New York executive chef Stephen Rosenbluth chatted about being a chef and restaurant owner in the digital age.
He is the owner of Anchor Down Seafood Bar & Grill in Merrick and Anchor Down Dockside in Seaford, New York.
The digital age
On being a chef in the digital age, he said, “I am of an age where I cooked before all the digital imaging and social media stuff. One of the differences now is if I create something that I think would attract people’s attention, I will make sure to take a few photos of the dish before I send it out to a table.”
“I try and always stay on top of my social media team when I feel they are not promoting the right material such as a new brunch we are launching or a seasonal special, It’s almost like managing a whole other business,” he added.
Motivations as a chef
Regarding his daily motivations as a chef, he said, “I have to say that it’s gotten harder and harder to be inspired as a chef with the responsibilities of also running the business side of the restaurants but when I start to cook in the kitchen that’s all I focus on, the food I’m preparing. It actually becomes quite therapeutic in a way.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring chefs, he said, “My advice to aspiring new chefs would be never close your mind always be ready to take in new experiences, and always be willing to learn. going to culinary school in itself does not make you a chef, your experiences in the business and in the kitchens in which you work will make you a great chef.”
Award-winning restaurant and chef
Last year, Rosenbluth was honored as “Best Chef on Long Island” in the annual “Best of Long Island” competition and his restaurant Anchor Down Seafood Bar & Grill won “Best Seafood Restaurant” as well. “Well, I wanted to win the category for the last few years and didn’t make the cut. I guess I had lost hope and just figured I wasn’t going to win the category. Last year, I was really focused on promoting the nomination and I won it,” he said.
Defining moments
On his career-defining moments, he shared, “A defining point in my career I would say is when I became an executive Chef at Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse in MSG when I was 27 years old. I wanted to be an executive chef at 30 years old so I beat my own goal and that was exciting to me, especially at a great venue such as MSG.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “The word success to me means that I can do what I love to do while providing for my family and children. Work shouldn’t feel like a job.”
“I just would like to say that the restaurant business has been through a huge transformation with COVID and just in general with the way the businesses are being run. My advice to anyone pursuing a career in the hospitality industry would be to work hard and put quality first, the reward will come later,” he concluded.
