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At Dragonfly Neo-V in Columbus, Ohio, where the menus change with
the seasons, Chef Magdiale Wolmark’s vegan offerings—including
eclectic dishes like Wild Mushroom Crêpes, Ravioli Nachos, and
Seitan Bordelaise—are as fresh as the organic produce in the
kitchen. Read PETA Eats’ review of Dragonfly Neo-V here. And
for more information, visit Dragonfly’s
Web site. |
Chef Spotlight: Magdiale Wolmark
Restaurant: Dragonfly Neo-V
Chef: Magdiale Wolmark
Position: Owner and Chef
Age: 39
Q. How long have you been a chef?
A. Seventeen years professional cooking, eight years as a chef.
Q. Do you have animal companions?
A. Two cats, Pooty and Raven.
Q. What type of cuisine do you focus on?
A. Regional Central Ohio cuisine, using ingredients indigenous to or grown
in Central Ohio.
Q. Do you have a personal specialty?
A. I enjoy working with wild and cultivated mushrooms and smoking ingredients
for dishes. A personal favorite of mine is hempseed-crusted smoked king-oyster
mushrooms with sweet-corn pudding and paw paw pasilla-pepper barbecue sauce.
Q. What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
A. Monitoring the growing and harvesting process on local farms as
closely as possible or growing my own ingredients. Cuisine that is designed
from the farm/garden to plate is the ultimate experience.
Q. What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
A. Proper execution of the dish is the key. Meat-eaters are not adverse
to eating vegetables—only improperly cooked vegetables. Precision
is paramount. Vegetables are so delicate.
Q. What, in your opinion, is in store for the future of plant-based cuisine?
A. Local food systems that emphasize vegetables will define the next
generation of cuisine. In this case, education and youth training should
be supported by vegan chefs. Only through a comprehensive and thorough re-evaluation
and restructuring of our present food systems can we definitively change
the growing and eating habits of future generations.
Q. What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
A. All things local. I love wild-foraged ingredients. I recently started
using wild-foraged black walnuts. I’ll never use a cultivated walnut
again. The flavor is so wonderfully pungent and gamey.
Q. In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
A. I haven’t had any great experiences with mushrooms outside
of Dragonfly. Mushrooms are all about water and keeping that moisture inside
the fungus. Every mushroom is different and requires a unique approach.
Everyone wants to sauté mushrooms, and that may be an appropriate
technique for only a few varieties.
Q. Fun question of the day: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
A. I’m not about “ethnic food”—I’m all
about local food. I’ll find what’s growing on the island and
prepare that, but if it’s coconuts, then I’ll tend to lean toward
an Asian-Brazilian fusion.
Q. Do vegetarian restaurants have any special obstacles that they face versus meat-based restaurants?
A. Not at all. Great cuisine speaks for itself and attracts a broad
audience. A great restaurant that exemplifies high standards of service,
cuisine, and wine will always succeed, vegetarian or not. Vegetarian restaurants
may actually hold an advantage in that they are specialized and represent
the future of cuisine.
Q. Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
A. Only use ingredients in season. Develop your sensitivity and technique,
and remain focused, disciplined, and persistent. Once you have developed
a strong foundation, then you can experiment.
Q. What are some food ingredients you recommend that vegetarians and
vegans should have in their kitchen for cooking?
A. Once again, the seasons dictate the inventory in the pantry. I consistently
keep flours, grains, dried products, sweeteners, vinegars, shoyu, assorted
oils, and soft and firm tofu in the cupboard.
Q. Are there any vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly
fond of?
A. I must say that the one nonlocal product I have a weakness for is coconut
milk.
Q. What is your favorite way to prepare tofu?
A. Smoked Tofu “Oscar”—smoke tofu over hickory chips
and chill, slice thin, and coat with ground pistachios and black sesame
seeds. Sear in hot oil. Serve with grilled portobello, grilled asparagus,
and vegan Béarnaise.
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Chef: Kimiko Ikeda
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