Scott Youkilis

Over the past 15 years, Youkilis has held a variety of positions—from server to line cook to manager to chef—eager to learn about every aspect of the business before realizing his own dream of opening his own restaurant, which he successfully did in 2005. In its first year of operation, Maverick was named the city’s best new restaurant by San Francisco magazine’s readers poll, proving that his strategy had indeed worked.

Chefwatch: Where are you originally from?
Youkilis: I grew up in Cincinnati.

Chefwatch: How did you get started cooking?
Youkilis: I started cooking in college for my friends, but I had always been working in restaurants so I was doing some then too. After I graduated from Indiana University, I went to Johnson & Wales for culinary school. That is when it became professional.

Chefwatch: Who or what is your main culinary inspiration?
Youkilis: I have never been able to answer this question “correctly”. What really inspires me or drives me on a daily basis is the final product. It’s the arrival of food to a table and the vibe you get from your guests. The first three bites are always the best too, so I like to see how everyone reacts within those first moments. To me that’s inspiring.

Chefwatch: How does that translate into what you are doing now?
Youkilis: Now, I get to write a menu, prep those items, collaborate with my sous chef and amazing team of line cooks, and then I get to serve it. I get to spend several nights a week on the floor talking to guests, running food, and really getting to understand what our guests really enjoy and what they don’t.

Chefwatch: You must have dreamt about your restaurant before you opened it. How does the reality match up with the dream that you had?
Youkilis: Well, I thought I would be making a little more money…he, he. Money is relative and I don’t many restaurants our sizes are doing as well as we are doing. But, as for the concept it was close, but with more experience it is way more refined. Spacially, I wished to have something different, but that will come soon.

Chefwatch: What keeps you going day after day and keeps you fresh?
Youkilis: We are lucky to have such great seasonal produce and I love looking forward to what comes next. Right now too, the business continues to grow and every day gets better. I also love to organize and find new ways to make things more efficient. That keeps me real busy. The interaction with guests is probably the best part of it all. Hospitality is so important in this business.

Chefwatch: What is your favorite ingredient?
Youkilis: Salt and pepper. Two ingredients, rarely apart.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever created?
Youkilis: I have done some killer wine maker dinners. My favorites are the ones with friends when we rent a house in Tahoe or wine country or go camping and we have minimal equipment and you’re in the woods and things are just simple.

Chefwatch: What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
Youkilis: The night I asked my wife to marry me, we were in Mexico on a beach and we drank too much tequila, but had an amazing dinner. I think I remember eating enchiladas….

Chefwatch: Who is your favorite chef or place to eat?
Youkilis: Hard question. I have a lot of favorite places. It’s so hard to narrow it to one. “Secret” sushi place in the Richmond district, Delfina is always solid, Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn, Michael Mina was epic, Terra is fantastic as well as Ame, love their restaurants, Benito II in New York, classic Little Italy, some restaurant I ate at in Rome. Lots.

Chefwatch: What was the most challenging time in your career?
Youkilis: The second half of our first year of business and this past January and February.

Chefwatch: If money, time and manpower were no object what menu would you create?
Youkilis: I would fly all my friends to Italy, stay in a villa in the countryside, have little old Italian women cook for us all day while we sip wine, take long walks, drive fast cars, and eat some more. That would be the menu.

Chefwatch: What one piece of advice would you give to cooks who are just starting out that you wish somebody had told you?
Youkilis: Work for free at as many places as you can afford too. See as many kitchens as you can and then pick one. When you get hired work there for as long as you can because when it’s time to move on, the most important thing I look for in hiring someone is their amount of time they put into one place. There are a lot of good cooks and you can teach a lot of people to cook, but you can’t teach hardwork and dedication.

Chefwatch: What piece of advice would you give to home cooks out there?
Youkilis: Keep it simple. Stay away from using too much processed food, so bad for you. Fresh meats, fish, and vegetables, good oils, butter, milk, eggs, and whole grains will keep your family happy.
Chefwatch: Any future plans that you would like to share with us?
Youkilis: Always looking for a new restaurant space to put one of ten concepts in. Lots of ideas always brewing.