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Open up a menu at Shorty’s Steakhouse in Garrett and you’ll find “jumbo lump crab cakes” served with the restaurant’s secret sauce.
And you’ll see “Casey’s Chicken,” a dish of “mesquite-seasoned chicken with bacon, smothered in mushrooms and provolone.” Or “Peppercorn-crusted bistro filet,” which, according to the menu, is “second only to filet mignon in tenderness.”
Heading up the restaurant’s kitchen is Cory Wells, 27, of Auburn.
“I don’t consider myself a chef. I’m working on my bachelor’s in hospitality. I will go to Indianapolis eventually and get my (certified executive chef) certification.
“At work, most people call me the chef. I consider myself a really good cook,” Wells says. “There’s no one that I’m working under, but we’re all foodies and it’s a good learning experience.”
Wells says he started at the restaurant three months after it opened, which will be four years ago this month.
“I’m fortunate enough to enjoy my job. I’m only as good as I am because I’m allowed to do what I want,” he says.
Wells is engaged “to an awesome woman,” Bonnie Smith of Willshire, Ohio, with whom he has a daughter, Emma Grace, who will turn 5 on Dec. 23.
Between family life, work and taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College, Wells has little spare time.
“If I’m not at school, I’m at work and if I’m not at work, I’m at school,” he says.
Q. When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
A. “I don’t know. I’ve cooked all my life. I remember making pancakes, corn bread, eggs and sausage with my grandma. I had people tell me I should be a cook.
“I thought I was a good cook until I went to culinary school. I went in with a young kid’s attitude and learned I really didn’t know the basics of food. You can’t cook quality food without the basics.”
Q. When did you start cooking?
A. “Five or 6 years old. In junior high, I’d have a sleepover and cook for all the guys.”
Q. What’s your favorite cookbook?
A. “ ‘Culinary Artistry,’ ‘Food Lover’s Companion,’ 99 food terms in the world are found in there. (Also) Tom Kime, chef and author of “ ‘Asian Bites: A Feast of Flavors from Turkey to India to Japan.’ ”
Q. How many cookbooks do you have?
A. “Fifty to 60 cookbooks. I’m not into Betty Crocker. I stopped asking for cookbooks for Christmas. I want a book that teaches, not tells you, what to do.”
Q. How often do you eat out?
A. “Sit down for a nice dinner? My fiancée and I have a date night once a month. We may go to Chicago or Indianapolis or Warsaw and spend the night.”
Q. What do you do to keep meals healthy?
A. “That’s a hard question. It depends on your taste. We have one vegetarian dish. It’s a business. We’re a steakhouse. Our major goal is to provide the freshest ingredients, but we can cater to your needs. If you don’t want butter or salt, hey. We’re not a health food place, but if there’s something you want, hey, ask us.”
Q. What’s one thing people won’t find in your refrigerator?
A. “Packaged meats like lunch meat. You won’t find processed cheeses. No frozen vegetables. No imitation things.”
Q. What’s the secret to being a good cook?
A. “Be aware of your surroundings, your weakness and strengths. (Be) open to suggestions – the willingness to evolve.”
Q. What word describes your cooking style?
A. “I keep thinking of ‘fun.’ ”
6 (6-ounce) chuck tender filets or filet mignon
24 ounces heavy cream
4 ounces small onion, diced
Extra virgin olive oil, as desired
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
24 ounces frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
18 ounces dried wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, cremini, oyster, porcini, black trumpet)
2 ounces Shorty’s steak seasoning or your favorite steak seasoning
9 ounces Boursin cheese (garlic and herb)
Let filets sit out until they are room temperature.
While filets are sitting out, reduce (boil long enough for evaporation to happen) heavy cream by two-thirds. This will help the cream naturally thicken and add a little more flavor.
When cream is ready, sauté diced onion in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add spinach, cooked onions and goat cheese to a shallow baking dish. Mix all together well with plenty of salt and pepper; do not cover.
Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring a few times during the baking.
Purée the dried mushrooms in a blender until they are in powder form. Rub filets with olive oil and steak seasoning then roll the filet sides in the powdered mushroom mix. Make sure the sides are completely coated.
Grill steaks to desired doneness. While grilling steaks, be sure to turn the broiler on. Be sure to pull the filets off a good 3 minutes before they are done because they are going under the broiler. Top the filets with equal portions of the boursin cheese and broil until the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown.
To serve, put a filet on top of a portion of spinach in the middle of each plate and garnish with a rosemary sprig or even drizzle olive oil around the spinach. Make sure to let meat set for two minutes before serving to let the juice redistribute through the meat.
Makes 6 servings.
6 (6-ounce) Chillean sea bass fillets
Extra virgin olive oil, as desired
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 raw potatoes, cut into curly fries and soaked in cold water until ready for use
1 1/2 cups bourbon
1 pound bag of risotto
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
When using frozen fish, always pat dry with a paper towel. Rub fillets with olive oil, Kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Wrap each fillet with the long curly fries until each fillet is covered from end to end with potato. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Get a sauté pan hot, until almost smoking. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add 2 fillets and sear on one side for about 10 seconds, then add a splash of bourbon. After the bourbon is evaporated, turn fillets and repeat. Only do two at a time so you do not overcrowd the pan. Warning: Bourbon is extremely flammable, so this cannot be done in all home kitchens.
When all fillets are done, place aside and let sit. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook risotto according to instructions on box and follow serving size suggestions. Add the bouillon cube to cooking water. Once risotto is done cooking, put sea bass fillets on baking dish and bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes.
In the meantime, toss risotto with a splash of olive oil to prevent from sticking. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder with a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning so that it is not salty and you taste a nice subtle hint of curry.
When sea bass is done, serve curried risotto on middle of plate with the sea bass fillet on top. Garnish with chopped chives, scallions cut on the bias or drizzle olive oil around the plate and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
24 ounces fresh cabbage, loosely chopped
8 ounces shallots, loosely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
4 garlic cloves diced
6 (5 to 7 ounces) farm-raised catfish, patted dry using a paper towel (if using fresh wild catfish, they need to soak in buttermilk to tame the wild flavor down)
12 whole scallions, rinsed
6 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice
48 capers
18 strips of pickled ginger
Extra virgin olive oil, as desired
Fry cabbage and shallots together in the butter with plenty of salt, pepper and chopped garlic. Be sure to stir the cabbage during the cooking.
While the cabbage is cooking, score the skin on the fillets and rub them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss rinsed scallions with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Make sure the grates on your grill are clean and rub them with a towel that has been fairly saturated with olive oil. Lay scallions on the preheated grill and turn after about 10 seconds, just long enough to get charred grill marks on each side of the scallions. Take off and let sit until ready for use.
Grill the fillets skin-side down for about three minutes, basting the top with the lemon juice. Turn and repeat. The fillets are done when they flake apart but are still moist on the inside. They should have nice grill marks on the non-skin side, the presentation side.
To serve, lay a portion of cabbage on the center of the plate with a fillet on top, but slightly laying off to the side. Lay the scallions on top of the fillet with the ginger in three small piles in a triangle shape on the plate. Toss the capers over fillet.
Makes 6 servings.
