Q & A with John DeLucie

New Yorker’s love a challenge.  Just look at the Waverly Inn.  Two years later and reservations are still tough to come by.  Walk-ins crowd around the front bar hoping for a table.  But what differentiates the Waverly Inn different from every other sceney restaurant is the quality of the cooking. 

That’s where John DeLucie comes into the picture.  He’s the chef and co-owner of the Waverly Inn.  De Lucie’s not your typical chef.  He worked in the corporate world for many years.  But at age 30, he called it a day and threw himself into the kitchen.  He started off prepping salads in the basement of the original Dean & DeLuca store in SoHo.  Since then, he cooked at Oceana, Nick & Toni’s, & The Tribeca Grand, before teaming up with Graydon Carter to open the Waverly Inn.

This week, he can add published author to his resume.  DeLucie has penned a memoir, called “The Hunger,” detailing his journey and rise in the food world.  Of course, there’s lots of celebrity-sighting and Waverly Inn gossip.  He’s still in the kitchen, turning out American classics like roasted chicken, truffled macaroni & cheese, and Berkshire pork chops. 

Single/Married/Divorced?

Single.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

 In charge.

What was your first job in food?  

Slicing salami for celebrities behind the deli counter at Dean and DeLuca in Soho. Very glamorous. I made Lauren Hutton a sandwich on my second day.
 

You were almost 30 when you decided to leave the corporate world for a career in cooking.  What was the impetus behind that move?
A deep-seeded fear of becoming any worse of a corporate drone than I already was.  Plus I needed to do something where I wouldn’t have to shave and wear a suit every day.  You got your feet wet later than most chefs. 

Were you were intimidated by younger chefs with more experience?
There was no time to think about being intimidated.  I jumped in headfirst.  A professional kitchen is egalitarian. If my brunoise is better than yours, I’m in, you’re out.

You’ve worked everywhere from Oceana to Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton to the Tribeca Grand.  What style of cooking do you most gravitate towards? 

Simple! I try to use the best product I can find and do as little to it as possible. I learned this by working with people like Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto. Watching what he could do to a leg of lamb on a rotisserie with some extra virgin olive oil and herbs was nothing short of sensational.

You’re now a chef and partner at the Waverly Inn. Did you expect such so much demand and attention from the press?

I expected a lot of press, but naively, I didn’t expect it to be so prickly. The media loves celebrities; the food media just doesn’t always like the restaurants they eat in. The Waverly Inn is a neighborhood joint. Many of our neighbors just happen to be famous.

Most sceney spots aren’t frequented for their food.  How did you manage to pull off culinary attention as well?  

We very purposely crafted the menu as an un-fussy alternative to what this demographic is used to and they responded to it. Trout on a cedar plank, a Berkshire pork chop. We are certainly not on the edge of culinary innovation. But that’s the point. You come here to eat well and have a great time, not be challenged.

What’s it like to work with Graydon Carter?

Exactly what you would imagine. He is direct, funny and knows a lot about what people want when they are dining out. 

You’ve just published your first book titled, The Hunger.  Why write a memoir and not a cookbook? 

I think some people may find it interesting the way I came up in the restaurant business from absolutely nowhere…And as far as a cookbook is concerned,  I’m quite sure that the last
thing the world needs is ano
ther recipe for roast chicken.

What’s the best story in the book? A little sneak preview please…  

There are lots of stories about the carnage that goes on behind the scenes at some pretty high-scale digs. I’ve seen some stuff. Names had to be changed…
 

In “The Hunger,” you talk about a waiter being fired for getting too cozy with customers.  What are the house rules for handling high profile guests? 

It’s the same for everyone. We are there to serve, nothing less.  The moment the line is crossed you have breached the trust.  Generally speaking, an Academy Award winning actor or the CEO of a mega entertainment company doesn’t go to the Waverly Inn to make a new waiter friend.

How have the past few years at the Waverly changed things for you?  Any new appreciation for certain factors or ingredients in the kitchen?  Do you think you’ve learned to work better under all the pressure and media scrutiny?
I have a new appreciation for simple, straight-ahead dishes. Cooking under pressure in a small kitchen makes you awfully resourceful in a pinch.  I’ve also learned to stop reading all the excessive food blogs. We’ve all gone a little nuts about food.
 

What is your favorite dish on the menu at the Waverly Inn? 

I really like our interpretation of chicken pot pie. A dish I never ate (or cooked) my entire life. I think we’ve done a good job of reinventing it in a modern way.

What’s your least favorite (and yes, you must pick one)?

I
would have to say the steamed artichoke. Not because it’s not tasty,
but more because it takes so long to eat. It messes with the
Swiss-watch timing of the kitchen.

Other than your own, what are your favorite restaurants in the city?

 I like to visit my friends; Amanda at the Harrison,, Missy at A voce,  Emilio at Ballato, Jonathan at Barbuto.

What culinary trends do you embrace?
The trend toward healthier eating; organics and the like, and the use of more local products.

What culinary trends do you wish would just die already? 

Molecular
gastronomy is lost on me. I don’t want  to eat xantham gum and I am not
captivated by a technology that’s gives us bacon ice cream. I prefer
chocolate.

 Any new projects on the horizon?  Spill the beans…
“The Hunger” is keeping me plenty busy right now.

Waverly Inn

Address: 16 Bank St., at Waverly Place

Phone: (212)243-7900