Patrick Kaderka at Bruneaux, Sewickley
It is an understatement bordering on folly to say that it’s a far cry from feasting on MRE’s in a foxhole in Iraq to preparing Foie Gras Torchon or Escargot Bourguignonne, but that’s exactly the career trajectory Patrick Kaderka, a Marine Corps veteran, has taken.
A first-generation American with parents from Canada and the Czech Republic, the 34-year-old served two tours in Iraq right out of high school with the First Battalion of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. His was among the first to cross into Iraq from the southern Kuwaiti border and saw combat in the Battle of Nasiriyah, a crucial early fight in the campaign.
The Bloomsburg, Pa., native attended college briefly after leaving the service but wasn’t crazy about the classroom environment and took a job as a host at a Quaker Steak & Lube. That spawned a service industry career and fascination with food that eventually brought him to Pittsburgh to attend the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. After graduation, he went to Asheville, N.C., to work at the prestigious Biltmore Estate and then for acclaimed chef Katie Button at Curate.
A surprise call from a culinary school instructor yielded a job offer from owner Robin Fernandez to open Mambo Italia in Sewickley in 2014. Their next project was Bruneaux. A year in the making, it opened on Oct. 4 in the longtime space of the Sewickley Cafe.
“We were originally looking for a steakhouse but wanted to go for fine dining using French influences and techniques,” he said. “For the last 10 years or so French has kind of gone downhill. In my opinion, it got stuffy. It stayed in that ‘grand hotel’ style. It was the same thing over and over.
“We do more of a touch on it, using higher fat content butter sauces and sous vide techniques,” he said, citing one of his favorite dishes, a butter-poached Maine lobster tail and claw with a sweet corn sabayon, leek puree and beet chips.
A tattoo on Mr. Kaderka’s right forearm is of a chef’s knife with a ribbon around it that combines the ethos of a Marine Corps slogan and his new trade: “Death Before Well Done.”
David DeVoss at Cocothe, Sewickley
In a roundabout sort of way, Cocothe executive chef David DeVoss cut his teeth 20 years ago on French-inspired food in his hometown of State College, rising from prep cook to executive chef at Spats Cafe, a town and gown favorite specializing in Cajun and Creole just across the street from the edge of Penn State’s Old Main lawn.
He moved to Pittsburgh and enhanced his knowledge at Pittsburgh institutions the LeMont and the Hyeholde.
Owner Courtney Yates opened Cocothe in 2012 first as a high-end chocolate-and-tea boutique and gradually transitioned into full-scale food service, and Mr. DeVoss was brought on board.
“We started having conversations about what we really wanted to do,” said Mr. DeVoss, 40.
“We like going out and having an amazing dining experience, but we also wanted to keep it casual. French cuisine is in that realm, and it’s what inspires me,” he said. “It’s one of those unexplainable things. I just gravitated to it. Classic French techniques always seem to find their way into the mix.”
The full-service Cocothe opened in August 2015 and moved to a larger space next door a year later.
“Everything comes full circle, especially if it’s proven, like French food,” Mr. DeVoss said. “People like and look for trends, if it’s something weird, unique or funky. But these are classic techniques. It’s always going to come back around.
“What we shoot for is for everything to be perfect, from the time you walk in the door until the time you leave. Every single thing on the plate — how it eats, how it looks, the portion — everything.”
Andrew Garbarino at The Twisted Frenchman, East Liberty
Andrew Garbarino is bullish on French fare and puts it bluntly: “French food will be the exciting cuisine for the next few years.”
The executive chef and owner of The Twisted Frenchman is betting la maison on it. His small restaurant on Highland