The Balsams™ Grand Resort Hotel

The Balsams recently acquired a new Head Chef, Josh Berry.  A graduate of the Resort’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program, he trained from 1994-1998.  We caught up with Josh after a few days on the job and here’s what he had to say:

Q: What were your impressions of the apprentice program when you first started?

JB: I started at The Balsams in the summer of 1994.  My lifelong friend Chris Harmon (the new Chef de Cuisine of The Balsams) and I drove up two days before we graduated from high school.  We started work and we used our days off that week to go back to Maine and graduate, then drove back up to start our shift at work…oh, the life of a chef!  My first impressions of the apprenticeship program were a mixture of panic, excitement, and awe.  Chef Phil Learned, Chef Charles Carroll, and Chef Steve James were very intimidating, The Balsams itself was very intimidating:  this culinary Camelot tucked into the mountains of the North Country. To see so many people working in a kitchen was incredible. My whole life I wanted to become a chef and that was my chance to make it happen.

Q:  What are your thoughts about your first chef, Phil Learned?

JB:  Phil Learned was a man of great integrity.  He would have meetings with the apprentices and talk to us about having respect for our uniforms, taking pride in the culinary profession, and “to always serve golden brown food”.  Chef Learned would remind us that no matter what the current culinary trends are we (The Balsams) are a New England Inn and we serve New England Cuisine.  Fiddle heads, beet greens, venison stew, and baked beans in the pot were some of his favorites, and don’t forget the escalloped potatoes.  How lucky I was to have him as my first chef and mentor. Thank you, chef!

Q:  Why is it that a hard-boiled egg sometimes peals very easily and sometimes the shell sticks?

JB:  Simple fact is the age of the egg.  An egg that is freshly laid will never peel as easily as an egg that is a week old.  If you are going to hard boil and pickle your eggs or make deviled eggs, make sure you “age” your eggs in the refrigerator.  I have always had better luck when peeling eggs in a bowl of water; the water helps the shell slide off.

Q:  What are you hoping to accomplish now that you are head Chef?

JB:  The Balsams has been through a few changes since I was an apprentice here (1994-1998).  What I would like to accomplish is to improve on the personal experience that the guests have while they dine here at The Balsams Grand Resort, from the first glass of freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast to that last bite of chocolate decadence cake that concludes their dinner.  I don’t like to use the term “food and beverage department”, the kitchen and dining room staff of The Balsams resort is a team – a team whose soul goal is to make your meal here truly memorable.

Q:  Do you have any suggestions for successful outdoor grilling?  Which is better, wood or charcoal? What is the best wood to use?

JB:  As far as outdoor grilling goes, make sure you clean your grill regularly; too often home cooks remove the chicken, turn off the grill and that’s it.  Chef Learned would always say “a good, hot, clean grill will make good, clean grill marks” (referring to the marks left on the food from the grill, we were to always make “diamonds” on our steaks).  As far as the fuel needed to grill, I prefer a bit of both charcoal and wood.  Use a charcoal that does not have any igniter fluid built into it, unless you want your chicken tasting like starter fluid.  Take an old coffee can and remove the bottom of the can so you have a metal cylinder.  Place the coffee can in the grill, then place some newspaper in the bottom of the can, top with charcoal and light.  By keeping the charcoal tightly together it will light faster and burn evenly.  When the coal is white and has a good glowing center, lift up the coffee can (with pliers, the can will be very hot) and spread out the charcoal. Place a rack over the coals and cover your grill to increase the temperature of the grill.   As for wood, I like to use different types depending on what I’m cooking.  When I barbeque I like to use a mesquite or hickory wood, when I’m grilling salmon I like to toss on a small piece of cedar, and for pork chops something a little sweeter like apple wood or pecan wood.  No matter what type of wood I use, I like to chop it into small chunks, but not as small as chips – they would burn too fast.  After the wood is broken down into usable sized pieces, soak it in water for 20-30 minutes.  The soaking of the wood in water will help the wood burn more slowly and release its smoky aroma.  Toss some of the wood onto the hot charcoal, replace your grill rack and start cookin’.

Q:  Does The Balsams have a distinctive type of cuisine?

