In his official biographic sketch, Joe Jack says the three most important things in cooking are love, technique and ingredients. The 37 year-old chef and co-owner of Luna Park in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Last Supper Club in San Francisco might add a fourth criterion: seasonality.
Jack admits that in our global economy, most ingredients are available year round. But that doesn't mean he likes to use them year round. Take asparagus. Sure, he says, you can buy it 12 months a year, but he won't touch it until the local season starts -- and then uses and enjoys it to the max while it's in its full green glory.
Except for a few signature dishes that diners request all the time, Jack changes his menus to concentrate not only on what's locally grown and most plentiful in the produce bin, but also to reflect the mood of the season.
Right now, the roots of winter still get star billing in dishes that often evoke the warmth of a farm kitchen, albeit a farm kitchen where the proverbial Italian grandmother knows how to work magic from the winter larder.
Editor's Note: The Last Supper Club has been selected as a Place of Taste amongst San Francisco's Hidden Treasures in our upcoming Rugged Elegance neighborhood guides, which will ship in February.
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