Chris Coherd, took over as Executive Chef at Mudlick Tap House this past May. No stranger to kitchens around town, he worked at Truffles, Madison’s and Fresco. Before making the move to this Germantown eatery, Coherd spent three years as the Sous Chef under Chef Anne Kearney at Rue Dumaine.
Chef Chris believes in running a scratch kitchen, and whether that means butchering the free range chicken he picks up from Ed Hill in Xenia or curing his own meats, he prides himself on his commitment to locally sourcing ingredients.
An avid outdoorsman, he loves to hunt and fish and has been spotted at Urban Krag doing some climbing as well. He also loves to spend time with his wife Elly and their 9 month old son Max.
Now that he’ s put his mark on the menu at Mudlick, he took the time time to answer our 10 ? Chef Interview. Enjoy his answers below:
DMM: What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
CC: I cook with so many ingredients and I love all of them. My most common are butter, onion and garlic. And fats…every dish is rounded out with some kind of fat whether its olive oil, bacon fat, butter, etc.
DMM: What ingredient do you dread?
CC: Bony fish…deboning fish is time consuming and can also destroy the fish and create an unappealing visual.
pan seared red snapper served with crispy yukon potatoes and local pea shoots finished with a relish of sweet corn, shallot, zucchini, red bell pepper and a champagne vinaigrette.
DMM: What’s your favorite dish to make?
CC: Curry chicken and rice with fried basil leaves. I make my curry from scratch with curry coconut milk, garlic, jalapeno, and onion and reduce it to concentrate the flavors then add chicken and serve it over rice topped with some fried basil leaves.
DMM: What’s your favorite pig out food?
CC: PIZZA-Pies and Pints – The Hot Mama
DMM: What restaurant, other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley
CC: Taquria Mixteca – I order the same thing every time I go – chicken steak shrimp fajitas
New Zealand lamb chops with farm fresh pea shoots, sauté of white beans, sun-dried tomato, and lemon zest with a mint parsley pistou!
DMM: What’s your best advice for home chefs?
CC: Taste everything before you serve it!
DMM: If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?
CC:
Brian Griffey – the first chef I ever worked for and my mentor
Phillip Cronin – Childhood friend and chef for Edward Lee in Washington DC
Aaron Allen-Former co-worker and chef de cuisine at Autumn Restaurant at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
Nate Vance – Sous Chef at Salar
Worked with all of them, enjoyed working with them, respect their culinary skills and talent, and we all enjoy each other’s company
Black grouper pan seared on a zucchini fritter & arugula with a relish of bell peppers, local sweet corn & wilted shallot on a roasted red pepper coulis!
DMM: Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
CC: Anne Kearney
She’s a beast in the kitchen. If you think your fast at prep, work next to her for 30 minutes and you will realize how slow you really are. And her knife cuts will look better than yours!
DMM: What do you do in the Miami Valley on your day off?
WhSandwiches from Fifth Street Deli (The Champ), Beers and Giant Jenga at Warped Wing. But in the fall, you can find me in a tree stand.
DMM: Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:
CC: When I worked this year’s Celebrity Chef James Beard dinner in Columbus, Brian the chef de cuisine was originally supposed to cook the venison loin and at the last minute decided to hand off the responsibility to me which I was extremely nervous about since these are a lot of talented chefs. The venison came out cooked perfectly followed by several compliments from the many talented chefs in attendance.
