Cianciulli JoAnn - Charcoal: new ways to cook with fire

The first meal I ever enjoyed in Los Angeles was at Mlisse, where I met Josiah. I think we are innately attracted to someone with a kindred background and that's why I was immediately fond of him. Josiah and I both trained in Europe, we both opened fine dining restaurants in L.A., and then went on to open restaurants that play with fire.

We all have this image of the fine dining chef. He looks like the guy in the Lindt chocolate ads with his funny hat. Josiah is brave enough to strip away the pretense and just cook in a way that is unexpected of him and how I know he enjoys cooking at home. The results are unbelievable.

Its an interesting thing. To me, there is something about lighting a fire and watching people gather around it that warms the soul. Whether its to keep off the chill or to stand around with a beer and tend to food being cooked, trust me, when you light that fire, people gravitate to it. Top that by cooking some interesting things over it and feeding peoplewell, youve got an awesome experience. Josiah has taken that plus all of his knowledge and training and has created it for his guests at his fabulous restaurant Charcoal. He has no fear in saying, Yeah, Im going to bury a cabbage under a bunch of coal and its going to taste delicious!

He masters the flame. How Josiahs Liberty duck with crisp skin and succulence is enacted in a kitchen that simultaneously is cooking up some smoky chicken wings (and what chicken wings!) on a Big Green Egg is a thing of beauty. That duck is the dish I have literally woken up in the middle of the night thinking about. Then there is all the veg. I have never seen vegetarians so over the moon about dining in a meat-focused restaurant. Its all because Josiah reveres and respects the ingredients. Whether its grilled orata with an herby yogurt, a porcini-dusted New York strip, or that insane cabbage dish I mentioned baked in embers with sumac and lemon zest, flavor is the bottom line to these dishes.

Youre in for a treat with these recipes. Theyre not only achievable, theyre downright delicious, inclusive of all the wonderful seasonal produce we lucky devils are privy to here. But I always suggest, use whats available at the farmers market and you cant go wrong. Josiah guides you with alternatives and swaps for ingredients that may not be accessible to you. And heres a not-so-secret secret, I have a crazy sweet tooth (just ask my dentist). There really isnt a tastier dessert than fruit smoked over fire. Let that sink in when youre sipping on my favorite cocktail recipe, the Midnight Margarita. So gather your mates like a moth to a flame and get cooking.

Whats that old adage? Where theres smoke, theres fire. Well, where theres Charcoal, there is Josiah. Proud of you, mate. Now, when are you having me over for dinner?

CURTIS STONE,

chef and owner of Maude and Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant

CHARCOAL AND FIRE

Let Fire Fuel Your Passion is our mantra at Charcoal with good reason. The restaurant is extremely personal to me, born from my desire to share the wood-fired foods I cook at home on Sundays in a fun, communal restaurant where all are welcome. The idea behind Charcoal was planted in my mind twenty years ago when, as a young chef training in France, I frequented a little restaurant in Basque country called La Tantina de Burgos. The menu was straightforwardgrilled meats, fish, and vegetables accompanied by a selection of vinegars and table condiments served on the sidebut there was just something magical about the fire-kissed foods, the smell of charcoal, and the boisterous atmosphere that stayed with me over the years.