Photo by Michael Donahue, MIchael Donahue/The Commercial Appeal // Buy this photo
Ryan Trimm is Sweet Grass executive chef and co-owner.
Title: Executive chef/co-owner, Sweet Grass.
Age: 30.
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Who or what was your first cooking influence? My grandmother. ... (I'd) cook with "Nonnie," whether it be blueberry pie or cherry pie. ... She made a lot of things from scratch. She came over from Italy.
Photo by Michael Donahue, MIchael Donahue/The Commercial Appeal
Ryan Trimm is Sweet Grass executive chef and co-owner.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? Cappellettis. She (his grandmother) used to serve them in chicken broth with asiago cheese.
What made you decide to become a chef, and when was that? I was going to law school. I had already made up my mind. Then last second I was like, "I don't really want to be a lawyer." ... I wasn't positive I wanted to cook until I moved to Charleston. The atmosphere at SNOB's (Slightly North of Broad restaurant in Charleston, S.C.) was nothing like anything I've experienced. The camaraderie. We all went out together. We all did everything together. You worked hard.
What was your first food-related job? The Carlton in Pittsburgh.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? Chef Ramon Taimanglo who is at High Cotton in Charleston now. He told me, "Never be afraid to ask for a raise if you feel you deserve it." And he told me, "Work clean, work fast."
What is the Ryan Trimm style? What I try to focus on are local produce, local vegetables, and I try to focus on a lot of seafood and game.
Describe a dish you created. Pork osso bucco. It's about a 2-inch cut. We braise it. We glaze it with bourbon instead of wine. And we cook it down real slow. (We) make our own pork stock, use that in the cooking process. And we serve it over collard greens. ... We do that with bacon shiitake grits and put the pork osso bucco on top and use a nice mushroom jus with it. And we do bourbon peach butter on top of it.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? There's nothing better than having some margaritas or a beer and grill everything on the grill. We'll (he and his wife) cook everything from potatoes to fish to vegetables.
What's your least favorite ingredient? I've never liked the flavor of mussels.
Sweet Grass is at 937 S. Cooper; 278-0278.
— Michael Donahue: 529-2797; donahue@commercialappeal.com
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