Elijah Pulley, CCC, Executive Chef, Columbia Yacht Club
Elijah Pulley, CCC, newly appointed Executive Chef of Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, says the idea for his Breakfast Ramen recipe came from his experience working in a Vietnamese noodle house.
“I had the privilege of working with a Vietnamese family for four years in multiple restaurants,” he adds. “Vietnamese cuisine and culture to me is very calming, though it’s built around complex flavors.”
Pulley tells C+RC about the approachable dish—with a deceptively technical broth—on the club’s new brunch menu.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): How would you describe the flavors?
Elijah Pulley (EP): Light, hearty and refreshing. The smokey flavor from the bacon pairs extremely well with the umami flavor of the kombu/dried mushrooms. The fresh flavors from the vegetables tie it all together, and the poached egg adds a richness to the dish to round it out. The cilantro and lime wedges help elevate all the flavors and marry them together.
C+RC: What makes this a successful dish?
EP: This dish is successful because it remains approachable to the common guest and is an easy pick up for a busy brunch service. It also is a great way to introduce cooks to a different style of cuisine in a way that is not intimidating.
C+RC: What about this dish makes you most proud?
EP: The dashi broth. Even though a basic dashi broth is simple to make, it’s easy to mess up. There is a lot more technical skill involved than most people realize. Dashi has a depth of flavor that is only achieved when brought up slowly and properly.
While working at the noodle house, I learned how to make pho broth. The pho recipe was passed down through numerous generations, and I was lucky enough to learn the technique and patience required to make it. All of our stocks/broths [took] a minimum of four days, each day adding another set of ingredients.
C+RC: Do you think other chefs might be inspired by this dish? Why?
EP: I think other chefs can be inspired by this dish, as it’s a fun play on something most of us have eaten after a long shift.
Dashi is an essential part of Asian cuisine. It’s almost [like] a blank canvas.
