Meet The Chef
Christopher Mushall
By Andie Gibson
       When it comes to job interview horror stories, Christopher Mushall’s may take the cake.
       Mushall flew to Smith Mountain Lake last fall from Traverse City, Mich. to spend a weekend interviewing for the position of Executive Chef at the Blackwater Café. While touring the restaurant with new owner Tom Gordon, Mushall accidentally stepped off the back deck. He spent the rest of the weekend icing down his sprained ankle and hobbling around on crutches, trying to salvage the interview.
       “I felt like an idiot,” said Mushall, 31. “I left here thinking there’s no way he’s going to give me the job. … I thought it was absolutely gorgeous here and that I’d probably never see it again.”
       Luckily, Gordon was more interested in Mushall’s culinary talent, training and his character than his sense of balance.
       “That incident gave me a chance to see how he responded to adversity,” said Gordon, who purchased the restaurant on Scruggs Road last fall. “He was my first choice. We share the same vision and passion for the future.”
       With training in culinary arts and hotel/restaurant management, Mushall has worked for resorts in Michigan, Arizona, South Carolina, Switzerland and Italy. He describes his style as classically based, but “always changing.”
       “It’s kind of ‘What am I in the mood for? French? Caribbean? Asian?’ Tom has given me a lot of freedom with the menu,” explained  Mushall, who has been cooking since he was 14. “I’m still learning the style here at the Lake. I’m trying to give people something they’re familiar with, but taking it to another level.”
       For example, Mushall’s version of meatloaf is made with veal, finished with a caramelized onion-mushroom sauce and served with roasted garlic whipped potatoes.
                “I want people to come in here and have a fantastic experience – without having to drive an hour to get it,” he said. “The key is educating your staff and your clientele. If you do that, they’re going to demand more of you and everyone else.”

Pot-au-feu

Ingredients
1 lb. Beef Brisket
6 pieces Oxtail cut 1-½ inches
6 Beef Short Ribs
1 Veal Shank, on the bone
8 Whole Cloves
2 Onions, cut in half
2 Celery Roots (celeriac), cut in to quarters
4 Carrots cut into 4-inch lengths
6 Leeks, white part only
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 springs fresh rosemary
8 Peppercorns
8 Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
1 head cabbage, cored and cut into 6-8 wedges
½  lb. Cornichons
1 C. Sea Salt
1 C. Spicy Whole Grain Mustard

In a large pot, add the steak, oxtail, short ribs, and veal shank and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat; as soon as water comes to a boil remove from the heat. Set the meat aside and throw away the water. Clean the pot (seriously, do it) then put the meat right back inside. This is called purging and pulls the impurities out and will allow you have a sauce that is suitable for service in some of the finest Bistros in Marxist France. Push to cloves in to each onion and add onion to the pot with leeks, celery roots, carrots and aromatics. Season with salt and pepper and cover with fresh cold water.

Bring pot to a slow simmer not a boil and let cook over medium-low heat for 2 ½ hours or until meat is fork tender. Skim the cooking liquid periodically for foam and more impurities. Add potatoes and cabbage and cook for 30 more minutes, until soft. Remember, you want to maintain the structural integrity of the meat and vegetables. Season as needed.

Serve: Put the Cornichons, Sea Salt, and mustard in three medium ramekins and set on the table. Remove brisket from pot and cut into 6 pieces. Remove Veal Shank and cut of bone, again 6-8 pieces. Using marrow spoon dig out the lovely marrow from inside the veal bone. Arrange the oxtail, marrow, vegetables and meats in an attractive yet disheveled look on a large serving platter and spoon some of the cooking liquid over and around it. Serve the rest of the liquid in a soup terrine.