Part II: Q and A with Ritz Half Moon Bay Chef Xavier Salomon

Half Moon Bay Patch:  What do you draw upon from your time in Europe and growing up in France? What differences do you find with United States cooking?

Chef Salomon:  The classics and basics of French cooking are still inside me; the way I’ve learned how to do things and the way I still do them today. I think the more we grow, the less there is a difference. I mean ten, twenty years ago it was very different. We used to fly things in from France, because it didn’t exist here.  Today everything can be found here.

We are not exposed in France to Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Mexican food. Here, because of the melting pot of people, it is amazing what you get exposed to:  a different way of living, different product, different preparation. I had never eaten Asian food. Being here has helped me develop my cooking.  Today I’ve adopted different flavors.  I have to say being here makes for more diversity.

In Northern California, people know about product, about food, about where the food is coming from and how it is supposed to be cooked. So, we have to do it well.

I work with Richard Gras ( Chef de Cuisiner) and he is very happy to be here.  I usually surround myself with people like that.  I’d rather have people who are passionate about food.  The passion and the interest to discover local products and use them, that’s what’s very important to me.

Half Moon Bay Patch:  Can you give examples of where you go locally for your products?

Chef Salomon:  Farmer John’s is definitely one of our biggest farms.  We’ve learned how to prepare and cook with pumpkins. But also, during the rest of the year, we buy herbs from him, Swiss chard and things like that. Giusti Farms for artichokes, Iacopi Farms for some of the beets and things.  We do a lot of trips to the Farmer’s Market.  We try and really use, not only produce, but everything we can fit on our menu that is local.

We started a little shop in ENO (the Ritz’s wine bar).  I always wanted to find a way to sell some of California.  We started it just this week and it will grow. It features local products we use.

Half Moon Bay Patch:  What is your signature dish? What do you cook at home?

Chef Salomon:  I don’t have one. There are things that I do better than others.  I like to work with fish. 

I cook roasted chicken at home.  I have it at least once a week.  I don’t cook as much in my position here; I do tastings and come up with recipes and maintain the vision.  To be at home and be able to cook, I just love it.

Half Moon Bay Patch:  What do you see as a challenge in pleasing the diners here at this hotel?

Chef Salomon:  People are very knowledgeable here.  They know what they want.  The expectation is going to be higher. My goal is that every single food we put out in our kitchens has to be tip-top, because at the end of the day, the experience has to be there for everybody.

Half Moon Bay Patch:  It is known that Sunday Brunch is very popular at the Ritz.

Chef Salomon:  Sunday Brunch is a success story.  I never believed in buffets.  The food is there for a long time and not fresh. Here we have a lot of chefs doing dishes as we go.  Altogether we have about 12 chefs working to do different things.  All small dishes are made to order. It is sold out every Sunday, with two sittings at 11 a.m. and 1:30.  We can seat 300.  I never look at the reservation book for brunch.  I know it is booked.

Half Moon Bay Patch:  Tell about your work in the community with charities

Chef Salomon:  I just did Meals on Wheels on Sunday in San Francisco.  The cause is great and I’ve been involved nationwide for the last 20 years. It is good for me to do this in the city, because I’ve always wanted to be involved with the restaurants there.  I do 15-20 charity events a year.  Make A Wish Foundation is another one I do every year.  They are asking us to give away our time, so you go and cook and spend time and present a small dish or taste.  There were 45 chefs from 45 restaurants at Meals On Wheels.  One hundred percent of the money raised goes to the cause.  We do what we love to do, we do it for the right cause, and we do it with all our friends, so it is fun; it is not a burden. 

Half Moon Bay Patch:  What’s on the horizon for you? What’s coming up next?

Chef Salomon:  I know there is an opening at the end of the year.  I am going to a conference to Dubai in August.  

I went to Hong Kong and had to conceptualize the restaurant. We bring in trainers from every different hotel.  For Hong Kong, we brought in 140 trainers. And we had to go out and see what they are eating in Hong Kong. So there they have an amazing Chinese restaurant and the fine dining is Italian. For the countdown, the employees are coming onboard and our main job is to pretty much do two things: philosophy training and the actual technical training for service and trying the menu out. 

The customer has changed at the Ritz-Carlton. As people traveled more and as we got younger clientele, we had to adapt.  At the end of the day, it is the consistent service that we can provide that’s important.  And in Half Moon Bay!