Hail to the chefs

by Melissa Houston

Paul Wilson

Brass Pineapple Restaurant

"They wanted the cheapest food as fast as they could get it. But I wasn't going to take that path."

Instead, the 34-year-old chef/owner from Jaffrey, New Hampshire, knew his customers deserved more; in fact, he wanted to teach them how to demand it. "I decided I was going to push the customers, with experimentation, with things that were different," he says. "If I lost customers, I lost customers."

Wilson expected to take a lot of flak for the kangaroo, ostrich, and buffalo he offered on a regular basis, usually tested first at wine dinners and always served with a wild mix of fresh, exotically prepared vegetables, a variety of premium wines, and decadent, homemade desserts. But to his surprise, the Brass Pineapple has become one of the hottest restaurants in north Worcester County, drawing many diners from Worcester and Boston, mostly by word of mouth. It's a funky little place too. Rustic and casual, this 52-seat dining room is currently being renovated to seat 80 -- and he needs the space. On one recent evening, 65 people were turned away.

His secret?

"Hospitality, plain and simple. You can put out good food, you can put out great food, but with lousy service forget it," he says.

But success, and the long hours spent achieving it, hasn't come without a cost. Wilson candidly talks about his struggle and the high turnover rate of waitstaff. His location, too, has presented a challenge, he says, referring to the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border as the Berlin Wall, a tough place to cross for some.

In fact, Wilson had originally opened the Brass Pineapple nine years ago, but frustrated by inconsistent business and overworked, he shut down in 1994, spending months on the road, working odd jobs, until he decided to try again. The kitchen must have been a hard thing to shake, because Wilson's worked at it since age 13, when he ran his own hot-dog stand, selling $120 worth of dogs a day.

What prompted Wilson, a certified food services management professional, to come back? He wanted to test people, maybe even himself with everything from jerk sauce to French cooking. "The response has been positive, we haven't looked back," he says. "The customers are now pushing me to come up with different stuff."

What does Wilson think about the growing number of adventurous cooks in the area? "There are a lot of young bucks out there making a name for themselves with a higher creativity level than their teachers. I guess it's like anything else -- you keep on pushing."

Boiling: Cook (blanche) root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips starting in cold water. Leaf or flowering vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, boil water first and then drop vegetables in for a short amount of time.

Penny pinching: Sometimes not worth the time or trouble, besides, in most cases, you get what you pay for. Low prices -- low quality.

Shopping: Never shop while you're hungry, you'll buy too much. Use shopping lists and stay way from impulse buying.

Buying wines: Experiment, do not always buy the more-expensive wines. Drink what your tastebuds tell you to drink; the red/white rule with red/white meat doesn't exist anymore.

Curried Tenderloin of Pork with Curried Blueberry Sauce

Six ounces pork tenderloin trimmed

3/4 teaspoon fresh garlic minced

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

2 1/4 teaspoons olive oil

2 1/2 ounces curried blueberry sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Place trimmed pork in bowl and rub the mixture over the pork. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat oil. Add the pork to hot oil, searing and browning all sides, about six minutes. Place in a roasting pan, place into a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes, turning twice. Cook until internal temperature is 155 degrees, or medium well. Remove from oven, let set for five minutes. Heat blueberry sauce, spoon onto serving plate. Slice pork on an angle into six to eight pieces. Place over sauce. Serve with couscous, rice, or Asian noodles.

Curried Blueberry Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/8 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon curry powder

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter. Add blueberries, salt, and curry powder Cook until berries are tender, about eight minutes. Add water and heavy cream, reduce another five to six minutes. Put mixture into a food processor or blender and purée. Cool and refrigerate for later use.

Secret sin: Velveeta Cheese. "It's processed garbage, but I like it."

Favorite utensil: Sauté pan. "Ninety percent of what we do is on top of the stove."

Ingredient I use but loathe: Tarragon. "I don't like the flavor, I don't like the smell. It's not in my building. I won't buy it."

Simple luxury no home kitchen should be without: A good set of knives. "If you're going to cut yourself, it won't hurt as much."