chefs
THE
SHARING
OPTION
Oh, since I was little, I knew.
I was fortunate. My
family is well off in
Haiti and we had a
cook. But I would
cry to go [cook] in
the kitchen. And
one day a week,
my mother would
allow me to go in there.
What other kid do you know
that cries to go cook in the kitchen?
How would you describe your
food? It’s really a fusion of…lots of different
places. There’s French, of course. And I love
New Orleans, so there’s some Cajun-style
dishes and Southern food. My husband is
Italian, and I learned to cook Italian food from
his mother. She’s the best cook. I still use her
sauce recipe in the restaurant.
What do you like most about
being a restaurant owner? I like
to see people having that joy in their faces
after they eat. I cannot even explain it. When
they love it, it’s the best feeling in the world.
What was your worst experi-
ence serving the public? When
someone comes to the restaurant, and they
tell you what they want, and how to cook it,
30
HOLIDAY 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
GRILLED SCALLOPS
and then they don’t
want it. Or say it’s
wrong. Some people
will even ask to bring
their own stuff. I let them
bring in birthday cake, and
that’s it!
Where would you like
to take your food from
here? The restaurant is the
story of my life — it’s what I like
and where I have been. Like, I have
been to Jamaica and now I will have
jerk chicken and curried goat specials. If I go
to a new country in the future, I will bring
something else [to the restaurant]. As a chef,
if you learn it, you want to share it. Sharing is
what life is about.
What do you do for
Thanksgiving? I do Thanksgiving at the
restaurant every year. We close it and I invite
my family, my friends, the staff. I do every-
thing — fried turkey, stuffed turkeys, some
Haitian dishes. I make filet mignon, candied
sweet potatoes, lamb, and a whole salmon.
Oh, and the bread pudding. I still use my
grandmother’s recipe. To this day, no one has
the recipe, not even my sous chef!
E
hren
Ryan
NADINE
AND
thinks
EHREN
the best
part of cooking — and
eating — is sharing.
Ryan shares Common Lot with his
wife, Nadine, a cheese sommelier
and front-of-the-house manager.
His diners are encouraged to split
items from the “Smalls to Share”
and “Shared Mains for Two”
sections of the menu. Even the
name of his restaurant, which
was proclaimed 2017’s Best New
Restaurant at the Garden State
Culinary Awards last spring, sug-
gests the idea of joining together in
a public space. Ryan, 33, who
draws inspiration from his time
cooking in Europe and his world
travels, tells us more about how he
infuses fine dining with an attitude
of generosity.
>
ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
When did you know you
wanted to be a chef?
Ehren Ryan and his
wife, Nadine, win
kudos while
encouraging
community