Gerry Garvin, the artistic chef

Chef Gerry Garvin’s cookbooks will help you impress your guests — but don’t expect him to trim your waistline, too.

BY: Glynnis Mapp

Whether you want to baffle your closest friends or seal the deal with your new boss, one cook wants to help you impress your guests at the dinner table.

Man of the hour Gerry Garvin is the southern California culinary virtuoso behind four top-selling cookbooks. His latest release, Dining In, should arm even the most inexperienced cooks with sure-fire, at-home recipes.

Says Garvin: “Great cooking is about being inspired by the simple things around you — fresh markets, various spices. It doesn’t necessarily have to look fancy.” In fact, reinventing the basics and keeping it simple are things he says are the key to his popularity as a chef.

For example: one of Garvin’s favourite gourmet dishes is a staple with a twist — an egg salad sandwich. What makes this dish special are the black truffles and prosciutto, a mishmash that Garvin says pleasantly surprises the palate.

“You’re like an artist — the influence and inspiration comes in waves. It’s really once you get into the kitchen that you can pool your ingredients and come up with great dishes. I really want to empower people and help them create the dishes that’ll make a good impression.”

Garvin’s made a large impression himself on the culinary community. His cooking accolades stretch as far as his experience behind the proverbial pan.

He’s the face of Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin, now in its fifth season on TV One, and he’s a popular guest on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.

He has also independently catered high-profile events, including two exclusive dinners for former President Bill Clinton, a private brunch for Senator Hillary Clinton, and he’s developed his own line of spices, called G. Garvin Spices, soon to be distributed in stores across the US. Also in 2009, we can expect the release of his memoir, The Making of A Chef.

Garvin also has a soft spot for young cooks. In 2009 he hopes to open a culinary camp in Chicago, offering hospitality and restaurant management classes and culinary arts training that will cater to young adults.

The project has a special place in Garvin’s heart. Despite all his success, Garvin came from humble beginnings — raised by a single mother and surrounded by four sisters.

But he made the most of it. At age 13, he traded after-school football practice for a job at The Old Vinings Inn in his hometown of Atlanta, washing dishes and soaking up lots of experience. Two years later, he became the youngest cook at the downtown Ritz-Carlton.

So the real question is: what can’t this culinarian do? Cut out the fat without feeling guilty about it. Unlike other chefs, Garvin says one thing he isn’t willing to do is skimp on the more savoury (and calorie-infused) recipes to get in line with the health trend.

“Health is very important, and there are always healthy substitutes for all of my recipes, but it’s important to really focus on the flavours and not get too hung up on those details.

“To be a great chef, you don’t have to come up with the most complicated recipe — simple, quick and gourmet is really what will set your cooking apart.”

G.Garvin’s Farfalle

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)
1 pound dried Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon shaved garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
8 ounces cooked dark meat chicken, coarsely shredded
1 cup white wine
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallot; sauté for two minutes. Add the chicken, white wine, and tomatoes; simmer for two minutes.
3. Add the drained cooked pasta, the spinach, the ricotta cheese, and the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.

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