Inside the Kitchen: Seven Questions with Eric Bost of Jeune et Jolie, Lilo, Wildland, and Campfire

It would definitely be a steak or fish cooked over open flame. We’re cooking over wood, doing something fun, and it’s all about quality and simplicity. I grew up on the East Coast and love summer. Corn, cucumber, watermelons. Those are my must have foods.

I still remember being at my grandparent’s restaurant when I was 12 wrapping baked potatoes. It’s not cooking, but it was being around the energy and the buzz and hum of the team. I also really remember each time opening a restaurant, certainly with Auburn specifically, when you hit a point when the room is full and the kitchen is cranking, and you can see guests enjoying your food, the energy of the space is one of the best memories that I have.

Celebration. A celebration of ingredients, and it’s about experience and discovery from a guest perspective. It should be delicious and a bit indulgent. I think from a chef and restaurateur perspective, it’s our responsibility to create something special and be unique.

First and foremost that we make daily improvements in all the details. One of the hardest parts about cooking, and also the most rewarding, is that you start from scratch every day. It’s a clean slate, but you need to do better than the day before. That’s a daily goal.

I really want our teams to stay energized and engaged and I think we do a really good job of that. Hopefully they are joyful, curious, and feel like they are challenged and growing and their time is well spent. That’s a constant goal that I’m always working towards. And it’s really about digging deeper into the process. I would love a farm because I think it builds a deeper and more meaningful ecosystem for us to work within.

Deeper storytelling within the greater community is another goal. I want to do more to tell the stories of our partners, like our farmers and ceramicists who are making the plates at our restaurants.

César in New York because I never got to eat at his last restaurant. Asador Etxebarri and Plénitude in Paris are definitely on my bucket list. When Noma comes to LA – come on that is going to be so crazy. Definitely psyched for that. Alchemist I’ve heard tons of incredible stuff about too.

To stay product driven. A focus on being vibrant, fresh, with surprising flavor combinations, and ultimately delicious. A lot of a la minute cooking. We’re always trying to find interesting sources of acidity. We try to build the prep work, team, and set up so we can do as much as possible at the very last second before it is put in front of the guest to keep the flavors pristine and alive.

My dad’s mom cooks and her chicken casserole is my comfort food. Now we make a chicken pot rice at home. My son Ethan doesn’t like pot pie crust for some reason, but he loves rice, so it’s like chicken pot pie with rice instead of a crust.