Culinary Interlude with Chef Jeffrey Fryer
Culinary Interlude with Chef Jeffrey Fryer, Executive Chef of Colorado Spring’s Alchemy sits down to discuss his Caribbean roots, his military background as a cook that gave him a unique transition into the culinary world, and what currently drives him creatively.
Join us~ to discover what makes Alchemy , “Not just a pub”!
Truth be Told— I worked with Jeff years ago in Colorado Springs at a French Bistro at the base of Cheyenne Mountain called, Walter’s Bistro that is still open to this day. I had to compete for the sauté/poissonnier position (sautéing food to order and fish butchering and preparation) against a young male that had gone to culinary school (I hadn’t) in a kitchen full of males. Jeff was already working there on Grill, prepping in between lunch and dinner service, watching us sweat and run around attempting to create both an appetizer and a main dish in 30 minutes with a quiet smile on his face. Suffice it to say, I got the job and the first real friend I made in Colorado was Jeff.
Chef Jeffrey Fryer is a relatively quiet man, but when he speaks he does so with intention and well-thought responses. When he laughs he really laughs and when he dedicates himself to something, he goes all in. Chef Jeff is as kind-hearted as they come— I’ll never forget when he invited me over to his family’s house for Thanksgiving my first year living in Colorado (he knew I would be flying solo otherwise). I don’t remember what dish I brought, but I sure do remember what spread he had. We all have our favorite Turkey day dishes: the golden turkey itself, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing— but my favorite by far was his stuffing because it was not traditional, it reflected his own family roots. He made a Caribbean spicy cornbread stuffing and it was incredibly delicious. I’ve tried to recreate and while there are many cornbread stuffing recipes out on the web, none have come close to his family’s.
JF- “My dad wasn’t the greatest chef but my mother was an amazing chef. My father taught me to eat like a blind man and my mother taught me to enjoy flavors. I always wanted to have a better eating experience, so I tried to learn as much as possible ever since I was little. That was just another way of helping out at home, being able to prepare a meal for my family.
I had started working young in an Italian restaurant back in Maryland, though I had a love for computers. I joined the military after school and became a cook there. In the different bases that I was stationed at I was able to work outside of just the military in different restaurants. I worked in Germany and in Austria, and I would trade some time— for example, for three days to go skiing I would prepare meals for about 10 people twice a day for a high-up military official. I got to use my skills and barter for some enjoyed time off.
“On my days off I would just spend time catching up learning, as other cooks around me had gone to culinary school. My learning was hands on, cooking for friends and coming in on my days off to do prep.”
~Chef Fryer
JF- After the military, I was here at Fort Carson in Colorado and went into fine dining, working under some great chefs. On my days off I would just spend time catching up learning, as other cooks around me had gone to culinary school. My learning was hands on, cooking for friends and coming in on my days off to do prep. In the end, time is money, so the time I spent learning I felt was equal to the money they spent to go to school. I’ve been in Colorado ever since, which was 2005 and Colorado is where I’ve made my home.”
CI-How have you incorporated the flavors and tastes of your personal history into dishes?
JF- So I was born in Guyana, South America. My family has a Caribbean background. I haven’t incorporated many traditional dishes currently, as Alchemy is an Irish restaurant but there are some familiar flavors— curry is big in Ireland, so having that background of playing with flavors from the West Indies, I can incorporate my own curry blend into a dish. People really seem to love it and I’ve been able to reach back to my roots a little. I incorporate some island flavors with heavier meats like oxtail to create an alternative nice homestyle meal. That’s where it sticks together— The Irish are homey and like food that sticks to your ribs and that’s what we are in the Caribbean, the same thing.
CI-What memory of collaborating with another chef(s) sticks out the most to you and why?
JF- I would say any events that I’ve done in Colorado that are not Chef competitions but are fundraising events like March of Dimes or anything that all of us local chefs are there to help bring the community together. It’s rare to have the time to sit down and just chat with other chefs, but when we do, people say “I can’t believe you could just talk about salt for an hour"— and I just say, yeah there’s so many varieties and they all have different aspects! I wish that I could balance my time to take in more moments like that and do more collaborative dishes, cooking together.
“The Irish are homey and like food that sticks to your ribs and that’s what we are in the Caribbean, the same thing.”
~Chef Fryer of Alchemy
CI-What drives you creatively?
