The Singing Chef

Words: Amy Mercer
Photos: Christina Bailey

In a city known for fine dining establishments, Robert’s of Charleston is in a category of its own. Robert’s has a long established reputation as the place to go for a special occasion. With over thirty years in the restaurant business, Robert Dickson has never strayed from his vision of combining his culinary and musical talents.

Dining at Robert’s is a stimulation of the senses. A piano plays as you walk into the intimate setting with warm golden walls, white linen topped tables, and large scale paintings on the walls, most of which were painted by Robert himself. From the moment you step away from the bustle of East Bay Street, you know you are somewhere special. Trained in opera, Robert’s exuberant baritone fills the restaurant with Broadway show tunes while you indulge in upscale servings such as, jumbo crab cakes with a cucumber salad, BBQ duck, beef tenderloin and crème brulée. The evening begins on a high note as Robert strides to the front of the room singing “Food, Glorious Food.” Before returning to the kitchen, Robert takes a moment to walk around the restaurant and chat with his customers, many who have been coming for years. The singing is sprinkled throughout the 2 ½ hour evening, and usually concludes with happy birthday and anniversary serenades.

Robert’s love of food was a result of his mother’s Italian cooking. As soon as he was old enough, he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. After the birth of his oldest daughter, he decided to follow another passion, and studied opera in London. Determined to find a way to combine his two loves, Robert and his wife Pam opened the original Robert’s of Charleston where he became known as “The Singing Chef.”

Robert’s is still a family affair with his youngest daughter MariElena reigning in the kitchen while her husband Joe manages the front of the house. Graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, the husband and wife team also teach classes at the Art Institute of Charleston.

After thirty-two years in the restaurant business, Robert will soon be leaving his business to his youngest daughter and son-in-law. “I don’t like to call it retirement,” he says, as he plans to spend his time teaching, writing, and maybe painting. Robert has a lifetime of stories to tell, and if he turns his memories into a book, he’s sure to have many happy customers.

Winter Wine: Carmenere

Words: Bradley Ball, sommelier

Once misidentified as Merlot throughout Chile, Carmenère has recently had a resurgence in interest, becoming the leader of the red wine revolution there. It was originally transplanted in the 19th century from Bordeaux, where it once had a significant presence, but was phased out in the twentieth century. It has even been referred to as Bordeaux’s sixth red-grape variety (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot).

The beauty of Carmenère lies in its ability to blend Old World (Europe) and New World (everywhere else) styles. It has the structure, balance and rusticity of Old World wines coupled with the body, richness and fruit of New World wines. Likened to a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it’s a medium to full-bodied wine of ripe berry notes, sweet spice, smoke and wet dirt (the tasty kind).  Highly recommended as the temperature begins to drop and nothing seems better than curling up with an oversized glass of Carmenère on a Siberian polar bear skin in front of a large fire.  

Recommended Producers:
- Chono – an absolute favorite made by biodynamic winemaker Espinoza.
- De Martino – an excellent value on the low end and the mid-tier stuff is fantastic as well.
- Montes ‘Purple Angel’ – perhaps the most expensive Carmenère on the market, but it is huge and delicious.
- Odfjell – funny name, good juice.

An Institute of Creativity

The Art Institute of Charleston is a welcome addition to the city’s vital art scene in Charleston. Founded in 2007, The Art Institute of Charleston, a branch campus of the Art Institute of Atlanta, is involved in a wide variety of art inspired events. For starters, they recently sponsored this year’s third annual Charleston Magazine Fashion Week, a five-night celebration of the city’s flourishing retail and design talents with nearly 100 designers. The school offered a $22,000 “Fashion Your Future” scholarship. The Art Institute was also involved with the BB&T Food and Wine Festival where culinary students had the opportunity to cook onstage with Food Network television personality Bobby Flay.

Check out some of their upcoming events:

All-Student Gallery Show (April 17 - May 16) - Photography, interior design, digital filmmakers, graphic designers and art students at Ai are invited to take part in the second annual juried art show on display at the Art Institute’s own gallery.

