Friday, June 14, 2013

Gastronomy Revisited: Vol 1, Issue # 1

Where Y'At? Food Truck

Gastronomy can be defined as the relation between a culture and its food. We believe that much of the quality of that relationship has been lost due to existing phenomena in today’s society - prolonged work-days, fast food, food "deserts" etc. Our mission for this segment is to seek out and highlight quality, homegrown food in San Antonio. And what I mean by “homegrown” is food being cooked with love, food that speaks to your soul from the kitchen, from any cultural/ethnic background.


• On this episode we will be stopping by the Where Y'at? food truck with head chef Pieter Sypesteyn at the stove. With First Friday being a hotspot in the King William and Southtown districts, many San Antonians and out-of-towners make their way out to the Alamo Street Eat-Bar for a night of music, grub, art, unexpected encounters, and good times with close friends.


• After relocating from New Orleans, Pieter has made his way in San Antonio cooking fine cuisine for restaurants such as Le Reve and Il Sogno. I've had the chance to work together with Pieter at a local kitchen and he exudes passion when preparing a meal, never too busy to share knowledge of the culinary arts with those who inquire.



Community at Large: So tell us a bit about where you're from, what inspired you to cook, what you're serving up...


Pieter Sypestyn:

CL: New Orleans and San Antonio have been noted as sharing similarities in culture. What do you think about the feel of San Antonio in comparison to New Orleans? What makes San Antonio unique?


PS:


CL: Coming from New Orleans and bringing that flavor here, what are you bringing to the table, in terms of New Orleans cuisine and street food?

PS:


CL: With Le Reve as one of the top restaurants in the nation at one point, and recently your time at Il Sogno, what was it like working with Chef Andrew Weismann?

PS:


CL: Gaining experience in the world of fine dining, are those skills incorporated into presenting your street food?

PS:


CL: One last question to put you on, why should people come and try your cooking? Why should they order from Where Y’at?

PS:




Special Feature: Gumbo 101

Pete breaks down how he does his gumbo on our special feature: Gumbo 101


Pete, it’s been a pleasure to get your insight on the culinary arts. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to spend some time in your kitchen.


The Where Y’at? Food Truck can be found at the Alamo Street Eat-Bar, Boardwalk on Bulverde, and other locations around town. You can follow them online on Twitter - WhereYatSA - and at their website at thirdcoastfoodie.com.