The Foundry

David Belknap is the Area Executive Chef overseeing The Foundry and all banquet, catering and private dining events for guests at AC Hotel Dayton in addition to running the Spanish-inspired rooftop lounge and restaurant VASO at AC Hotel Columbus Dublin.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Chef Belknap remembers cooking at a young age with his mother who instilled in him an appreciation for different flavors and recipe creation. Feeling at home in the kitchen, Chef Blekanp was hired to wash dishes at a country club, where he further fell in love with the art of cooking. Chef Belknap went on to attend Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh and was the valedictorian of his graduating class.

In 2005, he joined The Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes team and over the next five years honed his craft in culinary hotbeds such as Puerto Rico; Denver; and Naples, Florida, before landing in New York City under Chef Thomas Keller and his three star Michelin-starred PerSe. Chef Belknap spent two years there before opening his own restaurant, L&W Oyster Co., on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Four years later, he moved to Mexico before returning to his hometown to raise a family. Other career highlights for Chef Belknap include being invited to cook at the James Beard House twice and also appearing on an episode of Chopped.

At The Foundry, Chef Bleknap’s main focus is to create a space that is unique to Dayton and offer dishes that will excite and intrigue guests. He aims to test the limits of Dayton’s dining scene by expanding palettes and introducing new favorite flavors.  Chef managed to carve a few minutes out of his day to answer our Chef 10?’s interview

1) What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
“Cheeks. Pork Cheeks, beef cheeks, lamb cheeks, halibut cheeks, skate cheeks. They are a very under-utilized cut of meat that have just as much flavor, if not more, than any other cut on an animal or fish.”

2) What ingredient do you dread?
“Tilapia. It has no flavor, no fat and I struggle to understand why Americans love that bland little fish so much.”

 

3) What’s your favorite dish to make?
“Anything that takes over four hours to make – braised meats, hearty soups, fortified broths, fermented doughs, pickled vegetables. The longer something takes to make, the more love you will taste in the end result.”

4) What’s your favorite pig out food?
“Spicy Pork Ramen and kimchi.”

5) What restaurant, other than your own, do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?
“Sueno. They make some of the most delicious and authentic Mexican Cuisine that I’ve had in the U.S. They even import their blue corn for the tortillas from Mexico and grind it with volcanic stones in the prep room. It’s legit!”

6) What’s your best advice for home chefs?
“Stop watching food “reality” shows. It’s not reality, It’s made for TV.”

7) If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party, who would they be?
“Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, Salma Hayek and Ryan Reynolds.”

8) Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
“Not so much ‘look up to,’ but I love to see anyone in the industry who’s trying to swim against the current and blaze a different path. There are too many ‘vanilla’ restaurants out there with no true inspiration.”

9) What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?
“Kayaking, biking, and camping”

10) Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story.
“I had just started my first job in New York City and was heading into work carrying my knife roll on my back. A woman squeezed past me to get off the train and exclaimed ‘OW’ on her way out the door. I looked down and the tip of my chef knife had slipped out of the sheath and was sticking out of my satchel. I quickly tucked it back in and secured my bag beside me. One stop later at 42nd street, a crowd of tourists poured into the car with a woman backed up to me. We rounded a corner and she fell backwards onto my satchel and the knife poked out again and stuck into her back! I apologized profusely, explaining that I was a chef and my knife slipped out and I offered to take her to the hospital. Her husband APOLOGIZE TO ME for his wife being clumsy and told me it was no big deal! It was only about a ½ inch cut but I was mortified…”