Inside the heart and mind of Jesse Housman

Gareth Rockliffe Fine Art Photography

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An intimate conversation with the chef whose restaurant sparked the

dining renaissance of Fifth Avenue South

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It was Valentine's Day, 1994. Jesse Housman, age 32, was serving the first dinner in his career as a chef. He could never have imagined that one day he'd own that restaurant. Or that 32 years later, Bistro 821 would remain the longest running restaurant on Fifth Avenue South.

Finding my passion

"My father, a scientist, had hoped that I'd follow in his distinguished footsteps.

But I was working several  jobs, kicking around for a direction, and failing horribly. One day, I was washing dishes in a restaurant on Cape Cod, when a cook didn't show up, and I got pulled into the line. It was one of the most thrilling days of my life. I went home that night with the clearest insight I'd ever had. Finally, I knew what I wanted to do. From then on, I worked in every restaurant capacity, absorbing everything. And then serendipity happened. Famed chefs Julia Child and Jacques Pépin created a culinary arts program at Boston University, and I was chosen for the first class.

They both gave demonstrations and we students were their slaves. One day we were invited to Julia's home, and in case you're wondering, everything you've heard about her knife collection is true! Our final exam was brutal. Jacques was one of the judges and he purposely set us up to fail, leaving out critical ingredients. I made hollandaise five different ways. I deboned a turkey, roasted it and put it back together perfectly. But when I made my fruit tarts with half and half instead of pure cream, he knew!"

Did you still pass the exam?

"I was number one!"

Consistency is next to Godliness

"Several takeaways from Jacques' class have helped defined me as a chef. Once, he took a box of kosher salt and poured a little mound, and beside it, another mound, and then another one. I'm staring in disbelief at that row of salt piles, all precisely the same. 'A good chef must be able to do this,' he says. 'You must understand and respect the seasoning.'

That's a challenge in the corporate restaurant environment, where cost and convenience often get in the way. There's the assumption that partly substituting a lower grade of oil won't make much of a difference. It does. Also, everything must be fresh. To this day, an ingredient not up to the highest standard does not come through my door.

Introducing specials keeps me creative; keeps the thrill of cooking. But at Bistro 821, only favorites join the permanent menu. Our now-legendary miso-sake marinated Chilean sea bass took six years to earn its spot and remains a top seller."

The phone call that changed everything

"After completing the culinary program, I got a call from a friend who was the chef at Windstar Country Club in Naples. 'Come to Florida,' he said, 'and be my sous chef.' My wife and I fell instantly in love with this town. But I missed the restaurant kitchen experience, and soon got a job at Michaels Cafe on 41, working alongside another sous chef, Jimmy Ryan. Both Michael and Jimmy were to remain part of my life for over the next 30 years."

"Be a good person. Listen to people. Treat your employees like family and your customers like honored guests. It pays dividends your entire life."

When Michael decided to open a restaurant on Fifth Avenue South, he recruited the best chef he knew, his own sous chef at Michael's, to lead the kitchen. Many say that the selection of Jesse Housman was his most lasting accomplishment.

Personal tragedy

"Those early days were exhilarating. I'd spend all day at the construction site, clean up, and rush back to my job at Michael's. After we opened, my wife worked beside me, supporting my dream. I was the best version of me. A few years later I would lose her in a tragic accident. My world was ending. I could have taken our five-year-old daughter back to Boston, moved in with her grandmother, and been sad the rest of my life. But our tight knit community saved me. Naples was a small town then, and a tragedy was community- wide. My friends gave a benefit dinner at the Turtle Club, raising enough money to help us through. Years later, I was blessed to find another wonderful woman, Larissa, and life is good."

Do friends feel nervous having you over for dinner?

"Of course, people are a bit nervous, and that's a shame, because I love home cooking. Joy to me is a small family group, with all the emotion that goes with preparing and enjoying food together."

What do you cook at home?

"Larissa and I enjoy walking around the local farms. We also grow mangos, kaffir limes, a key ingredient in my red curry, plus lemon grass, Thai ginger and other kitchen herbs. I like grilling meats. There's never a shortage of interesting choices at Jimmy P's. Otherwise, I don't go rushing home to cook. We eat fresh and simple. Besides, I don't have a crew trailing behind to clean up after me."

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239.261.5821

bistro821.com

821 Fifth Ave South

Naples, FL 34102

Open Daily 4-Close