Fillet

Organic
Elements

David Gadd

Arnold Eric Wong is Proprietor and Executive Chef of EOS Restaurant and Wine Bar, San Francisco's acclaimed fusion bistro. His cuisine, which applies French technique to the diverse food resources of Northern California, has won enthusiastic praise from reviewers in The New York Times and Gourmet, as well as from many other leading food critics. Fillet met with him to talk about his restaurant, current food styles in San Francisco, and the future.

David Gadd: Could you conceive of EOS happening in any city other than San Francisco, or is the concept pretty closely tied to this geographic area?

Arnold Eric Wong: Yes, EOS could happen in other cities, though I feel that the city would have to be another metropolitan one. Areas in which the demographics are as diverse as they are here would do well. Metropolitan cities are so culturally diverse that food of this type seems like a natural progression. The downside of course is the competition of a large city.

DG: Fusion food is big right now and EOS is right on the forefront. Do you see this as just a trend, or is this going to be the permanent wave of the future? Do you think more traditional ethnic cuisines will be superseded by fusion?

AEW: I don't see fusion food as a trend. I feel that its a natural progression from the area in which we live in. On the other hand, I certainly don't think that traditional ethnic cuisines will be superseded by fusion.

DG: When did you first get into cooking? And how?

AEW: My first nostalgic memory of cooking was at the age of about 8 years old. I was roasting whole pinenuts. So I've been playing around in the kitchen since childhood.

However my first professional career job was at Silks in the Mandarin Hotel. There I was fortunate to be part of the opening crew. I guess that, in taking such a position, I could say in some way I was "discovered" or recognized - for whatever reason - to have some potential, since I had little prior professional experience or training, It began as a crew of six and before opening day there were just two of us making all the pastries and breads for the Hotel and Silks.

I went on to a sous-chef position at Cafe Kati in Lower Pacific Heights. Then I attended The California Culinary Academy and apprenticed at the world-renowned Masa's under Julian Serrano.

DG: A lot of the Bay Area's more celebrated new chefs are Asian-Americans, such as Jeffrey Inahara, Hiro Sone, Larry Tse, Chris Yeo. How did your own ethnic background influence your ideas about food?

AEW: I can't speak for the other chefs mentioned. I'm sure each of our own upbringings are unique. As for myself, I am a Chinese- American born and raised in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. So, I would say that that in itself is a good definition of "fusion."

My parents began a grocery store business, the Ashbury Market in 1956. It was your typical corner grocery store at the time and since has grown into a specialty market, with an extensive wine selection as well as gourmet food items. The Market obviously was part of everyday life for me, but nevertheless naturally exposed me to food in every shape and form.

As for the ethnic influences, that would have to be attributed more to home life. My mother worked alongside my father daily. She also was responsible for cooking for the family. She didn't have a large repertoire of recipes, but would cook traditional food and definitely did them well.

Later on, as a teenager I was left on my own to cook for myself most of the time. Some days, I found myself the one preparing the family meal.

DG: Your architectural training is obvious in the presentation of many of the dishes at EOS. Is there a danger that food can become too architectural?

AEW: Aesthetically speaking, absolutely not! You have to remember that the medium in which I work with is strictly organic, natural and fluid. So any rigid form that I apply to a dish is balanced by its organic elements. The only danger is when a waiter can't balance the "towered food" out to a table!

DG: Food like yours takes a lot of risks. It must require many hours of experimentation. When do you find the time to test recipes?

AEW: Yes, ideas do sometimes take a great deal of time before the finished dish is introduced. But, actually the majority of the time is spent in thought. I guess the best way to describe it, is that my palate is in constant thought. It's a process of taking my experiences with food and marrying them with ideas. As I get closer to focusing the ideas in thought, I start experimenting physically and, hopefully, that's when it all comes together.

DG: Wine is a very important part of EOS. Do you find that your clientele is already fairly sophisticated about wine, or do they need some educating?

AEW: Since our goal is to make wines approachable to both the novice and the sophisticated, it seems that we've attracted both - and everyone in between! We make sure our servers are all knowledgeable about our wine list. Someone that knows a great deal about wines simply has to pick and choose. As for others, they simply have to ask. Even though our list is enormous by design, we want to make it fun and a learning experience for our guests, not intimidating.

DG: The California Culinary Academy teaches fairly straightforward technique and much of the cuisine is of the "hotel food" variety. How much do you think your training at CCA helped (or hindered) your development as a cook? Would you recommend cooking school to any would-be chef?

AEW: Honestly, I feel that the Academy had little to do with my development as a cook. I say "cook," because some students feel the moment they graduate they have earned the title of "chef."

Ironically, what I did learn after a short time there was that I already understood most of the basic fundamentals of cooking. In a way, it just reassured me that I had a good chance of doing all right in this field.

For aspiring chefs, if they're already in the industry, I would recommend that they keep working through different kitchens, going to work for places that inspire them. However for those who have been "bitten by the bug" at a later age or are changing careers cooking school might lay a good basic foundation.

DG: Do you have any plans - immediate or future - to develop your enterprise by expanding? opening a second restaurant?

AEW: Ideally the next restaurant project will make its debut sometime in 1998. As in my philosophy with food, I feel that things are executed better when they are not forced, so it will happen when it is meant to happen.

DG: When can we expect to see an EOS cookbook?

AEW: A cookbook is in the early working stages right now. It's being co-written with an author through a London publisher. Hopefully it's due out in the fall of 1998. Later I would like to have a follow-up version, done just on my own.

DG: If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

AEW: Potatoes would have to be the one food I could eat for the rest of my life. Fortunately though I can't foresee that being my only option anytime soon! I have the world to taste and a lifetime to do it.

David Gadd is a food and wine writer, and a partner in 2Top Web Design, which specializes in restaurant web work.