Meso Maya chef Nico Sanchez, an avid gardener, frequents the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle community garden at 6525 Inwood: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Meso Maya chef Nico Sanchez, an avid gardener, frequents the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle community garden at 6525 Inwood: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

The chefs we interviewed all have made careers out of their vast culinary expertise but at the end of the day, most of them settle down with the simplest of food pleasures. We picked the brains of food geniuses who live and work in our neighborhood to learn what else they have in common. Or what they don’t.

Nico Sanchez

“If a chef says he cooks all the time at his house, he’s lying.”

When Nico Sanchez moved to Dallas from Mexico in 1996, he spoke no English and took the first restaurant job he could find at Sambuca in Deep Ellum, washing dishes and chopping endless mounds of parsley. “That’s one thing,” he says. “When I smell chopped parsley, I remember those days.” It would be 15 years before the Tex-Mex-loaded land of Dallas was ready for what Sanchez wanted to offer: traditional Mexican food. He opened Meso Maya in 2011 at Preston and Forest and, later, a another location Downtown. Diners traded refried beans for black and flour tortillas for corn, and discovered a world beyond the enchilada dinner. Sanchez has earned his place among the most respected chefs in town, but it hasn’t gone to his head. When asked what he does for a living, he responds not with his weighty title — only that he cooks at Meso Maya.

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

What was the hardest part about working your way up?
The language. It was the toughest barrier, especially when your job requires you to describe specific things. You have to be able to talk passionately.

Do you cook at home?
To be honest with you, people might think you go home and cook, but if a chef says he cooks all the time at his house, he’s lying. I think you cook for special occasions — when you have friends or family coming.

So, what would you prepare for family or friends?
Carne asada on a wood-burning grill, some fresh guacamole right there, a few sauces — they always like different kinds of sauces — fresh tortillas, cold beer if you drink. You can’t beat that.

Where do you like to dine in Preston Hollow (besides Meso Maya)?
In Preston Hollow, it would be Royal China. I get the beef and broccoli, wonton soup and egg rolls. Their noodles are awesome. The guy stretching the noodles really enjoys it when people are watching him work. He’s full of joy.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Watermelon, garbanzo beans, chicken breast, eggs, cheese — lots of cheeses. Milk, maybe some orange juice.

What’s the most essential tool in your kitchen?
A knife. A sharp knife. It makes life so much easier.

What’s the worst thing you ever cooked?
I did scallops with a very spicy sauce and some kind of wild rice. It was super spicy and unbalanced. Scallops can be good on their own. That doesn’t mean I can’t cook scallops — I can make them very tasty.

Do you watch any TV cooking shows?
I don’t know what happened, but they started to go all over the place like a soap opera. But one chef that I admired was Alton Brown, showing you things at home so everyone can understand. Also ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.’ That’s pretty honest and straightforward.

Any other shows you watch when you just want to veg out?
I’m really intrigued by ‘Forensic Files’ and ‘American Greed.’

What would be your last meal on earth?
Boiled peanuts, fresh. That and fresh garbanzo beans are my favorite things to eat. I grew up with them. October to November is peanut season in Mexico. That’s when they’re the best.

What’s the best advice you’ve received about being a chef?
Don’t be afraid. When you feel uncertain about showing something to someone, that definitely has a huge impact on your dish. I had a friend, another chef, tell me, ‘You have to let that go. Everything is going to be fine.’ I still think about it today.

—Emily Toman

At Eden, Karen Kahn created a place that feels like home. For her, it practically is: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

At Eden, Karen Kahn created a place that feels like home. For her, it practically is: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Karen Kahn

“You can see here that I like peace.”

Getting to know Karen Kahn is easy. Just take a look around her charming café on Lovers Lane. Chimes jingle on the doorknob. Novelty tin lunchboxes, a piano phone and other eclectic trinkets adorn the fireplace mantel. “Some people might think it’s tacky, but I like it,” she says. “It’s homey.” Even her wedding photos are on display; she married her husband in the front parking lot. Kahn converted the small house into Eden Restaurant & Pastries in 2005, and the place is still humming along today. Kahn often is the only cook in the kitchen (the restaurant closes each year July 2-9 so she can take a vacation). Her culinary career, however, goes back to the 1970s when she helped blaze the trail for female chefs, beginning in the hotel business. Kahn was the first woman to graduate from the Texas Apprenticeship Program, and it was no cakewalk.

