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As a guest at one of Chef Matteo Silverman’s popular dinner
parties, you are assured of three things: sublime vegan cuisine. This
is the ultimate goal of Chef Matteo, who hosts weekly Sunday four-course
vegan dinners at his roomy loft. The motivation behind starting “4
Course Vegan” was to provide affordable organic, vegan dishes—and
Chef Matteo does not disappoint. Each appetizer, salad, main course,
and dessert is a celebration of vibrant vegan fare that is pleasing
to the palate as well as to the eye. With a provocative new menu each
week, his dinners are attracting a dedicated following of vegetarian
and nonvegetarian New Yorkers. Menu favorites include raw watermelon-radish
ravioli with live lemon-thyme cashew cheese, corn meal-encrusted tempeh
with orange-ginger sauce and wasabi mashed potatoes, and chocolate
brownies that are described as “rich chocolate goodness.”
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Chef Spotlight:
Matteo Silverman
Business: 4 Course Vegan
Chef: Matteo Silverman
Age: 28
Q. Do you have companion animals?
A. While I have no companion animals, I do have two good friends with
adorable Chihuahuas. One is a blue, hairless Chihuahua named Lluvia. She
is so cute, with a fun-loving personality. The other precious girl is Bella.
… She cannot contain her excitement when I visit. Visiting these two
dogs on a regular basis mostly makes up for not having an animal myself.
Q. How long have you been a chef?
A. I have been working with vegetarian cuisine for 12 years strong
… I’ve been a vegan since the age of 18. In New York City, I
have worked as a chef since the summer of 2001.
Q. What type of cuisine do you focus on?
A. My cuisine is ingredient-focused. I search for the highest-quality,
local, seasonal, and organic foods. … Once I have an ingredient to
focus on, it really depends on my mood and what is available at market,
as to how I will season and prepare the dish. My cuisine borrows from numerous
cultures around the world. I am especially fond of Thai, Korean, and Southeast
Asian cuisine.
Q. Do you have a personal specialty?
A. One of my favorites is an amuse-bouche I serve at 4 Course Vegan
rather frequently. The dish is live and raw. It is Watermelon Radish Ravioli
With Live Lemon-Thyme Cashew Cheese, 50-Year-Old Aged Balsamic, Black Truffle
Oil, and Sprouted Black Sesame Seeds. My guacamole can stand up to anyone’s,
as can my Decadent Chocolate Brownies.
Q. What
are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
A. I believe that fresh and high-quality ingredients along with a creative
and imaginative flair are the most important elements in vegetarian cuisine.
A good palate and the ability to balance hot, salty, sour, and sweet is
integral to creating cuisine with depth.
Q. What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
A. It is all about your approach to food and nonvegetarians. Who can
deny great-tasting food? Simply prepare fresh and flavorful food and you
will have people of all diets flocking to eat your food. At least half my
guests at 4 Course Vegan are not vegetarian, and many of them are repeat
customers. The high-quality, fresh, and creative aspects of my cuisine are
the main draw for nonvegetarians.
Q. What, in your opinion, is in store for the future of plant-based cuisine?
A. As our food supply continues to shrink due to urban sprawl and
corporate/consumer greed, we will see a growing trend toward a plant-based
diet. It is really the only diet that can feed and nourish the masses ….
It takes about 15 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat for human
consumption. Think how many more people we can feed with those 15 pounds
of grain. A plant-based diet is less stressful on the environment and healthier
in general.
Q. What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
A. I enjoy combining sweet and savory ingredients along with hot and cooling
elements in the same dish. It keeps the dining experience new and exciting.
My favorites are avocados, chocolate, ginger [roots], lime, high-quality
sea salt, and all sorts of chilis and herbs.
Q. In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
A. [A] flavorful and well-executed Hot and Sour Soup is hard to find.
The only great one I’ve ever had is in San Francisco at a little neighborhood
restaurant called Shangrila in the Sunset district. Also, miso soup can
be disappointing in many vegetarian restaurants.
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 would eat and drink coconuts morning, noon, and night. Coconuts
are a magical fruit and can provide more than just sustenance. They can
provide the means to grow other plants as the husks and fiber make a great
growing medium, or it can be used as bedding or building material.
Q. Do vegetarian restaurants have any special obstacles that they face versus meat-based restaurants?
A. Vegetarian restaurants need to appeal to the general public, nonvegetarians,
just as much as vegetarians. A vegetarian will always seek out a vegetarian
restaurant because that is our nature. A nonvegetarian is not necessarily
looking for a vegetarian restaurant to dine at. Vegetarians are [in] the
minority, so appealing to the general public is important to any vegetarian
restaurant’s survival.
Q. Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
A. Use the freshest, high-quality ingredients you can find. Keep your
approach simple and let the food speak for itself. Always have your mise-en-place
[have all the ingredients necessary] before you begin any recipe. Keep organized.
Q. What are some food ingredients you recommend
that vegetarians and vegans should have in their kitchen for cooking?
A. Some essentials that I use and highly recommend are: virgin coconut oil,
cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, quinoa, sesame seeds, high-grade sea
salts, fresh citrus fruits, vegetable broth, chilis, dark leafy greens,
miso, nori/seaweed, [and] avocadoes.
Q. Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are
particularly fond of?
A. Lately, quite a few new products have hit the shelves of markets. Raw
agave syrup and raw cocoa nibs are two products that really excite me. The
opportunity of creating fine raw chocolate is now at my fingertips.
Q. Can you give us some tips on how
to prepare tempeh?
A. My favorite ways to prepare tempeh are marinating and braising. First,
I prepare a flavorful mushroom vegetable stock. I usually spike it with
tamarind, lemongrass, ginger, and chipotle chilis. I then pour the hot marinade
over the tempeh and let [it] sit overnight … up to 24 hours. Then
I bring the tempeh to a simmer on the stovetop and … place it into
the oven to braise for one and a half to two hours. It turns out so tender
and flavorful. I use it on sandwiches or as the main component for an entrée.
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Chef: Kimiko Ikeda
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