People ask me where I get my inspirations from. Most people think it's from going out to dinner a lot, but that is only a small part as we are all here for Dinner Service every night unless we are off. I draw most of my inspiration from books. Currently I am reading, "Under Pressure" from the French Laundry. It's a very technical book that gives me a lot of ideas!! Morimoto's book, "The New Art of Japanese Cooking" is also amazing.

Another great way to come up with fun dishes is looking at classic homestyle cooking, and then turning the dishes into something more upscale by changing the preparation or a few ingredients. Martha's website has a lot of classic recipes that are very inspiring. That's how we came up with the fantastic "Lobster Pot Pie" on our menu.

I also create new dishes by going back in time. I think about my travels to different countries or the food I ate in the countries I have lived in. One great inspiration is this spice mix that the Turks use back home in Germany for their "Doener Kebab." It's basically a sandwich with spiced meat, yogurt sauce, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes wrapped in fresh grilled flatbread. The spice mix is what inspired me to use it on different fish and chicken dishes, and it turns everything into very satisfying meals.

Here is the recipe for the Turk spice mix:

For 1 lb of meat (chicken, beef, pork) or fish (seabass, salmon)

1 Tbl Dijon mustard
2 tsp Salt
1 Tbl ground black pepper
2 Tbl Paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbl chopped rosemary
1 Tbl chopped thyme
1 Tbl chopped garlic
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 Tbl Curry powder
1 Tbl Tomato paste
1/2 C vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together, it will turn into a paste. The rub it onto the meat or fish, sear in a medium hot pan until desired doneness. Serve with a cucumber and tomato salad or inside a sandwich.