Charleston International Film Festival (April 23 - 26) - Ai sponsors this celebration of America’s best independent filmmakers and directors at the Terrace Theater.

Lynne Riding Show (May 18 - July 9) - Internationally renowned artist and faculty member, Lynne Riding displays her large scale, minimalist paintings during Spoleto. Her interests lie in “the subtle undercurrents, the not so blatant, crude, or obvious. What lies between the obvious.” Lynne’s work is concerned with human frailty and her paintings deal with the balance between certainty and uncertainty. In her show at the Art Institute, she will show a range of work from her figurative to landscapes to more abstract works so her students can glimpse the process of her evolution as an artist. Lynne finds painting meditative and goes outside into the woods of barrier islands when she is in need of inspiration. She believes that painting is a layering process that begins with ink drawings of simple shapes, such as vines and power lines. “By reducing the work to its utmost simplicity - an essence - I come closer to the feeling that the object invokes in me - a honing of my own feelings in relation to the object.”

Chef Interview: Craig Deihl of Cypress

Craig Deihl grew up on farming territory in Pennsylvania. His grandparents had a 95-acre farm less than a mile from his home, and he remembers helping them out regularly during “pickin’ time.” Craig and his brother were among the oldest of the cousins and grew up in the fields gathering strawberries, corn, cantaloupes, and watermelon. During the summers, they took the fruit to the local farmers’ market on Saturday mornings. Craig didn’t know it at the time, but the hours spent on the family farm planted the seeds that lead him to a career in cooking.

“I don’t want to stop learning; I don’t want to stop experimenting.”

Craig came to Charleston to study at Johnson & Wales, and began working at Magnolia’s in 1995 when he was 17. At 23, he became executive chef at Cypress Restaurant. With fourteen years of professional cooking in Charleston, Craig is thankful to be in a location that allows him to do what he loves and be successful.
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ART: What are your feelings about Michele Obama’s organic garden and the national trend toward more sustainable cooking?

CD: Any time somebody is really putting an emphasis on getting back to the basics, I’m all for it. Half my menu is seasonal, featuring local grass-fed beef (it’s the best beef I’ve ever tasted), local vegetables, local fish, English peas, wild mushrooms… If it’s not available within our region, I’ll find it in Florida, New York, and all the way up to Boston. I’m just in search of the best food that I can get. We make everything in house. I buy a whole animal and have figured out a way to use every last bit. All of our vegetable scraps, we send back to the farmer that raises our pigs. To me that’s exciting. It’s what we do here. I’m trying hard to make a difference; and my trashcans are a lot lighter! (laughing.)

ART: How is Cypress managing during this struggling economy?

CD: I try to provide a different experience. If we’re slow, why can’t we put more attention into our food? I have to be a business man and if I’m just going to continue to produce expensive art that people aren’t buying, how can I downplay a little bit, make it a little bit more fun? That’s how I think about my food. Buying a whole pig is less expensive, but only if you use the whole pig. We make our biscuits out of lard, pie crusts for meat pies… We use it all. To me that’s where food really is artknowing how to use all of it.

ART: Do you have a signature dish, a favorite recipe?

CD: Well, I wrote a cookbook for that reason. I’ve got a bunch of signature dishes. You come into Charleston for the first time and if you’ve read the cookbook, chances are you’ll find it on the menu. But any great, clean, small oyster offering I’d say is my favoriteit’s usually something that really gets you motivated and interested in the rest of the food throughout the evening.

ART: How important is the overall presentationthe art of the dishto you?

CD: People eat with their eyes. If I put all this time and effort into breaking down a whole fish, how am I going to make it look real pretty? I enjoy the extra effort needed to make the food look elegant. The real art of the dish is the work that went into it. The skills, the trade, the craftsmanship, that’s the art form.

