East Chop

Chef Gavin Smith

For Private Chef Gavin Smith, AKA The Food Minded Fellow, cooking for others is more than satisfying an ingredient list. It’s experiential – a start-to-finish creative process. What are his client’s tastes or restrictions? What’s seasonally spot-on for those wishes?

Trained in the NYC restaurant industry, a 2011 move to Atlanta set the ball rolling for his private chef endeavor. He and wife Angela hosted supper clubs for friends with guests chipping in for ingredients and Chef Gavin creating magic. It was then that he realized homes were his culinary calling, not restaurants.

When the couple relocated to the Vineyard in 2014, he started The Food Minded Fellow. From one meal to many, Chef Gavin thoughtfully curates in-home dining “experiences” from informal family-style dining to elaborate tasting menus, even educating others through at-home cooking classes. He frequents local restaurant chef pop-ups, and, thanks to a Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce mini-grant, his foodie followers can expect his 2020 podcast on chefs and farmers navigating the deliciously compelling local ecosystem.

We waded into the still waters with Chef Gavin to rake up clams for his linguini dish that sits sidecar to tasty bourbon honey and mustard glazed crispy chicken thighs.

 

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Recipes

Honey Bourbon Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup of bourbon

  • 1 Cup honey

  • 2 Tbsp Stone ground mustard

Pour bourbon into a heavy saucepan. Increase heat slowly to medium/high. Use a lighter or match to light the fumes on fire (be careful to do this in a well ventilated area, as the flames can get quite high). Once the alcohol has burned off of the bourbon, the flame will extinguish. Combine warm bourbon with honey and mustard seed.


Bone in chicken thighs: 

Coat skin lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, grill or pan sear until chicken is approx 120-140 degrees (about 90% cooked through). Coat well with honey bourbon glaze, then place in 400 degree oven to finish cooking. Chicken should reach at least 165 degrees F internal temperature. 

Linguine with Fresh Clams Ingredients:

  • 2 Lbs fresh clams (wash off any excess sand and grit)

  • 2-3 Cloves garlic (sliced thin)

  • 2 Tbsp fresh thyme (picked)

  • 1 Onion (diced medium)

  • 1 Cup fresh cherry tomato

  • 6 Cups fresh spinach

  • 2 Tbsp butter olive oil

  • 1 Cup white wine 

  • 1 Lb Linguine

Coat the bottom of a large stockpot with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, cooking until just translucent. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant (1 minute). Add white wine and thyme. Allow to come to a boil. Carefully add fresh clams to the pot, and cover. Check after a few minutes (it's OK to stir them carefully). Once all clams are opened, remove them from the pot and place them into a large bowl (pick the meat out of the clams and dispose of the shells). Add butter and tomato, leave uncovered, and let reduce until a thick sauce begins to form. While the sauce is reducing, cook linguine according to package directions (pro tip: do not add salt to the pasta water until its boiling). Once the sauce in the pan begins to come together, add spinach. When spinach is wilted, reintroduce the clams, and add pasta directly to the pan. Taste for salt and pepper (the clam liquid itself will be quite salty, it is important not to add additional salt until you have tasted for salinity). Serve, and enjoy!


Smashed Potatoes Ingredients:

  • 2-3 Lbs new, or fingerling potatoes

  • 1 Stick butter

  • 1/4 Cup fresh herbs (rosemary, summer savory, thyme...etc)

  • Salt and Pepper 

Fill a large stockpot with potatoes, and cover about 2 inches with water. Add 2 Tbsp of salt, and bring to a boil. Once potatoes are fork tender, remove from the pot, and place into large baking pan. Smash each potato with a fork (opening the potato skin allows for the butter and herb flavor to penetrate the whole potato). Top with butter, fresh herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper. Place baking pan into 375 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes until the bottom begins to brown. Serve and enjoy!