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March 24, 2003From farm to fameSuttons Bay native finds success as chef to celebritiesByRecord-Eagle staff writer Tom Wolfe knows as well as anybody that you can't go home again. The life he leads now as a "celebrity chef" to the London glitterati - creating designer party trays for the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Boy George and Jude Law - is worlds away from his rural childhood in Suttons Bay. And while he'd never willingly go back to that life, he's been waxing nostalgic about it lately. Because his parents were divorced when he was 9, Wolfe says he spent much of his early years with his grandparents, Eugene and Margaret Stallman, at their cherry farm. And now that they're getting older, the 35-year-old caterer has been thinking about the kind of upbringing they gave him. "I lived with my grandparents, right on the bay, hunting and fishing and cooking with my grandma," said Wolfe, whose Blue Food Produktions has become one of England's hottest catering operations. "I feel really fortunate; I could shoot a deer or roast a pheasant, catch a brown trout or pick wild strawberries. But they're from another time, another era; they live in a completely different world than I live in." No exaggeration there. In the 18 years since he left home to seek his fortune in the world of rock 'n roll celebrity, Wolfe has arrived. In London, where fads come and go with dizzying speed, he's urgently sought after - as much for the offbeat and edgy props on which his signature nibbles are served as for the food itself. "It should come as no surprise that dynamic young chef Tom Wolfe and his company Blue Food Produktions were the catering force behind the recent stellar premiere for Nicole Kidman's 'Birthday Girl,'" enthused the Sunday Times in a recent article. "Wolfe hails from America, and like Kidman is importing a dose of va-va-vroom theatrical Viagra to the party scene." Hmmm. It's a far cry from mixing up brownies in Grandma Stallman's kitchen. But in spite of the warm rural memories he now cherishes, Wolfe left the area as soon as he was done with high school in 1986 and headed to New York City. He studied photography at the Parsons Art School, took cooking classes at the French Culinary Institute, and acquired some powerful sponsors. "I got helped out by a lot of people," he said. "Artists are like that, they help each other out." Chief among those connections was British writer and painter Jane Warrick, who took him under her wing and introduced him to other high-flying transatlantic types. But Wolfe still considers himself a "self-made man" who has worked hard to reach the heights where he now works. He paid for his own schooling, and has always been on the lookout for new ways to dazzle his customers. In 1996, after working for several years in Singapore, Tokyo and Paris, he stopped in London to visit a friend - and never left. Instead, he discovered that a brash young American could make his fortune in the stodgy world of British cuisine simply by being himself. "I'm very good at taking care of people," he said. "But I don't dress like a chef, I don't wear whites, so people at these parties don't know what I'm doing there. They think I'm another pop star." And although his training is in French cuisine, Wolfe cheerfully admits that his food is pretty simple, even provincial. It's the presentation - particularly the serving dishes, lighting and other non-edible props - that sets Blue Food's victuals apart from the competition. Wolfe is the kind of caterer who serves canap‚s on black slate platters, surrounded by red feather boas and fiber-optic lighting, or who hangs strawberries from the branches of a "silver thornbush" for the guests to pluck and eat. "It's quite basic, really," he said. "Instead of having the food manipulated 20 million times, which really disturbs me, I pay attention to the structure it's served on. I'm really into ethnic food; when I was in New York I cooked a lot of Puerto Rican food, which is very good but very simple." Still, when it comes to simplicity, he keeps hearkening back to those years in his grandmother's kitchen, where he first learned to bake banana bread, and to the surrounding farmlands where you learned to find each fruit and vegetable in its proper season. Although he considers his life "a dream come true," he's also convinced that the simplest things are still the most important. "Here in London you can find strawberries any time of year, but I still get excited when I know the wild strawberries are in season," he said. "I may live here, but I've still got four seasons going on in my head." Chilean Spinach Empanadas 36 oz. plain flour 1 t. baking powder Salt 1 c. olive oil 1 c. hot water 1/4 c. milk Sunflower oil, for frying Filling: 1 medium onion 1 clove garlic 3 lbs. chopped spinach 1/3 c. heavy cream Salt and pepper Mix flour, baking powder and salt, then add oil, water and milk. Knead until it forms a soft ball. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 15 minutes. Chop onions and garlic, then saut‚ for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add spinach and cook 2 minutes. Stir in cream and season. Drain off excess liquid. On a floured board, roll out dough until it is 3 millimeters thick. Cut into rounds using a biscuit cutter. Put 1 t. filling in center of each, wet the edges, fold in half and press edges with a fork to seal. Freeze at least 1 hour, then deep fry for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat, turning halfway, until golden brown. Makes approximately 30 empanadas.
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