I wrote this bio for NY Mag acclaimed chef, Brendan McDermott. Read it below.
Brendan McDermott is a New York City born chef currently living in Brooklyn. He has over ten years of culinary experience in the New York City area, cooking at several acclaimed restaurants including Mesa Grill, Olives, Patria and RM among others.
Trained at Peter Kump now The Institute of Culinary Education, where he now teaches, McDermott’s first job was at 44 & X under John Tesar. “When I walked into that restaurant out of school there was no question that that was what I wanted to do,” says McDermott. “Chef Tesar kind of became my mentor Chef. He was the one who made me feel like this is where I needed to be.”
McDermott spent the next two years as a line cook in restaurants until he received his first Executive Chef position at Chicken Bone Café. Although McDermott embraced the challenge of his position it was a later job as a Sous Chef and Saucier that he found strengths. “I moved up pretty fast but my real defining point was when I took a step back and became a Sous chef. I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life actually cooking food. That’s when I got out of the craziness of being on the line to spending a lot of time cooking things correctly.”
After his transition McDermott gained invaluable experience working at the French and Canadian Consulates, known restaurants Alta, and Porchetta, as well as an opportunity to apply his pastry skills at Sweets of New York. McDermott has spent the last several years teaching culinary techniques to others. New York Magazine recently named his Knife Skills Class at Brooklyn Kitchen “Best Cooking Class.” The tastemaker publication described it as, “A pleasingly laid-back and affordable option for home cooks who want to hone their skills...”
When describing his style McDermott admits, “I like my food like I like my music, bold and straightforward, but done correctly. I grew up on Jazz but I love Soul, and when you listen to Soul you know the next thing coming.” It’s an approach that’s admittedly influenced by Chef Tesar. “He took rustic foods and made them elegant and refined. Some people tend to get too cryptic, when at the end of the day you just want something that’s cooked correctly and that’s approachable.”
Another aspect to McDermott’s style is his need for variety, and most, if not all of that need came from his upbringing in New York. “I grew up going to people’s houses that were Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Italian, and I was raised Irish and Polish, so it was everything. New York is kind of like a CliffsNotes to the rest of the world. You have access to so many different ethnic foods, farmers markets and produce, and also herbs and spices from all over the world. You can go to Flushing and go to India or Korea, you can go to Sunset Park and go to Mexico, go to Flatbush and you’re in Jamaica. You have everything around and there’s always something new to learn.”
Recently, McDermott’s skills and techniques have been featured on episodes of “Working Class Foodies,” the up-and-coming cooking show that follows siblings on their quest to find the best local and seasonal ingredients that New York has to offer.
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