Chef Barbara Lynch
Owner, Barbara Lynch Gruppo
B&G Oysters / The Butcher Shop /Drink / Menton / No. 9 Park / 9 at Home (Catering) / Sportello / Stir: A Demonstration Kitchen and Cookbook Library
www.barbaralynch.com
Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking?
Barbara Lynch: I got my start in the kitchen with a job at the local rectory when I was thirteen, but it wasn’t until high school that I realized that cooking was something I wanted to do. In high school, the only class I really enjoyed or went to was home ec. I had an awesome teacher – Ms. Lugozzo, -who lent me cookbooks and helped me realize that cooking was enjoyable… and that I was good at it! When I started working alongside my mother as a chambermaid at the St. Botolph Club here in Boston, watching the chef there, Mario Binello, and experiencing the theatre of fine dining—silver domes, beautiful plating- made me realize that I could make a career of cooking for people and making them happy.
MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?
BL: I was in the rectory kitchen at thirteen, but my real career in the kitchen started when I talked my way into a kitchen job on a cruise ship (I told them I went to Johnson & Wales). The chef quit the next day and I got his job. I got by cooking everything from scratch and making some emergency calls to Mario in the kitchen at the St. Botolph Club. It was definitely a “fake it ‘til you make it” situation.
MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?
BL: When I have guests, my go-to is a one pot seafood stew that’s just so simple and delicious. And I always go back to my Bolognese sauce. It reminds me of my first time in Italy, learning to make pasta… so many of the experiences and people that shaped my cooking.
MM: What is the best part of your job?
BL: Creating new concepts is SO fun, but as Chef/Owner of a company with eight concepts and more than 200 employees, I’ve discovered that finding the right people and putting together a team of talented, excited people—and growing that team-is incredibly rewarding.
MM: Who is your favorite chef in Boston?
BL: There is a lot of talent here, but Ana Sortun is an incredible chef and a great friend. Her food is spot on and she is so fun!
MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?
BL: I love healthy, fresh food, and it’s summer, so I’m taking advantage of all the amazing produce at the farmers’ market. There’s nothing better than a big salad with shaved veggies. When it gets cooler, the recipes for short ribs and Bolognese in Stir are in heavy rotation.
MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?
BL: I would love to sit at a table with Daniel Boulud, Joël Robuchon, and Alain Ducasse… as long as they promised to speak English!