Personal Chef Kenny Gilbert

Music To Your Mouth Festival, November 17-20 2010, The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, SC USA. Photographs © Tim Zielenbach / zielenbach.com for Palmetto Bluff

By Anna Eatz Jax

Chef Kenny Gilbert is perhaps one of the best-known chefs in Jacksonville, FL, and Fernandina Beach.  I first learned of Chef Gilbert while watching season seven of Bravo’s Top Chef. I have been a fan ever since.  With two wildly successful restaurants Gilberts Underground Kitchen and Gilberts Social, I considered myself a lucky woman when he agreed to take some time out of his busy life to interview with me.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Originally from Cleveland Ohio, my mother is from St Augustine FL. and my dad from Chicago.  I grew up in a small town called Euclid and remember cooking at a very early age.  I was about three year’s old and scrambling eggs with my mom; she showed me all the ways of the kitchen, cooking cleaning all the ways of taking care of a home, she made sure my brother and I were very self-sufficient.  My dad sold insurance, and on the weekend he and his friends would  Bar- B-Q, chicken, and ribs. He made his sauce, rubs, and experimented with spices. That is the environment I was in, my mom cooking southern food and my dad cooking Bar- B-Q. I have seen lots of crazy stuff and done my share of crazy stuff, but I grew up in an excellent environment.

What brought you to Jacksonville?

I was looking for an apprenticeship site, my uncle was living in Jacksonville at the time, and he told me that a new Ritz Carlton had just opened on Amalia Island. He found me a place to live, and I applied at the Ritz to finish out my apprenticeship.

How about your culinary training? Where did you train to cook?

I went to school at the Culinary School of Pennsylvania. I went through the advanced accelerated program that allowed me to work in restaurants full time and attend school full time as well.

How long have you been cooking professionally?

Professionally,  I would say when I started at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island in 1992. I began as an apprentice right out of culinary school and began working my way up. Working in the Ritz-Carlton, culture in the hotel environment, you learn a lot about how it all works.  Being at the Ritz Carlton was like working nine different places all in one spot.

Do you have a philosophy about your food?

Yes, it has been molded to be international food presented with a southern influence. Meaning I use fresh regional ingredients and tie them into international recipes.  An example is Kimchi soup; typically served with slivers of pork or chicken, tofu, and rice cakes, I was serving the soup with quail in clay pots.  So I was taking something regional the quail and tying it into something international.

What inspires you?

Having guests come in to eat my food and leave with a smile; full and happy. I want people to feel like they are coming to my home. I wish I could sit and talk to every single guest, but there are usually fires to managed.

How do you come up with ideas for the dishes in your restaurants?

The way my brain works, I’ve trained myself to learn the core basics of regional foods, an example if I were to cook Italian, what would be the core ingredients in that meal? What would be in the cupboard, the refrigerator? So when I think about a dish, I have to pay attention and respect the culture, then add in my southern influence.

How do you balance between the two restaurants, your busy schedule, and your personal life?

When I figure it out, I’ll let you know. Right now what it boils down to is having a good team. When I was at the Underground full time, it was easier. Now that I am spending more time getting Social up and running I talked with my Fernandina team and told them the only way I could make it work was to have their support to execute the restraint the way they were trained to run it. Most of the team has been with me since we opened in 2015 and they were all on board.  Honesty and transparency are also other significant factors in work-life balance.

Is there a different vibe at UK and Gilbert’s Social or are they similar?

When we took over Underground, I walked the space, looking at the color scheme looked to see what was available in the attic for paint, to defray the costs.  I knew we were going to do southern plus have a pop-up element that is where the Underground Kitchen comes in. Even the music we play in the background is preplanned to fit the theme of the restaurant. We want everything to be very homey, and relaxed, so we shopped antique and thrift stores to set the proper mood. At Social, the color palette was already here, along with a  copper range hood it combined to offer a  vintage look;  we accented with neon lighting, and the music her is somewhat funkier than at Underground. We kept the space open so people could sit and enjoy themselves. This spot is about breaking bread and bringing the community together.

How about the menus, can I expect the same at the beach location as the South Side location?

We started off that way, with some of the appetizers, and entrees, but others I wanted to be unique to Fernandina. We don’t have space here we do at Underground, and that also contributes to the menu differences.

What do you like best at each location?

I love the people in Fernandina it has that small town feel.  If I am out working the smoker people driving by beep their horns, wave, call out to me and ask how I am doing.

And a crazy thing people do the same thing here driving on Southside Blvd. and it’s a major road.

Fernandina has individuals who dine out often and enjoy food; it’s a very social and pure experience.  As for Social, It has been so busy and crazy I have not had the time to engage with my customers as much as I would like. It will take some time as it did at Underground;  as for here I love  that all my seating in under one roof, it lends itself to a real communal experience

Who is your ideal customer?

People who appreciate food, I don’t  know how to class that; other than the ones who are fans that have watched me throughout my career, plus people who are objective and study the menu and making their way through all the options.

 

New Sangria Drinks

 

 

Southern Ramen

 

Curried Goat