Before officially taking over as executive chef at Hotel Bennett’s signature restaurant, Gabrielle, earlier this fall, chef Edgar Kano knew he wanted to get acquainted with the city of Charleston.
“I wanted to get to know the area and get to know the suppliers,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research, working with suppliers and farmers and fishmongers.”
Look no further than Gabrielle’s menu, which proclaims “we proudly support our local purveyors,” on its first page, to see the care taken in using and acknowledging the suppliers who provide the fresh seafood, meats and produce to the restaurant.
Kano recently listed Gabrielle’s purveyors, and the products he loves, with the eagerness of a farmers market fanboy. From Charleston Oyster Farm’s “amazing” perky sea cups to Butcher & Bee’s brioche (used for french toast during breakfast), Kano is excited about what he’s sourcing and using in Gabrielle’s kitchen.
Fortunately for Kano, Gabrielle is in a prime location for direct farm-to-table access; opening onto Marion Square, Hotel Bennett’s patio leads right into the Saturday Charleston Farmers Market. Kano said one day one of his purveyors forgot to fill an order, so the chef made the short journey to the farmers market to pick up some goods.
“I noticed that as soon as I started leaving, so many people were coming [up to the purveyor],” said Kano, who did his shopping donning his chef’s coat. “It was the best advertisement ever.”
Culinary diversity meets fun dining
Kano was born in Mexico City and is of Japanese heritage; his cuisine reflects the international influences of his early life, as well the cities he’s spent time in during the course of his career. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Kano spent over two decades working for Four Seasons Hotels & Restaurants in locations like Singapore, Berlin and Vancouver.
Rather than ship in products from further afield, Kano sticks to what’s in season in Charleston, both in the fields and in the sea. “Whatever we choose is the best at the moment,” he said.
In addition to seeking out and learning more about local purveyors, Kano has eaten his way through the city. “I’m not doing my research if I’m not doing both,” he said, listing 167 Raw and Lewis Barbecue as some local favorite spots. He said if he enjoys something at a restaurant, like a local oyster variety, he’ll immediately start researching the product to see how he can access it.
Kano’s cooking philosophy is to keep it simple — he said he can’t live without salt and butter — and let the ingredients of each dish shine. He said overwhelming flavors can lead to “confusion, not fusion” and that “less is always more.”
And yes, he is aware of Charlestonians’ propensity to find some food too, well, spicy, and his dishes reflect that. “You still can enjoy the dish without having to suffer,” he said. While Kano has had to adapt his palate to create dishes that are more approachable for everyone, he said that he’s always open to the kind of constructive criticism that can make or break a dish.
“For me feedback is only constructive; it’s the only way we grow and evolve,” he said. “The concept of Gabrielle is not just let’s do fine dining, but let’s do fun dining while focusing on fine dining techniques.”
Situated in a hotel that earned the title of “Best Luxury Hotel” by USA Today just a couple of years ago, Gabrielle could easily breeze by on its fine dining designation alone. Best luxury hotel or not, Kano simply wants his staff to be engaging — not “snobby” — and his food to reflect the seasonal riches of the land and sea around Charleston.
There is one thing that can give Kano pause, though, and that is his customers’ deep-seated love for she-crab soup. “Last time I tried to remove that, it was not good,” he laughed. “I was like, OK, the soup will stay.”
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