What’s Cooking?

Josh Burkett at the Black Cap Grille talks about the doors that opened to the kitchen

By Rachel Brown

Josh Burkett says he plays sports without really playing sports. That’s how he describes his culinary career and position as head chef at the Black Cap Grille at Settlers’ Crossing in North Conway where he has worked since the restaurant’s opening in June of 2009. Burkett learned at an early age that running a kitchen is like playing on a sports team. It takes camaraderie and team work.

“I worked at Rosie’s in Tamworth when I was fifteen. Worked at the Community Market and Deli in Madison when I was seventeen with Roy Prescott. It was there I understood the restaurant business. When it was busy really it was fun, lots of adrenaline. It was a big draw to me,” says Burkett, a 2000 graduate of Kennett High School.

It was also at the Community Market and Deli that Burkett saw how working together makes a restaurant kitchen sizzle. “I was washing dishes, but I didn’t mind, I knew I was doing an important job,” says Burkett. You have to take care of your dishwashers, if not, the bartenders don’t have clean glasses, the chefs don’t have clean sauté pans, it goes on and on, he adds. “At an early age, I saw how it all works, falls into place,” he says.

But at first Burkett didn’t further his education in the culinary field.” It was always sports with me. It wasn’t like I watched Julia Child as a kid. I took applied economics at Plymouth State, played football. I thought I wanted to work on Wall Street,” he says.

One day while working at the Silver Mine Country Store in Silver Lake, the culinary calling came to him.

“It was a cold, fall rainy day. The owners came in, hungry. I took a can of tomato soup, added some spices, made grilled cheese and they [owners] told me how impressed they were, the food was so nourishing, showed how much I cared,” says Burkett.

Burkett cared so much he went home and googled culinary schools. The one that caught his eye was the New England Culinary Institute (NECI) in Montpelier, VT. Burkett visited the school and knew that was the place to be. “This is one of the best culinary schools in the country, in my opinion,” he says.

Burkett talks about his education, internships and chef positions, which all lead to the Black Cap Grille.

The program at NECI was grueling, much like a chef’s work. Burkett aspired to the challenge. “At NECI it was learning by doing, food handling, meat fabrication including break down of the animal, all financials, working as cooks, waitstaff, every aspect of a restaurant. You started and stayed with a group of based on the intensive training of medical students,” he explains. Burkett says the day began at six in the morning in meat class, then to the grille at two o’clock in the afternoon. At three in the morning you’d find yourself in the bake shop learning about puffed pastry, croissant and at six in the morning you’d eating the ham and cheese croissants, just made. “I could keep talking and fill ten pages. I loved it and would do it again,” he says. Learn by doing is his motto.

Part of the program included an internship. Burkett found himself at Sebasco Harbor Resort in Phippsburg, ME and Fore Street in Portland. He credits his tenure at Fore Street to have shaped him as a chef. “Fore Street was a monster of a restaurant, the expectations so high, the food had to be perfect, a lot of pressure,” he says. The food had to be local, too. “Most of the produce came from a local farm, add winter we had our own fish monger,” he says.

He brings his education and experience, he held positions at the 1785 Restaurant, Wildcat Inn and Tavern and Horsefeathers Restaurant, to the Black Cap Grille.

“When Ben [Williams, co-owner] and I met about the Black cap Grille, the burger bar, I was a little nervous, people’s expectations are so high, the power of the Internet and the celebrity chef shows. Our philosophy is good food, good prices and repeat customers. We cater to a certain demographic being in a shopping plaza, female shoppers, and the outdoor crowd shopping Orvis, LL Bean and EMS,” he says. Burkett overseas the William’s White Cap Grille in Portland based on same philosophy: good food, good prices, repeat customers.

“I have been trained by regionality and seasonality. In January we’ll put a stick-to- your-ribs meat and potatoes on. We get as much as we can locally. George and Laurie Weston (Weston’s Farm) is our biggest local supplier. In the summer the gardener for Settler’s Green brings in her tomatoes,” he adds.

Burkett says the menu could be considered new age American cuisine, emphasizing local and regional foods. The New England Clam Chowder, Hurricane 3-Bean Chili, named after Hurricane Mountain which leads to the Black Cap trail, seasonal salads, Bangs Island Mussels, coast of Maine Lobster Rolls, Pan Roasted Filet of Salmon - coldwater Canadian, Black Cap Bistro Steak, to name a few. Then, there is the burger bar: beef burgers, turkeys burgers, from Wolfe Neck’s Farm, a house made vegetarian burger, all served anyway you like it with over a dozen toppings to chose from. “We have anything you want on a burger. If a customer has dietary needs, we bend over backwards, whether it be vegetarian or gluten free,” says Burkett.

Burkett loves the philosophy of Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame and says he also has learned so much from Williams. “It is a privilege and honor to work here and with Ben,” says Burkett. He adds business has been great with a lot of local customer support.

Burkett brings his own philosophy to the kitchen. “We don’t have a sous chef, no one works for me. We all work together. I can be in the dish pit. We are a team, just like when I played sports. Without everyone from top to bottom pulling together couldn’t do this. Though there is a natural hierarchy, it is more of a round table,” he adds.

Burkett enjoys making people happy and he tries to do so through food. “I like looking out at the dining room seeing the same faces. If I am making people happy it is easy to go back to work the next day,” he says.

For more information: visitwww.blackcapgrille.com or call 603-356-2225. Located at 1498 White Mountain Highway, North Conway.

Photo: Rachel Brown
Photo caption Chef Josh Burkett, of the Black Cap Grille at Settlers’ Crossing,  enjoys making people happy through food.