While the culinary world is full of flash-in-the-pan itinerant chefs, Randy Zweiban is a serial monogamist. He worked for Norman Van Aken for seven years in Miami, and spent the last 10 years helming the stove at Nacional 27. Now that he's about to launch his Spanish- and Latin-influenced American culinary vision at Province in the West Loop, we caught up with Zweiban to see what's cookin'.
What's the best Chicago-related advice you've ever given or received?
There are two seasons: construction and winter. Seriously, though, Chicago is a great livable town where people give you loyalty if you give them what they want. That's not always true of other towns. You don't have to be the hottest new thing. If you work hard to satisfy people in Chicago, you can last a real long time.
If I were coming to your neighborhood, where should I eat?
I live in West Town. I love Green Zebra. There's a great Italian place, Natalino's. There's all those old school Italian places like Bari and D'Amatos. May Street market also does a good job.
You were a diamond setter and a drummer before you started cooking. How did that happen/what was that like?
I got out of college when I was 20 and I had no concept of what I wanted to do. I had always wanted to be in a rock band and play the club scene. I had to support myself during the day, and I had an economics degree which didn't qualify me to do anything. My sister at the time was working for a diamond importer in New York and they offered to train me for five months and they'd pay me. It seemed like a good deal, and I got to work with my hands, which I always loved doing.
So you know how to pick a diamond?
Who can afford one these days? It allowed me to play music though, and I played in a few different incarnations of a few different bands. I got to play back at CBGBs (in New York) back in the early '80s. I probably played there like 30-35 times. Back in the day when there was vinyl, I put out a couple of 45s.
Is there a particular drummer you really look up to?
I grew up loving the Stones and Zeppelin. I always loved Charlie Watts' simple timekeeping and "less is more" attitude.
A lot of chefs move from kitchen to kitchen, but you stayed with Nacional 27 for 10 years.
I'm a very deliberate person and I think things through, maybe too far through sometimes. I think it's given me the ability to become well-rounded not only as a chef, but as a manager, and an entrepreneur.
With the bailout and the stock market drop, is this a tougher time to open a restaurant?
There's never a right time in life for anything. I seem to have picked maybe the worst moment in the last 150 years to possibly open a new restaurant. At the end of the day, people still have to eat, and if things do go sour, we're still going to laugh and congregate somewhere.
What would people be surprised to learn about Province?
It's LEED certified, so everything that could be green is green. We used cork in the floor, regentrified wood in the tables, and re-sewn leather in the chairs. There are sensors for the lights and the water faucets so you're not wasting anything. Anyplace we could be ecologically minded, we were. Also, I think Province will be a place where you'll be able to get a burger and a beer and feel like its a cafe, but you'll also be able to come back and have a five-course tasting menu with wine, and you'll enjoy both experiences.
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