Inside the Kitchen: Seven Questions with Kyle Cottle of Sepia

If I was stuck on a desert island and death was surely looming, I would want to have just one slice of the cheese pizza that Max and P.J. shared in the iconic A Goofy Movie.

I don't think I am too different from many cooks with this, but it's somewhere between eating lamb belly tacos over a trash can first thing on a Saturday morning that our dishwasher Toro used to make for us at Blackbird and Oysters and Pearls at Per Se. I would often spend my entire paycheck to eat at amazing restaurants when I was a broke 20-something-year-old cook, but then again, eating tacos made from a less desired piece of protein by a dishwasher cooking something he grew up eating with his family is honestly just as good.

I think we're entering a very unique era of fine dining where there are so many different restaurants offering so many different styles of cooking and different styles of dining experiences, and I think that's really great. There is still a place in the world for white tablecloths and very refined and polished service, and there's certainly a place for counter seating tasting menus.

I love a more relaxed environment and to just enjoy one or two cocktails during dinner rather than the pressure to indulge in a full wine pairing or a very expensive bottle of wine. I love our current balance at Sepia where we have the option for our guests to enjoy a shorter prix fixe menu with plenty of options and additional supplement courses if they so choose, and that we offer a highly affordable tasting menu where guests will see as many as 15 or 16 dishes, including many one-bite canapés and mignardises, as well as wine pairings, incredible cocktails, an extensive wine list, and non-alcoholic options. We live in a city with so many incredible bars and restaurants, many of which are very unique and very special, and we're very honored to be considered one of them.

I think one of my weaknesses, and at the same time my strength, is that I don't look that far ahead. Sure, if I was handed all the money I needed to open a restaurant next week with no strings attached, I know exactly what I would do, but until that happens, my goal and entire focus is making sure our restaurant is as strong as it possibly can be while continuing to evolve our ideas and maintain our core identity.

There's so many to choose from. I have never traveled outside of the country, so definitely somewhere abroad. I spend most of my TV time just jealously watching other people eat at the world's best restaurants on YouTube, but if I had to pick one, I would say Frantzén in Sweden.

My approach to cooking balances between simplicity and complexity. First and foremost, I want to drive every dish with flavor, obviously, but I personally don't try to “challenge” our guests with our flavors. There are some chefs who excel at that, and that is sometimes what guests want and expect from restaurants, but that's not where my current philosophy stands.

I am torn between a thin-crust pizza and a simple smash burger.