What was it like being the only woman training as a chef?
You know, a lot of thoughts go through my head when you ask that. I remember a national competition I won in New York; Julia Child was one of the judges. Which was really exciting for me because there weren’t other women. I’m not so sure I was as excited about meeting her as I was about the fact that she was there and was judging. She was the only woman. And I think about being in the kitchen and how the men in the kitchen at the time were not particularly nice to women, and they would say things that were lewd. If the chef made a pass at you, and you were unresponsive, they could fire you, and you really couldn’t do anything about it.

Do you cook at home?
Not really. I work double shifts six days a week. I make my husband take me out — right now he’s driving an 18-wheeler around the country, so he’s out of town a lot. Sometimes I eat at home, but I’ll cook it here the day before and take it home and heat it up. Or open up a bag of Cheetos.

Cheetos?
I say Cheetos because I got my husband a bloodhound. This dog found a bag of Cheetos. It wasn’t even open. She ate the whole bag. That’s how I discovered that this dog loves Cheetos. If you open the bag, she knows. She’ll come get her Cheetos.

Where do you go out to eat around here?
I love eating sushi, which isn’t even cooked. I like the Japanese Restaurant — that’s what’s it called. It’s up here on Lovers and Inwood. One of the reasons I like it is, and now I’ve ruined it, is they’re not very well known, so it’s very quiet. I’m getting a little older, and you can see here [at Eden] that I like peace.

Has a bad review ever hurt your feelings?
The Dallas Observer, they came one time when the air conditioning went out, and they wrote how the butter melted on the plate in the front of them. That was kind of mean.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Tea. I drink a lot of iced tea. I like raspberry tea. Condiments. If I have the day off, I like to walk through Central Market for about three or four hours. So, I might have some weird stuff they sell because I like to try new things.

What’s the most interesting item you’ve found there recently?
It’s not particularly unique, but it took me back to my childhood. I was actually born in Germany. A guy walked his horse with a wooden cart and a scale hanging in the middle, and he sold candy and stuff for kids. And he had some things that aren’t common here for kids. He had those slices of jellied fruit. And he had the marzipan fruits. I found that at Central Market and thought, ‘Oh, my childhood!’

What would be your last meal on earth?
I like tenderloin. So I might have a medium-rare tenderloin. I love cooked spinach. Maybe a stuffed potato. I like everything on the potato. You know, cheese, scallions, bacon, sour cream. But I’d have to have something chocolate. Probably a flourless chocolate terrine. I make one of those here — they’re pretty good. Is it bad to want your own cooking? I guess not.

—Emily Toman

Neighborhood Services chef, Jeff Bekavac, at home with his son, Bowen: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Neighborhood Services chef, Jeff Bekavac, at home with his son, Bowen: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Jeff Bekavac

“Everyone has an opinion on food. It can be like politics.”

When Jeff Bekavac steps onto the front porch of his home — with 5-month old baby Bowen Bekavac on his hip and a rotund grunting drooling bulldog named Basil at his feet, clean shaven, smiling sweetly and looking years younger than his 35 — it is hard to imagine him ever becoming one of those egocentric prime-time chefs, much less the possibility of him taking a swing at one. For a decade or so (aside from a brief stint as a Central Market chef) he’s worked alongside Nick Badovinus — the chef whose company, Flavor Hook, includes Off-Site Kitchen, Tried and True, Town Hearth and Neighborhood Services (with locations on Preston, Lovers and, soon, in Addison), where Bekavac reigns as executive chef. His name did pop up amid some minor chef-on-chef controversy, after D Magazine led a feature story with an anecdote about a reported late-night row involving polarizing chef John Tesar, Badovinus and Bekavac. But that only served to add a hint of spice to his otherwise-clean repute. His smoked sausage in 2012 and 2013 received rave reviews from the judges presiding over Meat Fight, a National MS Society fundraiser that has raised $70,000 in its two years. Basically, despite his humble front, he’s a big deal.

What’s in your fridge at home?
Leftovers from the Memorial Day party. [The Grape chef] Brian Luscher’s hot dogs. For the party I did dips, dogs and drinks. There’s a smoked salmon platter from TJ’s Seafood. I’ve been friends with owner John Alexis since I was in high school. He brought me the salmon. He’s a great guy. I always have yogurt. My wife makes these super tasty little key lime pies. Those are in there. Tequila pops in the freezer … I have a lot of beer in the beer fridge.

