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 *Photos by Jack Bingham

Sometimes, when a chef takes over an older establishment, he or she inherits a few dishes that don’t necessarily fit in with their culinary vision. Steve Harding became executive chef of Epoch restaurant, located in the Exeter Inn in Exeter, New Hampshire, in November of 2007, and he quickly gave the menu a complete overhaul—he now sources locally whenever he can and makes seasonal changes to the menu—and he just as quickly had to come up with an interesting way to satisfy customer requests after he removed shrimp cocktail from the menu. 

The result was Spicy Chilled Hawaiian-style Prawns with Red Onion Confiture and Tomato-Ginger Chutney. The appetizer has become a customer favorite, but it’s a signature dish the chef can live with.  A few other items have also cultivated fierce customer loyalty. A starter of Spinney Creek Oyster Shooters features New Hampshire-made General Stark vodka and homemade tomato jus spiked with fresh horseradish. Although Harding will make seasonal adjustments to the dish (he makes the jus from local Brandywine tomatoes in the summer) he says he will keep some form of this dish on the menu each season, as he loves the brininess and clean flavor of the Spinney Creek oysters, and he is thrilled about using a local vodka.

Another favorite starter is the Maytag Bleu Greens. For the simple salad, Harding dresses organic greens with a classic vinaigrette and adorns them with French Breakfast radishes, thick slices of tomato, and a generous crumbling of Maytag Blue. A drizzle of herb oil finishes the dish, and Harding says it’s a perfect example of how sometimes the best way to showcase ingredients is with simplicity. Epoch’s winter favorites include Seared Red Snapper and Shrimp served with a Roasted Sweet Potato-Corn Galette and Cilantro-Chestnut Pesto, a Pepper Crusted Angus Strip Steak with Bacon-Corn Fritters and sautéed spinach, and Scallop and Lobster Papardelle which is prepared with chorizo, baby spinach, and a General Stark vodka sauce.

One signature main course that took hold quickly is Fennel-seared Sea Bass with Garlic-infused Mussels and Fennel Tomato Broth. Although not on the winter menu, diners can look forward to its return in the spring and summer. The thick fillet is dusted with a dredge of flour and fennel seed and sits in a deep-red broth made by simmering caramelized fennel with ripe tomatoes.  Plump, garlicky mussels surround the fish, and a crispy chive potato rosti is perched on top. Harding had to be resourceful with the dessert menu as well. When folks clamored for cheesecake, he came up with a Pumpkin Chevre Cheese Cake served on a gingerbread cookie and offers different versions throughout the year.

At Cinque Terre, in Portland, Maine, Chef Lee Skawinski honors the Italian tradition of using what is available in the garden that day, so that many of his signature dishes, such as the Cozze, or Maine Mussels, look quite different from season to season. Chef Skawinski is a member of the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA), and in addition to heading the kitchen at Cinque Terre and its sister restaurant, Vignola, he helps tend a forty-acre spread of farm land and a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse. The busy chef goes to the fields each morning during the growing season and arrives at the restaurant with baskets full of homegrown vegetables. “We grow all our own potatoes, and eight or nine varieties of squash, heirloom Italian tomatoes, zucchini, fennel.” And thanks to the greenhouse and to an ambitious scheduling of canning, pickling, and preserving, many of the (literal) fruits of Chef Skawinski’s labor will be featured throughout the winter.

For the aforementioned Cozze, the basic preparation of steaming the sweet mollusks in a flavorful mixture of aromatics doesn’t change much, but the seasonal ingredients Chef Skawinski uses vary greatly throughout the year. A typical wintertime treatment includes roasted garlic, lemon and vermouth, and is finished with a generous dollop of sun dried tomato butter, prepared from Skawinski’s house-dried tomatoes, made from Laughing Stock Farm tomatoes and preserved in olive oil. On the side is a cluster of savory chickpea fritters seasoned with fennel pollen, lemon zest and chili flakes.

Skawinski almost always features some version of Ostriche, or oysters, on his winter menu, and one of the chef’s favorite ways to prepare them is to lightly roast them on the half shell until they are just warmed through. A recent incarnation involved a topping of pepperoncini butter and herbed crumbs.  A quick turn under the broiler creates a sizzling, aromatic topping, while the briny oysters below receive just enough heat to become plumped and bursting with flavor. 

