10 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • FEBRUARY 2020
MEET THE CHEFS
STAR CHEFS WILL DELIGHT
Taste the Greats, the upcoming celebration
of the fine dining served
up by Long Island’s leading chefs, is
coming to Oheka Castle in Huntington
in March, complete with wines,
craft beer, and spirits.
In preparation for this culinary
celebration presented by the Long
Island Press and its parent company,
Schneps Media, each month we’re
profiling some of the dozen-plus
chefs who will be among the stars of
Taste the Greats. Here are the latest.
Sponsors for Taste Greats include
Freeport Jaguar and Uleva.
Linda Johnson,
Chocology Stony Brook
What dish do you enjoy preparing
with chocolate? Sweet
potato brownies. They’re soft,
gooey, and oh-so-chocolatey!
They are not only extremely
delicious but healthy too and
everyone loves them.
Are there any misconceptions
among foodies that you’d like
to clarify? I think people are
still getting used to the idea and
the price difference of artisan
handmade chocolates. The quality
and quantity of cocoa butter in
each artisan, bean-tobar
chocolate and the
resulting depth and
breadth in taste
is worlds apart
compared to that
of a mass-produced
chocolate.
What are some interesting
food and
drink pairings that
event-goers must try when they
come to Oheka? During events when
our clients walk up with a pickle,
meatballs, coffee, even lemonade,
our job is to pair them up with a chocolate
that will complement whatever
is available at the moment. It’s a lot
of fun and we’ve learned a lot about
pairing chocolate with all kinds of
food and drink.
Chocology Stony Brook is located at
1099 N. Country Rd. in Stony Brook.
It can be reached at 631-901-7151 or
chocologyunlimited.com
Chef Stephan Bogardus,
The Halyard
What drew you
to a career in
the kitchen?
I found
success in
k i t c h e n s
because I
really really
enjoy
learning.
There are so
many challenges
and
so many solutions; being
put in a position to make
decisions at such a pace
in real-time situations
is very fun for me.
How would you define
your cooking style?
We are waterfront on
the North Fork and the area
really reminds me
of a sandy South
of France.
The culture
of
wine,
food, indulgence, and leisure in
our prime season really leads me
to cooking in that style.
What dish do you enjoy cooking
most? I love cooking eggs. Quality
eggs are such a rich indulgence and
provide such an array of opportunities
for manipulation. The egg is
like a textbook for a cook: If you pay
close attention to what is happening
to an egg cooking, there is an endless
source of opportunities to learn.
What is your favorite food-related
memory? Once during a pre-shift
meeting we were reviewing
a short rib
dish I had just put
on the menu and
acclaimed chef
Gerry Hayden told
the whole staff it
was the best short rib he had ever
had. The validation my teacher gave
me brought me to tears.
Are there any misconceptions
among foodies that you would like
to clarify? Use the love for food as
means to connect, not as a token of
judgement. Avoid tension and stress,
have a good time, eat great food.
The Halyard is located at 58775
County Rd. 48 in Greenport. It can
be reached at 631-477-0666 or the
halyardgreenport.com
Linda Johnson
Stephan Bogardus
sponsored by
Oheka Castle Sat March 14 8PM
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/chocologyunlimited.com
/halyardgreenport.com
