Meny Vaknin shares how his food fosters asense of home
Tastemakers
FLAVORS OF A MEDITERRANEAN CHILDHOOD
Meny Vaknin shares how his food fosters asense of home
Meny Vaknin , the chef-owner of MishMish Café and Marcel Bakery & Kitchen , associates food with family gatherings , holidays and happiness ingeneral . It ’ s no wonder , then , that the Israeli of Jewish Moroccan descent launched his career as a chef , moving to the global food capital of New York .
Vaknin attended the French Culinary Institute ( now the International Culinary Center ) and helped star chef Daniel Boulud open Boulud Sud . He then served as executive chef for a number of restaurant owners , and for a year and a half commuted from Montclair to Brooklyn , wherehe worked as a consultant until a friend of his in-laws invested in MishMish Café . Last month , he opened Marcel Bakery & Kitchen at the opposite end of town .
How did you find the right location for MishMish Café ? My wifeand I were living on ForestStreet , and while I was driving our daughter to daycare , I saw a sign on the window that said : Rent by Owner . A shoe store was there before , so there are unique challenges . The main one is that the bathroom is down the hallway , which annoys people a little , and there ’ s a new venting system . But we ’ re finally getting it right .
How would you describe your philosophy of food ? I want to nourish people . I want them to come in and say , “ Wow , that was really great , it felt like somebodythought about it and put energy and love and effort into it .” It ’ s Mediterranean food . Italian , French , Moroccan and Greek cuisines all use the same ingredients , but every family and region has a different style .
MENY VAKNIN
MishMish Café 215 Glenridge Ave ., Montclair ( 973 ) 337-5648 , mishmishcafe . com
Marcel Bakery & Kitchen 631 ½ Valley Road , Upper Montclair ( 973 ) 842-4086 , marcelbakeryandkitchen . com
How would you describe Marcel Bakery & Kitchen ? It ’ s a destination spot for breakfastand lunch , a grab-and-go kind of place . Youcan come in and have afull meal , take something for the morning train , or hang out when you come back . It ’ s more casual . We ’ regoing to bakeour own Middle Eastern and French rustic bread daily ; that ’ s abig passion of mine that I ’ ve been playing around with for years . Bread is life .
What advice do you have for holiday cooks ? Prepareahead . Makethe sauceone day , and marinate the turkey the next . Break your food prep down into steps .
What do you like best about being achef-owner ? You get to work for yourselfand create your ownterms . Youcan have avision of the kind of experience you want customers to have ; serviceis50percent of it . My vision isto create a space where people walk in , and they ’ ll be transformed a little bit . Iwantthemtofeel at home . The flavors go back to my childhood . I put my grandparents ’ pictures up on the walls .
What is the most challenging aspect ? To be a small business owner is to feel constant anxiety , unfortunately . What if next week isn ’ t as good as this week ? You ’ re dealing with vendors , other small businesses , and you ’ re never really free , seven days a week . My family feels the heat , and that ’ s the worst part . My 5-year-old daughter asks , “ Are you staying home ?” and my 3-year-old son thinks my middle name is MishMish .
You made three appearances on the Food Network show Chopped before MishMish opened its doors . Was that helpful in getting the word out about your new place ? The first time Iwas on the showand won $ 10,000 , Iwas still at my consulting gig in Brooklyn . But it takes ayeartoair it , and thatwas just as MishMish was opening . The second time was the “ Tournament of Champions ,” and people did ask me “ Are you that guy ?” The whole Chopped experience was great — challenging , real and fast . And the money was good . Back then , $ 10,000 was really necessary .
If you could cook for someone dead or alive , who would it be , what would you cook and why ? Iwould probably cook for mygrandma on my mom ’ s side , who passed away when Iwas much younger . She didn ’ t getachancetosee me as a chef . Iwould probably cook for her something really simple and enjoy it with her together , like mergueze sausage and bean stew with alot of breadand some aniseliquer on the side with it . That ’ sagood day dream ...
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AMY NEWMAN
34 HOLIDAY 2017 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE