by Diane Alter
Robert Dowd, executive chef at Edgartown’s hugely successful and widely celebrated Seafood Shanty, walks out of the kitchen’s back door with no pomp or circumstance, no personal assistant, no PR person. This accomplished and very busy chef shakes my hand and generously spends some of his precious time answering several questions. Dowd does not exude the rock star vibe I was expecting.
Indeed, this first meeting was relaxed and ended much too quickly as work beckoned.
Dowd is the kind of person you want to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with, or if you are lucky, an entire meal. He is a naturally happy person, a great conversationalist and extremely interesting.
Dowd hails from Chatham, New Jersey, is a graduate of Ohio University and now calls Scottsdale, Arizona home. He has been coming to the island since 1978, lending his culinary talents to several of the Vineyard’s dining establishments.
To understand the intrinsic nature of Dowd’s life as a chef, it is necessary to know where it all began and what drives him.
This Week: When did you start cooking?
Dowd: I started cooking when I was 15-years-old. My first job was at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, New Jersey. I would leave high school football practice and head right to work. That was in 1985.
This Week: Do you stay on the Vineyard year round?
Dowd: No. I head back to Arizona with my wife. Then, I call my recruiter and tell him I am available for the fall/winter/early spring seasons. I have worked on an oil rig and at affluent resorts in Aspen and Ohio. Next, I will be working as a chef on a charter boat in San Diego. I have three days to clean up here, pack and get out West.
This Week: You owned your own restaurants at one time. Do you miss restaurant ownership?
Dowd: Owning a restaurant is great, but it’s expensive. I like floating around and working at different places and seeing different things.
This Week: Who influences you?
Dowd: Joel Robucheon, the famed chef of unrivaled French restaurants Las Vegas. (Robucheon has been called the Chef of the Century. With over 23 Michelin star restaurants throughout the world, Robucheon holds the record for the most stars held by a chef.)
This Week: If you could cook for anyone, who would it be?
Dowd: My mother, she passed away about 14 years ago. She would be very proud. I come from a big Irish Catholic family. Family is important.
This Week: What is your favorite thing to cook?
Dowd: Anything that involves seafood. I like to incorporate seafood with meat for a surf and turf entree. I also like to use seafood with pasta and putting an Italian spin on dishes
This Week: What is your comfort food?
Dowd: Sushi, probably because it is my wife’s favorite.
This Week: What is your proudest accomplishment?
Dowd: My son.
MORE INFORMATION
31 Dock St
Edgartown
(508) 627-8622
theseafoodshanty.com
