Celebrating a "green" life on Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore

Chef Robbie Jester & the Governor's Cook Off

Local Boy Makes Good
A Tale of Chef Robbie Jester, Harbor House & the Governor’s Cook Off
It is true that the best things come in small packages. Like the email that appeared in my inbox one day that said “Hi, I’m Robbie Jester, Chef at Harbor House Restaurant in Worton”. He was interested, he went on to say, in what we were doing with Homegrown and Green, because he believed it really tied in with what he was doing at Harbor House – about 80% of what they serve up is locally grown and produced, even down to the Delaware Pike Creek Roasted Coffee and the Hop-Ocalypse
IPA beer from Clay Pipe Brewery in Frederick.
And so it was only fitting that Robbie join us on the radio to tell everyone in the area what he was doing over at Harbor Housewww.harborhousewcm.com (the “wcm” after the name stands for Worton Creek Marina – as in “Take a look at this view!!!”).
A Gorgous View!
Robbie is one of those people who has always been a chef. He started cooking things in the Harbor House kitchen when he was about 12 years old, and has always enjoyed working with food. After getting a degree as a massage therapist (my husband was amazed at my restraint that I didn’t ask Robbie to take a crack at that kink in my shoulder), he came back to cooking and attended the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York.
The results of this are pretty amazing. It’s clear that Robbie has tremendous respect for the local growers and producers – both for their long, hard work, and their commitment to producing top quality foods. And he knows his stuff. “What’s best out there right now?”, I asked. “Berries. And peaches. White peaches. And corn. The bi-color and the white”, came the answer. “What’s the difference in the corn?”, asked me, who never met an ear of corn she didn’t like. Bi-color, it seems, is earthier, good for sauces and cooking. White corn is just sweet, sweet, sweet – eat it and love it.
Robbie’s been head chef at Harbor House for three years, and he’s come  know his customers well and how to deliver the things that are oing to keep them customers. “I’ve worked in kitchens where chefs get angry if a customer asks them to change something in a dish. Not us. We want you to tell us what you want.” That’s not just empty words – it’s the real deal. Go to their website – there’s no menu posted (but there are some fantastic dishes pictured) – instead it says “If there’s something you’re craving, call us”.
And they do get calls. Customers come for special occasions. Customers sail over from Annapolis. Customers come (and return) because when they come in they could well find their favorite dish named after them on the evening menu. I’ll get to that in a minute. Customers come because of the food.
Let’s back up to that first email I got from Robbie. Because what it didn’t say was “And one of my dishes was just picked as one of the 16 selections in Governor O’Malley’s ‘Buy Local Cook Out’!” (If you want to read more about this, and about the other Shore winners like Lew Dodd of Cedar Run Farm, Margaret Frothingham of Arnold Farms, Vic Priapi of Priapi Gardens, and Eileen & Michael Jacobson of Kent County, go to www.chesapeakefoodie.com, a fabulous website put together by Elise Kolaya – she REALLY knows food!)



Indeed, in the Salad category, there’s the recipe:
 
Maryland Crab, Blueberry, Lemon-Cucumber and Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Honey-Lavender Vinaigrette
Chef: Robbie Jester, Harbor House Restaurant
Producer: None other than our own radio sponsor – Wayne
Lockwood of Lockbriar Farm.
Now I got really excited when I read this because a month or so ago I had one of Wayne’s lemon-cucumbers and I’ve been craving one ever since. Robbie assures me that they are coming back. It’s a 68 day growing season, he explained, so they will arrive shortly. So go to Lockbriar or one of the markets where they sell (you can find the listing on their website www.lockbriarfarm.com) in the next few weeks and try some.
Meanwhile, back at WCTR, Robbie brought some samples of his salad with him for us to taste. It was the one time I wished we were doing video radio so everyone could see them. Some dishes look good. Some taste good. Some have a wonderful aroma. This has it all – in triplicate. WOW! “Is it on the menu?” I asked breathlessly. And indeed it was. So nothing would do but we had to head to Harbor House for dinner.
We called for reservations. Gave the names in our party. And sure enough when we got there we found “Angels Klompus” on the menu (shrimp wrapped in bacon served with horseradish honey mustard) and Garland Lobster. And we could also try dishes named for Betsy, John, Chuck, Carol and Lloyd – to name a few. It’s the kind of touch you find at a place like The Inn at Little Washington.
Our Signature Crab Cakes
The menu alone was worth the price of admission, but the food topped it all. I got lost in the Honey-Lavender Vinaigrette, and I am not embarrassed to say I was eating it with a spoon and begging Robbie to bottle it and sell it. Hmmm. Maybe that’s our next adventure – Homegrown and Green: The Store! The traditionalists in our party went with crabcakes – “the largest lumps in the world” – but I went off the reservation with Jambalaya – “the Creole Classic with Eastern Shore Flair”. Spicy where it was supposed to be, smoky and flavorful – mmmmm.
I’m no food critic, but we do travel a lot and like to try good restaurants wherever we go. Recent stops include a couple of culinary school restaurants and renowned eateries. They should all just close and go home. Chef Robbie Jester puts them to shame.
I enjoyed the Delaware Pike Creek Roasted Coffee. We all had dessert. I couldn’t pass up the white wine and cinnamon poached donut peaches served with fresh whipped cream and berries, though it was hard to turn down the Berry Shortcake with Lockbriar Farms berries and cherries served over country style sweet biscuits. Rave reviews as well for the French Apple Crisp and Valencia Orange Sorbet. We left knowing we’d had a very fine meal. And then remembered on the way home
we forgot to try the Maryland’s Harvest Sangria! Well, it just means there’s another visit to look forward to. I hope it will be soon.