Plus, catch a pop-up of his San Francisco steak house, Miller & Lux
CM: You’ve spent the last 30 years in New York and California. Does South Carolina still show up in your cooking?
TF: You never forget where you come from. There’s a sensibility that shines through. At Wayfare Tavern [in San Francisco], for example, our signature item is our fried chicken. I wanted to not necessarily knock off my own culture, but to splinter off an evolutionary branch. So, we came up with California fried chicken, which has the flavor profile of Meyer lemon, garlic, rosemary, and sage. It’s very refined, but you can still tell there’s a Southern kid in the kitchen.
CM: You trained in the kitchens of Magnolias and Louis’s Charleston Grill. Tell us about your time here and how it influenced you.
TF: Magnolias chef Donald Barickman was one of the biggest culinary names in the country at the time. He put shrimp and grits on a white tablecloth, matched it with a California chardonnay, and called it Lowcountry cuisine. And Louis Osteen was such a great connector. He was the bridge that got me to New York; he personally called Charlie Palmer to vouch for me. The level of refinement and polishing that Charleston gave me in preparation for the next few steps in my career was paramount. I wouldn’t be who I am without this wonderful city’s contribution to my story.
CM: What are you looking forward to eating when you’re in town?
TF: I want to get my hands on some snapper and grouper and some really spectacular oysters and shrimp. I’m definitely going to Lewis Barbecue and to Rodney Scott’s.
CM: What advice would you give a young chef?
TF: Stay true to who you are. I think a lot of young people want to go cook over a live fire because they see it on Instagram. Recognize what your grandmother made. What she cooked is the food you should be refining and taking to the next level. Be authentic. That’s what I think makes a chef distinctive and original.
CM: You have two restaurants in San Francisco and one in Hawaii. What’s your secret for a successful spot?
TF: It’s three things. The room has to be transporting. When I walk through the threshold, it needs to take me some place. The cuisine has got to be best in category, so having that maturity to let the food shine. And then, of course, the hospitality. The service needs to be incredibly special, and that starts with the first phone call, the first interaction. That’s the foundation of being a great restaurateur.
CM: How do you cook at home?
TF: I love grilling. My 17th cookbook, American Grill [Abrams, 2024] came out last May. I have seven grills. Is it too much? I don’t know. I mean, they all kind of do something different.
CM:What’s on the menu at your house for Thanksgiving?
TF: I never make the same turkey twice, but let me tell you what we did last year: I deboned two turkeys and then took some additional turkey thighs, made a truffled turkey mousse, and piped it right into the middle. Then, I tied it up really tight, [cooked it] sous vide, and finished it on the grill to get the skin nice and crispy.
