"My current goal is to continue to develop the menu here at the Old Pro, and make people think of the Old Pro not only as a place to drink and watch sports, but also as a place where you can actually get a great meal at a good price."

Mike Ellis -The Old Pro Chef

The Chef at The Old Pro Palo Alto

Question and Answer with : Old Pro Chef Mike Ellis

Q. Mike, we are loving the food lately at OldPro. Give us a glimpse into your background in food? Did you cook a lot as a kid?
A. My parents and grandparents were all great cooks and really into food, birthdays and holidays were always huge family gatherings highlighted by huge amounts of food and wine.  I started working at Busch's restaurant in Sea Isle City (New Jersey) as a dishwasher when I was 12 years old.  Generations of my family had been spending summers there (I grew up in Maryland right outside of Washington, D.C.) and they went to this restaurant around the corner from our house every Friday night every summer for as long as I can remember.  So I would surf all day, and then at 5pm I'd report to work as a dishwasher then I worked my way up to the salad/soup/pantry station and when I was 16, I worked the saute station-steaming mussels and clams, steaming lobsters, and blackening tuna and swordfish. 

Q. Very impressive. It sounds like an early start and a true ground floor beginning for you?
A. Yea, and After high school I worked at a couple of restaurants in the DC area including the Knightsbridge Company, at the Watergate Hotel and the Ritz Carlton. I was part of the opening team of Charlie Palmer Steak in D.C.  I was there as a sous chef for 1 year, working under Top Chef runner-up Bryan Voltaggio. 

Then Charlie Palmer sent me to Healdsburg where I was Sous Chef to Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio before taking over as the Chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. I had a very successful tenure as Chef there, earning a Michelin Star and an Ivy award.    

Q. Yea, I’ve been to some of those places and they are top shelf. So now how do you feel about your work at OldPro and what gives you a feeling of accomplishment?
A. I don't enjoy what I do, I love what I do.  I have a constant stream of ideas for food coming in and out of my head, and I try to grab onto the ones that fit into our concept and price point and refine them and re-refine them until a successful end result is achieved. My goal is to create a dish that is delicious, popular, and cost effective.

When Steve gets as excited about what I'm cooking as I am about what I am cooking that makes me feel good.  When I over hear guests talking about how good something is that gives me a sense of accomplishment.  When my two little girls come into the restaurant and want to cook with me, that makes me the happiest. 

I have been here at the OP for one year now, and over that year I have seen a lot of changes.  One of the major changes is in the way that we source our food.  We use the local farmers markets not only as a way to get the freshest seasonal ingredients available.  Supporting local farmers and buying locally grown ingredients is on of the easiest and most effective ways we can reduce our carbon footprint on the planet. We buy natural meats, ones that aren't raised with antibiotics or hormones, and only buy from source-verified purveyors--we know exactly what we are buying, what it was fed, where it was raised, and how it got to us.

Q. Maybe you can talk about your culinary philosophy.  What are your goals?
A. My culinary philosophy is always evolving.  The most important part of it is to cook food that tastes good and is approachable.  For example, would you rather eat an organic free-range chicken or a wild forest pigeon?

My current goal is to continue to develop the menu here at the OldPro, and make people think of the OP not only as a place to drink and watch sports, but also as a place where you can actually get a great meal at a good price.

We are working on a new idea, where we have one special each night that I cook myself.  Right now it is a Wagyu Beef New York Strip, the garnish changes every couple of days based upon what I find at the farmer's market.

Q. How much work goes into overseeing food prep at a place like the OP?
A. More than you can imagine.  With the limited amount of space that we have here, it takes a lot of planning to make sure that we have enough of each item needed, especially when it comes to things that require long cooking times such as the beef brisket (18 hours) and the pork shoulder (12 hours).  There is also a lot of effort spent on making sure that recipes are adhered to day in and day out so that we can achieve a satisfactory level of consistency.

Q. What is your favorite dish and why?
A. Oh gosh, I can't pick one.  It depends on the kind of mood I'm in and what I feel like eating.  That's one of my favorite parts of my job.  I can take myself on a culinary adventure to a fishing village in San Sebastien with a call to Mike the fish guy.  Or I can ask him for Chesapeake Bay soft shell crabs, have them fed-exed in the next day and feel like I'm sitting on the deck of my parents' beach house.  I can grab some coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger and feel like I'm in Southeast Asia. 

But I can always appreciate a good order of buffalo wings, a great burger, or a perfectly prepared super fresh piece of fish.

Q. Great stuff Mike. Thanks for the insights.  
A. You’re welcome. Now eat up!