Cover Image: Photograph from a page in Acorns & Cattails
What’s on your plate this summer? Science + Art is what’s on mine. I can’t help but drop in Squatter’s Café every couple of weeks or so to see what Chef Rob Connoley has dreamt up. Last time he and his team were meticulously cleaning foraged mushrooms with tiny brushes. This trip he was whipping up an espresso drizzle for some unknown delight. With cup of coffee already in hand, and after some conversation across the bar, I decided to order the ricotta toast…AGAIN. What else can I say…aesthetically, it is a work of art and sensorially, it is a tasting experience all on its own.
Let’s just begin from the base layer up, with the bright and tasty carrot jam resting atop perfectly toasted bread. Next layer, in the sea of ricotta spread, you will find berries like strawberries or blueberries, hand pickled varieties, a dusted deviled egg, and maybe a special seasonal item, like a mulberry. Need I say more? Cooking is certainly an art, but one must understand the technique of cooking and the science of taste. It is apparent that Chef Rob Connoley has perfected all three of these skills as his toast alone will keep you coming back for more.
ABOUT CHEF ROB CONNOLEY
A couple of years ago, Chef Rob Connoley returned to his hometown in Missouri from New Mexico where he owned and operated Curious Kumquat, an award-winning restaurant serving modernist cuisine with locally foraged ingredients. Since then, he has opened Squatter’s Café in Grand Center with KDHX and he has published a book–Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field. Outside of recipes, you will find extensive and detailed guides delving into topics ranging from foraging ethics to how to taste for the quality of your ingredients. All of the specifics aside, he just wants you to get out and forage and “find your authentic food voice.”
“I want you to get out and forage. Leave your kitchen. Get off of your desk chair. Go outside and eat.”
Aside from Squatter’s, the book, and Connoley’s exquisite chocolates that I have seen but not yet tasted, he plans to open the highly anticipated full service restaurant Bulrush (cattails) in the not-so-distant future. Hop on over to his instagram to see more of what I mean @ Chef Rob Connoley.
