Bringing Sexy (Food) Back, Meet the Other J.T.

Jenner Tomaska, former executive chef of Next, current Instagram influencer, and mini-pop up impresario has amazing hair. Maybe this means absolutely nothing in the scheme of things, except that I’m obsessed with chefs with good hair. But, also, over the years, I’ve seen that somehow a lot of great chefs have good hair. Kevin Hickey of Duck Inn for example is one. Also, at this point Hickey likely thinks I am a stalker. And I am, but mostly for his amazing higher-end comfort food crafted through a Bridgeport blue collar lens. 

Tomaska, by any measure, is a great chef. Most chefs have to execute on a single theme and then iterate over the years. As a chef at Next, Tomaska had to open a brand-new restaurant every three or four months. One month he could be doing Japanese, the next month Italian.  If he were just doing comfort food, that’s probably not too bad. But, he had to serve the very best modern interpretations of these cuisines. Anything less would be a failure. In some cases he had to credibly replicate the cooking of the world’s best chefs, guys like Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se.  As you’ll see below, Tomaska actually had to earn Keller’s seal of approval in the process. This is to say, Tomaska has operated often with a very high degree of difficulty, sort of how Simone Biles does gymnastics moves no one else has even tried.

Since moving on from Next, Tomaska with his wife Katrina, a fantastic photographer, runs a beautiful Instagram feed and has done some really interesting pop ups including an ugly produce-themed meal at Elizabeth. I caught up with him recently to discuss what it’s like being a chef in between restaurants.

I saw you were hanging out with your dog on this nice spring, I mean, snowy Chicago day?

Yeah, that’s my escape right now, to hang out with her. Her name is Nelly, she’s a Weimaraner.  She’s basically a hunting dog. Once, she took off after this thing and brought it back, and I realized she put a dead rat in my hand. I threw it away and then she brought it back.  We played catch-a-rat a few times, until I could find a way to dispose of it.

I just spoke to Noah Sandoval of Oriole, and we talked about how he asked his wife to marry him on a very specific day and it was because it was his only day off.  I see you didn’t go on your honeymoon with your wife until three years after you got married. I guess that’s the hospitality industry in a nutshell. I guess if there’s any upside right now, it’s that people are getting a forced breather.

That’s right. 3 years after I asked my wife, we went on our honeymoon. I also asked her to marry me on a very specific day too. It was the  James Beard awards

When you were up for rising star chef?

Yes. I wanted the day to be more than just about me.  But, like you say, that’s the nature of the hospitality industry. We did things backwards. We eloped, and then a year later had a private dinner with friends, and then we eventually went on our honeymoon.

I saw pics of that dinner on Instagram. You had a lot of chefs. Did they all cook a course?

I’ve been very fortunate. Not many people have that opportunity. I was lucky to have chefs who were important to me and my career make the dinner.  Erick Williams [MK, Virtue] was there, Michael Kornick [MK, DMK Burger Bar]. I told my wife I would do some cooking, but she wouldn’t let me. She said absolutely not. Ben Ruiz of Won Fun did some great stuff.

I loved Won Fun. I miss that place. It was definitely underrated.  Did you stay out of the kitchen the whole night?

I definitely went back there, but I kept getting yelled at.

That reminds me of my uncle. He played in bands and I remember he sat with the band at his own wedding. It’s kinda like that, but for a chef.

Yeah, the kitchen is where I fit in. It’s like my home where I’m most comfortable.

You started out as a dishwasher at a place called the Wild Boar?

It was on the south side. I’m from Orland Park. I’ve only worked in food my entire life, Dairy Queen, dishwashing and bar backing. It’s my home outside of home. I’ve always been drawn to the people, the familia aspect, and the comaraderie.

How old were you when you started?

I had to get permission from my school. I was 14. I think they had to make sure your parents weren’t exploiting you.

I went to Johnson and Wales for culinary school. I spent some time in South Carolina, Hilton Head Island. There’s was this PGA place, the 9th green steakhouse. I was in Rhode Island, McCormick and Schmick’s. I thought, I’ve been dabbling in fine dining, but there was an opportunity where I could stay in a corporate management position, but I knew I didn’t know enough about cooking. I moved back to Chicago and staged at Tru and then MK. Dave Beran [the executive chef at Next at the time] was also at Tru. I think that’s why we got along so well at Next.

Speaking of MK, tell me about the impact of chef Erick Williams?

