Late Sunday Night I received the sad news that Chef Paul Wildermuth passed away on Saturday November 14^th due to complications with a heart condition.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Paul during my time with KDK/BHC. I was looking for a new opportunity while working at Tizi Melloul, I called a friend of mine Hector Marcial, who was working as Chef de Cuisine for Paul at their Japanese concept Saiko steak & sushi. Hector told me to come down and meet with Paul because there might be a position available at the sushi bar.

So I went the restaurant and met with Hector and we caught up for a few minutes and in walked Paul. He came in with a boisterous “HELLO” toward his staff, and noticed me sitting at the bar. He immediately came up to me with his hand extended and large smile on his face and introduced himself. We chatted for only a few minutes and he told me

“Your Hired and You start today!”

As shocked and surprised as I was and as much as I wanted to start right then and there, I told him that I did not like to burn bridges and leave people hanging so I would have to wait a couple of weeks before joining the team. Paul immediately smiled and told me that greatly respected that and would look forward to seeing me in two weeks.  Then he smiled and told me

“Now I want you to go to work and quite you job!”

And so I did, and that was the start of an amazing experience under one the most gracious Chefs that I have ever worked for. I stopped by the restaurant a few days later to drop off my paper work; I saw Paul and asked if I could come in for dinner. He politely stated of course and would be happy to have me. I went in with my girlfriend at the time and Paul insisted that we have a Chef’s tasting. This was the first time that I had ever had a degustation in a dining experience. I was only 22 at the time and had not been out to that many restaurants, for one thing I could not afford them, and I suppose I still saw dinning out as something that was reserved for special occasions.

Needless to say that single meal at Saiko still holds a great deal significance to me to this day. Not only was it my first introductions to Japanese cuisine, but it opened up my eyes and made me realize how exciting and fun dining could be. I was being served some of the best the best food that I had ever had at that point of my life, and not once did I ever feel intimidated or out of place, but I would attribute that to Paul’s warm personality and all out enthusiasm. Not only did he enjoy “Showing his Stuff” (as he would say), but he loved nothing more than turning people on to new things, and providing sincere hospitality. It was something that just seemed to naturally be in his blood.  

As the meal came to a conclusion we received our check, and it simply had a smiley face written on it. As I approached the kitchen Paul standing there sweeping the floors, a chore you don’t usually seeing the Executive Chef doing. I told Paul that I would like to pay for our meal and he said

“You absolutely may not. This is my kitchen and here I get to do what I want. When you have your own kitchen one day then you may do what ever you want, but until that time…”

That was a theme and lesson that Paul was fond of reiterating when ever the opportunity would arise, and I have to confess that I have used that phrase before…… and it’s pretty sweet.

I left with my mind completely blown and could not wait to start my journey with him. As I got in there I found that making sushi was very challenging in the begging, especially when you are a large white boy who had big clumsy hands or “Bear Claws” as Paul called them once, however with a little time and practice my big hands became fast and nimble, and I was able to knock out rolls with the rest of the staff. I was even able to go a little deeper in the world of sushi and learned how to make inari zushi, temaki, nigiri, oshi zushi, and sashimi. I was even allowed to butcher whole fish. It just took that patience and grace from an outstanding Chef and his remarkable team. Unfortunately after six months of being at what I thought was a sweet gig, Saiko would end up closing its doors.

As for me I was one of the lucky few who was able to keep a position with the company and was transferred literally next door to Opera (KDK’s contemporary Chinese restaurant) in stead of being the large white boy who made sushi, I would be the large white boy that Paul would train to work grill and the fast paced Wok station. As I said earlier learning to make sushi rolls was no walk in the park, and wok cooking was certainly no different. It took a lot of practice and again a lot of patience being extended from a very gracious man. I think that you all can guess who that man was. With that grace I was able to find what is known in Cantonese as “Wok hay”, that special seared flavor that you can only get from proper stir fry, there is also a philosophical point of view that Paul would speak of that meant you were being one with you walk.

