| | |  Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining | September 2009 
Chef Seth Cloutman, Food Geek Extraordinaire
 Roberta Rand - SF Productions TV
September 18, 2009
| | Watch Chef Seth Cloutman at work on Vallarta's Culinary Corner. To find out how to have your business featured in an article on BanderasNews, contact Martha at (322) 209-0092 or email Martha(at)sfproductionstv.com. | |
As Seth Cloutman, owner of Food by Seth Catering and host of Vallarta's Culinary Corner, unfolds an old Kilim rug and smooths it over a table in an impeccably decorated home in Gringo Gulch, he announces, "It's not just about the cooking, it's about the styling."
With that, the layering begins. He and partner Cristhian Rios, private chef at Villa Balboa, artfully crumple bunting, followed by bowls of bougainvillea, a sprinkling of coffee beans and the requisite votive candles to set the stage for a seven-course seafood-themed dinner party.
Earlier in the day, Seth takes us on a shopping expedition to the fish and vegetable market in the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood. Seth glides about the various stalls with the confidence of someone who's done this a hundred times. He banters with the fishmongers in Español and occasionally pinches the fish stacked like cordwood on crushed ice. "One way to tell if a fish is fresh is to look at the eyes. If they are clear, that's a good sign," he says.
He spots a huge grouper on a dolly, but passes it up when he spies a 30 pound turquoise parrotfish. We all "ooh" and "ahh" at a fish that can only be described as spectacularly bulbous, with its massive "forehead" and a snout punctuated by a hard, bird-like beak - no doubt used for rooting around sharp coral and volcanic rock for food. Seth decides on the spot that this is our entree - even though he's never cooked parrotfish before. He also snaps up scallops, shrimp, an octopus and a sleek silvery fish called a sierra (Pacific mackerel).
Can You Say "Tomatillo?"
We proceed past the cats munching on fish entrails to the fruit and vegetable area, where Seth educates us on Mexican fruits and veggies with names like guayaba, chayote (Seth describes it as tasting a bit like a cucumber crossed with a pear), and verdolaga, a vegetable with a name that sounds like the setting of a romance novel: I'm returning to Verdolaga, where my true love awaits! Verdolaga is Seth's new favorite vegetable. "In Mexico, it's cooked down for use in salsas, but I love it raw," he says, munching a sample with the unhurried attitude of a panda savoring a bamboo leaf.
Seth loves to venture where no gastronome has gone before - eating the parts of animals that less adventurous palates might scrape into the garbage disposal, or what Anthony Bourdain affectionately refers to as "the nasty bits." He asks, "Have you ever tried...?" tossing out the names of organs that usually have something to do with pushing stomach contents through the digestive tract; we all shake our heads. If we'd been contestants on "Survivor," we'd have been voted out of the tribe long ago.
It's All About Community
Back at the house in Gringo Gulch, Seth creates a makeshift still life from the fruits and vegetables, the octopus, the serrano and the glossy parrotfish, which is propped up as a centerpiece. We snap away with our digital cameras like paparazzi at a movie premier.
Now the preparation begins. Seth presses everyone into service chopping vegetables and shelling shrimp, reminding us not to throw anything away. Fish heads, bones and shrimp shells all go into a boiling pot of water to make fish stock.
Dr. Jeffrey Leiphart, a psychologist, and Sandra Cesca, owner of Learn Vallarta, chop carrots, celery and onions for "mire poix" - what Seth calls the Holy Trinity of bases for sauces and stocks. "In Mexico, we would tweak that to include tomatoes, chiles and onions."
Seth takes the octopus, wrestles the skin off, and then warns with a grin, "You may not want to watch this," as he expertly pops out its eye. Of course, we all watch with morbid fascination like visitors at an autopsy.
Next he hoists the parrotfish and slaps it down on the counter. He scrapes off scales the size of quarters, then takes a large carving knife and plunges it into the fish's underbelly (I'm thinking he relishes the task just a bit too much). It's hard work filleting the fish, but Seth carves up the giant carcass with the skill of a surgeon and the gusto of Hannibal Lecter (Chianti and fava beans, anyone?).
Meanwhile, Cristhian quietly peels and slices yams and sneaks chunks of hearty bread slathered in Dijon mustard. I sidle over to Cristhian's corner of the massive kitchen counter. With Cristhian as my co-conspirator, I grab a piece of bread, spread it with some creamy butter from New Zealand and munch away like a criminal.
