Farewell to Seattle’s Chef in the Hat!!!*
Photo Credit: Kitchen Circus
Seattle lost a great man last week, when Chef Thierry Rautureau died on October 29th. Only 64 years old, he succumbed to pulmonary fibrosis, an autoimmune disease that scars the lungs, making breathing difficult.
My path to discovering Thierry was odd. In our early years in Seattle, my family rarely dined out, and if we did, it was in “fast casual” restaurants. I cooked almost every day, and we ate well at home. My husband, Shlomo is a great helper in the kitchen, but he’s allergic to the idea of actually cooking anything beyond an omelet. Maybe it’s because his mother cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for thirty people, every single day during the years that his parents operated a group home for boys in their residence. He appreciates tasty food; he just doesn’t want to be responsible for preparing it.
For many years, Thierry co-hosted a radio show called “What’s Left in Your Fridge.” It started as a game with his sons. “We’d have a cold roasted chicken in the fridge and my sons would open it and say, “there’s nothing to eat!” On the radio show, callers told him what was left in their fridge, and he’d come up with creative ideas for making good use of the half onion that was starting to wilt, the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise left in a huge jar… After listening to it in the car, Shlomo would come home laughing. “This guy is so funny, and creative,” he told me.
My job at University of Washington focused on wellness for doctors in training (residents and fellows). After working long, long days, they’d go home exhausted, with no time to shop and little energy to cook. Imagining the sad state of their refrigerators at home, I knew they’d benefit greatly from a lively lesson on how to make the most of whatever leftovers they had. On a whim, I called Chef Thierry at Rover’s, his uber-fine-dining restaurant in Seattle’s Madison Valley. He picked up the phone, and listened carefully to my pitch: “Doctors in training don’t have money now, but they will in the future. Can we feature you in person, doing a What’s in Your Fridge presentation? When their parents come to town, they’ll ask them to make reservations at Rover’s….” I didn’t have to sell it hard. Thierry was passionate about food. He loved educating people. He was game. We came up with a budget and Thierry reassured me he would serve an array of finger food after fielding questions from the audience.
I booked a small auditorium, and kept my fingers crossed that the event would gain traction. Seventy-five people came – a record for my department.
On the morning of the event, I pulled three aprons off their hook, and filled an ice box with some leftovers from my own fridge, figuring that a few props would liven up the event. Chef Thierry playfully donned one of my aprons, leaving the more fanciful ones for my colleague and me. On stage, he rummaged through the cooler. Finding the peanut butter (which we used to persuade our dogs to take medicine), Thierry held it up scornfully. With his French accent, he said, “This?! We use this to catch rrrrrrats!”
Son Adrian Rautureau, Chef Thierry, Mindy Stern and Kristi Schellie
The food he prepared for us was nothing less than divine. The meal began with a chilled heirloom tomato soup so creamy, it was hard to believe it was vegan. I boldly asked if he would share the recipe, and he did – it appears below exactly as he sent it to me. It’s now one of my go-to recipes, whenever I see reasonably priced heirloom tomatoes. I use more than a splash of my best olive oil – it adds to the amazing creamy texture. And this soup is so good, you may want to gobble it up before it chills – it’s tasty when it’s hot, and perfect when it’s cold.
Thank you, Thierry, for your generous spirit. My deepest condolences to wife, Kathy, and sons Adrian and Ryan.
Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup
A simple and delicious recipe for heirloom tomatoes from Rover’s Chef de Cuisine Adam Hoffman:
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, skins on, sliced in half (about 3 cups)
Splash of very good olive oil
1 tsp garlic
3T shallot
Few basil leaves
Salt and white pepper to taste
Optional: Fromage Blanc, Fresh Herbs.
*Chef note: don’t worry too much about exact measurements as you can adjust the flavors and consistency easily. This is a Rover’s Classic.
Char the tomatoes in a pan over medium heat, being careful not to blacken the skin. This will give the tomatoes a smoky flavor. Add a spash of olive oil, garlic, shallot and bring together for 2-3 minutes. After the flavors have blended and the tomatoes have released their juices, carefully transfer to a blender. Add basil. Blend on high speed until smooth. If the soup is too thick, thin it out with water or veg stock. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Ladle into shallow bowls and drizzle with your best olive oil. Garnish with fromage blanc and fresh herbs.
Enjoy!"
The soup had a gorgeous orange color. An immersion blender smooths out the skins and basil leaves.
*On the bottom of the menu at Rover’s, Thierry referred to himself as The Chef in the Hat, followed by three exclamation points.