Meet Chef Randy Rucker
Chef/Owner of laidback manor
March 2, 2006, Houston, Texas... At age 26, Randy Rucker has fulfilled his life long dream of opening a restaurant, "laidback manor," with only two goals in mind. One, offering fine dining cuisine without the distractions of the formal setting usually associated with a fine dining restaurant, while retaining the attention to details and elegant service. The second goal was to create an environment where young cooks would be welcomed to ask "what if" questions and experiment and discover the answers themselves.
"At laidback manor," stated Rucker, "I want to offer my guests a complete new way of enjoying their meal. I want guests to explore their palate and discover new flavors, temperatures and textures. We want to spark their curiosity and make them smile," he added. "Our food is fun, modern and creative."
Rucker prepares many of his dishes "sous-vide" ("under vacuum"), a popular and current French style of cooking. Food is vacuum-packed and cooked for a long time (his Duet of Berkshire Pork is cooked for 60 hours) in a water bath at low heat. "Cooking "sous-vide" allows all the flavors to come together in a way that conventional cooking methods do not," stated Rucker. "And we are all about flavor!"
Rucker's team in the kitchen includes chef de cuisines Shaun Duffy and Seth Gardner, together they are thinking outside the standard kitchen, inspired by Spanish chef Ferran Adria and his famous 'laboratory.'
The menu changes each day because the chefs visit the farmers markets each morning, hand selecting the freshest asparagus, squish, fish and fruits. "We shop for ingredients first, then make the menu," stated Rucker. And in a nod to yesterday, they churn their own butter. "Sometimes, we will add other ingredients to the butter, like our own "sun dried" tomatoes one day, chives the next. Butter, and all the ingredients we use, are just flavors from which we create fresh each day. "
"Food does not have to be taken seriously," stated Rucker. "We play with our food and have fun with our guests."
laidback manor, 706 Main Street at Capital, Houston, Texas 77002. For more information, please call 713-227-0402 or visit our website at www laidbackmanor.net.
Chef2Chef News Desk