Melissa Lane

At the end of high school, Ryan Poli was a self-described "punk kid from the South Side" who followed the suggestion of a career-aptitude test to find a job where he worked with his hands, something like car mechanic. He became a prep-cook at a banquet restaurant near his parents' house. Instantly smitten, he forged a tutelage that began at local restaurant Mango and finished at La Broche in Madrid, Spain with two important stops in between at Le Francais and The French Laundry. Ten years later, he's the chef of his own restaurant, Butter. But even with accolades pouring in--John Mariani, the influential food columnist at Esquire magazine, just named it one of the nation's twenty best new restaurants--he still refutes the notion that "he has hit his stride," explaining that "this is only just the beginning." We sat down to talk to him about New American cuisine, Betty Crocker, and his first chef job.

What drew you into the culinary trade?

Ryan Poli: My father was a cop and my mom was a secretary, so this was really different for me. I mean, my mom learned how to cook out of Betty Crocker. Not to diss my mom at all but it was very mid-American stuff and I can tell you day by day what we had: meatloaf on Monday, pasta on Tuesday, my father would make grilled cheeses on Wednesday... And then here I am making a Hollandaise sauce from scratch! It was so different from what I was used to, I just fell in love with it.

How old were you when you went to work at The French Laundry?

RP: 23 or 24. I knew the thing to do was not school, but to just keep working at better restaurants. I knew it was that kind of industry where, if you put the time in, eventually it will pay off. Yeah, at 24 I could've gone to a hotel and became a chef and made $100,000 a year, but I would've given up a lot. Anytime that you settle for money, you're giving up some creativity. You're giving up a chance to learn. So, I stayed in the trenches a couple extra years and it paid off. I mean, when I went to check out The French Laundry, they took me out to their farm where they grow their produce and we picked fava beans... that two hours later were on someone's plate! I mean, how could I pass that up? I'm a kid from the South Side of Chicago picking fava beans in California. That doesn't just happen everyday.

And then you were in Spain...

RP: Right. And that changed the way I looked at everything--and not just food, but everything. An important life lesson I gained in Spain was that only in America do people ask you where you're from. And while I was there, I wasn't saying, "Oh, I'm German or whatever," I was saying "I'm American." So, when I came back, I knew that I wanted to open an American restaurant, and do American food `cause it's who I am. And it might be a little bit of French, a little bit of Italian, it might be a little bit of Asian--but hey, that's who we are as Americans! I mean, when I was growing up, Friday was Chinese takeout night and Tuesdays were spaghetti--and to me that's American, so my menu is going to reflect that.

You've also been lauded for the comfortable ambiance at Butter and the simplicity of the menu.

RP:When I go out to eat at some of these newer restaurants, I don't understand what they're doing. I don't even understand what they're talking about. The menu is so wordy; it's so confusing... I mean look, a leek is a leek. So, our menu is very simple--to read. On the flipside, in the kitchen we're using very technical techniques, like sous vide. But the menu itself is very approachable. I don't want to go through having people not order something because they don't know how to pronounce it. I consider it New American: working new techniques and ingredients into traditional American fare.

Is it tough to be such a young chef?

RP: I worked very, very hard to get to where I'm at. And am I young? Yes, I'm very young. But it's not like I just graduated from culinary school. I've worked in the kitchen for ten years, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted. Being the chef of a restaurant is a lot more than just cooking; I've got a lot more responsibility than I thought I would, which is okay, but it's very time-consuming, it sucks a lot out of you. I definitely don't have this 40-year-old mentality like "I gotta be in bed by 8;" I go out dancing to clubs and stuff, but, I'm not some big rock star either.

Butter is at 130 South Green, (312)666-9813.

(2005-10-25)

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