Naples Yacht Club’s Executive Chef is also a master homebrewer who loves celery, thinks raspberries are overrated and believes salt is undervalued.
Chef’s Thoughts is sponsored by barillafs.com.
Michael Katz, CEC, has been the Executive Chef of Naples (Fla.) Yacht Club since April 2020. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, where he also served as Associate Professor and Culinary Team leader for eight years. Other stops in his career include the Gasparilla Inn & Club (see “Gabriel Maldonado Leads By Example at Gasparilla Inn & Club,”) in Boca Grande, Florida, as well as the Ritz-Carlton and Lely Resort, both in Naples, Fla.
- You’d be surprised to learn that I am a Master Home Brewer. I started with a 1-gallon home kit I received for Christmas. I moved on to a 5-gallon contraption in my pantry and have since graduated to a Professional Three Kettle Time and Temperature controlled Heat Exchange Recirculating Mash System (HERMS) in my garage.
- If I could trade places with one chef it would be Massimo Bottura.
- One of my most memorable meals was at Compartir in Cadaques, Spain. Incredible food, insanely beautiful place, lovely romantic town, all run by Ferran Adria’s disciples after the closure of El Bulli.
- My go-to drink is Knob Creek Rye, neat.
- My last meal would be an In-N-Out Double-Double with grilled onions.
- My worst culinary creation was a garnish. I torched rosemary and sent it into the dining room still smoldering. The ashes flew everywhere. They landed on almost every table as it went by.
- If I could change one thing about my club it would be the kitchen space and layout. We make it work but it would sure be nice to have some extra room.
- My favorite junk food is chocolate twizzlers and ranch flavored sesame seeds.
- If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be a Master Beer Brewer.
- I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was a freshman in college looking for some super easy electives.
- You’ll never see marzipan desserts on the menu at my club because I really don’t like the flavor.
- The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was to remove the fried fish from the top of a vegan entree. (It wasn’t fish. It was fried hearts of palm.)
- I love being a club chef because I enjoy the inner workings of a properly run kitchen and facility. It demands creativity, but the orchestration is more fun for me.
- When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m brewing beer, playing golf or building something around the house. I always need a project.
- My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was not traveling abroad to gain international experience. I had to do that in my 40s and I’m still catching up.
- I cook Pho at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.
- If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be Dave Matthews. He’s crazy, super talented and I’m sure the stories are endless.
- The most valuable piece of career advice I’ve ever received was, “With every new job, reach for something bigger than you are capable of. It’s the best avenue for personal growth.”
- My favorite celebrity chef is Gordon Ramsey because he is super talented and fun to watch.
- The most important piece of equipment in my kitchen is a sharp knife. You can accomplish anything with it.
- I want to learn more about French Cuisine because as a classically French-trained chef, you would think I would know more about the regional cuisine from that country.
- My favorite ingredient is celery. Raspberries are the most overrated ingredient. Salt is the most undervalued ingredient. I detest goat meat, and I can’t live without cheese and ice cream.
- I don’t like to brag, but I have a really good team! In my opinion, this team is the best I have ever worked with.
- My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was when I kicked a tray stand in anger (lightly, I might add) and the beautifully cleaned silver that was on it came crashing to the floor in the middle of a tough service. That was not my intention, but I guess I deserved it.
- If I could have one superpower, it would be eternal energy.
- My favorite cookbook is CIA Pro-Chef.
- My favorite kitchen hack is de-glutenizing of bread dough in the cry-o-vac machine.
- I am motivated and inspired by my members. They encourage me, give me praise when it is due and keep me on my toes when warranted.
- The hardest service of my career was opening night at the Gasparilla Inn & Club’s Pink Elephant Kitchen in 2006. It was one of those nights when absolutely nothing went right.
- The most popular item on my menu based on sales is “simply fish.” It’s basically our 3-4 catches of the day with rice pilaf and vermouth beurre blanc.
- I’d lose my job if I took the Tennessee Salad with bibb lettuce, avocado and orange-ginger dressing off the menu.
- Loyalty is the most important quality in a sous chef.
- My go-to breakfast is yogurt and a banana.
- When hiring, overwording and bragging kills a resume fastest for me.
- My biggest professional pet peeve is music in the kitchen. Honestly, it breaks my concentration and I lose focus.
- I will always purchase mayonnaise instead of making it from scratch.
- The most important question I ask during the interview process is “Where do you see your life going?”
- The best excuse I’ve ever been given for calling off work is “I’m stuck in the middle of the Hudson River on a broken-down boat.”
- If I had to hire a family member, I would choose my mother because she loves the hospitality business and she is damn good at it. She is a retired dental hygienist.
- The best culinary gift I’ve ever received was Korean soy sauce and homemade Gochujang from a Korean student while I was teaching at the CIA.