Dayton Dining

Meet Executive Chef Gavin St. Denis!

His roots may be in the Dayton area, but he has traveled the nation honing his craft working in Tampa, Florida and Portland, Oregon among other places, working for some of the most talented chefs in America before returning to Ohio to be closer to family.

We appreciate that he made some time for our 10 ? interview:

1.What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?

Salt, fire, and the four seasons. Wild Mushrooms, Heirloom tomatoes , Copper River Salmon, Leeks, and Parsnips are always in the rotation.

2. What ingredient do you dread?

Fresh Artichokes, the work to reward ratio is low and they are very aggressive for a vegetable. I’m not going to ruin anyone’s day by describing how blue crabs are prepped, if you know, you know.

3. What’s your favorite dish to make?

It’s always the new baby. Lately, I’ve been pretty focused on the grill. Is there anything better than a well seasoned ribeye with roasted oyster mushrooms and chimichurri? Maybe not.

4. What’s your favorite dish to pig out on?

Cheeseburgers, it’s a bit of an obsession of mine to go to strange places and order the burger however it comes. Lucky’s Model T is great, Crabill’s in Urbana has amazing sliders.

5. What Restaurant other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley? 

Alright we are going on a journey, so strap in. Tokyo Fairborn, What da Pho, Taqueria Mixteca, and Calypso Grill and Smokehouse are casual favorites. Two places I spent years at will always get my business; Chef Katy at the Coldwater Cafe, and Chef Roland at the Winds Cafe are absolutely killing it . Chef Brian Ondre has recently returned to Coco’s Bistro and his specials are second to none. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sueno, the food was amazing and the service was probably the best  I have experienced in the area.

6. What’s your best advice for home chefs?

  Get a good instant read thermometer that turns off when it’s folded closed. Otherwise the battery will always be dead when you need it. I like the Kizen brand. If something is confusing, Martha Stewart and Alton Brown are your only friends on the internet, everyone else is laughing at you or wrong. Trust me.

7. If you could invite any four guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?

It would be a cookout and it would always be my partner, my dogs, my current crew and their dogs. Having a pretentious dinner with Gandhi or Lou Reed is a pass from me. If Run the Jewels would agree to a short set they would also be invited.

8. Who do you look up to in the industry and why?

I admire the working chefs and cooks who earn it everyday. This industry always seems about a decade behind everything else in terms of equality, pay, and opportunity. It’s definitely getting better but it’s very demanding work that no school can prepare you for. It takes the right balance of passion, stubbornness, and humor to really be successful and you’re only ever as good as your last show. Don’t nap on the underdogs; they’re the real heroes in this business.

9. What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?

Hike the Glen into John Bryan with my dogs, eat cheeseburgers, and deadlift.

10. Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break, or other interesting story.

I  created a bourbon butter fire ball that took several days to clean up because I didn’t know the flattop was on, the details live on in at least one bartender’s nightmares (sorry Annie!). I made my own soy sauce once that was quite terrible, resulting in some of the best advice I’ve ever received: “Kikkoman, good product.” Words to live by.