in my car. That's when I started working as a dishwasher. By the end of the summer, I was making salads in the pantry and I was pretty good at it. At least that's what they told me. I did that for the next two summers and when I graduated from high school, my parents told me I needed to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I was cooking, I liked it, and I was pretty good at it, so I stuck with it and went to culinary school.
DB: Since you joined One Market in 2004, both you and the restaurant have received praise. You were named a Rising Star from Starchefs.com in 2007 and One Market received a Michelin Star as well as 3 1/2 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Bauer. How important are these types of accolades to you? What would give you the ultimate sense of accomplishment?
MD: Accolades are important because they confirm or give you a piece of mind that, yes, you are doing a good job. You go to work every day and try to produce the best possible product you can produce. Accolades are the confirmation that you are doing what you set out to do. The ultimate sense of accomplishment is producing a consistent product for an extended period of time. Followed by mentoring someone who goes on to become successful as a chef.
DB: I hear that one of the things you enjoy doing in your spare time is making wine, is that right?
MD: I actually don't make wine, my family grows grapes. It's a small vineyard in Windsor in the Russian River that's around my mother's house. We grow two varietals, Old Vine Zinfandel and Pinot Menier. Some of the old vines go back to 1935. Right now, we sell the grapes to wineries, but at some point I think it would be fun to make some wine and see what happens or how it turns out. My brothers and I split the duties of the vineyard and we also have a vineyard manager who does most of the work.
DB: You're well known for creating seasonal, farm-fresh dishes. What are your most favorite Fall and Winter ingredients and where do you typically obtain them?
MD: The ultimate Fall/Winter ingredient for me are white truffles. For me, it doesn't get better than that. Unfortunately, we don't use many of them in the restaurant as they are out of our price points. We only use white truffles on special occasions.
DB: What's your go-to meal when you're done working in the restaurant?
MD: Sushi.
DB: What would you say is the best thing you've ever eaten in the Bay Area?
MD: It's difficult to choose the best thing I've ever eaten as I grew up in the Bay Area and have had some amazing taste experiences. Like as a kid growing up and picking corn out of the garden and eating it raw within minutes of picking it. At the time, I didn't know why it was sweet and understand the experience, all I knew was it was delicious. Looking back, it was one of those defining moments. Recently, I had the Wagyu beef with Matsutake mushrooms and ponzu at Cyrus and it left a lasting impression on me.
DB: If you were to play tour guide for a day for a friend visiting San Francisco for the first time, what would you do and where would you eat?
MD: There are the usual tourist things that you want to do with them and I love being down by the water. Starting at Crissy Field and working our way around to the Ferry Building. A must on that list for lunch. Buying some cheese, bread and wine and sitting outside. Oysters at Hog Island or lunch at the Slanted Door. For dinner, I would end up at Sushi Koo on Irving.
DB: Is there a food that you just won't eat and why?
MD: Things that are fake, or have been processed so much that they look like food but it's not.
DB: Cupcakes, pizza, hotdogs, street food, froyo, pork...what do you predict will be next?
MD: Goat. It's gaining popularity and rightfully so, as it is delicious.
DB: Name one person for whom you'd love to cook.
MD: Living or dead? Living, it would have to be Fredy Girardet. Dead, it would be James Beard.
DB: What would you be if you weren't a chef?
MD: A winemaker or fireman. Fire, the way it moves and acts, is totally fascinating to me.
DB: Fill in the blank: "To me, food is _____."
MD: Exciting and the center of my world.
For more info: One Market, 1 Market Street at Steuart. 415.777.5577.
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