Manyfood enthusiasts are familiar with Noma, hailed by many as the “decade’s best restaurant.”
With two Michelin stars and a kitchen ranked as the Best in the World by Restaurant Magazine (from 2010-2012 and 2014), René Redzepi, executive chef and co-owner, has based his celebrated career on creating acclaimed menus from strictly hyper-local, even foraged, ingredients.
This year, Redzepi, who apprenticed at both El Bulli and the French Laundry, has rebooted both Noma (“2.0”) and its own sought-after apprenticeship program — and has invited one of South Jersey’s own ace culinary graduates, Blaise Colamarino of Washington Township, to be one of his newest stagiaires.
Even though the 22-year-old is only just set to officially graduate from Drexel University on June 15 with a bachelor or arts degreein food science, Colamarino already has several accolades and distinctions under his belt. He was the 2014 valedictorian of the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College, is a James Beard Foundation Scholarship recipient, won the Nathan Schwartz Award as a top student, and spent a summer in Tignes, France, working in a five-star hotel restaurant kitchen.
I had a chance to chat with Colamarino about his training and experiences so far, and to find out just how does a local South Jersey culinary student get chosen to apprentice at a legendary restaurant?
Q: While growing up in Washington Township, did you always want to be a chef? What inspired you?
A:I think I almost always did. I went right from elementary and middle school to GCIT (Gloucester County Institute of Technology) and graduated in 2013 for culinary arts, and after that went to Atlantic Cape for culinary arts.
I‘ve tried to figure out what has inspired me myself. I had to do a “food memoir” at Drexel, and I mentioned that my mom didn’t cook much, so maybe it was that (laughs). I think it was also my grandma, who was from Italy. I was always helping her cook Sunday dinner, and I helped my grandfather in the garden a lot, too.
I think a lot of it came from helping my grandparents, because I just wanted to learn the techniques and skills. It was fun for me, and there’s always something to learn. You can never learn everything.
Q: You graduated at the top of your class in 2014 at the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College, which boasts alumni such Michael Schlow, Terence Feury, Mike Stollenwerk , Deb Pellegrino and Marvin Woods. Can you explain what being a valedictorian is for a culinary student, and how it’s achieved? Is it different than a strictly academic course of study?
A: It’s almost along the same lines, where you get to the top by studying some things out of books and having a high GPA. But it is not a typical college student’s schedule, in that you work in 15-day blocks with one day off before the next block: Five days of term lectures and then hands-on seven-to-eight- hour days. And you had to be there every day. If you missed a day, you would get points off your grade, no matter how good your test grades were or how well you cooked. They really prepare you for the restaurant world there, because in real professional kitchens, you have to show up or someone else has to pull your slack.
Q: You’ve also obtained a bachelor’s degree in food science from Drexel University’s Center for Food and Hospitality Management, which is not something most culinary school graduates pursue. What made you want to get this degree, and what were most valuable things you learned from it?
A: I knew leaving high school that I was going to get my bachelor of arts Atlantic Cape ... (It) is the No. 1culinary school in New Jersey. But when I graduated from there, I didn’t want to get a B.A. in hospitality. I wanted to get something different, to set myself apart. I really loved studying food science, and learning what food does and why. I think it’s really helpful to know that.
Q:Have you worked in any professional kitchens yet? If so, where?
A: Right now I work at J.G. Cook’s Carolina Blue in Pitman, and I’vebeen there since high school. It will besix years this month.During the summer of 2015, I also staged (“interned”, from the French word stagiaire meaning apprentice) at La Table en Montagne at the Hotel Les Suites —Masion Bouvieri, in the French Alps. I really got a lot of experience there. I got that through Atlantic Cape, and they did a lot to make sure I was prepared, and could hold my own while I was there. You can see me in the video on the home page, when they show the restaurant footage.
Q:In July, you will be heading to Copenhagen to be a stagiaire at Noma, something most new culinary grads would give their eyeteeth for. How did this come about?
A: I met the former head chef Dan Giusti (Giusti ran the kitchen under Redzepi in 2014, during its top world status)at a chef conference at Drexel, and spoke with him afterwards. We hit it off and I kept in touch with him, and the Drexel program staff and faculty helped and supported me with that. I called him again to touch base and keep him up to date with my career. He now does a school lunch program in New London, Connecticut, and I went to visit to see what he was doing and learn from him. I really wanted an opportunity to travel and cook, so I asked him and I got an application in to Noma. I kept in touch with them, and eventually they said that they’d love to have me, starting in July and going through October.
Q:What unique knowledge and experiences do you think you will bring to Noma?
A:I think I bring a lot of the techniques that I learned, as well as a good attitude and work ethic.I got that sense of hard work from Atlantic Cape staff and faculty; they really support you and train you to be professional, and it prepares you for opportunities for this. I also got a lot of that from the man I consider my mentor, James Angarola, or “Chef A.” He was one of my teachers and coached me in all the competitions I did. He always told me you’ve got to believe in yourself and work hard, and that confidence is key. He’s always been someone for me to lean on.
I also think that my studies with food science at Drexel will help me with a lot of the stuff that they are doing there, like fermentation, research and development, and testing.
Q: What do you expect you will learn during your time at Noma?
A: Oh my gosh, a lot! I’m ready to dive into everything they have. Noma is now a seven-building complex with a slightly different concept that has an urban farm, dedicated rooms for meat and fish, and a fermentation lab that they use for recipes at the restaurant. I’m hoping to learn everything, from fermentationto foragingto new techniques. Also, the summer menu will be all vegetarian/vegan, so now I’m curious: what are they going to do with all those vegetables? They have to make it amazing for what they’re charging, and that people will come back for. And I know I will definitely be out in the woods, foraging. I’ve never done it, and I’m excited to learn all about it.
Q: On April 28, you’re doing a pop-up dinner at Careme’s, Atlantic Cape’s Academy of Culinary Arts restaurant, which is now sold out, and it won’t be your first. Can you talk a bit about that?
A: It’s a six-course menu called “Satisfy the Appetite”, and it’s based on Mediterranean Italian cuisine and the spring season. Some of the courses include Smoked Trout with Endive, Gnocchi with a Roasted Tomato Purée, Arugula, Orange Cream Sauce, Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan, a Pork Trio with Braised Pork Belly, Smoked Pulled Pork and Crisped Pork Skin, and Braised Ramps with Yellow Pepper and Saffron Purée. Three of the courses will be paired with wines from a local winery, Jessie Creek.
But I’ll be getting a lot of help from Randy Wagner, my boss and executive chef at Carolina Blue, as well Chef A and Marya Oberfrank (also one of my teachers at GCIT).
Q: What do you see for your future? Do you want to eventually open your own restaurant?
A:When I look at the things I’ve done … I mean, to be 22 and just graduated from college and able to sell out a pop-up restaurant amazes me. I get so much support from so many people; it really has given me so much already. I don’t know if I’d want to open my own restaurant.I’m cool for the time being. Right now, all I want to do is travel and cook, and see where my career takes me. I’m not going to limit myself. I am goal-oriented, but I don’t know — I’m open to everything.
