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IN THE KITCHEN
There's tremendous buzz these days in the culinary world about "buying local." I recall Michael Shuman, one of the leaders of the Business Alliance of Local Living Economies, saying when he spoke at a meeting of the Baltimore chapter, the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance, that "Local" was surely on its way to becoming the newest buzz word in food. He predicted it would soon eclipse "organic" as the major chic selling point in the business. That was over a year ago -and he was right!
Watertable is the latest redesign of the restaurant with that gorgeous view from the fifth floor of the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. In anticipation of their opening this summer I received a fancy press packet extolling the ambitions of the new chef -the nationally famous Dean James Max (Yes, his mother had a bit of a thing for movie star James Dean...). It proclaimed that Chef Max intended to "Buy Fresh - Buy Local," as the national advertising campaign goes. Forgive the cynic in me but I did marvel that a huge chain like the Marriott, which owns the Renaissance, would really be willing to put out the effort and expense to follow through on these claims. Working with both local farmers and area chefs, I know how terribly challenging it can be to source your products locally -there are distribution issues, issues of seasonal availability and cost. It means a big commitment and extra effort when it's so easy to simply tick off a list and order everything you need from one major wholesaler and be finished with it. So I made an appointment to spend an afternoon with Dean Max and learn a little more... The first thing I learned was the "Ah Ha!" piece that made the entire picture suddenly come into complete focus: Dean Max is actually a Delmarva homeboy! He grew up on a farm in the drowsy little town of Machipongo on Virginia's eastern shore. He really does know fresh and local! Tall, lanky, energetic and youthful, Dean Max immediately impresses as being thoroughly in command -of his skills, his career and his position in the culinary world. (Even of his new Apple IPhone -which really impressed the hell out of me!)
Still, it's not at all difficult to picture Dean as a kid in coveralls, striding through the rich fields of eastern Virginia.
In spite of a career that has him racing from the command posts at one high profile restaurant after another, Dean Max is clearly a man who knows and honors his roots. "Growing up in this environment gave me an early insight about freshness and how foods work together. We'd harvest our crops, pick only the finest and then test our creative cooking juices in the kitchen at home." The family moved to Florida where Dean's father became a produce broker and Dean enrolled in Florida State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing, with minor in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He went on to spend a season in Italy where he enrolled at the Florence Study Center. He credits his classical training in French cuisine for his skills and technique, and his farm upbringing for planting the seeds that grew into his passion for creative cooking with only fresh and flavorful ingredients. Dean came back stateside and launched a truly stellar career with stops along the way at places like San Francisco's Brasserie Savoy, Gerard's Place in Washington, D.C., the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta and the popular Woodside in Brentwood, one of southern California's most acclaimed dining spots. In 2005 he published Life By The Sea, a beautifully illustrated seafood cookbook. Now he oversees not only the kitchen here at the Renaissance, but also the operations at the posh 3030 Ocean in Marriott's Harbor Beach Resort and Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, and also at Latitude 41, in Columbus, Ohio -promoted as a "Dean James Max Destination Restaurant." This summer he took on a new role as teacher with the opening of his "Culinary Camp" for teens at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott. But none of this leaves him too busy to keep his hands in the soil... On the 7th floor of the Renaissance, up where the sun is bright and the breeze comes off the water, Chef Dean keeps an thriving herb garden, just for "freshness sake." This man walks his talk! -Bonnie North
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