enjoyed my time there. But mostly I've been focusing here and settling in Florida. I have a list of places I want to try. Your Q&A with BT Nguyen made me really curious to see what she does over there. The Mill is also on my list. What was your most memorable meal? That's a tough question... Nothing immediately comes to mind but I know where I'd like to go to get that memorable meal. Where is that? The French Laundry in Napa—it is Chef Thomas Keller's restaurant. He's one of the best American chef's in the country, and the world. I'm drawn in by his style and use some of those techniques in my food. I inspire myself from that. What is your favorite thing to make for yourself? Spring rolls. I love Vietnamese food. I just cooked spring rolls with my daughter. She wants to be a chef, unfortunately (he laughs). I'm easy to please when it comes to Vietnamese food. Whenever I have a craving, I eat Phó and spring rolls. It's clean, it's light and I love that. Do you cook at home a lot? I cook boring food at home. Chicken and rice, broccoli and green beans. Once in awhile, I'll go all out and cook all day with my daughter. But what I do here, I don't do at home. When I step out of my work, I stop working and do something else. Can you describe your menu for us? My menu is Spanish-inspired. It's not Spanish food; I don't want people to misunderstand. If you come here, you won't get a classic, traditional dish that you find in Spain. The menu is inspired from dishes from regions of Spain, and then I make them my own. I'll take some ingredients out, or make it more modern... just put my little touch on it. But the menu is Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired. I have gnocchi on the menu, I have lamb shank with cuscus, I have pimento cheese, which is from Spain, but I don't serve it with bread. Instead I serve it with beef tendon. So I take dishes that inspire me and put my touch on it. Spanish-inspired with the Chef's touch because I don't want to copy anything. The dishes you have here, you won't have anywhere else because they're mine. Can you tell us about the seafood on your menu? Where does it come from? I work with a local company. Oysters come from the gulf. Grouper when I can get it, and red snapper. I do my best to get the local ingredients when they’re available. What is your favorite menu item? The Olive Gnocchi. It's a special on Sundays (for now). It's my grandmother's recipe and I put my trick to it. I put some You don't really have the same lifestyle as anyone else. It's great to be an artist and touch food and make people happy with what you do best.” black and green olives in it, some Parmesan cheese and a little bit of Espelette pepper to give it a little spice (chili from Spain). I sauté them with mushrooms, onions and escargot with a nice slice of prosciutto on top. If I was a guest, I would come here for that. I love the flavors in it. I think it represents what I want to do and where I come from. What are some of the challenges of coming up with new menu items? As a chef, it’s challenging when you start on an idea of a dish and you have a clear vision of it, and it ultimately doesn't work because it's not popular with the guests. Not because it's bad, but because that's not what people want. I always try to improve my dishes so that they appeal to a wider audience. You always have to consider what's best for the guest. I'm always tweaking. Every dish I have on this menu I've never done before. They are all new inspirations from this location. It was a risk, but I don't like to do the same thing twice. I tweak them every day with the sauces and ingredients. “ Castille's Beef Tenderloin Castille Waterfront JULY/AUGUST 2017 localsDISH 17
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