MEET THE CHEF: James Concepcion of Antoinette's Restaurant in Whitehorse, Yukon
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5 Reasons to Visit® sat down with Executive Chef James Concepcion of Antoinette's Restaurant in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
Where did you grow up, and where have you traveled to that has helped inspire and shape your cooking philosophy?
I was born in the Philippines but have lived in Manila, Cebu, Vancouver, Boston and now Whitehorse where I have had the opportunity to experience many diverse cuisines firsthand. I have also travelled extensively around the world and have enjoyed meals at establishments ranging from the top Michelin restaurants to the itinerant food stalls lining streets and alleys all over the world. Having had an exposure to multicultural cuisines growing up, being introduced to unusual if not controversial ingredients in my travels and actually partaking of authentic food and drinks in over 40 countries in 6 continents; I have an affinity to welcoming the unusual and off the beaten path type of dishes in my restaurants. This has helped shape my cooking philosophy to be very varied and reflective of my culinary experiences where I need complexity in mouthfeel of all my dishes. I require four distinct tastes and textures in all my food—sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, salty combined with smooth, grainy, springy, firm, etc.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
Tell our readers an interesting fact or two about yourself.
I am a very broad-minded person who has tried everything the world has to offer in terms of cuisine. You name it and I have most probably tasted it. I do not think a person has the right to say he does not like something if he has not even tried it. I am a history nerd and collect cookbooks that contain historical information about a cuisine, a specific restaurant or a particular chef. I have over 2,500 books in multiple languages in my collection and this is why I am very particular about authenticity in my recipes. I also love simplicity. I find that the simplest recipes are the hardest to perfect because there are no fancy ingredients to mask the dish.
Tell us about your absolute favorite food and why readers should try it if they haven’t already.
I love steak in any form. We offer our take of Caribbean-style Steak with sweet potato mash, avocado, lime and bell peppers in our Caribbean chili oregano butter. I also love Chicken Hearts which we offer in a Brazilian style with garlic, red wine, smoked paprika and olive oil. It is an amazing meat and squeamish people should just close their eyes and try it.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
What are three ingredients that you simply couldn’t live without?
Sorry, I cannot live with these four–butter, cilantro, smoked paprika and cumin.
We love the art behind plating. What do you love about designing the perfect dish?
I like to plate my dishes in a simple home-style way with lots of color but not too much garnishing. I do not want to make my dishes too ornate, or the guests will spend so much time taking pictures that when they get to eat the food it will be cold. The perfect complement to me is when the plate comes back to the kitchen completely clean.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
Tell us about one of the most creative dishes you’ve created?
Callaloo is almost like a national dish but unfortunately is almost impossible to serve outside the Caribbean as it is a very simple dish made with one primary ingredient–Callalloo leaves. So working off my culinary memory, I tried various types of locally available leafy greens to recreate the texture, taste and general characteristics of the Callalloo leaf. The result is a Yukon “Callalloo” made with a combination of Swiss Chard, Kale and Spinach that has been a great success for us.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
What is one of your greatest accomplishments and/or recent awards you've earned?
We are in Whitehorse and do not really focus on awards too much. What we care about is that all of our plates come back to the kitchen completely clean. However my team and I were able to maintain our rank as the second best restaurant in Whitehorse on TripAdvisor and Google despite taking over from the original owner two years ago after she was closed for two years and had no former staff remaining. We were then able to slowly expand the menu offerings to represent the multicultural population of the city despite having constant staffing problems.
What are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in top restaurants across the globe?
I have been seeing a lot of restaurants shun the corporate food producers and turning to urban farms for produce and smaller family-owned ranches for meat and eggs. I have also seen the rise in vegan and vegetarian patrons. We have fully embraced the vegan wave and offer over 25 vegan options on our menu. However, it is very difficult for us to adopt to the food source within 30-kilometer trend as our location near the Arctic Circle limits our options for meat and produce.
What’s your favorite cocktail or beverage of choice?
If I want a highly charged drink, my go to cocktail would be our Caribbean Zombie made with dark, white, mango and passionfruit rums and four tropical juices. For a lighter option we have our Crazy Rich Asian which is a Mimosa variation made with Prosecco, lychee juice and ginger liqueur, and our Carib Spritz made with angostura bitters, mango Rum and Prosecco.
Source: Antoinette’s Restaurant
