Chef Oliver Saucy & Cafe Maxx

Chef Oliver Saucy & Cafe Maxx

The Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce Fine Food & Wine Festival WHERE Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale at Cypress Creek • 555 NW 62 Street, Fort Lauderdale WHEN Tuesday, September 20, 2016 MAIN EVENT 6:30-9:00 VIP 5:30-6:30 VIP TICKETS $85 each, or four for $300 TICKETS $60 each, or four for $200 Must purchase tickets online at pompanobeachchamber.com

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JEFF GRAVES

BY DANIELLE CHARBONNEAU

JEFF GRAVES

“

I grew up eating all kinds of crazy stuff.

It would be like, ‘oh what did you have for dinner?’ ‘Oh we had calves brains.’

—Chef Oliver Saucy

”

I

t has probably been said before, but celebrity Chef Oliver Saucy has the perfect name. His stunning culinary creations are absolutely “saucy” — they’re creative, colorful, multi-cultural and have an emphasis on local seafood and produce. Whether it’s Atlantic hogfish snapper, fruits and citruses from the tropics, Creole spices from New Orleans, zesty Cuban herbs or chilies from Mexico, Chef Saucy draws inspiration from South Florida’s surrounding cultures. By letting ingredients drive the plate, Chef Saucy keeps things fresh for both his guests as diners, and himself as a longtime chef.

His creativity, however, can never be overshadowed by proper technique.

“At the end of the day, if you can’t put it all together with the French and Mediterranean roots I grew up studying, it just doesn’t work,” said Saucy, “One culture, one plate. We don’t want to get too confusing or it takes your red wine drinker right off the table. That’s the bread and butter for us–the red wine drinker.”

This blend of classic technique and innovative ideas is what Chef Saucy and Café Maxx is known for. It has made Café Maxx a Pompano Beach culinary destination for almost three decades. Saucy has been at the helm for almost as long. In 1988, Saucy co-purchased Café Maxx with the restaurant’s general manager Darrel Broek. The dynamic duo has run the restaurant ever since. Broek’s hospitable charm welcomes guests in the front of the house, while Saucy’s creations make them salivate at the table.

To keep things balanced, Chef Saucy breaks down the menu into thirds: one third is classic, so regulars know what to expect; another third is standard proteins prepared with seasonal ingredients; and the last is where Chef Saucy gets to be creative.

“The other third is whatever exciting thing we can get our hands on — whatever we feel like doing,” said Saucy. “We try to get the best available ingredients all the time.”

Sometimes those ingredients can include fresh fish straight from the boat. Other times a vibrant produce item from a local farmer, or a fine cut of meat. Saucy is proud to carry local ingredients. He showcases his proteins in a display case on the edge of the dining room, which he dubs the “Raw Buffet.”

After almost three decades of cooking, Saucy still exudes passion.

Perhaps it runs thick in his blood; He learned his first fundamental

cooking techniques watching his father in action as the Executive Chef in a resort kitchen nestled in the back of a medieval German Castle in the Black Forest region of New York.

“I grew up eating all kinds of crazy stuff. It would be like, ‘oh what did you have for dinner?’ ‘Oh, we had calves brains’,” said Saucy laughing.

As a young adult, Saucy studied at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park where his father also taught for 28 years. Saucy’s son worked in the Café Maxx kitchen for two years and is now studying at CIA and working at a high-end restaurant in Manhattan called Gotham Bar & Grill.

Saucy has also passed on his skills to non-relatives. For the 20th Anniversary of Café Maxx, 26 of Saucy’s protégés, who now run kitchens all over the country, came to congratulate him and thank him for his mentorship. For over 20 years Saucy has also been teaching cooking courses at Café Maxx during the summer months when the restaurant slows.

“The biggest class we had was 99 people. Holy moly,” said Saucy.

At the end of Saucy’s classes — which include topics like grilling meats, cooking lobster, or Mediterranean technique — Saucy serves a four to five course dinner, plus dessert with the recipes he taught.

“The classes bring a lot of energy in here. It’s a lot of fun,” said Saucy. “It’s relationship building.”

So what’s next for Chef Saucy and Café Maxx?

“You know I think it’s just to keep the focus on making quality food,” said Saucy. “That never goes out of style.”

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