As reported in our bulletin this week, Ipswich Inn Head Chef Steven Kuchar regaled our club with anecdotes about his career as a chef and his activities in town. The following are excerpts from Cindy Quinn’s report.
Steve Kuchar began in the cooking industry while attending Whittier Tech. He didn’t want to use a card to pay for a meal, so the person in charge told him to eat and then come back later to work. Back at home he realized that “I know what I want to do – Culinary Arts.”
He worked for 7 years in Haverhill and Ipswich at the Henrich House, then joined his brother-in-law who opened a new restaurant in Salisbury, the Stripers Grille. He also helped open another restaurant in Topsfield.
After his children were grown, Steve took a position assisting Ray Morley at the Ipswich Inn. “When Ray passed, I received a call to run the Ipswich Inn and found it rewarding to cook, bartend, be a waiter and busboy, etc. It wasn’t easy, and the rule was that after 5 pm, there was no shop talk.” He added, “Julia Child changed everything about eating.”
Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Steve traveled to Mississippi to assist in the recovery for six weeks. There was so much damage to homes, trees, animals, and infrastructure.
“Katrina turned out to be a gift for me. I oversaw the kitchen at a church and had to revamp everything during week two. It was hot and humid, the days were long, and at the end of each day I reported the number of meals served. We prepared over 2000 meals daily, so I organized a way for people to stay in their cars and pick up boxed meals. During the third week, the Red Cross arrived and created a package that people could use.”
These days, Steve helps at the Ipswich Dinner Bell, especially now that Denny Drislane has retired. And with more time to experiment he also is mastering sushi.
“Consistency is everything,” Steve said, “and I try to be consistent with cleaning, labeling, and following Board of Health rules.” Paula Bishop, who served as office manager at the Inn for many years, said that “Steve knows only one way to do the job, and it’s the right way.’