Chef Profile:
Mark Lawson
East (inside the Blockade Runner)
Making an Impact at the East Restaurant – Chef Mark Lawson
With Wilmington Restaurant Week coming up in a few short weeks, Chef Mark Lawson of East Restaurant located at the the Blockade Runner Beach Resort at Wrightsville Beach is worthy of adding to your list of delectable eateries to visit. With his fifth year at the restaurant approaching, Lawson has served up a multitude of pleasing dishes that has kept a coastal spotlight on the establishment. In a recent Q&A session conducted, all emphasis was placed on Chef Lawson to better understand his approach to the culinary presence at East Restaurant.
encore: How long have you worked in the restaurant industry?
Chef Mark Lawson: 25 years
e: What have you learned to be the most important trait and skill to have in the kitchen?
ML: Strong skill set, desire for knowledge and a continuous quest for perfection
e:What has been your most amazing day as a chef and why?
ML: Too many to name, they keep coming. Last month after much planning and preparation we did a 5 course dinner with paired wines on the lawn here at the hotel for two courses then onto the dinner deck for two courses and finally across the street to our banks channel dock for dessert and as my sous chef and myself were finishing the desserts the full moon rose over the building(we watched it rise for the first time on the lawn earlier) just as we were starting to serve the desserts to our guests who were blown away by the whole experience (the dessert by the way was rhubarb crème brulee with fresh churned vanilla ice cream) I expect every day to be the best.
e: Do you have a signature dish?
ML: Don’t believe in them….although we do have a few items still on our various menus here at the hotel that might be considered signature items. They have been great sellers over the years and they have almost a permanent place in our menus for now.
e: What can diners expect of your menu during WRW, fall 2010?
ML: For lunch an opportunity to utilize our build a salad portion of our lunch menu and allow for the addition of marinated and grilled chicken or blackened salmon followed by a chocolate tiramisu. For dinner a four course meal (I’ll make it 5 with our sorbet of the week at that time) is an example of some of our dinner plates we offer daily on our fall menu followed with a pumpkin crème brule.
e: What do you love most about Wilmington’s culinary scene, and if you had a magic wand to wave for improvement, what would be the first order of business?
ML: The few individuals who are putting their heart into what they do daily in their respective kitchens is what I love …what I might do if I could would be to create or be a part of a local group of chefs (ACF isn’t active here I think).
e: What is your favorite meal?
ML: Whatever you are making…I enjoy other peoples cooking a lot because I’m not doing it…simple combinations and balanced flavors are great.
e: What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
ML: Guilt really isn’t something that concerns me..
View the East Restaurant Week Menu [more]
