Breakfast with Chef Fleischfresser
Name a notable OKC restaurant, and local chef Kurt Fleischfresser has likely been involved with it in some way or another. From Irma’s Burger Shack and Iguana Lounge to The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, Vast, and the Coach House, Chef Fleischfresser’s 30 years and over 30 restaurants opened have developed or influenced much of what Oklahoma City residents experience in restaurant dining. Today, his talent and passion continue to influence the Oklahoma foodscape through cooking demonstrations at The Tasting Room, chef training through his Master Chef classes, his contributions of time and talent to local nonprofits, and much more.
When given the chance to work on this project, my hope was to steal past his storied achievements and into the heart of Chef Fleischfresser. To my delight, he kindly invited me and several guests into his home kitchen on a lazy, cool Saturday morning.
What does an accomplished chef who has access to the best and most select ingredients at his fingertips serve house guests? Not the newest food trend, nor a complicated, time-consuming, and technique-filled menu. No, it’s simple food that Chef Fleischfresser wisely gravitates toward when hosting from his home.
Why wise? Because Fleischfresser knows the real magic with food happens when delicious, simple food makes way for layers and pockets of conversation, laughter, and memories.
Amid the slicing and sweating and sautéing, outcroppings of conversation naturally meandered from stories of culinary travel experiences in Tuscany and restaurant ventures old and new to a present toddler’s enviable and impressive use of the French language. The casual pace led to sweet conversations, as we swapped sentimental stories about our children growing up too fast.
As Chef Fleischfresser effortlessly turned ingredients into a meal, I learned that his grandmother, Irma, is the original creator of the Ultimate Home Fries recipe below and the inspiration for Irma’s Burger Shack. The smell of potatoes roasting with onions generated memories of his grandmother’s kitchen. This plus his parents’ once-a-month dining out routine inspired the young Kurt Fleischfresser to become a chef. Why? Because he aspired to provide the same special treatment and foundation for good memories that meant so much to him and his family during his formative years. Also, I learned that a breakfast frittata and sheet pan-style home fries can be one of the most delicious, welcoming meals ever served.
It’s said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Chef Fleischfresser has kindly shared his recipes, so you can duplicate some of the flavors he chooses to create within his personal kitchen. But over the course of that wintry morning, whether intentional or second nature, or some of both, Chef conducted a symphony of timed movements that allowed me to recognize something magnificent. He demonstrated a subtle reverence for past influences while maintaining a comfortable but intentional pace of preparation, serving, and entertaining. In other words, two goals were met: feeding the stomach and feeding the soul.
Within that, I walked away with four important lessons even more worth imitating than the perfectly delicious food he served.
1. It’s in the details. From thinly sliced white onions to removing moisture from sautéed spinach to breaking apart roasted baked potatoes by hand, being intentional in the handling of each ingredient ensures a successful outcome.
2. Good food is always possible. Simple, easy to find ingredients and an uncomplicated recipe can result in something spectacular.
3. It’s people first, food second. Choose a menu that leaves room to enjoy the people you’re cooking for (and for them to enjoy you).
4. Cook what you like and other people will like it, too.
Can heart and passion be communicated through a thinly sliced onion or noticed in the slight crunch of warm, crisp craggy-edged home fries and a splendidly fluffy frittata? When served in pace with connection and conversation and camaraderie, the unequivocal answer is “most definitely.” Not too fast, not too slow, not too showy or pretentious — perfectly timed for guests to feel honored and satisfied. And all that’s left on the table is to say, “Thank you for the lesson in hospitality, Chef Fleischfresser, it was genuinely nice to meet you.”
