Chef Ian Tauss
So you want to play like a pro? If that’s the case, you also need to eat like a pro, at least on game days. Let me introduce myself, my name is Ian Tauss, and I am a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. I had the privilege of being the personal chef to the Great One (aka Wayne Gretzky) and his family when he signed with the Rangers for ’96 – ’97 season. To impress them and get the job, I needed to cook them a meal, sort of like trying out for a team. My tryout would be to cook a pregame lunch for Wayne and his wife Janet. Wayne’s was to be a roasted chicken with a starch and salad. His wife, Janet, requested a Caesar salad.
I was a little nervous that day because I knew I wanted the job. It brought back memories trying out for my High School baseball team, with that same sort of nervousness. I was confident I was going to get the job since I was well prepared and had made roasted chicken many times. I have received many compliments from friends and family that my roasted chicken was delicious.
For Wayne’s roasted chicken, I started out with a three pound chicken which I generously rubbed with kosher salt, a chiffonade of sage, chopped rosemary, a little freshly ground black pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil that I coated the chicken with. I also stuffed the cavity with a quartered apple, a clove of garlic, and a little more sage. I roasted the chicken at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and then lowered the heat to 350 degrees for 20 minutes per lb. I basted the chicken every 20 minutes and out came a perfectly roasted chicken. The starch was a baked potato with a little sour cream and butter, and the salad was a spring mix drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice. You eat with eyes first so I deboned the chicken breast, sliced it and fanned it out on the plate drizzling the pan juices over it. That roasted chicken I made for Wayne and Caesar salad I made for Janet got me the job and lots of Ranger tickets for the season. I never mentioned that I grew up being a Flyers fan, but I quickly became a huge Rangers fan.
I believe Wayne had a good game that day and would like to think that the meal had a bit to do with it. Most of the meals were hits, but I must admit there were one or two that were not. A little hint never eat anything spicy that may repeat itself on a game day. Next time we will talk about some things to avoid eating pregame…through the stomach of a pro hockey player.
Remember practice hard and eat healthy!