Owning It: June BYOB
We walked in on Chef Richard Cusack of June BYOB
making pasta from scratch and without skipping a beat, jumped right into why he loves to cook.
It’s fun. It’s my form of art. It’s entertaining. I’ve always liked entertaining people.
I’ve always liked cooking for as young as I could remember, I can’t really pinpoint it. The youngest I remember first cooking was when I was 7. My grandpop was a chef with a catering business; he wasn’t great but taught me my way around the kitchen. I became a master of Oodles and Noodles
So you always wanted to be a chef?
The first time I DECIDED was in 7th grade. We were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up and kids were screaming, ‘I want to be a fireman’ ‘I want to be an astronaut!’
I was like ‘FUCK THAT, I WANT TO BE A CHEF!’
Started working at Medora’s Mecca on PackerAve when I was 14. My uncle ran it…I was kind of a dick though. When I was making salads I got fired for throwing tomatoes at cars that drove by the restaurant. I didn’t really cook, I just took it as a job. It really just gave me my first taste of the industry. A real chef is someone who creates, I wanted to create.
Who was the first chef that really let
you tap into that creativity?
Chef Pierre at Le Cheri. (Chef/Owner of Bibou BYOB)
He gave you freedom in the kitchen?
Freedom with a leash. I always messed around making dishes when I first got into work.
In 2014 I was Chef de Cuisine there. He’s been my mentor for 5 years now and helped me get to where I am today.
He helped me get my restaurant now..
What defines him as your mentor?
Work ethic, creativity… you want to model yourself after someone, he’s the person for me. He could kill me in a kitchen, works a lot faster and harder than me. I do the same things, he just always does more. He wakes up at 7 every morning, goes to all the markets.
Now I pick out all the produce at Produce Junction,
The Italian Market, and Muth Family Farm in Williamstown, New Jersey.
A lot of zucchini, squash, butternuts right now.
Have you ever hit a rough patch in creating?
I walk in the woods when it happens. I look around and see cool-looking mushrooms and get inspiration. By the river, I’ll think ‘Let’s do a Poconos River Trail dish’, maitake mushrooms, wild rice. I’ll look at the plants—Berries are in season, so pickled huckleberries; I need a sauce. What do I do? Pine trees are booming everywhere—I use pine sap and needles. Blanch them and blend with a cream.
You sound like a very visual learner.
I learned to use what’s around me at DANIEL. It took me 6 months to get in there in 2011. They would give me fish tails, ‘Make something good.’ The first time, I made them into tacos and the staff said it tasted like they threw up in their mouths. The next time, I took the meat off the skin, blended it with eggs into a mousse, wrapped it in plastic, poached in water, puffed like a sausage, poured lobster sauce on it, DONE .
Why did you wait 6 months to work at DANIEL?
It’s one of the best restaurants in the world. When I started, I’ll always remember my dad said to me, “Whatever you want to be, I don’t really care. You can be a ballerina. You can be a florist. You can be a chef. Whatever you do, you better be the fucking best at it. That’s the only thing I ask. whatever you do, just don’t suck.” That’s what I keep trying to do.
Who are some of the best Chefs out there?
Jean François – he’s a fucking animal. Fast as shit. Has a million things going on, I don’t know how he does it. If I could work HALF his speed, it would be fast.
Eddy Leroux – he’s a rock star, has that vibe plus an ascot and handkerchief. When he comes in, he makes the craziest food ever. Does it with finesse. Doesn’t even look like he’s working.
Rob Aikens at The Dandelion is awesome and incredibly crazy in the kitchen. You need big ass balls to work for him. He threw mashed potatoes in my eyes one time. You could stand across the street and he’d hit you in the eye with something
Do you pull styles from other Chefs?
Not really.
When I was in school, it was Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry.
Now it’s Chef Sean Brock. If everyone follows a trend, everyone’s food will be the same.
You just cook what you want to cook?
That’s why I own the place. You need your own style. I try to be straightforward and not confuse anyone. I like to create cool things you never see but are still all somehow familiar.
Chef Richard Cusack, inspired by our visit, created an Espresso-Braised Venison, using Bean2Bean ‘76 Espresso
Is there an ingredient from hell?
I push to make everything taste good, it’s hard to find something I won’t use. The DANIEL staff-meal really pushed me to do that. Usually if I don’t like it, I won’t work with it… Monkfish liver is fucking gross though.
Working in some of the best French restaurants, every day is ‘you need to make a really good meal’ or get fired and somebody else will take your job the next day. It’s a weird culture in the kitchen. Aggressive behavior, getting yelled at, head-butted, feet stomped on, hamburgers thrown in your face, getting punched in the face.
Would you take that in any other job?
If I had the same passion about it as cooking. I understand it in the kitchen. There’s a lot of pressure, every second counts. I try to not act that way here.
How did you set the
atmosphere for June?
My main priority was having the best front-of-house. If you have a shit front-of-house, it affects a great kitchen. I wanted my wife up front, she brightens a room immediately. My staff is great'— Le Bec Fin in their hey-day guys..
Where did the name ‘June’ come from?
My mom’s name. I liked cooking with her as a kid. It’s not a complicated name. It’s a piece of my life that’s easy to remember.
If you had to stop cooking, what would you do?
Stay-at-home-dad and a fantasy football podcast. I love staying home with my kids. My daughter’s 1, my son’s 2 months. I don’t really sleep much, but you only get to see them grow once so it’s worth it .
My life is foraging, cooking, fantasy football, my wife and kids.