Russell Jackson, also known as the Dissident Chef who created SubCulture Dining (SCD), possesses a culinary background that includes working with greats like Wolfgang Puck, Paul Boucouse and Michael Richard, graduating in the Top 10 of his graduating class at the California Culinary Academy, running his first restaurant Russell's in Los Angeles while being a private chef to A-list celebrities, and being the chef at Black Cat formerly in North Beach. Jackson has achieved notoriety and amassed a cult following through SCD, a radical underground supper-club. He broke culinary boundaries and earned the nickname Dissident Chef. SCD menus are geared toward what makes sense that day based upon factors including what may be blooming on Jackson's rooftop garden. He calls it a "menu of logic."
While doing all of that, Jackson has been gearing up for the launch of his new restaurant on Pier 5, Lafitte, which is scheduled to open in 2010 (construction is under way). Here, Jackson shares many insights wtih Examiner.com readers regarding his views of San Francisco, his personal interests and of course, his new venture.
Chef Russell Jackson
Why, being a Los Angeles native, would Jackson select San Francisco as the location for his new restaurant? He explains that he has been a San Franciscan at heart and that "this town digs what I do. It's just home for me."
The restaurant has been a long time coming and the toughest part of the process he says was "meeting the right people with the right intentions." He ultimately found the space through a friend, Alicia Esterkamp. He met Alicia and Simon Snellgrove of Pacific Waterfront Partners when they hosted him at one of his SubCulture Dinners. They had kept in touch as Jackson searched for the perfect space for Lafitte. He had actually signed a contract to take over property in the middle of the city when Alicia called him and said she wanted him to see the space. Jackson says, "I walked in and it was perfect. There was no question that this was going to be Lafitte's home. It really had all the elements I was looking for. I also have spent my life next to the water so selecting a place steps from the water really brings everything full circle for me."
What kind of place will Lafitte be? Someplace comfortable where Jackson promises "great food and great hospitality." To give you a sense of Jackson's taste, some of his favorite spots are Delfina, Aziza, Epic, Globe and Coi. "I like the heavy hitters," he shares, "but the basic litmus test is that there is balance in everything and that the service is consistent. Campagne in Seattle is one of the best restaurants I've been to this year. It was stellar on every single level without being over the top."
When did he get his start? Jackson actually made his culinary debut at the tender age of three. Inspired by watching his mother cook on their match lit stove, he attempted to make an applesauce breakfast. If he had not chosen to make it in a pressure cooker, Jackson would have probably executed his plan flawlessly. Instead, the applesauce ended up on the ceiling rather than the plate. A defining moment occurred later in his life, when he "was in math class flirting with a cute blonde and not paying attention to class at all. I was about to go out with her for drinks afterwards, and my professor pulled me aside and said, 'Don't waste my time and your parents' money. Figure out what it is you love to do and go out and do it' and I heard him. Within the week, I walked into the restaurant where I was working and told the chef that I'd decided to leave school and pursue becoming a chef full-time."
What are Jackson's sources of inspiration? Two people come to mind: Marco Pierre White who has been an inspiration for the past 25 years and Lafitte, the French pirate after whom his restaurant is named. Lafitte had a take no prisoners approach to life which Jackson admires.
What kind of manager is he? He has tried many different management methods in his career. His basic philosophy is to lead by example. "I've come at it from many different angles. Overall, I've tried to show leadership in a way that teaches my employees and I've found that by doing so, I often learn from them." Jackson's main expectation is that people work with enthusiasm and the firm knowledge that they want to be there. Congruency and honesty are also extremely important.
As a personal chef in L.A., Jackson has had the opportunity to cook for A-list celebrities. He says,
"I've been fortunate to cook for some neat individuals, but to be honest, my experience cooking for people in the Bay Area has been intimately more interesting and more challenging than anyone I ever cooked for in L.A." Are there any particular individuals he would like to cook for one day? In the cooking world, Marco Pierre White and in the celebrity world, "Jessica Biel, Carmen Electra and Eva Longoria. It would also be an incredible honor to cook for the President."
Jackson jokes when asked what will become of the Dissident Chef and SCD. "I've heard he is a huge rock star in the kitchen. I've also heard a rumor that SCD is closing next week and creating a new mandate for itself moving forward. The rumor is that they will reopen sometime within the year, and will make the announcement of its re-emergence at the first of the year."
What's Jackson into when he's not working? He has a huge passion for skydiving and also has some pretty amazing tattoos that he continues to acquire. Recently, however, with all the work that opening a restaurant entails, Jackson has been pursuing "really crappy television and sleep." With his personality, maybe he should be on tv rather than on his couch watching it. And if he had his druthers, the show he would want to be on is "hands down, the UFC!"
Regarding guilty food pleasures, Jackson says, "Last year it was grapes, and not always the best quality. I also have an In-and-Out burger like a normal guy. I also eat those total hippie sugar-free, wheat-free chocolate chip cookies in the middle of the night. And I love peanut butter off the spoon."
Stay tuned for more on Jackson and Lafitte as opening day approaches in 2010. Here is Jackson's holiday recipe for Partridge with Celery Root.
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