In Conversation with Paul Menta, the Number One Chef in the Florida Keys
Published November 14th, 2024
Photography via Paul Menta.
In conversation with Paul Menta of the Florida Keys, professional Chef, Distiller, Kiteboarder and Entrepreneur.
1. What inspired you to become a chef?
Learning to cook with my grandmother and I also found it very relaxing and I enjoy it.
2. What's a common misconception about cooking at a professional level?
That everybody screams and yells. Some of us actually enjoy it and see it has a challenge. Personally, I find the adrenaline of having 100 people sit down at once and having to be the orchestra leader in the kitchen and have it be no different than a table of five. It's the challenge that motivates me.
3. How did your time in South America and the Caribbean influence your culinary career?
I learned to cook with more of a simple approach and how to stretch out items and flavors from things that you would normally have to use an abundance of ingredients. Having only a few ingredients doesn't limit you from making something amazing. People without a lot of money can find ways to utilize what they have to make food better because they understand how to bring out the true flavor.
4. You visited every US state and learned a different style, technique, or flavour in every state - which one surprised you the most and why?
The rice in Minnesota because the Indians were harvesting it and it's not actually a starch, it's considered a vegetable. Paired with the fish they have (wall eye) it was a very different flavor when you put all of the things together. Learning that wild rice grown in nutrient rich soil and is considered a vegetable was a key learning factor for me.
5. What dish would you make for a first-time visitor to the Florida Keys?
Usually, for a first-time visitor, it would be lobster enchilado... but with Florida lobster.
6. What motivates you?
Passion. People's reaction to making somthing for them and watching their facial expressions. And the challenge that comes when someone says "just make me something" - That's probably my favorite dish to cook. I do that for my wife and family nightly.
7. Balancing being a chef, distiller and kiteboarder comes with balance; how do you create and sustain that balance?
Not sleeping. Each of those things provides me with a different energy or relaxation and they all work in harmony together to give me the lifestyle I always dreamed of and didn't realize was sitting right in front of me. I don't feel I'm an ultra wealthy person but I live what I consider a very wealthy lifestyle because of what I'm able to do.
8. Where would you travel to next that you haven't experienced yet?
Tibet. It's the one place I would love to go and cook.
9. What's lined up for 2025 for you?
Teaching people how to cook simply and practically on TV, film and in classrooms.
10. What's the next "Chef You" recipe you'll be posting?
I think it's going to be homemade mayonnaise... and then using stone crabs to make a dip.
