Richard Blais Talks āTop Chef,ā San Diego and The Crack Shack
Richard Blais is hungry. This time, itās not exactly for his droolicious chicken sandwich at The Crack Shack or a liquid nitrogen-infused plate from Juniper & Ivy, but hungry for success, and, more importantly, for the ride on the road to it.
āI love being the underdog; itās great,ā said the celebrity chef, restaurateur, author and TV personality. āNo one is going to be upset if you donāt get all the way to the top, theyāre going to love you even more.ā The New Yorker is a Jets fan, so heās really serious about being the underdog.
āI think itās a flaw,ā Blais jokes. āItās embracing the journey though. I feel like once you win, the games over.ā
He goes on to talk about the moment he fell short on āTop Chefā in his attempt on season four. He was upset, angry and disappointed, but it wasnāt for a reason youād think. āI wasnāt upset that I lost, I was upset that there was no game the next day, that the season was over. Thatās why I came back, thatās why I keep doing it.ā Itās this hunger for knowledge and opportunity that drives Blais into a multitude of endeavors like winning āTop Chef All-Stars,ā appearing on āIron Chef,ā guest judging on āTop Chef Jr.ā and the list goes on.
But Blais has to check himself often to remember those humble beginnings. Growing up in a lower-middle class family, his first position was the poissonier at good āol Mickey Dās, and eventually worked his way up to being trained at Thomas Kellerās The French Laundry and Daniel Bouludās Daniel, both Michelin-star establishments.
In all the kitchens heās worked in, he witnessed hard work ethic at the forefront. āBut what I think I took from all of it collectively is that in this business it truly has to be a lifestyle. If you feel like youāre going to the kitchen or to the restaurant and it feels like work, youāre in the wrong business,ā Blais said.
āAnd thatās a joy that not many people have. Iām lucky and blessed for the 20 years itās been, rarely have I felt like [itās] my job.ā
Yet, he still has plenty of started-from-the-bottom-now-Iām-here moments. āHow many people in their lives that started from fast food, coming from pretty much nothing, have ever even had the opportunity to be on one television show or even be in a room to try to sell an idea [of another television show],ā then he said talking directing into the recorder, āCome see me, Netflix!ā
Blais goes on to say that you have to simply enjoy the process of it all. Enjoy the journey, not the destination. In comparative to his culinary career, his impressive five-time marathon running resume and athletic background equates to his career as a chef. āYou canāt think of mile 26 on mile four,ā he says that makes for one hell of a race. The same goes for expanding The Crack Shack throughout SoCal or Juniper & Ivyās recent fourth birthdayāheās already eyeing their tenth.
Youāve got to take things as they come, and right now, that means coaching his youngest daughterās basketball team. He calls it āone of the absolute joys of this year.ā Teaching first graders a 2-3-zone defense with an 11-girl rotation? That takes patience, confidence and leadershipāskills sharpened in a busy kitchen. āCooking is sport,ā Blais says matter-of-factly, and just like in a zone defense, teamwork makes the dream work. āChefs need to have confidence; they need to have swagger.ā Much like Jon Sloan, the executive chef of The Crack Shack and Anthony Wells at Juniper & Ivy. They are the team captains, the point guards if you will; theyāre leading the teams by example.
āThereās a bluntness about cooking that is really different than a lot of other businesses.ā
He explains that itās no office job where there are group meetings every Friday in a kumbaya-style circle. Sometimes you have to be straight up with your teammate in the kitchen and let them know that they need to step their game up.
āHistorically, the European-trained chef has been a tyrant,ā Blais said. He mentions that Sloan is a surfer, a laid-back guy. āI trained in those hardcore European kitchens where I would go home crying. Thatās something I say with pride, but also when I look back on that, I didnāt want any of my people driving their bike 10 miles home in the rain crying because they felt that they let down their boss, or whatever it was,ā then he jokingly adds, āIām also really sensitive, maybe thatās what it is. Iām a Pisces.ā
Despite his self-assessed sensitivity, his skin seems to be tough. āIāve failed so many times. In restaurants, in TVāyou just have to embrace failure,ā Blais said. āYou have to love failing.ā But, when you surround yourself with a lot of smart, amazing people, it cushions the fall. Yes, Richard Blaisā face is on the front cover, but he wants to set the record straight that although he may be getting the credit and the spotlight, underneath the cover image is about 300 people that are propping him up.
āI cannot underestimate how important the executive chefs, the general managers, the financial partners, the other investorsāit takes a village,ā he said.
This village is nestled inside of San Diegoās buzzing foodie scene, which is totally having a moment right now, but he says the potential has always been there. āI canāt stand when people come up to me and say, āThank you, Richard Blais, for fixing this place.ā Thatās not true. We are a part of a movement.ā Blais says that him and his partner Mike Rosen were one of the pioneers of snagging prime real estate in an up-and-coming Little Italy neighborhood. Now, itās vibrant with dozens of new restaurants, condos and cafes; itās booming.
