Photo by Michael Donahue, Michael Donahue/The Commercial Appeal // Buy this photo
Andrew Coins, sous chef, Chez Philippe at The Peabody.
Title: Sous chef, Chez Philippe at The Peabody
Age: 24
Who or what was your first cooking influence? Both my grandmas. They were the old-school style of cooks. They cooked at home. Three-meals-a- day-every-day-for-30-years kind of thing. Very home-style type of things. Chicken and noodles. And Midwestern 'cause I'm originally from Decatur, Ill. Things like open-faced turkey sandwiches with gravy. And Spanish rice.
Photo by Michael Donahue, Michael Donahue/The Commercial Appeal
Andrew Coins, sous chef, Chez Philippe at The Peabody.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? Chicken and noodles. I was fairly young, 7 or 8.
What made you decide to become a chef and when was that? In high school everybody's getting ready to go to college and I just could not figure out what I wanted to do. ... This Johnson & Wales (University culinary arts program) brochure comes my way and I just take one look at it and I'm like, 'That is me. That's what I've been waiting for.'"
What was your first food-related job? The Kickin' Chicken (in Charleston, S. C.). I made salads there and I breaded a whole lot of chicken.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? It would have to be Chef (Reinaldo Alfonso, Chez Philippe chef de cuisine). Make sure your (kitchen is) clean every day, make sure the walk in always looks really nice. Thinking about dishes, why you put things where you put them on a plate.
What is the Andrew Coins style? I think I'm still really building that. I like the idea of keeping things fresh, keeping things simple. What everybody says I'm good at are things you build flavor with like stocks, sauces, stews, braises and all that. That's really my forte.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? I cook almost every night when I go home. Just a little something. Usually it's for my girlfriend. Lately, I've been into baking breads. During the winter I do a lot of stews and braises.
What's your least favorite ingredient? I don't like things that are jellied. I don't like the texture in my mouth. Aspic, something like that. Even growing up. Jell-O. I would cut out little things (with it), make little figures, whatever. But I would never eat it.
Chez Philippe is in The Peabody at 149 Union; 529-4188.
-- Michael Donahue: 529-2797
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