Geneva eatery's day in New York
NEW YORK -- Jeremy Lycan seemed relaxed as he paged through a Rolling Stone magazine and munched on Skittles Monday aboard the Cessna Citation V Ultra that flew him, his crew and several hundred pounds of duck confit, scallops, microgreens, carrot bisque and other foodstuffs from the DuPage Airport in West Chicago to Teterboro Airport outside New York City.
"Half the stress is getting the stuff there," said Lycan, chef and co-owner at Geneva's acclaimed Niche restaurant. "Cooking, that will be the fun part."
Lycan, along with Niche sous chef Chris Ayukawa; Chris Kline, a culinary schoolmate of Lycan's now with Sara Lee; and co-owner and sommelier Jody Richardson tonight will present a seven-course dinner at the James Beard House, a showplace for American cuisine in New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood.
Only a handful of Chicago-area chefs are selected each year for the honor, which tests their stamina as well as their culinary skills.
Lycan has been working hard to ensure low stress levels. He visited the plane, owned by Valley Air Service, a few times before Monday's flight, measuring spaces and placing boxes into the holds to ensure everything would fit. He used every available space, even the small on-board lavatory, for the 20-some insulated foam boxes. The 16 cases of wine that will be served with the dinner started out for New York Sunday with Richardson behind the wheel of a rented minivan.
"After talking with other chefs who have cooked at the House, (the private jet) was really the way to go," Lycan said. No hassles getting vacuum-packed sauces or 10-inch knives through airport security.
The prep work started Sunday morning back in Geneva at the restaurant; the dishes will be finished and the plates assembled today for 66 guests at the house that belonged to James Beard. Beard, considered the father of American cuisine, died in 1985. His townhouse serves as the headquarters for the James Beard Foundation, a group dedicated to preserving America's culinary heritage. Dinners at the House are open to the public.
Once on the ground the precious cargo headed via van to the kitchen coolers at The Harvard Club, about two miles from the James Beard House, where the Niche entourage was staying.
"We got all the boxes; everything came in fine, nothing got destroyed," Lycan said. "I'm feeling less stressed than I anticipated at this point."
• Information for this article was gathered on a trip sponsored by Niche restaurant.