Avont Grant grew up cooking with his mother and grandmother, and learning from culinary legends who showcased worldwide cuisines on TV. Grant enjoys experimenting with different ingredients and cooking techniques, striving to serve diners food that looks aesthetically pleasing and broadens their horizons.
RESTAURANT WEEK: When and why did you choose to become a chef?
GRANT: I've been cooking since I was 9 years old. I was born in Chicago, and my parents were separated, so I lived with my mom and then I would live with my grandma, and so I was always in the kitchen cooking with those two.
What's your culinary philosophy?
Never cook when you're angry. You've always got to put love in your food.
How do you challenge yourself to stay creative?
I like to pick new ingredients — ingredients that I've never worked with before, and then challenge myself to create new dishes from those ingredients in a different technical way.
What are some of the biggest challenges the restaurant industry is currently facing?
The lack of staff is one problem I have right now. It's hard to find people to work in the kitchen these days. Me and my staff are a skeleton crew, so we're putting in a lot of hours, and it kind of drains you a little bit. I try to take the brunt of those hours to make sure my staff have days off with their families because they have families outside the workplace. And as chefs, cooks, kitchen leaders, kitchen managers, we have to make sure that we understand the fact that these kids have families outside of the workplace. If they're not happy, I don't want them on the line. I don't want to put that type of energy out, so yeah, trying to get these guys time off.
Who are your culinary heroes?
I don't mean to sound cliche or cheesy, but I'd say my grandmother. She would take nothing and make something out of it. A little bit of this, a little bit of that was her motto in the kitchen. We grew up poor, so we didn't have much. So I think she would be my culinary hero. But outside of that, I grew up watching Emeril Lagasse. It just opened my eyes to different cuisines, watching him travel, so I guess he would be my second.
What are you most looking forward to this Restaurant Week?
I'm looking forward to sharing an experience with people and keeping the staff motivated. I'm really excited because this year I'm going to try to get out and try some other restaurants, because last year I wasn't able to because it's just so busy. So hopefully with scheduling I can squeeze out of the kitchen for maybe a bite to eat at a different restaurant.
What's your favorite thing on Dry Fly's menu?
I'm doing a tiramisu for dessert. It's been some years since I've done it, but I'm really looking forward to making that again. It's going to be nice. And I'm doing a blackened trout over wilted spinach and garlic mashed Yukons. It sounds kind of weird, but it's gonna work out together, those flavors. I'm really excited about that.
What advice do you have for diners?
Be patient. The first part of the week, the staff's getting used to a new menu. Food might not come out as fast as you want. You've got to understand that during that first part of the week, a lot of people are out, some take reservations, some don't. So just be patient when dining, and try to enjoy the experience that's been created. ♦