A risotto dish is often featured on the menu, and in winter it likely involves a hearty preparation of braised Maine lamb or veal.  Chef Skawinski starts his risotto the classic way with gently sweated onions and garlic, then proceeds to add shavings of Alto Adige Speck, a salt-cured and very lightly smoked ham from the far north of Italy.  Once the rice is added, Skawinski slowly adds the rich, almost demi glace-like stock that comes from slowly braising lamb or veal shoulder for hours with aromatics and red wine.  Chunks of the tender braised meat are pulled from the bone and added to the risotto at the end, along with a swirl of butter, a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano and some freshly minced rosemary and sage.

Chef Skawinski features plenty of fresh Atlantic fish and shellfish on his menu throughout the year, and Seared Sea Scallops, or Capesante, are always a customer favorite. A recent version was served with parsnip puree, tri color greens, and lightly crisped slices of house-cured pancetta. For his pancetta, Skawinski rubs pork belly with a mixture of salt, chili flakes, fennel seed, black pepper, and bay leaf and sets it to cure for up to two weeks, then lays it on refrigerated racks to air dry for another week or so. It’s not an exact science, according to the chef, who says, “it can cure for anywhere from 8 to 14 days, depending on the thickness of the belly.” Not only does Skawinski prefer the flavor that results from the house-curing process, but he says, “It’s a little more wholesome when you do it yourself;  you can control the salt, and you don’t have to use nitrates, and it gives you a chance to use the whole animal.” 

The dessert menu changes just as often as the dinner menu, but chef Skawinski always includes housemade gelato in one form or another. Buttermilk Gelato was featured on a recent menu alongside Warm Rum Glazed Spice Cake and Brown Sugar Roasted Pineapple.

At Sibling Rivalry, in Boston, Massachusetts, Chef David Kinkead draws inspiration from his brother, Chef Bob Kinkead, whom he has admired from a young age for his culinary creativity. Although David is the primary force at Sibling Rivalry, Bob is a partner in the business and divides his time between his own restaurant (Kinkead’s, in Washington, D.C.) and Sibling Rivalry. The menu changes frequently, but the signature theme of the restaurant is a dueling menu that features each chef’s presentation of
a single ingredient—bacon, mushrooms, pasta, beef, etc.—and guests can order from either side (Bob’s or David’s), and mix it up any which way.

Sometimes the single ingredient, well, isn’t an ingredient, but rather a technique. Both chefs often do some form of tartar, and on a recent menu David offered his version of Pristine Tuna Tartar with Warm Sushi rice, Sticky Soy Glaze, Pickled Ginger, and Spicy Aioli. For his version, Bob went with an Ancho Chili Steak Tartar with Cheese Pupusa, Pickled Cabbage, Tomatillo Relish, Avocado and Cilantro. The pupusa, a thick homemade corn tortilla stuffed with queso fresco, is typical of the authentic ethnic touches that often adorn both chefs’ dishes.

Crab is a favorite ingredient of both chefs, and a recent menu featured David’s Lump Crab Cake with Grain Mustard Sauce and a Corn and Okra Relish against Bob’s Tempura-Fried Soft Shell Crab with Green Papaya Salad, Thai Basil, and a Chili Dipping Sauce.

Lamb is another ingredient both men like working with, and one of David’s most popular interpretations has been his Moroccan Lamb Brik. The labor intensive appetizer starts with a house-made phyllo-like pastry that is painstakingly pulled and stretched to paper thinness. A filling of ground lamb seasoned with cumin, curry, and golden raisins is spread over the pastry, and a single raw egg yolk is gently nestled in the center. The delicate pastry is sealed and deep fried, with the golden yolk running out over the plate with the first forkful. Bob’s interpretation of lamb often includes two separate cuts, such as his two-way of Spiced Loin and Braised Shank with a Syrah Reduction and Fava Ragout.

Sometimes the chefs do a playful take on Surf and Turf, with one brother contrasting a meat dish against the other’s fish or shellfish dish. David, for example might offer Sea Scallops with spicy Anaheim Chili Relleno, Black Beans, Tomatillo Relish and Salsa Fresca, while Bob might do a braised or roasted meat dish as counterpoint. Both chefs are big fans of roast pork, and customers particularly like Bob’s Thyme and Rosemary-Roasted Loin of Pork with Braised Red Cabbage, Sautéed Apples, and Sweet Potato Gnocchi.

