This week we are hanging out at Jobot Coffee Shop with Chef Dominic Fasano. Yesterday we chatted about the future of Nachobot and today, he'll share about learning to make crepes and bringing back Sunday brunch.
What are some changes you've made since being here? I changed the whole menu to making everything from scratch. We were using deli meats and different styles of cheeses... I'm just trying to get the best ingredients using the resources I have and taking the long route. Like roasting all our meats ourselves. It's also kind of hard because we're using staff from a café, so they aren't really kitchen inclined at all. I like to be positive and call it a challenge, but it's been fun and I've learned a lot because of it.Did you know how to make crepes before coming here? Is that something they teach you at culinary school?
I had made them at home but just in a sauté pan. Now we have actual crepe burners here which are, you know, the legit way to do it. And you have to use the little wooden stick to spin it out. There are people who have been working here longer than I have that have more experience than me, but I'm a crepe pro now.
So every employee here has to know how to make crepes then?
Yeah! It's all in the wrist. For the first week I just have kitchen employees spinning a stick on a counter, learning that motion. Seriously, it's all about the wrist and the motion.
And you'll be bringing the Sunday brunches back?
Yeah we took them away for a while, because of the weather. We made some improvements on the house -- we had some speed bumps back there, the house doesn't like to agree with us -- but it's a house turned into a business so we're still working on that. It's getting all squared away and it should be back in about a month or two. It's amazing, and I miss it. It would get so full and now we have another lounge to fill with about 30 people.
[The other half of the house] used to be an art gallery but now we have some vintage Herman Miller retro tabletops, and these are old ASU reclaimed office chairs, and Chris Bianco's carpenter built out benches for us so it's a fun new addition. We're also planning to punch a hole in the wall to connect the rooms.
And what about the brunch menu? It's different every week, correct?
I was the only one doing it by myself and I would do two options: a sweet or a savory. Never a sweet and a savory. Ultimately I was just playing with it, I don't think I ever did anything twice. I just kept pulling out recipe after recipe. I had really fun attack on the waffles and pancakes; I tried to recreate a desert or pastry's flavor...so like mimosa pancakes and red velvet Belgium waffles with mascarpone chantilly. Recreating common friendly things but in a fun friendly form. That was my creative outlet for a while.
So then you have no desire to go anywhere anytime soon?
No. Actually, if anything - and this is sad - but I kinda want to get out of food. I've fallen in love with nutrition. Now I'm just thinking I could walk to ASU and get my degree, maybe make people fat here at Jobot, and then have another business as a personal chef catering to dietary needs: weight loss, allergens, whatever. I want to attack nutrition and help people really badly. I find myself preaching so much and reading about nutrition, I've played with my own diet for years now. I mean, everybody's different but I think I could offer some help.
Check back tomorrow for Chef Fasano's recipe for Mimosa pancakes.
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