āSan Diego was where you can go to whatever restaurant you want with white table cloths, somewhere in Rancho-whatever spending a lot of money getting white tablecloth-type food, and then itās also a place where you go right to the coast and get a fish taco.ā He said that the middle spectrum of the culinary scene was really wide open for the taking. āIt took people like Brian Malarkey to take those first couple steps, and then I came in and did what Brian Malarkey does, but better,ā he says with a hearty laugh. He and the āTop Chefā finalist have a friendly rivalry as Malarkey opened his Herb & Wood right behind Juniper & Ivy.
This is why The Crack Shack works, he says. The food is fine-dining caliber with a side of family-friendly, casual vibes. The chicken has the same recipe from Juniper & Ivy: marinated in buttermilk and pickle juice with an additional of ācrack spiceā, a heaping unique blend of herbs and spices. With these chef-driven establishments serving truly top-notch food, you can see how Blaisā underdog appetite is whet.
āSan Diego has the same products that San Francisco and Los Angeles has, the same labor force, so why is it not comparable to those other cities?ā he says. āI canāt stand when someone tells me to stay in my lane. I may have a lane thatās preferred for me, but let me change lanes. As long as I put my blinker on, Iām good.ā
After two successful cookbooksāJames Beard nominee Try This at Home and his less than a year old So GoodāBlais officially considers himself a podcaster, a new lane heās merging into. PodcastOneās five-star āStarving for Attentionā is a love project for the sheer fact of breaking out of his shell, he says.
The bright-framed, outgoing character that weāve tuned into on our TV screens for years on segments like āGood Morning America,ā partnering with Michelle Obamaās Just Move initiative or a number of challenges on The Food Network, is actually incredibly withdrawn and introverted. āChefs are known as social animals, but Iām totally not. I donāt really drink, I donāt party, I donāt have any tattoosāoh my God, Iām a disgrace,ā he laughs. āThe podcasts are a way for me to force being social.ā Bonus: itās also a great way to spend time with his wife, Jazmin, who co-hosts the show with him.
Hearing the stories of other wildly successful chefs and people in the biz have not only helped him be social, but also help him take home something new. āThereās always something to learn. Iāll never stop learning.ā And with that knowledge, in 2018, he aims to be more of a mentor to young chefs in his kitchens, advise and overall be a listening ear.
Blais confesses, āThatās me looking into the mirror and saying, āDude, suck it up and work harder.āā¦Okay, now, this [interview] is therapy.ā
But with all jokes aside, Blais is after something; he doesnāt know exactly what that āthingā is nor does he know how long itāll take him to get there, but he possesses that hunger for it, and sometimes thatās all that matters in this marathon-esque lifestyle.
āIām on this journey that I donāt even know what the fruit is Iām trying to grab on the tree, but I know that thereās a tree somewhere, and I do want some of that fruit, but I donāt even know what it tastes like,ā he ends this analogy to success with a ādoes that make sense?ā look on his face. It does, and weāre sure whatever it is, it will taste very well.
Want More?Ā
Download the PodcastOne app and tune in weekly to Starving For Attention With Richard Blais to listen to who he interviews next!
Whatās Up With the Liquid Nitrogen?Ā
Blais once told Parade back in 2008 that he uses it āthe way a lot of chefs use frying oil. Itās the second coldest substance on Earth and great for super-quick cooking.ā
What Canāt He Do?Ā
In 2016, Blais appeared in his debut role in Why Him? starring James Franco and Bryan Cranston and heāll be co-hosting a local AM country radio show. āRight now itās new experiences. I think thatās what really stimulates growth for me,ā he said.
Whatās Crackinā?Ā
The Crack Shack opened its third location in Orange County late last year and has plans of opening a new location in Century City soon.
Whereās This Food From?Ā
Richard and his wife Jazmin aim to educate their two girls through cooking and eating a meal together at home: āItās such an easy slam dunk for any family,ā he advises. āIf you want to through some education into your family, have ramen night. Boom! Now youāre in a conversation about Japan.ā
Whatās the Blaisā Home Golden Rule?Ā
āWe have a philosophy in our house that you donāt have to eat it, you just have to try it.ā
Why Does Richard Blais Love San Diego?
-āI love that San Diego is so close to Mexico.ā
-āI love that I have cooks that live in Mexicoāthatās just amazing to me!ā
-āI love that I can run through the canyon and find in ingredients: wild radishes, fennels, carrots and all sorts of herbs.ā
The Crack Shack – Encinitas
407 Encinitas Blvd
Encinitas, CA 92024
760.230.2968
Photoshoot Locations:
Juniper & Ivy
2228 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101
619.269.9036
The Crack Shack – Little Italy
2266 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101
619.795.3299
Richard Blais |Ā @richardblais
Written By: Jordan LigonsĀ
Photographer By: Damien Noble AndrewsĀ Richard Blais
Styling By: Teresita Marie Madrigal
Grooming By: Lisa Leedy Richard Blais
Jordan is a storyteller with a creative passion for things LOCALE. She loves dogs, macaroni and cheese and buying shoes. This former student-athlete could always be found watching ESPN or actively engaged in a Kobe-verse-LeBron debate, with Kobe winning every time.
