Chef Patrick Thompson

The husband and wife team of Mykie and Patrick Thompson are celebrating the third anniversary of their breakfast and lunch bistro in Troy. When creating the concept, their vision was to create an atmosphere that would relaxed and comfortable. redBERRY would serve the classics with all the taste and no fuss. There’d be breakfast populars like biscuits and gravy and French toast, and lunch favorites like BLTs and hearty soups.

They’ve certainly succeeded in bringing this vision to life.  There are often lines of folks outside of the buildings, happily waiting for a table to enjoy classic breakfast foods with a twist, like this pancake board, which easily feeds three or four. You can choose from 3 Benedict options, a redBERRY parfait, or a selection of salads and sandwiches.

While Mykie runs the front of the house Chef Patrick is the king of the kitchen.  Chef took a few minutes out of his busy day to answer our 10 ? interview.

What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
Eggs (one of the most versatile ingredients, in my opinion).

What ingredient do you dread?
Gelatin

What’s your favorite dish to make?
Pasta de Ovo (ravioli filled with runny egg yolk). I learned this just out of culinary school and it’s still to this day one of my favorites.

What’s your favorite pig out food?
Chips and salsa. Also carbs (rice, cereal, potatoes in any form, etc.)

What restaurant, other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?
Roost in the Oregon District. It’s pretty much a go to for us when we’re lucky enough to have a holiday off!

What’s your best advice for home chefs? 
Mis en Place. Good home cooks master timing (finishing the whole meal at the same time). Getting all of your ingredients prepped prior to beginning cooking allows a home cook to concentrate on the task of cooking itself rather than trying to prep and cook at the same time.

If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?
These are in no particular order. Anthony Bourdaine. He seems like he would have been a very interesting person to have a conversation with, he’d seen and done it all. Elon Musk, I would really like to be able to talk business with him and maybe get some pointers. Audie Murphy, a WWII combat veteran and one of the most decorated soldiers in American history. My last one would be Steve Irwin, you know, because it’s Steve Irwin.

Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
Probably Chef Robert Allen of Citico’s Lakeside Inn. I mentored under him right out of culinary school and he taught me a lot of what I know.

What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?
Play disc golf and ride my motorcycle.

Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:
We once had a total sewage backup at redBERRY. Of course it was in the middle of Sunday  service, with a dining room full of people and a line down the sidewalk. We had to stop service, ask everyone in the dining room to leave, refund their money and tell everyone waiting that we had to close for the day. That was the easy part. After the restaurant emptied we had to wait for the plumbing company to come and fix the problem (which took hours into the evening and we couldn’t run any water at all until it was fixed), then wash and sanitize every single dish, utensil, pot, pan, bowl…literally everything in the restaurant that had been exposed to the air. Any paper products that weren’t still sealed had to be thrown away, not to mention having to clean up all of the waste that came up through the floor drains. Luckily, everyone was very understanding about the whole ordeal, and I suppose it could have been worse (like a fire or something), but it was an absolute disaster to say the least.