Behind the Knife - Chef Toolboxes Tell All

Chef Profile: Brian Stefan

The Chef: Brian Stefan, chef at Smith Fork Ranch, in Crawford, Colorado. Previous gigs include a stint at McCrady’s in Charleston, South Carolina. 
 
The Toolbox: A simple drawer under the butcher block, though you’ll notice the big fat *no* to warn away intruders. “I don’t trust people with any of my stuff,” says Stefan.

The Tools: Talk about a minimalist. A couple of knives, a grater, pliers, a set of cutters, and an antique silver spoon basically do it for him. 

Some elucidation is necessary. Smith Fork Ranch is a small luxury dude ranch that is the epitome of the saying, You can’t get there from here. Stefan’s job is much different from his previous tenure at an urban restaurant.

“Before, I was used to going down the street to get anything I needed, while here it’s an hour round trip,” he says. “We get regular deliveries twice a week, but I also go out to farms a couple times a week. There are some amazing farms and produce around here.”

And with a small capacity for guests who are used to getting the best, Stefan has also learned something else. “Working at a place like this, there is no NO, there’s only, how long will it take to get it and do it?”

He cites the time when guests planned a small wedding at the ranch up on one of the nearby mountain ridges. The only way to get up there is on horseback, and he needed to transport a three-tier wedding cake up there. “We wrapped the cake the best we could and hauled it up on a donkey,” he says.

His Love Tool: A sushi knife. “Two years ago, I found it in the back of a restaurant supply store in New Jersey in a box with other Japanese tools,” he recalls. It was rusted and had a broken tip and no price tag, but it just spoke to him. “I brought it up to the counter and guy said ten bucks. I brought it home, put it on the lathe, and sharpened it. It’s made of good high-carbon steel.”

But he also has a jones for spoons. “At McCrady’s, I learned about using good spoons to plate and sauce,” he says. “They have the perfect weight and portion size. Old spoons work best, I get them from an antique store where they cost three bucks tops. And when they go missing, I tear up the place looking for it.”

You Never Forget Your First Love: “I still have a knife from my first knife kit at culinary school,” he says. “It’s like your first guitar, you never forget.

His Holy Grail Tool: I’d like to have a custom-made Japanese knife,” he said, and described the process. “You order online and give your hand size. They send you a block of clay, you grip it and send it back. Then they pull a block of steel and forge it according to your specifications. When they build samurai swords, they use the same process.” And why not? After all, a knife is the one kitchen tool that’s in his hand more often than not.

His You’re Kidding, Right? Tool: “My blowtorch,” he says. “It’s good for everything from lighting stubborn burners to melting cheese.  I’ve bruleed everything you can imagine, and it can even work as an instant smoker, if you have a wood chip and some tongs to hold it with.”