A Glossary of Culinary Terminology

aïoli - A type of sauce from southern France, similar to a garlicky mayonnaise.

andouille - A spicy sausage made from pork and used in Cajun dishes.

aperitif - A small alcoholic drink taken prior to a meal.

béarnaise - A white wine sauce flavored with tarragon.

benne - Southern term for sesame seed.

bouillabaisse - A fish soup or stew.

chèvre - A French cheese made from goat’s milk with a tart taste and a moist texture.

chiffonnade - To slice an herb or vegetable into thin ribbons by first stacking and rolling them.

confit - To slowly cook meat in its own rendered fat, making it extremely tender.

couscous - A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.

dijonnaise - Dishes with or accompanied by mustard.

en papillote - Food enclosed in parchment paper while cooking, to retain more flavor.

escalope - Very thin slices of meat containing no fat, bone or gristle.

étouffée - French term meaning to smother; a stewed dish commonly served over rice.

fagioli - Italian for bean, most often a kidney bean.

fennel - An herb with an anise or licorice taste used in Italian cooking.

ganache - A very rich chocolate filling or glaze.

gnocchi - Italian dumpling made from potatoes.

grillade - A dish made of pounded steak served in a tomato sauce and served over grits.

haricots verts - Tiny, slender green string beans.

hominy - Dried corn kernels, with the hull and germ removed, cooked and used as a side dish.

hoppin’ John - A Southern dish of black-eyed peas cooked with ham hock and served over rice.

infuse - To submerge any number of flavoring ingredients in hot liquid to extract the flavor.

jicama - A crunchy white vegetable tasting like a cross between a potato and an apple.

kalamata - A dark purple Greek olive.

kasseri - A Greek cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk with a sharp, salty flavor.

légumes - French word for vegetables.

marscarpone - An Italian cream cheese.

mesclun - French word for mixed; referring to a salad of mixed greens and herbs.

orzo - Italian word for barley; used to describe a rice-like pasta.

paella - A Spanish dish with rice, saffron, meat, shellfish, tomatoes, garlic and spices.

pancetta - An Italian cured meat similar to a thick bacon; it is salted, but not smoked.

pappardelle - Pasta shaped in broad ribbons with fluted edges.

phyllo - A very delicate, tissue-thin pastry used in Greek dishes, such as baklava.

quenelle - Poached dumpling containing meat or fish.

queso - Spanish word for cheese.

ratatouille - A French appetizer of eggplant, squash, onions, garlic and tomatoes.

roux - A mixture of oil and flour blended and cooked very slowly to the right color for a base for dishes.

saffron - An expensive spice made from a crocus flower; yellow color and exotic taste.

satay - A skewer containing small pieces of meat, barbequed and served with a spicy peanut sauce.

tabbouleh - A Lebanese salad made from crushed wheat, parsley, tomatoes, lemon, and mint.

tahini - A paste made of ground sesame seeds.

tapas - Spanish style of serving “small plates” or appetizer-sized portions.

tasso - A seasoned piece of cured pork used to flavor soups, beans and other dishes.

udon - Japanese wheat flour noodles used in soups.

vichyssoise - A cold potato and leek cream soup.

zabaglione - An Italian dessert custard.

zuppa - Italian word for soup.

A Glossary of Wine Terminology

body - Weight or fullness of the wine.

bouquet - The smell attributed to a wine’s maturity. Aged wines usually have both bouquets and aromas.

brut - Sparkling wine that is dry or has less than one percent residual sugar.

extra dry - Sparkling wine that is slightly sweet with up to two percent sugar.

legs - The streaks of wine that slowly move down the inside of the glass. They do not indicate the quality of the wine.

oenophile - (ee.nuh.file) A wine connoisseur.

meritage - Blended wines made from varietal grapes.

nose - The combination of the aroma of the grapes and the bouquet from aging.

tannin - Found naturally in stems, seeds and skins, but can also be picked up from oak barrels during maturation. Can cause a “grippy” feeling on the tongue or roof of the mouth.