Many moons ago, an eighteen-year-old Perkins employee watched cooks at the grill line and thought, “I can do that. I can do what they’re
doing.”
Cooking since age five, Jake Totter made crepes Sunday
mornings with his grandparents, the first recipe he ever learned.
One busy night at Perkins, two cooks walked out. Jake
was told, “You’re up.”
Young and just working to have enough money to play, he didn’t
realize this was a pivotal moment.
Once trained, Jake moved up through the system,
eventually becoming assistant manager. Corporate life wasn’t a fit, so he moved back
to the kitchen, cooking his way around Nampa
and Caldwell for the next few
years. When management at the Coffee Pot let him do his own specials, a trend
was set. The creative liked expressing himself through food. When the Coffee
Pot closed, Jake was looking for work. Seeing a Job Service ad for Bon Appetit
at the College of Idaho,
he secured a position on the grill there. Six months later, Chef Maury Bennett made Jake his unofficial prep cook. When the current sous chef wasn’t working
out, Maury sent Jake home with a blank menu sheet, saying, “Fill this out for
me next week.”
Two days later Jake returned with a menu that, he was told, was far
better than the sous chef’s. Jake Totter became Bon Appetit’s new sous
chef.
At Bon Appetit, Jake learned flavor building, a multitude of
cooking styles, and how to create international cuisine from the very
Asian-influenced Chef Maury Bennett. He also mastered the art of catering and
fine dining, having the honor of presenting dinners at the College
of Idaho’s President’s house.
“Matt Caldwell and Maury Bennett of Bon Appetit took me under their wing,”
Jake says, “It was my first big opportunity and I learned a lot. That’s where my
career started to take off.”
Jake was offered the Head Chef position at the Market Limone
in Nampa. That was exciting for
him, but he didn’t know plans were already in place to close the establishment. During the months he was there, things started to turn around, but Market Limone still closed.
“It was a little discouraging,” he relates.
Jake’s in-laws, having just moved to McCall, assured him
there was work up North. The Totters moved, and Jake quickly secured
a position at the Brewery, the first job offered. A year later he saw an
opening at
Buffalo Gal and felt a tug.
“I viewed their menu and had a feeling they needed me to
work there, and that I needed to work there. I’d talked to Tom and Julie once
before, and when we went in to eat, I knew.”
From the first bite of the brisket, Jake thought his cooking
style would mix well. The Japanese steak bites and crab tomato bisque were also…
“—super tasty!”
Buffalo Gal found their new Sous Chef, with owners Tom and Julie
giving Jake the freedom to expand on his already-present talents. Tom and Jake came up
with the new small plate menu, and worked together with their respective
contrasting palates. (Jake leans toward the sweeter side, while Tom goes for
the more savory). They fine tuned sauces and dishes until they were
nothing less than outstanding.
These days, the chefs choose a nation they’d
like to do a theme from, then avoid what everyone else is doing. They
research out what items, if you lived in that country, a mom would cook for
dinner. The idea: International Comfort Food. Because of his Bon Appetit
experience, it was a concept Jake was familiar with.
It goes without saying that a high end restaurant with world
class cuisine along a sleepy highway in Idaho
is in the running for getting passed by.
“It’s Donnelly, Idaho,”
Jake laughs, “I understand!”
What really makes Sous Chef Jake and Chef Tom grin is hearing people say they’ve been driving by for years and wonder why they’ve never
stopped.
“They love the flavors, they love the diversity,” says Jake,
“but what they really love is that they finally visited us.”
The locals are trying new things, with several that
trustingly say, “I’ll have whatever the special is.” Slowly spicing things up, every so often a little more heat is introduced, inching and educating
eaters towards authentic ethnic dishes.
“They’re eating at least one and a half times hotter than
they used to,” Jake says proudly, no small feat for what some might think would
be a typical meat and potatoes audience, although that isn’t always true.
Buffalo Gal plays to a diverse crowd, from the Tamarack folks seeking fine
dining to the ski bum walking in with ski clothes still on, famished and
looking for a burger. Even the décor suggests a mixture of simple, country elegance,
a place you’d feel comfortable in dressy clothes, or wearing jeans and a ski
parka.
Another aspect: those working at Buffalo Gal enjoy each
others' company. There’s laughter happening every night at the restaurant
diners are flocking to.
“When you’re happy,” says Jake, “things get cooked with
love. You hear that all the time, but it’s real.”
Chef Tom sings Sous Chef Jake’s praises often.
Both avid snow-lovers, (Jake is a major snowboarder), the two went to Utah
not long ago, because Utah got
the snowstorm they wished had hit Idaho.
“In the lift line, Tom talked about his restaurant,
saying, ‘This is my sous chef, he does a wonderful job for me,” laughs Jake, “It’s
almost embarrassing. I’m kind of humble and from small town, Idaho.”
Whatever they’re doing, it’s working. Last summer, Buffalo
Gal’s all-time record was broken, formerly 67 diners in one night. Their new high
is 85. Sales are up, and things are looking great.
Jake graciously says, “It was really exciting to have (Appetite for Idaho) come in and
write a review, and since then we’ve had one other food blogger. Guy Hand (of Edible Idaho South) also stopped
in on New Years’ Eve.”
Jake adds, “Donnelly makes us unique. Being here makes us
one of a few good places to eat, compared to being one of many in McCall. That gives
us an in to get more customers.”
With so many beating a trail to Buffalo Gal, Sous Chef Jake
heavily recommends getting reservations, especially on the weekends.
His signature invitation on Twitter as
@buffalosous, “Come get some”, is a
great excuse to take the drive to Donnelly.
*For more adventures in Idaho, (with recipes between the stories!) get the
"Appetite for Idaho" book
here.
And visit the Appetite for Idaho
Facebook page, with new stuff to do posted every weekday!