Going in to work every day Paul would have something new and interesting to teach me about Asian ingredients or culture, and not just in the restaurant either. He would take time out of his busy schedule and take me up to either Argyle street, and sometimes we would cruise down to China Town. I could not help but be a sponge and soak up everything that he to teach me or show me. It was not too long before he would allow me the opportunity to collaborate on specials with him, and it was at this juncture that he started to teach me how to create and compose a dish form the ground up. He would always tell me to look at a bare plate as my canvas and make sure that my passion was easily identified in that dish, not only in its physical appearance, but also in my actual verbal description. One thing that Paul was notorious for was his infectious passion. You could not help but be completely be captivated by what ever he was presenting to you. His love was genuine, and constant. After we demoed specials for servers and tasted them to see if there needed any adjustments to be made he once asked me

“Nick, why do we take care of our servers?”

All I replied with was

“We take care of them because they sell our food for us.”

I think that was close to the answer Paul was looking for, but more importantly was getting the point across to me that as a Chef you have to be concerned with just more than cooking. Paul was in my opinion great with employee relations. He genuinely took interest in his staffs well being and happiness. One Christmas I was unable to make it back home for the holiday, and Paul knew this and thoughtfully invited me and my then significant other to spend the Holiday with him and his wife Patience. Erin and I opted for a quite holiday together, but that said a lot about the type of person Paul was. That was one of his natural traits that not only made him an example of a great Chef, but also a great human being.

As time passed on a Sous Chef opportunity came up over at one of the company’s sister restaurants Red Light. Paul believing that I was ready asked me if I would be interested in taking a shot. He clearly had more confidence in my abilities than I did. When I told him that I did not think that I was ready for it, he just laughed and basically told me that I was going for that job. When I asked him why he was so caviler about the idea he told me

“Some times we need to be pushed off the diving board, and right now I am pushing you off.”

So I set my self to the task. I interviewed with Jackie Shen and the then director of operations, and was asked to perform a tasting. I was told that I could do any cuisine of my choosing, but seeing as how it was a Pan- Asian restaurant I figured I would stick with what I knew. Paul took great interest in me getting that position He reviewed my menu that I composed and approved, he was more than generous with his guidance, and when it cam time for to execute and perform the tasting he was there eating the food with the restaurants General Manager, Director of Operations, and Chef Jackie. I could see that Paul was enjoying himself so I took that as sign of hope. Long story short I got the gig and that was my first step toward full fledged Chef-dom.

During my time at Red Light Paul would occasionally pop over and flash that famous smile and usually greet me with

“Big Nick……, What’s Shakin’ Baby?”

 Sometimes I would walk across the street to Marche and catch him while he was He was whipping up some pate, or working on that nights special. He was always a great sounding board for me when I would need to ask advice on the best way to cook opaka-paka or onaga (Hawaiian Snapper) or how to handle some of the many situations  that would pop up with a small fire cracker of a Chef named Jackie (but those stories are reserved for my tell all book).

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked for Paul, he played a big role for me at an early stage in carrier and development. I know for a fact that I would not be the Chef that I am today with out his teachings and guidance. I am sure that there are others out there with similar stories and feelings of appreciation, and I would love to hear them.

A hui hou Chef, Thank you for Everything and may you rest peacefully!

The Link bellow is a video that I think really captures the essence of Paul and Opera restaurant. The other is the information for the memorial fund that was set up in his honor

http://www.answerstv.com/AnswersTV/Channel.aspx?AP=true&ChannelID=523dcd4b-12bc-4ad9-a1d5-64b59bf3b4fe&PlayItem=83&StartPoint=Folder77

 AFB&TP.O. Box 1747Athens, GA 30603
Attn: Lauren Turner

Friends may also send contributions through their online banking bill pay service as follows:Payee: AFB&T PO Box 1747 Athens, GA 30603
Memo: The Paul Wildermuth Memorial Fund