Later on, Cristhian pours small dollops of cream through a hole in the top of a blender to make aioli. He gives me a small taste; IMHO, it's heaven in liquid form. Someone passes around a morita pepper and each of us inhales the concentrated smoky aroma as if it were an illegal substance. Cristhian hands me half of a small limo (lime) to suck on; I'm surprised by the sweetness.
Every hour or so, Seth retires for a smoke break to the veranda overlooking a bend in the River Cuale. Mist hangs over the lush Sierra Madres creating an impossibly theatrical backdrop appropriate for a movie starring, say, Dorothy Lamour in a sarong and Clark Gable in a sweat-soaked Arrow shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
As Seth drags on his cigarette and works up his energy for more food preparation, I ask him about the origins of his love of food. "There is nothing in my childhood that pointed me this direction. My mom used to buy ends of bologna and toss them in a frying pan for dinner." But clearly, Seth had a calling. He speaks fondly of distinguished French interior designer Andree Putman, who took Seth under her wing in Paris, and whose influence opened many doors for him in the competitive world of French gastronomy.
Does that Soup Come in a Ladies 2X?
When Seth starts blending a chilled pea soup with mint, I marvel as a bag of frozen peas are transformed - pureed in a storm of heavy cream. I'm thinking, where can I find a dress in that color? Seth lets me taste a doll of the pale green mixture from the end of his finger. If a dew-kissed Spring morning could be made into soup, this would be it. It's not just to-die-for good, it's to-die-and-be-born-again good.
Seth has made fish balls with the Serrano, which he drizzles with the aioli and passes around as an appetizer. We pop the delectable orbs of fish goodness into our mouths and check our watches. It's about 8 pm.
A trio of pans bubble on the stove in shades of chili red, spinach green and creamy white - the white being the parrotfish. "Always think about color when planning a menu," Seth advises. He is overtly conscious of the art of food in all its aspects. I watch as he arranges the verdolago on salad plates, layered with short sections of grilled octopus and braised scallions. It's like Chanel on a plate.
Dinner is Served
Seated around the dinner table are Dr. Leiphart - host of tonight's soiree; Sandra Cesca; Paul Crist, Owner of Hotel Mercurio; Paco Ojeda, Managing Editor of Vallarta Lifestyles - and me, the writer babe (I knew that being an English major would pay off some day...).
Dinner proceeds course by leisurely course, allowing each guest to fully savor the presentation, the tastes, the aromas, the conversation, the view of Puerto Vallarta's twinkling lights. Neither Cristhian nor Seth sit down during dinner. They are busy pouring wine, stirring sauces, plating food and clearing the table for each successive course.
At 9:30 pm, we take a break to stand up, relax and let the food settle in our stomachs. It's pure sensory overload for me; my meals at home lean toward scrambled eggs and Nutella smeared on crackers. I actually have to lay down and rest.
When Seth and Cristhian finally join us at the table for dessert, it's nearly midnight. The evening closes with a French tart made Mexican style with ciruela, a relative of the plum. An herbal liqueur warms our gullets like liquid sunshine - our hearts were warmed hours ago by Seth's opus of "food love" - eleven hours from start to finish.
"My idea of a fabulous dinner is to make it an all-night affair, with conversation, tasting and celebrating food as a familial experience," says Seth. "When people come to my house, they know it will be an evening they won't forget. A good meal at my house should be better than sex," he says with a wink. "I know," he adds with a self-deprecating grin. "I'm a geek."
So maybe it's post-coital bliss I'm feeling as I pick my way over the cobblestones to my parked car. I drive home to Colonia Villa Las Flores, where I fall into bed and sleep like a baby.
Watch Chef Seth Cloutman at work on Vallarta's Culinary Corner, a production of SF Production TV. To find out how to have your business featured in an article on BanderasNews, contact Martha at SF Production TV at (322)209-0092 or email Martha(at)sfproductionstv.com.
 Roberta Rand is Public Relations Manager for SF Productions TV, a full service production and marketing company in Puerto Vallarta. Prior to relocating to Mexico from Colorado Springs with her dog, Bo, Roberta worked as a magazine editor, web editor and marketing copywriter. She is also an essayist and author, whose book "Playing the Tuba at Midnight" explored the quirks of living single.
To learn more about SF Productions, click HERE or visit SFProductionsTV.com. |
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