Chef’s Thoughts with Jason McClain

If Jason McClain weren’t Executive Chef of the Jonathan Club (Los Angeles), he’d be an actor or hedge fund manager.

When he’s not hand-selecting bushels of sun-soaked Swiss chard or snipping delicate chive greens from his 3,000-sq.-ft. rooftop garden in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the Jonathan Club’s Executive Chef, Jason McClain, can be found smoking fresh-caught salmon in his butcher shop or designing an a la minute tasting menu inspired by the season’s bounty.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, McClain honed his skills under the tutelage of some of the world’s great talents: Jean-Marie Lacroix from his days at Four Seasons Philadelphia, Martin Hamann at the Union League Club of Philadelphia, and a prized collaboration with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa at The Shore Club in Miami.

1. You’d be surprised to learn that I am an avid reader.
2. If I could trade places with one chef it would be Daniel Boulud.
3. One of my most memorable meals was at Brasserie Blanc outside of London in Oxford. It was raining and cold and it was late afternoon. I ordered a lamb shank with parsnip puree and it hit the spot.
4. My go-to drink is French Chablis or Grey Goose and cranberry
5. My last meal would be a Philly cheesesteak and duck-fat fries.
6. My worst culinary mistake was serving rabbit terrine for an Easter brunch. Members kept saying, “No one wants to eat Bugs Bunny on Easter.”
7. If I could change one thing about my club it would be that we’re known for sand dab. There are far better fish to be known for.
8. My favorite junk food is French fries.
9. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be an actor or a hedge fund manager.
10. I knew I wanted to be a chef when I realized I could create a thousand different dishes with a tomato. I love change. I could never be stuck in a cubical doing the same thing day in and day out.
11. You’ll never see frog legs on the menu at my club, because I ordered frog legs once and they sent me a live frog. I had to kill the frog. It was terrifying.
12. The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was an 8-minute soft-boiled egg, peeled. It took me 20 minutes to complete the order a la minute at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.
13. I love being a club or resort chef because you really get to know the people you’re cooking for.
14. When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m hanging with my girls or golfing.
15. My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was putting too many ingredients on the plate. I had to learn to let the food speak for itself.
16. If I were stranded on a dessert island, I’d want these five foods with me: potatoes, branzino, short ribs, grilled ham and cheese, and Snickers bars.
17. I cook pupusas at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.
18. If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be Warren Buffet.
19. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was from Martin Hamann, Executive Chef of The Union League of Philadelphia. He said, “Keep it simple.”
20. My favorite celebrity chef is Anthony Bourdain because he’s witty.
21. The most important thing in my kitchen is cleanliness.
22. I want to learn more about vegan cuisine because more and more members are becoming vegan.
23. Favorite ingredient: artichokes
24. Most overrated ingredient: foie gras
25. Most undervalued ingredients: potatoes and tomatoes
26. One food I detest: calf liver
27. One ingredient I can’t live without: Meyer lemons
28. The rules of conduct in my kitchen are listen, learn and look the part.
29. My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was spilling Bordelaise sauce on the floor, then slipping and falling while cleaning it up. Then when I tried to get up again, I slipped again. By the time I got my feet back under me, I looked like a pig who had been sleeping in the mud.
30. From a culinary standpoint, I’d like to see clubs not compete with other clubs. We should compete with restaurants and hotels, and be relevant.
31. In club dining programs, I’d like to see less buffets and hot-box cooking, which should be eliminated. And I’d like to see more special monthly themes and more food cooked to order.
32. My favorite book is White Heat, by Marco Pierre White. He captured how hard the real restaurant business is.
33. My favorite movie is Eat Man Drink Women.
34. My favorite kitchen hack is not changing your container at the end of the night.