He gave my wife away at our wedding. He’s like my life coach. My wife makes fun of us. We were on the phone for an hour the other day talking about nothing. I can’t ever repay him for everything he’s done for me. He introduced me to my wife. I helped him open Virtue. He’s a little older than me, so we didn’t physically cook together a lot at MK, so it was nice to be back together at Virtue.

It’s interesting because you’ve worked at the super high end, but also at MK and these other spots, does that give you balance as a four-star chef that maybe others don’t have if they grew up only working in that environment?

Yeah, that’s the thing Erick taught me. MK never got a Michelin star and I was so frustrated. I thought we were keeping up with the times and cooking at an incredible level. I also staged at Crofton on Wells and place like that and MK never got credit for what they were. But with Virtue or MK vs Next, it’s not that there is any less attention to detail or it’s any less than a 3 star. Erick taught, me it’s just about doing what you care about and doing it the best you can. You appreciate different perspectives and then you decide what you want to impact and who..

What did you learn from Dave Beran [Alinea, Next and Dialogue and Pasjoli in California]

I learned how to be creative. I’m a hammer and nail guy because of my worth ethic. I don’t know how to make food float. That’s why I loved Virtue. It was me and Erick trying to teach a new group of people, some who never cooked before, how to cook and have a good value system.

This is interesting. I think some people think creativity is just innate. How do you learn to be creative?

It’s good to be in a box, to have parameters, or restrictions. It gives you a starting place to know where to break out of. For example, you start with the boundaries of what you think Italian food is, but then you say how can I extend that. I give a lot of credit to my wife for pushing me. She’ll say let’s go to museum. I’m so literal, so that becomes an inspiration or jumping off point.

Beran is such an extremely smart guy. I owe him a lot for teaching me to push in the creative process. He was such a good sounding board. I knew how to sear scallops, do classic beurre monte or beurre blanc, but he taught me when to use a hydrocolloid or some other techniques, not because they’re cool, but because Dave showed me there’s a how and a why and place for these things to make everything better. But, Dave also showed me you have to have a good foundation first.

You say you’re a literal guy, but I’ve always been impressed with the way you take an idea and do something really unique. I think about how you did that pigs trotter course for the Chicago Reader ingredient challenge, and it became this crazy high-end charcuterie course with foie-stuffed pate.

You make me feel good about myself. I’m my own worst critic.  It’s a gift and a curse. Sometimes I think, you know I’m not a pizza guy or make thousands of tacos. Those guys have this schtick, and they become identified with it and they become amazing at this one craft. You can get enrapt by that and get a little insecure about who you are and what your voice is.

What is your voice? How would you characterize your style?

I don’t want to be known for doing one thing. I know you can’t go up against nostalgia, because you can’t compete against that. You never win. My voice is to keep changing as I a grow, in cooking and life and how you operate as a team. It’s my goal to pay that forward. I’ve been lucky enough because of my mentors, to be in the spotlight a lot, and when I open a restaurant I want to share that spotlight with others.

Is that a goal? Do you want to open a restaurant?

That will happen. 

I ask that question because I’ve been fascinated to see you do all these other things since you left Next. You’re an Instagram influencer and teacher. You’re doing pop ups. How does it feel to be a chef in between restaurant gigs?

I’m very unsatisfied all the time when I’m working in kitchens. I’m always rushing to get to the next thing. So, you never stop and appreciate what’s going on. It’s been a nice bit of a reset. I miss my kitchen routine. That’s the one bright spot about this pandemic. It’s fun seeing chefs enjoying their craft at home. You’re not gonna get this opportunity again. It might suck on the surface, but also hopefully try to enjoy it.

Speaking of that, I see you making creamsicle souffles with beautiful kumquat mosaics and laminated doughs on Instagram, but you’re not cooking like that all the time, right?

Instagram scratches my itch. I’m missing the creative day to day of the kitchen, but offline, yeah I meal prep for my wife. We do a lot of healthy food, ground turkey and stuff, so it’s not all fancy stuff. I mean I make the stuff for Instagram and then I take a bite, and I’m like hey Katrina we have to get these croissants out of the house and give them to people. I can’t eat them all. I want to.

Speaking of the influencing. I’m a watch guy. I saw you did something with Panerai? I love those watches. It’s a grail for me.

