IN THE KITCHEN
C H E F C H AT
Favorite way to chill out: I am a sports fanatic. I love football, basketball, soccer, baseball. I love watching sports. I’m a big Clemson fan and a Carolina Panthers fan, too. I love going to the beach and hang out with my family. I’m a very easygoing and a relaxed person.
Favorite comfort food: Fried chicken. Anytime I go out of town, I try to find the best fried chicken. I like it to have a little spice, a nice crunch and not be dried out.
Seafood cooking: Seafood is really delicate. There are different ways to cook seafood. Some fish you can grill and some you can’t; things that you can fry or can’t fry. Do a little research. A very firm fish is not good for frying; you want more of a flaky fish. When grilling, you don’t want a flaky fish, you want more of a pan-seared item to hold the flavor. Grilling kind of drains all the juices out, so you want a firm fish that is going to hold the flavor together.
People would be surprised to know: I love to get in a nice workout about five days a week, early in the
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morning, and then I can eat what I want. You don’t see a lot of chefs work out, but I always feel motivated and great when I do.
Thanksgiving with Zeke: I don’t do the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I’ll get some really nice steak and grill steaks for something different. My guilty pleasure: I’m a sucker for a good, warm chocolate chip cookie with milk, and I will kill a dozen at night.
Eat at home or go out: I normally go out to eat after a long day of working. No fast food, except: I try to stay away from fast food, except my go-to is Chick-fil-A, where I get the No. 1 with cheese.
If I could cook for a celebrity, it would be: Peyton Manning, he was my favorite quarterback. I’d also cook for the Rock or any of the celebrity chefs. I have been to Gordon Ramsey’s steakhouse in Vegas, and it was the best steakhouse I’ve been to. I was really impressed.
L A K E A N D S U M T E R S T Y L E .C O M • N OV ' 1 9
“I enjoy coming to work, cooking and feeding people. I feel proud every day when I look at the food we serve. The ahi tuna pepper steak is one of my favorites,” Zeke says. The ahi tuna is enhanced with cracked black pepper and served with roasted wild mushrooms, roasted garlic mash potatoes, creamy garlic tarragon butter sauce and toasted sesame. “Our fish and chips turn out great every time,” Zeke adds, referring to the red beer-battered haddock served with fries and slaw. Cooking seafood dishes has been his gig for “pretty much all of my life,” says the South Carolina native. “My first restaurant I worked in when I was 16 was a nice fine dining restaurant and I was there for seven years.” He began by bussing tables and learning restaurant skills as he worked
CR EOL E SNA PPER INGREDIENTS
1
cup demi glaze
12
/
cup of tomato paste
/
cup red onions diced
14
1
tablespoon garlic
14
/
cup of red peppers diced
14
/
jalapeño diced
1
tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1
tablespoon blackened seasoning Skinless filet of snapper
6-8 per plate of 31 / 40 shrimp size
DIRECTIONS
Sauce Warm demi glaze to a nice constituency. Add tomato paste until it’s smooth. Add garlic, red peppers, jalapeños and seasoning. Let it reduce and simmer.
Fish Season fish based on level of spiciness desired. Get nonstick pan hot and use just a little oil. Lay fish down face up. Sear 3-5 minutes each side. Sauté shrimp and then cut up and add to sauce. Ladle sauce over fish. This entrée is best paired with rice.