Each city in the world has a food story–made up of its people, architecture, natural elements and obviously, its local flavors. As a chef, interpreting your city's story (as well as adding your own twist to it) is no easy feat. Enter Chef Tony Maws, named 'Boston's Best Chef' by Boston Magazine, as well as 'Best Chef in the Northeast' by the James Beard Foundation.
To say that Chef Maws has taken Boston's food story and made it his own would be an understatement. He artfully takes the type of "New England grit" cuisine known so well in Boston, and elevates it to a level of a refinement only a chef with classic Parisian training could. At his two restaurants, Craigie On Main (a "slow food" approach to quintessential Bostonian cuisine) and The Kirkland (a more laid-back, gritty version of Craigie On Main) he wholeheartedly believes in using only local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, as well as taking a 'nose to tail' approach and implementing each part of the animal in his cooking.
Maws considers himself more of "an idealist with a kitchen" versus a chef, and strives to showcase food in its purist form, all while adding an element of personality to each dish. "There's a certain sentimentality with food," Maws states, "it always takes you back; a certain dish can make you feel nostalgic for a childhood dinner you once had, and a flavor in a dish can automatically make you remember a specific moment." However, don't think Maws is a slave to this idea of never-ending newness and constant innovation. "You can't always bow down to Top 10 lists. You just have to do what feels right," he explains. "For example, pig tails have always and will always be on my menu. Sometimes we play around with the flavor and tweak this and that–but that's a signature for me, and I'll stay true to it."
This sweet trifecta of substance, nostalgia and innovation in his food seems to be Maws' key to success. He understands that all three of these things work inherently together, and that at the end of the day, it's about creating food that not only tells a story, but that can sustain itself. "I want to create a story out of every single plate–that's the best part of a meal. But, I also want to create something that lasts. You have to innovate in a way that lasts..."
Visit Craigie On Main and The Kirkland to view full seasonal menus and make reservations.
