Q: How do you feel about being one of the youngest, most successful female chefs in San Diego? KATHERINE HUMPHUS: It feels pretty darn good. (laughs) Everyone always tells me I look pretty young to be an executive chef, and the answer is, I work hard. I’ve never really taken a break. Plus, I like playing with the big boys. You’ve got to have tough skin, that’s for sure. Q: Tell me about how you found your love for cooking. KH: I always loved cooking and did it a lot as a child. My grandmother and my mom are both exceptional cooks. Family was synonymous with food in my house. We’d plan holidays and birthdays months in advance, so I had a natural love of food growing up. My grandma would make this pudding in cereal bowls instead of custard cups, and I’d eat like 10 of them. When I think of growing up, I think of eating my grandma’s food. Q: You attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris at the age of 19. How did your approach to cooking change after you graduated with a Le Grand Diplome in Cuisine & Pastry? KH: My technique became more refined. I learned a lot in culinary school about pastry, the science behind it, the chemistry in it, candy and chocolate making. As far as the savory side goes, we learned traditional styles, and I learned to add my own creativity to it. Q: Since your graduation from Le Cordon Bleu, you’ve worked at a Michelin starred restaurant in Manhattan, interned at French Laundry, opened your own catering company, and now run two restaurants for the Cohn Restaurant Group as the executive chef: Bo-beau Kitchen + Bar and the brand new 100 Wines in Hillcrest. What is it about your food that has created such a buzz in such a short period of time? KH: Bo-beau has been open for two years. I think it’s approachable enough for the people that aren’t foodies, and I think it’s exciting enough for those that are foodies. I think that above all, it’s the magic of the space. My food is a small percentage of it, because the experience that you get when you come to Bo-beau is unlike anywhere else in San Diego. And 100 Wines in Hillcrest, which opened on August 17, 2012, is slightly larger than Bo-beau with 100 wines on the wine list. It’s all about sharing, euro-sized portions with a little more Italian and Mediterranean influences. We hope that it develops its own personality and style like Bo-beau has. Q: Tell me more about Bo-beau and its concept. Where does the name come from? KH: “Bo” is short for bohemian and “beau” is short for beautiful. It’s a casual French bistro. A lot of people walk in and think we’re really fancy, but then they see the guy in dreads. Above all, we’re about having fun. We draw on the floor with chalk every night, we measure kids on the columns, and we try to make it an interactive dining experience, too. We just like happy people.
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A lot of people walk in and think we’re really fancy, but then they see the guy in dreads. Above all, we’re about having fun. We draw on the floor with chalk every night, we measure kids on the columns, and we try to make it an interactive dining experience, too. We just like happy people.
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| Holiday 2012 Issue