New Perry St. Chef: Cedric Vongerichten

I’m proud to say that my son Cedric is now the executive chef at Perry St., my downtown New York City restaurant. This is the first time he’s running his own kitchen, but he’s been working towards this for years. Like me, he began working in restaurant kitchens as a teenager. At 17, he helped open my restaurant in the Bahamas and has been cooking with me since. He insisted that he train like all of my other chefs, so he worked his way through the stations at Jean-Georges. For the past two years, he’s been sous chef. When the Perry St. position opened, I knew Cedric was ready for it.

I was much less sure about him pursuing this path when he was young. Because my father had tried to push me into the family coal business, I wanted to make sure Cedric did what he wanted. I love being a chef, but I never wanted to force my son into the hard life of restaurant kitchens. I constantly asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer?” He always replied, “I want to be a chef.”

And he’s a great one. Cedric is different from me in a lot of ways: he’s mellow and talks a lot more slowly than I do—though he cooks as fast, if not faster. But we share the desire to please and pamper others, and that’s what matters in this business. Just as Cedric requested years ago, I’m treating him like my other chefs. I talk to him the way I talk to all of my executive chefs everyday. But I can’t deny the fact that I’m looking forward to seeing him at dinner on Sunday. My sister and her kids just flew in from France and Cedric and I will be cooking a huge meal for our family reunion.

And now, my guest blogger, Cedric:

I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was nine years old. We lived in the Hotel Lafayette in New York City, above the restaurant where my father worked. Everyday after school, I wanted to help out in the kitchen. I was hooked. My father tried to push me away from this career, but I was stubborn.

When I moved back to France with my mother and sister (who’s joining the front-of-the-house staff at Mercer Kitchen soon), I went to cooking school and worked with other chefs in France, like Alain Ducasse. But I’ve spent a lot of time at my father’s restaurants and I learn a lot from him. Some people have asked whether we have conflicts in the kitchen. We really don’t; it’s been great working together.

I’m settling into Perry St., with thanks to my sous chef Omar Gillego, tournant Matt Bollinger, and general manager Seth Gurka. They’ve been here for years and are all very good at what they do. They also have great attitudes: they’re friendly and have a lot of respect for each other. Unlike cooking, that’s something you can’t teach. I’m very lucky to be working with them.

Today, we’re changing a few dishes on the menu. We’re doing a chicken broth with dill and raw and cooked market vegetables and we’re reintroducing the black pepper crab dumplings with sautéed broccoli. Hope you can come in and enjoy.

J&G Steakhouse in Washington, D.C.

Just after I celebrated the fourth of July, I opened my newest restaurant, J&G Steakhouse, in Washington, D.C.’s W hotel. It was a fantastic opening and I’m returning again this week. (Compared to my places in Doha and Shanghai, it’s easy to check in regularly.) The Hotel Washington, the oldest hotel in DC, used to inhabit the space, but the W has since taken over. There’s great soul in the old building and the modern, sleek updates by architect Dianna Wong transition seamlessly from the beautiful façade. I love that blend of old world and new world.

That’s what I’m going for at my steakhouse too. My executive chef Philippe Reininger completely understands my vision. We share a culinary heritage: we both grew up in Strasbourg and trained under chef Louis Outhier. Like me, he moved to America to cook at Outhier’s Lafayette restaurant in Boston. Although we both value our French culinary training, we fully developed our cooking styles here in America. So the steaks at J&G are perfectly cooked, just the way we learned in France, and we’ve created our versions of classic American dishes too. We use just-caught Maryland crab—and a touch of Old Bay seasoning—to make crisp crab cakes.

We serve our favorite Spice Market and Vong appetizers, like chicken samosas and crab spring rolls, at the rooftop bar. There’s an amazing view of the Washington Monument in the distance, and the White House is so close you could probably throw your martini olives onto the lawn. (But don’t try it; security's everywhere.)

I was amazed by the crowds in our opening week and thrilled that we’re already a favorite destination for Washingtonians. (It’s great to see so many members of Congress -- and reporters -- in our dining room.)

The talented chefs and front-of-the-house staff worked tirelessly to deliver fantastic food and service. But my favorite part of this opening was working with my daughter Louise (on the left). She just graduated from American University in DC and worked as a hostess when I was in town. She did a fantastic job, and I can’t wait to see her again in a few days.