JF- Especially working in an Irish restaurant, I would say re-vamping what everyone is accustomed to and finding new spins on what Irish food means. I’m in a land locked state trying to provide food from a region that’s an island. It’s a challenge already, but as much as I can try to get things locally sourced I think that is what drives me being here. I love the challenge—
CI-If you could give one bit of straightforward advice to young chefs starting out, what would you say?
JF- Keep it simple and follow your heart. If you’re in the right place you’ll know it.
Dining at Alchemy
CI-Share your tips on what to order at Alchemy and how to best enjoy the experience?
JF- I would start off with one of our hand crafted cocktails, the Alchemist (Kraken, gin, lemon, thyme & ginger) the Akira (vodka, cilantro, ginger, coconut & sriracha) or the Irish Tee Time (pear infused Jameson, mandarin spiced tea, orange bitters, clove), a few of the unique drinks that we have. I would follow that up with the Scottish smoked salmon finished with lavender honey. Definitely go for the Rueben, the beef is from Colorado and we make our own sauerkraut with red cabbage and our bread is made locally, so we try to keep it as close to home as we possibly can. And I would order the Dublin lawyer, a classic Irish dish with a twist, instead of serving it was rice we serve ours with potato gnocchi. It’s just like a real Irish lawyer— rich and full of whiskey— so a whiskey-mushroom cream sauce with lobster and shrimp. It’ll warm you up and satisfy you just any time of day. I would finish with either our sous-vide creme brûlée or the flourless chocolate cake which is a favorite.
(For the gluten-free patrons, there are a number of options including a delicious Fish’N’Chips and their “Pickle Chick”, pickle brined and fried chicken with Guinness gravy (gf minus the gravy) and chile-honey, which are a real rarity for those with allergies to enjoy.)
CI-How do you deal with the stresses of the job and how do you compliment it with your life outside of the restaurant?
Honestly that has been a challenge for me. I can say that I am a workaholic. In some ways my work takes away from my personal life. If I can focus on some other problems and how to fix them, I can more easily ignore my own. That makes it very difficult to have some outside relationships that are not focused around the industry.
On attending a dinner party…
“If I don’t have to touch anything in the kitchen… on a scale from 1-10 you’re already automatically at a 7…
You can invite me over for some of your best pb and jelly sandwiches and if we have great conversation… then that’s good on me.”
~Chef Jeffrey Fryer
CI-Where do you like to eat out and why?
JF- Preferably a friends house. We do stop and check out new restaurants in town or support other friends in the industry that are rolling out new menus, but honestly just going to a friends house for a dinner party— sometimes they may feel intimidated thinking, “Oh I’m cooking for a chef,” but I say if I don’t have to touch anything in the kitchen… on a scale from 1-10 you’re already automatically at a 7. If it looks great you’re going up another point and if it tastes good even better. You can invite me over for some of your best pb and jelly sandwiches and if we have great conversation.. then that’s good on me.
CI-Do you cook often with your family home?
JF- I have an 11 month old daughter at home and she’s already developing a good palate for well-seasoned food. She no longer likes the pureed foods you buy at the store. Instead she’s a big fan of home-made hummus and guacamole and likes old bay seasoning. Our special family anniversary meal is home-made spaghetti.
CI-What could we find in your refrigerator at home that you have to have on an everyday basis?
JF- Some type of mayonnaise and at least two different types of pickles. Those are necessary staples.
CI-If you had to survive on one nationalities cuisine for the rest of your life, what country would it be?
JF- Japanese and ramen. A complex multi-flavor profile dish that never bores.
CI-What cuisine or technique do you currently find the most intriguing?
JF- Plating techniques and the science of cooking. Molecular gastronomy inspires me, I’ve been trying to incorporate some of that here making some of my own caviars and foams, but definitely using new plating styles that customers are not expecting in a pub with surprises on flavors and textures.
CI-What are your favorite local purveyors and products?
JF- I mainly use Shamrock purveyors for their regionality and look up what farms they are sourcing. Food Maven, a newer company with zero waste initiative helps to get rid of/re-locate food waste by obtaining the excess or unwanted bruised products that farmers may have, to offer them to restaurants and individuals at a discount. For example, some bruised peaches won’t be bought by a supermarket, but I can use them to make a fresh jam to use on a charcuterie board. I can use their products to help create specials with their lists that change every day. It gives myself and my staff a new wrench to throw into the system and keeps us creative and thinking of ways to use new products.
Still curious about Chef Fryer?
Follow Chef Fryer’s Culinary and Life Adventures on IG @Chefj3ff
