The sprawling farmlands of his hometown, Ferndale, Washington was the natural setting for a chef-in-the making, but a distant haul in time and place to Tory McPhail's current status as executive chef at the celebrated Commander's Palace in New Orleans.
Though McPhail now calls New Orleans home, he refuses to settle just because he holds a prestigious title and a New Orleans address. The 33-year-old maverick, who has followed a hard-working and unspoiled path to arrive at the historic restaurant's storied chef dais (which has housed the celebrated likes of Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme and Jamie Shannon), is on a relentless mission to make Commander's Palace the best restaurant in the country. "I'll stop at nothing until that is accomplished," McPhail states with consummate resolution.
The McPhail family's raspberry farms are perched on the edge of the Canadian border, and McPhail's early culinary diet was rounded out with an appreciation for local goods and the comfortable gathering place of his parent's kitchen. Corn planted in the spring would become dinner in the summer; fish caught in the afternoon from his family's stocked pond would make it to the plate by dusk. "I knew food didn't just come from the grocery store and magically appear there. Being able to watch it all grow gave me a passion for natural foods," says McPhail.
By the time he was 16, McPhail found the means to graduate from his high school and enroll in culinary school. He attended Seattle Community College and received an ACF accredited two-year degree in culinary science. Counselors suggest he pursue work in either the Big Apple or the Big Easy, citing their respective fertile culinary learning grounds as cause. New Orleans, with its history, soul and ultimate "coolness" won him over.
At just 19 years of age, he was hired by Commander's Palace executive chef Jamie Shannon. Starting in garde manger preparing salads and cold appetizers, McPhail worked through all 12 stations of the kitchen, honing his craft and making a positive impression on Shannon. In search of "as much experience possible, as quickly as possible", McPhail later completed a series of stints at culinary hot spots including The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., the Michelin two-star Picasso Room , the Michelin one-star sister restaurant L'Escargot in London and the Caribbean/Creole intensive Mongoose Restaurant in The Virgin Islands.
In spring of 2000, Commander's Palace again came calling, this time whisking the by-now proven talent away to Nevada as executive sous chef at the dynasty's latest restaurant, Commander's Palace Las Vegas. Though McPhail "loved" his job there, the soulful siren call of New Orleans and the supportive beckoning of Jamie Shannon lured him back to his earlier haunt. He was named executive chef of the original Commander's Palace in January of 2002.
He remains there today, but beyond a constant dedication to doing his best work, creating and sustaining strong relationships with local purveyors and buying local whenever it makes the most sense, nothing remains constant for too long for Chef McPhail. "I'm always thinking very forward when it comes to Creole food. There are so many restaurants here that use the same exact recipes as 75 years ago," explains McPhail. "And that's just not us." To maximize his culinary enlightenment, McPhail buries himself in antique cookbooks and constantly experiments with new technology and techniques. "You have no business messing with Haute Creole food if you don't have an appreciation for how it's gotten to be so good over the last 250 years. Still, I want to make it my own. I'm not going to settle for second best," the recent James Beard House invitee exclaims with vigor.
Though McPhail now calls New Orleans home, he refuses to settle just because he holds a prestigious title and a New Orleans address. The 33-year-old maverick, who has followed a hard-working and unspoiled path to arrive at the historic restaurant's storied chef dais (which has housed the celebrated likes of Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme and Jamie Shannon), is on a relentless mission to make Commander's Palace the best restaurant in the country. "I'll stop at nothing until that is accomplished," McPhail states with consummate resolution.
The McPhail family's raspberry farms are perched on the edge of the Canadian border, and McPhail's early culinary diet was rounded out with an appreciation for local goods and the comfortable gathering place of his parent's kitchen. Corn planted in the spring would become dinner in the summer; fish caught in the afternoon from his family's stocked pond would make it to the plate by dusk. "I knew food didn't just come from the grocery store and magically appear there. Being able to watch it all grow gave me a passion for natural foods," says McPhail.
By the time he was 16, McPhail found the means to graduate from his high school and enroll in culinary school. He attended Seattle Community College and received an ACF accredited two-year degree in culinary science. Counselors suggest he pursue work in either the Big Apple or the Big Easy, citing their respective fertile culinary learning grounds as cause. New Orleans, with its history, soul and ultimate "coolness" won him over.
At just 19 years of age, he was hired by Commander's Palace executive chef Jamie Shannon. Starting in garde manger preparing salads and cold appetizers, McPhail worked through all 12 stations of the kitchen, honing his craft and making a positive impression on Shannon. In search of "as much experience possible, as quickly as possible", McPhail later completed a series of stints at culinary hot spots including The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., the Michelin two-star Picasso Room , the Michelin one-star sister restaurant L'Escargot in London and the Caribbean/Creole intensive Mongoose Restaurant in The Virgin Islands.
In spring of 2000, Commander's Palace again came calling, this time whisking the by-now proven talent away to Nevada as executive sous chef at the dynasty's latest restaurant, Commander's Palace Las Vegas. Though McPhail "loved" his job there, the soulful siren call of New Orleans and the supportive beckoning of Jamie Shannon lured him back to his earlier haunt. He was named executive chef of the original Commander's Palace in January of 2002.
He remains there today, but beyond a constant dedication to doing his best work, creating and sustaining strong relationships with local purveyors and buying local whenever it makes the most sense, nothing remains constant for too long for Chef McPhail. "I'm always thinking very forward when it comes to Creole food. There are so many restaurants here that use the same exact recipes as 75 years ago," explains McPhail. "And that's just not us." To maximize his culinary enlightenment, McPhail buries himself in antique cookbooks and constantly experiments with new technology and techniques. "You have no business messing with Haute Creole food if you don't have an appreciation for how it's gotten to be so good over the last 250 years. Still, I want to make it my own. I'm not going to settle for second best," the recent James Beard House invitee exclaims with vigor.
