Pressure Cooker: A Q&A with Brooklyn Commune's Chris Scott

Chris Scott, head chef and co-owner of Brooklyn Commune, will be taking a break from his post in Windsor Terrace later this month to head south, where he'll be cooking for Washington D.C.'s premiere event of the decade: President Obama's inauguration.

Scott was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the details of the event.

Patch: How did you find yourself invited to cook at the inauguration?

Chris Scott: I was invited by Chef Gary LeBlanc. He's a Virginia-based chef that now spends his time doing relief work for victims of disaster such as the earthquake in Haiti, and hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. We met last October when I assisted him in feeding 6,000 families in Staten Island. He was impressed and grateful for the assistance I gave to him and his team, and he mentioned that he'd like to keep me in mind for anything huge that he might be involved in, hence the inauguration.

Patch: Who exactly will you be cooking for? 

CS: We'll be cooking for the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir who will be performing on the steps of the Capital with other notable entertainers.

Patch: Are you stressed out? Excited? Some combination of both?

CS: Stressed out, no way. I'm used to doing these super large events. Previous to opening the Commune, I was the Corporate Executive Chef for CNN. On any given day were doing events for 200 to 2,000 people. It will certainly be exciting for sure, to actually be right there in the mix of history as it's being made.

Patch: What sort of prep goes into preparing a meal like this? How do you decide your menu?

CS: The prep will be easy, but tedious. For an event like this you have to choose and create your menu wisely. You simply can't just choose whatever you want. For example, we'll be cooking outdoors, in a converted tractor trailer turned mobile kitchen. Another refrigerated truck will be in tow as our "walk in refrigerator." The menu that has been selected needs to be doable under those conditions.

The menu we did during hurricane sandy worked perfectly, and went out flawlessly. I'd expect nothing less in Washington D.C.

Patch: I know you're not cooking for POTUS himself—but if you were, what would you prepare for him?

CS: We're not cooking for Obama himself, unless he decides to walk up to our state-of-the-art, tractor trailer food truck and say hello.

I've learned when cooking for celebrities, and I would do this quite a bit at CNN and during my fine dining days in Philadelphia, feed them something that's close to their hearts. In the end, the real essence of cooking and eating is what also feeds your spirit. I know he's from Chicago, but with Hawaiian roots. Perhaps some interesting twist on a Chicago deep dish pie, but with the ingredients and flavors of Hawaii. I don't know, just a thought.