Chef’s Thoughts with Simon Lewis

The rules of conduct in the kitchen of Simon Lewis, Executive Chef of Shady Canyon Golf Club, are keep clean, organized and enjoy what you do.

In November 2019, Simon Lewis took on the role of Executive Chef at Shady Canyon Golf Club (Irvine, Calif.). Prior to this post, he was the Executive Chef of The Riviera Country Club (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), a position he held for five years.

1. You’d be surprised to learn that I’m the first chef in my family tree.
2. If I could trade places with one person it would be Jon Favreau, who gets to meet and learn from some of the best chefs in the world.
3. One of my most memorable meals was at Pied à Terre in London. It was an epic meal with great friends.
4. My go-to drinks are Diet Coke or Red Stripe Beer.
5. My last meal would be a cheddar cheese and Branston pickle sandwich on white bread with mayo.
6. My worst culinary creation was a braised red miso beef cheek. I used way too much miso and it was too salty.
7. If I could change one thing about my club it would be the size of the kitchens.
8. My favorite junk food is Winegums gummy bears.
9. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be a fighter pilot.
10. I knew I wanted to be a chef after eating Peking duck with mandarin pancakes, scallions and Hoisin sauce as a child.
11. You’ll never see changua on the menu at my club, because it’s not an appealing breakfast dish to anyone other than my wife.
12. The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was during my tenure at Joel Robuchon. There was a table that wanted to eat the 16-course tasting menu in 45 minutes.
13. I love being a club chef because I am never bored. I go from flipping hot dogs on the course to cooking gourmet meals in the clubhouse. I am constantly making each member event different and better than the last. This career keeps me on my toes.
14. When I’m not in the kitchen I’m surfing with my daughter.
15. My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was making my food too complicated. I had to learn to keep it simple and to be true to the main ingredient.
16. During the quarantine, I made sure to have these five foods with me: flour, butter, eggs, milk and sugar.
17. I cook baked beans on toast 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 George Lucas.
19. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was happy wife, happy life.
20. My favorite celebrity chef is Daniel Humm, because I appreciate his style of cuisine.
21. The most important thing in my kitchen is camaraderie. There is nothing worse than walking into work every day and feeling tension. Happy employees are way more productive.
22. I want to learn more about Persian food, because it’s becoming a big trend here on the West Coast.
23. My favorite ingredient is olive oil. Wagyu beef is the most overrated ingredient. Lemon is the most undervalued ingredient. I detest mint with chocolate, and I can’t live without bread.
24. The rules of conduct in my kitchen are keep clean, organized and enjoy what you do.
25. I don’t like to brag, but I’ve traveled or lived in some of the best destinations in the world, including London, Hawaii, Chicago, Los Angeles, Yosemite, Japan, and China.
26. My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was while working in Las Vegas. I worked with live fish in a Chinese restaurant and I hadn’t hit a fish hard enough on the head to successfully kill it. Not knowing this, I put it back into the cooler. Moments later, I entered the cooler and much to my surprise I saw the fish bouncing around. I tried to catch it as the door was opened, and my cooks got to watch me try to catch the fish.
27. I’d like to see more club chefs host events together.
28. My favorite book is White Heat by Marco Pierre White.
29. My dream vacation would be taking my entire family to Hawaii.
30. My favorite movie/TV show was recently The Punisher on Netflix.
31. My favorite kitchen hack is using a 4-oz. foil cup for preparing/finishing portioned sets in banquets.
32. I am motivated and inspired by my staff and the excitement of working together to create memorable moments for our members.
33. The rules of conduct in my kitchen are keep clean, organized and enjoy what you do.