Matt Young prefers comfort foods. Allowed access to a kitchen with no one looking over his shoulder and he will set to work on age-old favorites — braised meats, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the veteran chef balks at the fineries.
“Right now we’re doing lobster mac and cheese,” he said with an irreverent grin.
Young recently took the helm at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville, the county’s longest standing destination restaurant. He fills the spot vacated by Jeremy Zabel.
But the chef is hardly a newcomer, even to the Saw Shop kitchen. Young grew up in Clearlake. After graduating from the Yuba College Clear Lake culinary program, he spent some five years cooking alongside Zabel as the popular restaurant’s sous chef.
“I learned a lot in my first stint here,” Young observed. “The best thing I can do is keep up the tradition. The people who dine here appreciate the food.”
And that means a commitment to seasonal foods and local ingredients, as much as possible. He plans to reach out to Lake County farms for fresh vegetables, heirloom tomatoes and the like. He is planning to sample the bacon cured at Six Sigma Ranch. And he is already versed in Lake County wines, olive oils and walnuts.
“Marie (Beery, the restaurant’s owner) allows us to work with the ingredients we want,” Young pointed out. “That’s what I look forward to — what Lake County has to offer.”
Young’s surroundings are quite a contrast to his formative kitchens. Growing up his family had little money to spend beyond the basics. Although his father carted them to The Lamplighter once a month, most meals were austere affairs.
Yet this grounding sparked an interest in fine cooking. Young wanted to reach beyond his horizon. He also points out that watching his mother work with the ingredients the family could afford — a large bag of rice was always at hand — taught him a fundamental lesson.
It’s possible, he learned, to do more with less.
Now creative cooking runs in the family. His sons watch “Chopped” and other Food Network favorites. When he attended Yuba College, they would sit in the cafe and critique chef instructor Robert Cabreros’ style while Young tried to wave them off from the background (“Hey, I have to pass this class, you know”).
“They are both foodies,” Young said. “My youngest son, he thinks he’s going to be a cook.”
Following his turn as Saw Shop’s second in command, Young worked in several local kitchens, including both Running Creek and Twin Pine casinos. Consistency is a concept he takes seriously. And after almost a decade in the kitchen, he understands this comes not only from fresh ingredients, but also from the team huddled over the ovens or chopping away at the prep stations.
“It’s your name going out on the dishes, but a good head chef feeds off the people around him,” Young said. “So the most important thing is teaching what you expect and how to execute it.”
And if his work at the Saw Shop — then and now — is any indication, one can expect comfort, cleverly elevated.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
