5 NINTH & FATTY CRAB | New York
Zak Pelaccio is the Executive Chef at 5 Ninth and
Fatty Crab in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. The two
restaurants reflect the distinctive facets of his culinary education
and experience. The eclectic European menu at 5 Ninth showcases
Pelaccio’s classical training at the French Culinary Institute,
where he graduated first in his class, followed by stints at The
French Laundry with Thomas Keller and Daniel with
Daniel Boulud. The menu also reflects his travels across Western
At his more recent endeavor, Fatty Crab,
located just around the corner, his Southeast Asian menu with a
spotlight on Malay cuisine reflects Pelaccio’s time spent
traveling and cooking in Asia before he even started culinary school.
He worked as a cook for half a year at Seri Melayu in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, and in the Thai kitchen of the Westin Hotel in
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Prior to opening 5 Ninth, Pelaccio earned
recognition among New York's foodie insiders at the Chickenbone
Café in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He is an active member
of Slow Food and is on the advisory board of Heritage Foods USA,
which focuses on preserving rare breeds of animals indigenous to
the United States.
A graduate of the University of Vermont, Pelaccio
held a number of positions in the food industry before pursuing
a career as a chef. He ran his own food software business, wiredkitchen.com,
trained as a manager and purchasing agent with the Myriad Restaurant
Group (owners of Tribeca Grill, Montrachet, and Nobu),
and was a scriptwriter and field producer for TV Food Network’s
“Dining Around.” Most recently, Pelaccio has taken on
the added role of consulting chef for 230 Fifth, a rooftop
bar lounge and private party space in the Flatiron District.
TR: What is your philosophy
on food and dining?
ZP: I believe first in the
quality of ingredients, local purchasing and in cooking seasonally.
I also think it’s really important for food to make sense
and have a sense of place. It’s clear when a dish went through
an uninformed creative process, when it hasn’t really been
inspired by original, nostalgic, congruent thought. I don’t
believe in fusion when it’s obviously out of place, which
is really common here in the U.S. I think food needs some sort of
base and it’s just as important to know where your ideas come
from, as it is to know where your beef comes from. Because some
states of Malaysia are former British colonies, it’s normal
to find these British remnants in the form of fish and chips or
beans on toast at Malaysian cafes. Historically, culturally, this
sort of fusion makes sense and there’s a place for it on my
TR: Are there
any secret ingredients that you especially like?
ZP: It’s no secret, but
I like to use chin chalook, a salted, fermented Malaysian shrimp.
It comes in a jar, and it’s pretty intense. I like to use
it for brining meat—it works the same way as regular brine,
but it’s got more depth.
TR: What flavor
combinations do you favor?
ZP: I try to balance acidity,
sweetness, fattiness, chili, and texture in all my food.
TR: What is your
most indispensable tool?
ZP: A knife, any knife as long
as it’s sharp. And a prep cook.
TR: Is there
a culinary technique that you have either created, or use in an
ZP: I’m not sure anyone’s
really creating new techniques anymore. It’s just a matter
of using what’s available. Lately I’ve been getting
back to the most basic and rudimentary of techniques and learning
more about them. I like slow poaching in fat, and also injecting
meat and smoking it with wood.
TR: What is your
favorite question to ask during an interview for a potential new
ZP: I like to ask them what
they’re reading. I think it allows me to really see how insightful
they are, how interested they are in their passions. What they’re
reading and how they talk about it are a great key.
TR: What tips
would you offer young cooks just getting started?
ZP: Don’t worry about
the money until much later, or you’re going about the whole
thing backwards. First, really learn, get some experience, work
hard, and get the tools that are going to help you be a successful
chef later on. Then, when you’ve got a handle on it, you might
be in a good position to think about money.
TR: What are
your favorite cookbooks?
ZP: I like Royal Thai Family
Favourites, which I picked up in Northern Thailand in 1995, and
I like Thai Seafood, which I also got there. Zarina’s Home
Cooking is great too, with Indonesian, and Indian influences.
TR: What cities
do you like for culinary travel?
ZP: All of Malaysia is great,
but Kuala Lumpur is my favorite city.
TR: Where do
you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
ZP: I hope to be working on
new, interesting projects, maybe beyond New York. I’d like
to open a restaurant in Asia. I’ll be refining my sensibilities,
and focusing in on my passions.
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