How to Cook an Alligator – Chef Paul Vanderpool Jr.

Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, Chef Paul Vanderpool Jr. cooked (and received numerous awards) in New Orleans at establishments like K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen before coming to Canada. He thought he was on his way to Quebec from the French Quarter (Ottawa/Hull) when he was recruited for a position at Elements Restaurant & Lounge in Thunder Bay.

This interview is one of five I did with Ontario chefs for an article that was bumped from a print publication for lack of space. At the time, Chef Vanderpool was serving as executive chef at Elements. To the best of my knowledge, he has now returned to the US, but this was such a great interview that I decided I couldn't leave it out.

• Food style: Cajun fusion. I'm a manipulator of food, so I've been told. I like to take something that has no balance and create harmony with it.
• Oddest customer request? I'm a meet-and-greet chef, but there was one couple who decided to order me a meal. They ordered a dinner for me even though it was coming out of my kitchen, and I had to sit back there and eat it with them.
• Scariest moment in the kitchen? One time I told one young guy to clean the hoods, but he didn't pay attention and he didn't turn the deep fryer off. His foot slipped and fell in; his shoe came off, and his sock, and the skin came off. He was off for a year-and-a-half, but he's okay now and he's a sous chef.
• Greatest triumph? I'm very proud of my heritage. My father was a chef back home. I know Jean-Paul Prudhomme personally. I'm proud that I have gold awards to my name; I'm proud that I could do what I could do; I'm proud that I could teach people the industry. Able to create: that I guess is the biggest thing.
• Wisdom for Other Chefs? Stop pretending and just be yourself! Respect who you have in the kitchen. If you don't have a good backbone, you're not going to stand long in the kitchen.
• What's Cooking? Alligator Piquante. You get your alligator filet. You take your hammer and you're gonna flatten it out. You can either flour it, or you can hit it off real good with lavender. Alligator is a soft meat. It's tough if you overcook it; it would melt in your mouth if you cook it right.

Piquante is a bit like Mexican salsa, but it's different too. You put in your green peppers, bell peppers, garlic, chives, your cayenne pepper, tomato paste of course and burgundy wine, green onions and parsley and a little touch of flour (you gotta make your roux!) You pan-fry the alligator – sear it off – then you incorporate it with your flour and butter for your roux, and then you add all the rest of the stuff and about a cup-and-a-half of water, and your burgundy wine. Then you add your saffron rice.

Don't do what the Canadians do; they incorporate the rice right into the dish! You put it in a bowl; then you put your alligator on top, then you just touch it with your rosemary. Then you take warm water and you brush your lemon in it. You take the lemon over the side of your plate, and you take a good ounce-and-a-half of lavender. The server will take the lavender up to the nose; it's like a love affair with the food, and believe it or not, it makes you hungry!

Note: Elements does has a Fettucine Jambalaya on the menu, but they don't serve alligator any more.

Also check out:

• Craig Paulger, J. Dee's Market Grill (London)
• John Sinopoli, Table 17 (Toronto)
• Raymond Taylor, Ponte Vecchio (Niagara Falls)
• Stephen Vardy, Black Cat Bistro (Ottawa)