When Puck first began considering expanding his operations overseas in Japan, he claims he was drawn to the country because he loved “the culture, the food, the politeness of the people and the fact that I’ll always find new ideas for my profession.”
Puck was always on the lookout for new ideas to inspire his cooking. From the unique vegetables of each country to their different spices and cooking techniques, Puck was never afraid to venture into unknown territory by combining different cuisines. Indeed, by doing so, Puck became known as the grandfather of California cuisine, a new gourmet style of cooking that fused local California ingredients with French techniques. This was one of the secrets to his success and one of the most important factors in what set him apart from his competitors, whose restaurants on the Sunset Strip tended to go as quickly as they came.
“Ma Maison was the beginning of the food revolution here in California,” Puck recalls. “Everything had to be either French, Italian or Chinese. People didn't believe that we had great ingredients here.” Unwilling to follow the trend and copy his competitors, Puck set out to try something new by integrating California ingredients with French techniques. “I think it was really different,” he says. “I tried to cook interesting French food. Only after work did I start to look into what would be best for California -- what style would fit into California the best. It's not food from Paris or from Lyons. It's food from the south of France and Italy with some influences from Asia.” With that, California cuisine was born.
Puck wasn’t afraid to take risks when it came to his cooking. He knew that it would only be in doing so that he would achieve any significant success. When the first Spago opened, it was serving dishes like tuna sashimi, which up until then had never been served by any of Puck’s competitors. People were excited to see what Puck would come up with next, what new combination he would try, and so they kept coming back for more.
It was this willingness to embrace his surroundings wherever he went that made Puck and his restaurants become so embraced and loved the world over. In planning one of his many trips to Japan, Puck said, “I will educate myself about new ingredients we can find at the vegetable market, or the fish market. Also, to go to exciting Japanese restaurants…I believe that Tokyo is ready for a restaurant such as ours which combines my style of cooking and Naoki’s style of cooking, using the best ingredients you can find in Japan.”
Looking back, it might seem logical for a chef to attempt to use local ingredients with the cuisine in which he was trained. But, it was Puck who led the effort at a time when not only was it rare, but it was also frowned upon by many traditionalist chefs. By being a pioneer in his industry and being willing to take risks, Puck was able to achieve newfound success.
Lesson #3: Mix Things Up
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