TASTE Q&A
Meet Me at BUCCAN
LAUREN GLANCY
Clay Conley’s innovative small plate restaurant, Buccan, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Long before he made his way to South Florida, Conley grew up on a farm in Maine and started his first restaurant job as a dishwasher at age 13. He worked in Boston with Todd English, eventually becoming the culinary director for 18 of English’s restaurants around the world. He gained fame as the executive chef at Miami’s Mandarin Oriental before moving to Palm Beach County and opening Buccan in 2011. Last year, at the height of the pandemic, Conley started the nonprofit Buccan Provisions to help feed people struggling with economic hardship. PBI recently caught up with Conley to discuss Buccan’s past, present, and future. (buccanpalmbeach.com) —Mark Spivak PBI: What was the inspiration for your small plate concept? Conley: It was always what I wanted to do—I had been thinking about it since my days in Boston with Todd English. My dream was to have a place that was hyper-focused on ingredients but less formal. I was probably naïve at the time, which helped a lot.
should be memorable either way.
What does the future hold? We’re hoping to open a place in Miami next year, but I have no plans beyond that. I don’t want to open a slew of restaurants—I’m happy with what I have. Someday, I’d like to get back to life on a farm.
PIPER JONES
NICK MELE
LUCIEN CAPEHART
PIPER JONES
Clockwise from top right: Fusilli with Maine lobster and uni butter; Clay Conley; steak tartare; interior of Buccan; Buccan/ Ember Group partners Piper Quinn, Clay Conley, and Sam Slattery: tuna crisp.
How has Palm Beach changed in the past decade? The quality level in restaurants is higher. There’s been an emergence of more casual dining, which means that there’s now something for everyone. Sometimes you want to go out for a high-end experience, and sometimes you just want a burger. It
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Your menu at Buccan changes frequently. Where does the inspiration come from? I read a lot of cookbooks and look at a lot of Instagram pages. Certain ingredients come around at certain times of the year, and we like to tweak the flavors. Spring is my favorite time to cook, since you have the best produce from Florida and around the country.
EMB ER GR O
As you look back on the last 10 years, what has been the most significant part of it all for you? Watching my staff grow up and start to run their own businesses. Speaking from the back of the house, it feels good to be part of helping the next generation of chefs emerge.
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