I’m not a watch guy, but yeah that was a while back. They wanted a chef because there are a ton of hand shots. I think they hired Massimo [Bottura] now. I try to stay on brand. If Burger King comes calling, I probably wouldn’t do it.

Yeah, I think that’s cool that you do it. It’s not like you’re a food journalist reporting on these places and then shilling for them. Is it true you’re lactose intolerant, but want vanilla ice cream for your last meal? I guess you figure if you’re gonna die, who cares about the pain at that point?

Yeah, it’s ridiculous. There might be pain, but if you’re gonna go, it might as well be delicious. I’m terrible. I ask once a week even if it’s 20 degrees below whether we should go for ice cream. I have a big sweet tooth.

Yeah, I’ve developed a minor allergy to garlic. I get all achy and have some inflammation and I’m like, dude, I can not give up garlic. I really should.

Yeah, I have some other weird psoriasis allergy to lavender, but I love it.

Do you have a favorite meal from all the Next themes?

I really loved Childhood. It was early in my time at Next and Grant Achatz sat me and another cook for dinner, so we experienced it from a diner’s perspective. Achatz said it’s important to experience the meal that way so you know what all your hard work in the kitchen is doing.  It’s good to get the guest’s perception of the experience.

Is it fair to say that cooking at Next has to be one of the most difficult cooking jobs in the world? You’re opening a new restaurant every three or four months. Like the World’s 50 Best meal must have been really tough, cooking so many different dishes from all of the world’s great chefs?

The Worlds 50 Best wasn’t that bad actually. The French Laundry menu was much scarier.  Thomas Keller came to the kitchen. I mean I get nervous all the time. Like I was nervous before this interview.

If it makes you feel better, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people, and I was nervous just before I called you. I think it means you care.

Absolutely. They invited me to stage for a weekend at the Laundry and they treated me like royalty, so I shouldn’t have been nervous. But then Keller came in to Next and hung out in the kitchen. He talked some shit. Like his food has progressed over the last 20 years, so Oysters and Pearls is plated completely different than it was in the beginning and you don’t know if you’re doing the right version. At, one point, Keller is giving me a look and saying, you know what that looks like… I’m freaking out, like, am I doing this wrong. Cooking his food for him and it’s not in his kitchen and he’s signing off on the menu, that’s pressure. He was obviously amazing about it though.

I saw you spent some time in the McDonald’s test kitchen?

Yeah, I know someone in HR. It was their yearly employee party. I did riffs on their stuff, like McDonald’s hash browns with caviar, a Big Mac with wagyu, and a hollowed-out yuzu parfait.

You’ve also done a few pop ups now including with B.K. Park at Mako and Iliana at Elizabeth.

I can’t wait to own a place and invite someone in, but it’s fun to do these one offs. I’ve always loved BK and his work at Juno and Arami.  Iliana was like, ‘Here are the keys to the place, have fun!’

Do you think the pop-ups reflect what we’ll see from you in the future, like an ode to ugly produce?

Iliana had that theme. I love the French classics. I like to make things creative and pretty, but I want to make sure it’s still a meal. Some chefs feel the creative aspect is more important than it being an overall meal. I want people to walk out satisfied. I don’t want them to have to get a taco or a Dirty Burg at Smyth after. I know some people say, I can’t believe you dropped $300 on a tasting menu, but I’m like, you dropped that or more going to a weekend at Coachella. It’s just a matter of what you’re in to.

I love that comparison.  I remember when you had to call Ticketmaster or go to the record store to buy concert tickets. I went to the French Laundry early on when I was younger. My friends were calling Ticketmaster for Pearl Jam tickets and getting busy signals. I was calling for a reservation to the French Laundry and getting busy signals. My friends thought I was nuts. But I was like, THIS IS my Pearl Jam.

What do you see on the other side of this COVID thing?

People are saying this is the end of restaurants. But, people always seek out environments and hospitality. I don’t believe restaurants aren’t going to exist. People will yearn to go out again. That’s human nature.

Oh, one more thing before we go. I know you were on Food Network on Iron Chef Masters. It didn’t go your way, but I suspect you really wanted the chance to take out Bobby Flay, right?

Hahaha.Yeah, I’m so competitive and I was pissed off. It was fun. Stuff like that’s cool. Like I was fascinated by the Bocuse d’ Or [cooking competition]. I played sports as a kid. But, on the other hand, food is your opinion. It’s tough to say who really wins in a food competition because everyone has a different perspective.