A Look at Our House-Made Approach to Good Food
Good food takes work. Inside The Edison's scratch-made kitchen with Sous Chef Charles “Chuck” Sterling.
Sous Chef at The Edison, Chuck Sterling
There's an easier way to do just about everything in a restaurant kitchen.
You can buy the sauce. Order the dressing. Have your vegetables arrive already chopped, your ingredients portioned, and half the work done before anyone ties on an apron.
It's convenient. It's efficient. And according to Sous Chef Charles “Chuck” Sterling, it's usually not as good.
“One kitchen shortcut I refuse to take, whether at home or in the restaurant, is buying prepared ingredients,” Chuck says. “While I understand it could save time, they are inferior compared to fresh ingredients.”
Fair enough.
Meet the Man Behind the Line
If you've eaten at The Edison in the past two years, there's a good chance Chuck has prepared your entrée.
He's our sous chef, commander-in-chief most nights, and one of the people responsible for keeping the kitchen rocking and rolling when the dinner rush hits.
Orders pile up. Pans get hot. Somebody needs something yesterday. Meanwhile, every plate still has to leave the kitchen looking and tasting like somebody gave a damn.
That's the job. And Chuck knows it well.
The Case for Making It Yourself
At The Edison, more than 80% of what we serve is made from scratch.
Not because it's the easiest way to operate a restaurant. Quite the opposite.
House-made cooking means more preparation, more hands-on work, and more attention to the little details. But it also means greater control over ingredients, flavor, and the finished product.
Take one of our newest menu additions, the Pork Shank Rioja.
Braised for 36 hours in Rioja red wine, root aromatics, and bone broth, then served with saffron risotto and gremolata.
Thirty-six hours. For one dish.
Not exactly the express lane, but some things simply aren't meant to be rushed.
Ask Chuck what he's particularly proud of making, though, and his answer might surprise you.
The pickled watermelon.
“A personal favorite of mine is the pickled watermelon. From start to finish, it's hands down my favorite,” he says.
A close second? Our house-made au poivre sauce.
“Simply delicious.”
No dramatic speech about the transformative power of peppercorns. Just a chef who knows what he likes.
The Staff Gets the First Bite
With new dishes making their way onto The Edison's menu, there's plenty of experimenting, tasting, and constructive criticism happening behind the kitchen doors.
And Chuck isn't interested in making those decisions alone.
“I place great value in the opinions of our staff,” he explains. “Getting feedback from everyone allows me to fine-tune the dish into something we can all be proud of.”
In other words, just because the chef likes it doesn't mean the work is finished.
A dish has to survive the opinions of the people who know the menu, know the guests, and aren't afraid to say when something needs another round of work.
“If it's staff approved, I'm confident to send it up the chain to my executive, and we go from there.”
It's a pretty good system. Especially when the people tasting your food are the same people who will be recommending it to guests.
Good Food Takes Time
There's a side of restaurant dining that guests rarely see.
The hours of preparation. The sauces that don't magically appear in a saucepan. The dressings, garnishes, and individual components that somebody had to make before the first order was ever placed.
It's easy to forget all that work when you're sitting comfortably at a table with a cocktail in hand.
“Every plate, every sauce, every dressing has someone investing time into making sure it's perfect for the guest,” Chuck says.
And sometimes, that takes a little patience.
“It is not a fast food experience. Our aim is to provide an elevated dining experience. Sometimes that takes time to execute.”
There's no grand secret to it. Just people putting in the work, day after day, because the details matter.
As The Edison continues introducing new menu items, that philosophy remains the same. Fresh ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and a kitchen team that takes pride in what it sends out.
Because there are plenty of shortcuts in the restaurant business.
We just don't think they all lead somewhere worth going.
