Taste
KIRK SWABY, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE GATHERING PLACE, CREATES A MEDLEY OF ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH POMEGRANATE AIOLI, A ROASTED FIG AND ORANGEPEEL CHICKEN BREAST.
them a memorable experience. And most memorable gatherings have food at the center.” Swaby grew up in Jamaica in a home that served as a gathering place for friends, neighbors and anyone who happened to wander in around dinner time. “My grandmother was a bold, strong woman,” Swaby says, “loving, caring. We all cooked together, and I joined in when I was only 7. My love of bold, bright memorable flavors … I got that from her.” Swaby insists on hiring men and women in equal numbers and from every ethnic group he can find (he learns recipes from them), pays them a fair, living wage, and helps them choose career paths and advance. Perhaps that’s also why he’s enamored with a fusion cuisine borrowing techniques and flavors from Thailand or Japan or South America. “I want every visitor to find a flavor he knows,” he says. Two older women stroll past, along with a little boy who’s running in circles and chanting, “I want ice cream! I want ice cream!” Off they go to find it. Walk a ways and you see the crisp stone-andglass walls of the Lodge. There, the kid finds his ice cream, in a combination cafe, ice cream parlor and candy shop named the Redbud. Just next door is the Patio, where you find picnic food like hot dogs and chicken salad. A family of four can eat well for $25, and there’s a kids menu. “It’s fast food,” Swaby says. “But we want to show the world that fast food can be highquality, delicious and produced with love.” His proudest creation is the Tulsa Dog, served on a brioche bun from a local bakery, with Mexican mole topped by chowchow mixed with ranch dressing. But Vista is Swaby’s special joy. “We’re exploring food,” he says. “We’re having fun. I take American classics, throw in new twists from different cultures and reintroduce them in a different light.” For example, with fried chicken, “we’ll have a cumin fried chicken thigh with red tamarind-flavored Thai curry,” he says. “There’ll be mango and fig chutney, pickled garlic and homemade mayonnaise. “I want Vista to be one of the best restaurants in Oklahoma. But Vista doesn’t need national fame. That’s not what we’re about. What I do want is to show the nation what a park can do for a city. And I want every dish served in the park to be made with pride and love.” BRIAN SCHWARTZ
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE INE | NOVEMBER 2018