To some, cooking is an art form. To others it’s a science. To Chef Robert Del Grande, it’s both.
To some, cooking is an art form. To others it’s a science. To Chef Robert Del Grande, it’s both.
Before starting his culinary career that helped put Houston on the foodie map, Del Grande earned a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California at Riverside. Although cooking started out as just a hobby he picked up from his mother and used as a way to get his roommates in graduate school to wash the dishes, he soon found that the skills he learned in the science lab translated to the kitchen.
“I found (cooking was) much like science,” Del Grande said. “You have an idea what you want; you test the result. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.”
After graduate school, Del Grande moved to Houston to be with his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Mimi, and ended up getting a job at a restaurant.
“I was 26, everything I owned was in my car,” Del Grande reminisced. “I thought, ‘I can just work here for a couple months or so’... six months turned into 30 some-odd years.”
That restaurant was Cafe Annie, which came to be known as one of Houston’s premier dining spots. Del Grande worked his way up to become an award-winning executive chef, known for his experimental concoctions. Since then Del Grande has launched his flagship restaurant, RDG + Bar Annie, a trendy bar/fine-dining restaurant, as well as several other ventures, including The Grove at Discovery Green and Cafe Express.
The latest in his long list of awards and honors is the distinction of being the honoree chef at The Woodlands Wine and Food Week, celebrated June 1-7.
The week full of events celebrating food, drink and community puts Del Grande in mind of the markets and festivals that have been found in nearly all cultures throughout history.
“The village all comes together as a little bit of a celebration,” Del Grande said. “You see a vibrancy.”
The item that the chef plans to feature is an avocado mayonnaise — his Texan twist on a Frenchinspired condiment and a classic example of Del Grande’s affinity for innovative and cross-cultural dishes.
“(I’m working with) the idea that mayonnaise is sort of ubiquitous to the world — everyone has a jar of mayonnaise all across the country,” Del Grande said. “How can you elevate that? Innovation is walking this fine line between what is already established and traditional and something that is tasty, fun and different.”
His avocado mayonnaise includes ingredients such as garlic, cilantro and lime juice and is the perfect texture for spreading on sandwiches, Del Grande said. When he was selecting what item to feature, Del Grande said he kept the environment in mind and wanted to provide a sample that people could easily snack on while walking around and enjoying the festival-style event.
But the food is only half of the Wine and Food Week experience. Del Grande also puts great store in pairing his dish with the beverage that perfectly complements it.
“The key to the dish that some people miss is to leave a space in the dish for the beverage,” Del Grande said, explaining that, like with any scientific experiment, ingredients in food and beverages react to each other. For example, blueberries don’t mesh with cabernet because they have such similar tastes, but margaritas fill in right where guacamole leaves off, Del Grande said.
In addition to the food and drink, Del Grande said that the third ingredient to Wine and Food Week is the community.
“Those things are more about people getting together and the quality of food in this area,” Del Grande said. “It’s all about how we work together.”
Del Grande will be serving his food, but not competing, at Wine and Food Week’s Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting and Chef Showcase on Saturday, June 6 from 7-10 p.m. at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott.