Photo by Michael Donahue // Buy this photo
Connor O'Neill is executive chef at eighty3 restaurant in the Madison Hotel.
Title: Executive chef at eighty3 in the Madison Hotel.
Age: 31
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Who or what was your first cooking influence? My great grand maw. She used to own her own restaurant up near Cleveland, Ohio, called Sid's. They did the steak house stuff. ... She taught me how to do fried chicken and deviled eggs and cook what you caught from the lake and all that kind of stuff.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? Fried chicken. I would have been 8. First thing I baked would have been bread when I was 11 or 12 years old. My best friend Justin and I used to skip out on school and barbecue at home. We would make our own rolls. We'd make our own barbecue sauce and the whole bit. That was all the two of us ever wanted to do was be a chef.
What was your first food-related job? Sciota Country Club in Columbus.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? (Chef Paul Yow at Barcelona Restaurant in Columbus.) He taught me that the most important part of being a chef is be willing to give everything.
What is the Connor O'Neill style? As American as it can possibly get.
Describe a dish you created. Southern Shrimp Mole: Chipotle peppers, cocoa powder, olive juice, lime juice, lemon juice, fresh cilantro and garlic. Saute the garlic just enough to get it toasty. Then throw the garlic in with all the rest of the ingredients and puree it. And then get it hot, throw some shrimp in, let it braise. ... Make a really crisp slaw (with) some Thai chili sauce and some sour cream ... And then fresh hot corn cakes. Throw cilantro on top.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? Indian food.
What's your favorite food? Korean barbecue. I love the varying flavors and the varying textures. It can be tripe or pork belly. What I get is like the shaved pork, which is generally shoulder that's shaved down and marinated in chili sauce.
What's your least favorite food? Liver and onions. When I was in boot camp there was a week where they served us liver and onions for lunch and dinner and I made it through like three days. ... Ever since then I just can't touch the stuff.
eighty3 is at 83 Madison in the Madison Hotel; (901) 333-1224
Michael Donahue: (901) 529-2797; donahue@commercialappeal.com
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