For dessert, the chefs stop “fighting” and offer a duel-free selection. The chefs like to find interesting ways to present traditional items like carrot cake or cheese cake, and a recent favorite was the Carrot Cake Roulade with Black Pepper Cream Cheese, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Ginger Sabayon. Another big hit was a Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Port Wine Poached Pears, Almond Tuile, Oatmeal Streusel and Pear & Port Sorbet. See this beautiful dessert on page 104.

Chef Michael Buckley open-ed Michael Timothy’s, in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1995, and while his passion is using seasonal ingredients and creating new dishes, he’s discovered over the years that there are some dishes customers just can’t let go of.
“I change the menu every four weeks,” says the chef, “but there are a few staples.” One such staple are the freshly shucked Baked Nova Scotia Oysters, wrapped with oven-dried tomatoes and prosciutto, and baked with a drizzle of butter. A blanket of spinach hollandaise is spooned over the top. Another is the Sautéed Escargot and Shrimp. For the dish, he sautés shrimp in whole butter over fairly high heat, which results in a little browning and starts to build flavor. He then adds the escargot, deglazes with white wine and lemon juice, and adds a splash of heavy cream. The sauce is reduced and finished with a dollop of garlic butter. “This is so simple,” says Buckley, “but people just love it.”

Buckley has taken certain popular items off the menu in the past, but he says customers wouldn’t stand for it. “Oh, they didn’t just request it,” he says laughing. “They told me it had to come back. People were really serious. I’d love to be able to do a chalkboard menu that changes every single day, but I have to respect the fact that sometimes people want to have something familiar.” Buckley created one very popular appetizer when he was looking for an interesting way to utilize the quantities of tenderloin tips that result from the in-house butchery. He coats the meaty tips in a corn flour dredge and deep fries them, then tosses them in a green curry sauce he makes with reduced pineapple juice, ginger, garlic, coconut milk, and chilis. The tips are then presented in a pappadam shell over a bed of greens. For his house salad, Buckley dresses mâche and other delicate greens with a scallion vinaigrette and tops them with crispy ham croutons and a sour cream dressing.

The most popular entrée, by far, says Buckley, is the Bistro Beef Tournedos over Garlic Crostini with grilled tomatoes, Crispy Pancetta, and Spinach Hollandaise. “I always think I’m so sick of this dish,” says Buckley, “but then there’ll be a mistake, and I get to eat it and I think, wow, this is really delicious.” Buckley says that much of the flavor comes from the fact that the tournedos are seared over the intense heat of a wood-fired grill. “We don’t use any gas for the grill. It’s fueled by 100 percent local hardwoods, and the flavor you get, you just can’t beat it,” says Buckley. The restaurant has an entire section of Wood-Grilled Pizzas, and Buckley says he takes as much pride in those as in any of the dishes on the menu. “People sometimes think of us as high end,” says Buckley, “because we’re a steak house, but I love the fact that you can come in and just sit and have a really good pizza.” Another signature main course is the Roasted Local Halibut with Hand-Dug Potatoes and Nantucket Pan Sauce, which was inspired by a visit to a Nantucket restaurant. “I asked the maître d’, ‘What should I have for dinner?’ and he said, ‘Oh the chef and I were out fishing and we caught a couple of real nice halibut.’” Buckley says the fish came out simply roasted and adorned with a pan sauce of shallots, white wine, fish stock, finely chopped red onion, parsley, cornichons, bacon, and whole butter. One of the signature desserts at Michael Timothy’s is White Chocolate Crème Brûlée, which Buckley says is proclaimed “best crème brûlée I ever had” by almost everyone who tries it.

A Johnson and Wales graduate, Paula Sullivan trained with Jasper White in Boston and was sous-chef at Lindbergh’s Crossing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Her work has appeared in the Culinary Institute of America’s Kitchen and Cook, The Wire, and the Portsmouth Herald.

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For weddings, baby showers, career milestones, homecomings, and more; today’s cake artisans design works of art that embody the celebrant’s personal vision, and showcase the creator’s signature style.


