“[In California], it’s more ‘stop and smell the roses, look how beautiful this pea plant is,’ whereas in New York, it’s more ‘shut the fuck up and get on line.’ But on the flip-side, when I moved to New York from San Francisco early on in my career, I’d get torn a new asshole if I sent back a case of less-than-great fava beans, whereas in California, Dan Patterson would have slapped me upside the head for accepting them … It’s just two different learning patterns and styles, being an East or West Coast chef. But at this point, I couldn’t imagine living or working anywhere else but in New York.” —Ryan Skeen, currently the chef at Los Americanos, also says this his mother made him “kind of emotionless most of the time when it comes to other people’s feelings.” [Restaurant Girl]