JB:  The Balsams Grand Resort is New England’s Premier Resort.  Dining here at The Balsams is a showcase of the classic and contemporary preparation of the regional cuisine.  The Balsams Culinary Apprenticeship Program is a culinary school that is woven into the kitchen team.  Each day the senior chefs work with the apprentices and collaborate with local farmers and purveyors to bring the guest the best seasonal ingredients and foodstuffs the North Country has to offer.  Many hours of studying and training go into the research and development of the menus here at The Balsams. Every night the senior chefs and I taste one of every dish that is to be served that night for dinner to fine-tune any last minute changes and to make sure the flavor is up to our standards.  We hope the guests enjoy their meal as much as we enjoy creating it.

Q:  What first drew you to cooking as a profession?

JB:  I was around eight years old when I knew that I wanted to be a chef.  My mother and I made pie dough at our home in Casco, Maine.  I would stand on a stool to watch her add these different ingredients into a bowl and make the dough, roll it out and place it in a pie tin, add the berries (which I had been eating like movie popcorn while watching her) and bake it in the oven.  Watching the pie cook, creating that smell that only home cooking can achieve, was inspiring.  I wanted to cook all the time.  Years later I would raid the cabinets to find anything possible to cook with and practice my alchemy; I was a culinary adventurer using the limited ingredients of my mom’s pantry.  I went to high school at Lake Region High School in Naples, Maine.  I was fortunate that Lake Region had a vocational center built into the school.  My junior year I applied for the culinary arts program that was available to juniors;  it was a two-year class that taught the basics of the trade.  The instructor’s name was Mr. Les Harris.  I will never forget Mr. Harris: he was someone that taught me the kitchen principles and safety, but more than that he cared about me, saw potential and really pushed me to apply at The Balsams.

Q:  Have you learned anything about The Balsams history that you would like to convey?

JB:  I don’t know if this qualifies as history of The Balsams, but I like to sit back and think of all the apprentices that have graduated through this program.  Since 1978, when the apprenticeship program started, The Balsams has been a severely professional culinary training facility.  The graduates from this program are among the elite.  The heritage of alumni that have come before me is met with great respect, as it is the way of the new apprentices.  Guests of the Balsams should relish the fact that dining at this historic resort is helping to mold the new, upper echelon chefs of the future.

Q:  What do you see as the future for The Balsams apprentice program?

JB:  We all have seen many TV shows about chefs and cooking; everyone wants to be a chef, and they make it look so easy.  The truth is this apprenticeship program will push these kids to the limit every day.  Many times you’ll hear a senior chef say to an apprentice “Sooo, you want to be chef…”  An apprentice can look forward to long hours, term papers, cooking demos, culinary competitions, and constantly trying to keep that professional edge.  That is the discipline and they love it.  To do what you love as your profession is truly a gift.  To me the future of the apprenticeship program is looking towards the past.  Yes, it may be easier to add a spoonful of chicken base to some water and call it chicken stock, but the apprentice will not learn the fundamentals of making a true stock, the foundation of sauce making.  Yes, it may not take as much time to open a store bought, precooked ham, but the apprentice will not learn the science of brining and curing meats, a valuable flavor enhancing tool.  A sous chef here at The Balsams once told me “an apprentice is humble, and should always remember there is a great difference between knowing the path and walking it.”  I think that about sums it up.

Q:  Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

JB:  The biggest influence in my life has been my family; they have always been there to give me advice and to be my guinea pigs when it comes time to test some of my ideas.  To be the wife of a chef is a job in itself, and I don’t know how I could have gotten this far without my wife Kim; she is so patient and passionate about my chosen profession.  My two daughters, Sara and Jill, are also passionate about what they like and don’t like, and they’ll let me know, believe me.   My grandfather, Malcolm Bracket, would always have words of wisdom for me when he would see me upset or stressed, he would always say “Josh, you can achieve anything you want in this life with time, patience, and perseverance”.  I still live by and use that saying today.

(Incidentally, Josh Berry also conducted a recent video interview that can be found on The Balsams’ Facebook account.)

Q:  Are you going to write a cookbook?

JB:  The Balsams has so many recipes, we could write 10 cookbooks!   I would love to be part of one some day.  Right now I’m just trying to ride this wave of excitement, and I still can’t believe that I’m back after 15 years.  This should be a fun ride!

David Herres
The Balsams Blogging Team

Photo by Judith Howcroft