*photo by MAC Photography

Arie Kidder, of Arie Kidder Custom Cakes, in Exeter, New Hampshire, will take on any design challenge to fulfill a client’s dream. One of her most remarkable creations was a replica of stacked vintage suitcases designed to reflect a wedding couple’s passion for travel. Kidder had been granted full creative license to come up with a concept, so she met with the couple to get a sense of what would be meaningful to them. “They were very big travelers and were having a Havana wedding theme. There was going to be a woman passing out [chocolate] cigars, and there was going to be a salsa band.” The couple loved Kidder’s idea and the resulting tower of luggage was complete with authentic-looking passport stamps, luggage tags, “metal” clasps and hinges, and “leather” handles, all constructed out of edible materials such as buttercream, fondant, and sugar paste. The top suitcase was propped open to reveal actual mementos from the couple’s many travel adventures.

As stunning as her creations are, says Kidder, it’s all meaningless if the cake isn’t yummy. “I’m more flattered if you say my cakes are delicious than if you say they look beautiful,” she says. “That’s the main dessert, and it’s the last thing guests are going to eat, so first and foremost you really want it to be delicious.”

At Let Them Eat Cake, in Kennebunk, Maine, Gayle Forte draws inspiration from many sources, but the most important muse, she explains, is the celebrant. Most of Forte’s creations are wedding cakes and she says, “I get [the couple] to think about something that means something to them, a favorite painting, the dress design.” Forte loves it when the cake evokes a personal memento, such as the bride who wanted the cake to reflect her late grandmother’s china pattern, or another who offered a set of tiny bird magnets she loved, inspiring Forte to hand-sculpt tiny, marzipan replicas of the little creatures.

Of course, the beautiful Maine shoreline is a popular theme among her clients, many of whom are from away and have chosen Kennebunk as a destination wedding site. For her signature seashore-themed cakes, Forte has handcrafted silicon molds from foraged seashells, and she uses the molds to create pristine sugar-paste facsimiles of various ocean treasures.

 *photo by Justin Monroe, Monroe Photography

At Hippie Chick Bakery, in Kensington, New Hampshire, co-owner Amy Mastronardi creates elegant, custom-designed cakes, but with an added challenge; Hippie Chick specializes in accommodating various dietary restrictions. Whether it’s vegan, nut free, or gluten free, Mastronardi can accommodate almost any request. In addition, Mastronardi and her partner, co-owner Carl Neunaber, use lots of local, organic ingredients, including eggs from their flock of free-range rescued shelter chickens, and fresh fruit and edible blossoms from their organic garden. They also maintain an absolutely tree nut– and peanut-free facility.

To compete in the boutique cake business, Mastronardi (who is the culinary and artistic force at the bakery) must craft stunning, decadent-tasting cakes, regardless of the ingredients. Creating several variations of each cake flavor is an impressive undertaking—Hippie Chick offers over a dozen cake flavors and over two dozen filling and icing flavors that can be made with or without eggs, dairy, or gluten—and Mastronardi has developed all of her own recipes. In addition to wedding cakes, Mastronardi has sculpted detailed special-occasion cakes, such as a mug of foaming Guinness, an African safari, and a Noah’s Ark. Her most memorable cake thus far, she says, has been a Deep Space wedding cake ordered by a couple who were Star Trek fans and had the cake flown cross-country for their Vegas wedding. 

Residents of Suncook, New Hampshire, have been indulging in the fine European-style pastries of Jacques Pastries for more than thirty-five years. Owned by Jacques and Paula Despris, the bakery also specializes in the custom cakes designed by daughter-in-law Tammy Despris, who came to the bakery as an intern fourteen years ago and eventually married son Justin. The creative process is a collaborative effort for the Despris family; for weddings, Tammy meets with the couple and comes up with the visual concept for the cake, then Jacques and Justin do most of the cake baking. Paula does all of the detailed hand-sculpting of sugar paste figurines, and Tammy does the main decorating and assembly.

The Despris have seen a lot of changes over the years. fourteen years ago, says Tammy, wedding cakes all followed a similar design, with ruffly, white frosting and piped buttercream roses tinted to match the colors of the wedding. “The Food Network has opened up new ideas and there is so much to work with now,” says Tammy. A perfect example is the wedding cake Tammy designed for a hiking-enthusiast bride and groom. The three-tiered cake resembles a mountain, with the bride and groom—hand-sculpted by Paula and decked out in hiking garb—ascending the mountain towards their waiting spaniel.

In Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, Melissa Carter at Bumblebee Cake Studio does many custom-designed wedding cakes, but her specialty is sculpted cakes for all manner of celebrations. For a beach-themed bridal shower, Carter designed a whimsical sand pail filled with “sand” and embellished with lifelike, hand-sculpted baby crabs and seashells, and for a literary couple’s rehearsal dinner cake she created a collection of classic novels. 

Carter loves working with many different mediums, including buttercream, sugar paste, and marzipan. Fondant is one of her favorites and she says it undeservedly receives a bad rap in the flavor department. A good quality fondant, she says, has a pleasant, marshmallow-like flavor (another cake maker described it as similar to candy corn), and it has the look of porcelain, which provides a wonderful backdrop for the elegant design details of contemporary wedding cakes. Often times, says Carter, a bride will choose her cake design based on the fabric and lacework of her dress or on a piece of heirloom jewelry. Beneath the fondant there is always a layer of buttercream or other icing, says Carter, so it’s the best of both worlds. 

Hilary Larson, of Eat Cake, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, says her most popular cake is a chocolate fudge cake filled with fresh raspberry preserves and white chocolate buttercream. The cake is frosted with dark chocolate ganache, topped with a mound of fresh raspberries, and then decorated with lacey, baroque piping. A relevant message or salutation is elegantly inscribed around the side of the cake. “Using lots of fresh fruit, and the writing around the outside of the cake,” says Larson, “those are our signatures, and what I love about it is that it’s this delicious-looking thing that is going to totally wreck your diet.”

Larson left the business world to pursue her dream of cake making and she says, “I know it seems cliché to say ‘I left corporate and I’m doing something fun,’ but this has been the most positive experience; I really love what I do.” No matter how labor intensive or beautiful her cakes might be, Larson wants guests to truly indulge in the flavors and to enjoy the pleasure of eating. After all, her motto is “It’s great to be alive. Eat cake!”

Cake tips from the pros
• Contact the bakery at least three months in advance. Many bakeries limit the number of cakes they will produce in a weekend, so even if you are not ready to settle on the specific design for your cake, you can often reserve the date far in advance with a “good faith” deposit, and then schedule a consultation when the big day is only two or three months away.
• When you arrive at your consultation, it’s a good idea to bring pictures of anything you may want to incorporate into the design: color swatches, pictures of flowers, dresses, rings, invitations, or anything else you think might inspire you. Pictures of other cakes you love can be helpful as well (you can bring pictures of cakes you dislike, too). 
• In addition, bring basic information, such as number of guests, date, time, and vendor (function site) along with a list of names and phone numbers. 
• Bring your appetite, too. Most bakeries will allow you to sample as many cake flavors as you like at no charge!
• Have a budget in mind before you arrive at your consultation.  Prices vary from bakery to bakery but the range is generally between $3.50 and $5 per person. Extensive decoration, intricate design, and elaborate decoration may cost slightly more. In particular, the use of rolled fondant, marzipan, handmade sugar deco-rations, and edible blossoms will add to the cost.
• Ask about any additional fees and costs. Most bakeries include delivery within a certain radius, and then charge more per mile or per hour for deliveries outside of their range.

Thanks to Amy Mastronardi, of Hippie Chick Bakery, for her helpful tips.

A Johnson and Wales graduate, Paula Sullivan trained with Jasper White in Boston and was sous-chef at Lindbergh’s Crossing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Her work has appeared in the Culinary Institute of America’s Kitchen and Cook, The Wire, and the Portsmouth Herald.

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Harvest in Cambridge, MA, Black Point Inn in Scarborough, ME, Hurricane in Kennebunk, ME and Rudi's in Portsmouth, NH

A signature dish in its true sense is a dish that, both in its creation and execution, is uniquely associated with a particular chef or restaurant. It’s a dish that has been on the menu for years. It’s a dish that customers demand.

The truth is, though, fewer and fewer chefs have signature dishes these days. As the American palate grows more sophisticated and adventurous, and as more and more chefs embrace the challenge of weekly, or even daily, menu changes, it becomes less likely that any one item will earn a permanent place on the roster. A chef might, however, become so enamored of a particular ingredient or cooking technique that it becomes something of a calling card.

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