Jordan Lloyd honed his skills in the kitchens of some of America's greatest chefs, like Thomas Keller at Per Se in New York and Michael Richard at Citronelle in Washington, D.C. He returned to his hometown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to create the Bartlett Pear in Easton, a restaurant that's one of the Mid-Atlantic's culinary stars, earning a rating of 28/30 by Zagat. He has just returned from his appearance at the James Beard House in New York.
What drew you to your profession/vocation?
I started working in a little family owned operation called Café 25 on Goldsborough Street in Easton when I was 12 and haven't looked back since. I have always known this was going to be a path I could enjoy for a very long time.
Any early memories of cooking?
The kitchen has always been apart of my life. I remember being a little kid enjoying big family holiday parties watching and helping my Aunt Pat prepare these massive meals for 50 to 60 people single handedly. She always let me help, but never accepted and genuinely did not want help from anyone else. She was insistent that all of her guests relax and enjoy the home she worked so hard to keep clean and just perfect for guests at all times. I think she was my first introduction to the art of hospitality and understanding the pride one feels in taking care of others. When I was nine, I spent the night over at my best buddies house Lee. Somehow I convinced Lee that it would be okay if we made cookies from scratch following The Joy of Baking recipe... at 2:00 a.m. We almost had the cookies in, then we were busted by the Mom. This best friend later went on to buy me my first Escoffier book and is getting married at the Bartlett Pear this fall.
How has the restaurant landscape changed since you first started?
I was very fortunate to catch the tail end of the highly respected superstar European Chef movement, i.e. Jean-Louis Palladin, Michel Richard, Guenter Seeger, Roberto Donna, Georges Perrier, Christian Delouvrier, etc. During this time as a young cook, if you didn't come home with a few bruises and a couple tears shed on the subway ride home, you didn't push hard enough for the day. With Jean Louis and Alice Water came the hunt for the most exquisite locally sourced product possible, farm to table in America was born. Fine dining continues to prove to be a labor of love more than a viable business plan, so vast majority of newer establishments are moving to highly casual with still a strong focus on quality with the elements that matter, food, beverage and service.
Had you always dreamed of opening your own restaurant or was it more a matter of opportunity?
I always had that dream but didn't expect it to come by age 30. After opening restaurants and resorts in New York, Atlanta, Miami, Hilton Head and D.C., I realized it was time to settle down for a bit since I had kids age three and one at that point. We moved back to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, our home base. I began working in D.C. opening Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak and commuting from Easton to D.C. I drove by [what had been the celebrated] Inn at Easton, dreaming. I saw the For Sale sign, wishing for its possession. The market then was terrible and the building was going into foreclosure, so I decided to go for it. Every waking moment I wrote a business plan and began searching for investors. I found three partners and we opened on September 19th, 2009. All three investors fell to the wayside within the first couple years due to personal circumstances, no bridges burnt. My wife Alice and I now outright own and operate Bartlett Pear Inn.
Who are some of your sources of inspiration in terms of cooking?
I think my biggest inspirations are the young eager cooks in my kitchen. Over the years, I have had the great pleasure to play a part in their food education. I really enjoy feeding off of their ideas and energy. The farmers, their products and the landscape around me is also a constant source of inspiration. Obviously, the direct mentors I have had from Delouvrier to Michel Richard to Keller to Mina are daily voices in my head pushing me to be better.
You're serious about locally sourced ingredients. Farm-to-table has become such a buzz term. How does your menu reflect your commitment without lapsing into a foodie cliché?
I think we are able to keep it genuine because we never intended to be farm to table from the beginning.