What kind of beer is in the beer fridge?
I am a big Lakewood Brewery fan. Not just saying that because it’s local. It’s a local favorite though. Lakewood Lager and Till & Toil are staples. Lots of Lone Star. Classic. There are a lot of Capri Suns. My wife is going to kill me for showing y’all this.

What does your wife do for a living?
She is an emergency room nurse at Parkland. That is why we have Carmen [the sitter] to watch Bowen. Sometimes when I am complaining — like, ‘Oh my gosh, this dummy burned a burger’ — she’ll say, ‘I helped a guy whose arm was cut off.’ It puts a lot of things in perspective.

Where do you grocery shop?
Still loyal to Central Market, where I worked for about a year and a half. I go to Whole Foods on Preston Royal; it’s so close for me, but other than that I will hit the Tom Thumb.

Must-have items in home kitchen?
Peanut butter. Not like fancy peanut butter. JIF extra crunchy. Always. Oatmeal because I eat it every morning. No particular brand. Horizon milk. Nutella. Blue Bell Vanilla. I have a sweet tooth.

Essential kitchen gadget?
My KitchenAid mixer because you use it for so many things whether making pasta, using it as a meat grinder or baking with it. That and my zester. I use it a lot for cheese, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg …

What is your guilty pleasure food?
Spaghetti and meatballs. Pasta. I could eat it every meal of the week. No gluten-free, carb-free for me. It was a staple that my mom made. That and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

If you could cook for any person — dead or alive — who would it be and what would you make them?
Oh man. That is a tough question. You know what? I know it sounds, eh, but I would cook for my grandparents because I think that they would be really happy with what I have done. I would make them a big steak, mashed potatoes and probably a big chocolate cake — simple, classic.

The perfect sandwich?
Probably nice toasted sourdough from the Village Baking Company — they do our bread — and I love that sourdough. Mustard, spicy. Crispy smoked bacon, fresh tomato, lettuce, avocado and, depending on my mood, a fried egg.

When did the fried egg start getting put on everything?
I don’t know. But I love it. It gives food such a richness, and when you get that yolk, it’s like instant mayonnaise, another topping, so versatile. My wife absolutely hates the egg.

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

TV shows?
I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows. I do watch ‘Parks and Rec.’ When we did Meat Fight, Ron Swanson was a judge. I love him. I watch ‘Game of Thrones,’ but I am behind so don’t tell me. I like ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Mad Men’ — mostly shows that run Sunday nights because that is when I am home, and I like HGTV.

What are your thoughts on the cooking shows?
Well, I guess I like ‘Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares’, because it is a simple formula that he uses every time. All the shows are the same. It is funny to watch the people and the drama. I enjoyed the crazy lady from Phoenix last year who went viral; that was a riot. There are people out there that are just nuts. But generally I don’t watch a lot of food TV. I try to decompress. Now the DVR is full of the entire Bravo network lineup, for my wife. ‘Real Housewives’ kind of thing.

Well, she works in the Parkland ER. She needs to decompress, too, right?
Absolutely. She definitely needs to decompress.

Favorite sports teams?
Anybody will tell you, I am a huge college football fan. A&M. College football is my favorite thing in the entire world … but all the Dallas teams. I grew up in Coppell in the mid-’90s so Cowboys — I went to school with coaches’ kids. Stars, Mavs, Rangers, I love them.

Ideal vacation?
We went to St. John’s last summer with my wife’s family. We want to go back.
Going to a beach. On our honeymoon we went to Zihuatanejo …

The beach in ‘Shawshank’?
Yes. It is an old fishing village. Looks beautiful, just like in the movie.

Anywhere you would travel just for the cuisine?
Spain and Italy are the top-two I would like to visit.

For the spaghetti and meatballs?
Haha. Exactly. No, but I love to just study the flavor profiles in the different regions.

Worst food trends right now?
Food is so interesting now because people are so infatuated with food, but everyone is a critic. It’s not a trend in cuisine, but the food world — the people cooking the food, the others, the bartender, servers — are subject to everyone on the internet with an opinion.

The Yelpers? They can hurt.
What bothers me, the hardest thing, is when they don’t say anything to you when you have a chance to fix it and they go write something. If you are not happy with something, you don’t have to be a jerk. Allow us to fix the problem. I think sometimes the people posting don’t realize they are writing about humans. Everyone has an opinion on food, though. It can be like politics. Politics, religion, food.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity