From The Chopped Kitchen To Yours, Chris Santos
“Cooking can be an art and I can be creative in ways I couldn’t even dream of…”
I was excited to have the opportunity to interview Chef Chris Santos. You might recognize him from the Food Network’s Chopped, but Chris is a Chef, Restaurateur, Writer, Producer and Entrepreneur. With over twenty years of experience as an executive chef in New York City’s hottest restaurants, he is now expanding to the West coast. From his early days at the cult classic Wyanoka, which has been described as “sexy…and outrageously flavorful,” to the famed Time Café and award-winning Latin restaurant, Suba, Santos’ distinctive career has been synonymous with unparalleled success. In 2005, he opened The Stanton Social in New York’s Lower East Side where he takes an imaginative approach to small plate-style cuisine, serving bold-flavored, playful dishes that draw from the neighborhood’s culinary ethnicities (Latin, Asian and Eastern European). The New York Times praised his innovative talent in which he tweaks traditional classics with an “infectious playfulness.” In 2007, he was named Star Chefs Rising Star Chef and began developing a sister-restaurant to his first smash hit. In December of 2010, Chris welcomed Beauty & Essex to the Lower East Side. With an operational pawnshop entrance, the breathtaking design transforms the turn-of-the-century townhouse into a seductive, bi-level restaurant and lounge with a twenty-foot skylight and dramatic crystal chandeliers and a sophisticated menu to complement. In January 2016, he opened VANDAL at 199 Bowery. Paying homage to street art and street fare from around the world, the highly anticipated 22,000 sq. ft. restaurant is his biggest and most ambitious to date. Just a few months later in May 2016, he debuted Beauty & Essex Las Vegas in the Cosmopolitan Hotel providing the West Coast with a taste of the original LES hotspot. Continuing his expansion, he opened an additional Beauty & Essex restaurant to the Los Angeles audience in March of 2017. Chris also released his first cookbook, SHARE: Delicious and Surprising Recipes to Pass Around Your Table.
Bon Appétit…
What is your “backstory”?
I found myself in the kitchen when I was in my early teens and started washing dishes at a restaurant in my hometown. I love rock music and at 14 years old I wanted to be a rock star drummer one day so I started working to save money for a car and a drum set. Once I started working, I saw that the chef in the kitchen was this kind of rock star himself that seemed to be always enjoying his work and treating every night like a party and I thought to myself, could I do this too? He showed me that cooking could be both, for lack of a better word, “macho” (to 14 year old me) AND artistic. Meeting him was a game changer.
Is your career path a life long dream?
Yes and no. I do believe that cooking is my calling because building delicious and inviting dishes has always come easy me. Even though I’ve been in the arena for over 30 years, it took me time to realize this is what I was supposed to do. As soon as I realized it, it was full throttle and I haven’t stopped since.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?
Oh man, it’s hard to narrow in on just one incident. But I think it’s funny how burns and cuts and even bruises from banging your head on a pot hanging above you while you cook over extreme fire were, and are, a badge of honor for young chefs starting out. It’s funny to look back on. I try to be more careful now. Being in the kitchen is not for the faint of heart.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration draws from what I am eating. I love creating a fresh, upscale take on something everyone knows. Comfort food, street food, even junk food, you name it. As I travel, my inspiration becomes more refined to the flavors I am surrounded by, but at the same time I always want it to be accessible and exciting. Currently, I’m focusing on maintaining a healthier lifestyle and my restaurants are growing in this with me as I have created new dishes and a new gluten free and vegan/vegetarian menu for Beauty & Essex, Vandal and The Stanton Social.
What is your greatest accomplishment professionally and personally?
I am pretty proud of my accomplishments as a chef and entrepreneur. I love my restaurants, I released my own cookbook, founded Blacklight Media Records, and I get to continue to work with new chefs through Chopped and through my travels.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I would say my family has had a great impact on my life, especially my mom. A lot of what I focus on is the family style eating. Even my cookbook Share: Delicious and Surprising Recipes to Pass Around Your Table is all about family style eating. The concept of food bringing us together has shaped a lot of what I do; it’s the universal language. I owe that to Mary Lou! Professionally my Partner, Rich Wolf, has served as a mentor to me for over 20 years developing me as both a Chef and an entrepreneur.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Are you working on any meaningful or exciting non-profit projects?
Something I am passionate about creating awareness for is mental health and suicide prevention. Just a few months ago, I was able to participate in and help sponsor the second annual “Small Bites of Hope” event. All proceeds were donated to “Hope for the Day,” a non-profit that spreads education on suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
The first chef I worked under really took me under his wing. This goes back to mid-teen Chris who was working his first job. The chef showed me how amazing and fun cooking could actually be. He taught me that cooking can be an art and I can be creative in ways I couldn’t even dream of. I am so grateful for that time in my life.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t be afraid of change. When I first started, I hated vegetables. Now my restaurants all serve vegetable dishes and have even been recognized for our vegan options.
- Push past failures. My first restaurant closed. My second restaurant, same thing. If I had stopped there, none of this would be happening.
- Don’t be afraid to be different. Food should be exciting! It’s a competitive market, so you have to stay on your toes. And I really don’t think there is a good excuse to serve boring food anyways.
- Do what you like. Things really started clicking for me when I did what I liked. You have a voice. Use it.
- Use social media and other outlets to get out there. It’s such a great way to connect your restaurant to a larger audience and get people excited about what you are doing.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
There are so many options. I think if I could get people to stop for even an hour and share meals together that would bring a lot of good to the world. In a sense, that’s what my restaurants are about. I know the impact it makes to share in that experience, have a conversation and make memories. Food has a way of bridging our differences and we need more of that.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
If you do good things, good things will come to you. Pay it forward.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this :-)
This is a hard question to answer since there are so many people on my list. However, if I could only choose one I would probably say Hall of Fame Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. He is a living legend and I would love to cook WITH him and just listen to the incredible story of his amazing career.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
What I think is so unique about our restaurants is the hospitality aspect we bring. We are always looking for new ways to make someone’s dining an experience and have killer food. All of the restaurants have their own quirky features that set them apart. It’s something exciting for guests to look forward to. It’s like Vandal’s “Icy Grape” bunny or the champagne that’s served in the bathrooms of Beauty & Essex.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Similarly to the “five things I wish someone would have told me when I first started,” this is about longevity. You have to think long term in this industry. Let what you’re doing excite you and try to keep that passion alive. That’s really what this is about. It’s an art and don’t be afraid to embrace that.
Are you working on any exciting projects now?
There is always something new happening! Right now, I am most excited for the opening of our Tao Group restaurant and club opening in Chicago soon.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? What charities or organizations are nearest to your heart?
I am always looking for ways to give back. Recently, I won the Chopped judges’ addition which allowed me to donate $25,000 to a charity of my choice. I chose the Rett Syndrome Research Trust. Rett Syndrome is a lifelong disease caused by a mutation in the MECP2 gene. This charity is close to my heart and I was so happy to have this opportunity to give back to them. I am always looking for ways to use my passions to give back.
Do you have a favorite book that made a deep impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I am an avid cookbook collector. Two of my favorites are “Seduced by Bacon” and “Au Pied de Cochin.” The second book actually inspired a tattoo that I have.
As the sky’s the limit, what does the future hold for you?
There is always something new just around the corner- that’s what I love about this industry!
