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IN THE KITCHEN
A soft-spoken man, with a sweet, shy smile, Rashad Edwards' gentle energy belies the stamina it must require to keep two of Fells Point's most celebrated (and gorgeous) restaurants, the elegant Kali's Court and it's more light-hearted sister, the popular Mezze, pumping out such consistently impeccable plates, night after night, after night... Of course there's more required here than simple stamina -extraordinary talent, a lush creativity, and a genuine devotion to the tasks are all equally evident in the offerings from Chef Edwards' kitchen.
A youthful 32-year-old, Rashad Edwards seems a quick-rising star in the Baltimore culinary scene but many years of very hard work stand behind him and his current success. It was his grandmother who gave him an interest in cooking: "She was a cookin' woman!" he remembers fondly. "I guess from her I always was interested in good food and how it was made. I used to watch the Food Network and stuff as a kid. From high school Rashad went into the Marine Corps and after his stint in the military he knew he wanted to get serious about becoming a chef. With his fingers crossed he applied at the Baltimore International College of Culinary Arts, uncertain if he could manage the financial load. "I was broke at the time but I managed to get enough grants and got my payments down to where I could manage if I also worked full time." He took on a double major, cooking and baking, and opted to attend school all year-round to get finished as soon as possible. Those were rough years: "I had to work to support myself all the way through school. Man, towards the end I was gettin' ready to start selling off my furniture and stuff -anything to get through and finish my studies!" During his second year of college he started working at the Polo Grill. "Steve Bolnan, the chef there, gave me my first break." Rashad says with gratitude. "I didn't have any experience what-so-ever! He was real hard on me but I took it, and I learned... School gave me the foundations -the baking chemistry, the nutrition, but it was on the job that I really learned garde manger and how to saute." Eventually the inexperienced newcomer worked his way up to 1st cook at the Polo Grill. When the Polo Grill was purchased by new owners and re-vamped as the Four West, the well-known chef, Michael Rourke (now on his own at the acclaimed Town Dock Restaurant in St. Michaels) helped with that transition. That was another lucky turn for Rashad: "Michael became like a mentor to me. It was almost like a 'father-son' bond. I still go down to St. Michaels and see him three or four times a year."
Looking for more experience and greater responsibility, Rashad made a challenging career move to the Mt. Washington Whole Foods where he took on the job of redesigning the entire prepared foods operation there. "That was a BIG job! It taught me how to run a business from the front end, as well as the back end -it was a lot of Ônumbers' work, watching the profit margin, doing the ordering each week. When I came aboard they were doing sales of $37 - $40K a week. Once I had the kitchen running the way I wanted it, we went up to $60-$70K a week. We were crushing the sales records!"
With that success under his belt he found that he wanted to "...get back to my roots in fine dining, to have fun creating meals that would really wow people... get back to those 'killer' Saturday nights!" Interviewing at Kali's, "Right away I fell in love with the whole beautiful place..." he exclaims. He started three years ago under Christopher Paternotte and learned quickly. "I just kept my head down, studied what was being done by Chef Paternotte and Brian Martin, watched their styles, and came up with a few styles of my own... you know, until it was time for me to shine," he says, with an engaging humility. This past May Rashad got that opportunity to shine when he became Executive Chef, overseeing a staff of 26 in the kitchen that performs for both Kali's Court and Mezze. "I called Michael Rourke and said: 'Chef, I think I'm ready' He said, 'You're ready -of course you're ready!' And I was." This autumn Rashad prepares for another move -this time only just up the street to the soon-to-be newest sister in the Kali Restaurant Group: Melli Patisserie & Bistro. "We'll have what I call a 'global menu.' Melli means 'honey' and I've been working up some new ideas... things like fresh salmon with a lavender honey glaze." He also plans on introducing the new "trio style" presentation to his menu, where a main course item is offered in three differing but complimentary preparations as a single entree. Keep your eye on Thames Street -you can be sure great things are on the way! -Bonnie North
KALI'S COURT
410.276.4700 www.kaliscourt.com Nightly: 5pm-close Brunch Sun: 11:30am-2pm MEZZE 410.563.7600 www.kalismezze.com Mon-Sat: 4pm - close Sun: 11:30am - close Both at 1606 Thames Street in Fells Point ARCHIVES MAIN PAGE |
