pened to be the night of the Academy Awards. “So I get to Los Angeles and it’s 80 degrees and there are palm trees everywhere – such a contrast from New York – and at the time I said, ‘Okay, for a young African kid this is where paradise is.’” Soon after, Francesco gave his consent to let the young François move to Los Angeles to work as a pasta cook at Spago. For the record, critic Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of the late, lamented Gourmet magazine, credits François with introducing California to artisan pasta. “Wolfgang would come to me and he’d say, ‘Okay, Francois, will you make a little risotto for Sean Connery? Will you make a little risotto for (Sidney) Poitier?’ (Celebrities) would come say ‘hello’ to me and I got to know a lot of them. After I worked at Spago for three or five months, I became the sous chef. “In that process, the chef that Wolfgang had, had to be moved to another restaurant and so then within six months, I became the chef of one of the best restaurants in America. But before I took that position Wolfgang sent me to France.” It was François’ three-month-long formal traveling and cooking education that would have a lasting effect on his cooking methods and presentations. “Because I spoke the language before, it was easier for me. But as a culinary professional, it was very, very eyeopening, because what I’m trying to do here (at eleven14) is about finding the best ingredient and doing the least with it, and that’s what I learned in France. They don’t transform the product. The technique that they have keeps the integrity of the product and gives you the best dishes they can find with the product.” Soon after, François was named a partner and opened Spago in Chicago, which he ran for eight years. “It was the first time I was away from L.A. and repre-
senting Wolfgang away from him. It was tremendous responsibility. I was probably 36 or 37. I became the Wolfgang Puck of Chicago and there I got to meet Oprah, Michael Jordan and all these people who’d come and patronize me. They were proud to see me in the position I was in with Wolfgang trusting me.” With the face of the game changing in the restaurant industry, François grins as he talks about his unique experience of being an African chef getting the thumbs-up from African-American legends like the late Whitney Houston and
eleven14’s spicy prime beef tartare with quail egg.
Miles Davis throughout his career. (Davis loved his pasta so much that he presented François with five sketches). Despite his prominence at Wolfgang Puck, a personal mission and business plan inspired him to break away – “I started a chocolate company.” It’s called Omanhene, which means “paramount chief.” “He’s the person who decides what is right and what is wrong. He is the depositor of the truth.” “A friend of mine built a factory in Ghana where they use the cocoa from the farm and transform it into chocolate in the country of origin. It’s important, because I grew up on a cocoa farm. My grandfather had the cocoa farm and I picked cocoa growing up and we turned it
into dried cocoa beans. But I never knew what became of the bean, because we were exporting it overseas to America, France or Belgium to turn into chocolate. “When I was with Wolfgang in L.A. during the Academy Awards, they would do a statue in chocolate and Wolfgang would buy probably $10,000 worth of chocolate to melt into the mold. So I thought, if I were to build a chocolate company and make my own chocolate and it was good enough, maybe Wolfgang and all the chefs in America would buy my chocolate. I didn’t want it to just benefit me but the farmers who grow the raw material, with no middleman.” This goal remained key in François’ decision to become eleven14’s executive chef. Omanhene supplies J House’s kitchen and forthcoming Chocolate Lab. “The emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. And the star is the person who grows and takes care of the beans,” he says, adding that at eleven14 he aims to “show where cocoa was picked, how it is transformed into chocolate blocks and then how it comes here and is served in Greenwich as a chocolate dessert.” He motions toward the exposed pastry station beside the bar, giving a friendly wave. Pastry chef Didier Berlioz uses cocoa sourced from Chef François’ farm to create wonderful spins on desserts like the eleven14, a knock-your-socks-off layered chocolate cake, velvety truffles and chocolate coffee chiffon, in addition to novelties like goat cheese pink peppercorn gelato and zucchini flower napoleon. “Joining J House was about being able to create a restaurant with great food the way that Wolfgang and Francesco taught me,” François says. “But I wanted to add a chocolate element because of where I came from.” Try Chef François Kwaku-Dongo’s menu at Eleven14 Kitchen at the J House, 1114 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. Call ( 203).698-6999 for reservations. n
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