He is a man that believes some of the best meals are served with a baked potato and that fancy china is only as good as what you put on it. Klaus Fritsch laughs warmly in his charming German accent as he recalls his culinary journey into becoming the Vice Chairman and Co Founder of Morton’s The Steakhouse.
Established by Klaus Fritsch and Arnie Morton in 1978, Morton’s has become a name synonymous with great steaks. The restaurants cover 78 locations worldwide, from Hong Kong to Baltimore. Three years after the publishing of Morton’s Steak Bible, Klaus Fritsch is still cooking at his home in Chicago and makes time to share his culinary expertise. From his early training in Europe to his time working for Playboy, Mr. Fritsch has become a veritable wealth of culinary experience. Currently promoting his newest cookbook, Morton’s The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen, he offers advice on the one ingredient everyone should remember and the one common mistake everyone should forget.
Charmed | Morton’s is the largest company-owned and operated fine-dining restaurant brand in the world. What are the future plans for the restaurant group?
Klaus | We will be opening the next Morton’s in October in South Beach – Miami, FL. It is a gorgeous area and good for business. With today’s economy, we are focusing on perfecting our current restaurants before opening the new ones.
Charmed | Morton’s trademark consistency has been replicated in over 81 worldwide steakhouses. Which location is your favorite?
Klaus | The first Morton’s, Morton’s of Chicago, is still my favorite. It’s like your first baby. It is in a basement with no windows. You walk down a staircase at the entrance into the smell of cooking steak.
Charmed | You learned to cook in your family kitchen in Germany. What are some key differences between the culinary training in Germany versus the States?
Klaus | In Europe, you do an apprenticeship as a cook for 2-3 years. There is better basic training in Europe – you must take a test after 3 years to prove you can work as a chef. In America, you can work into a fast-food restaurant and call yourself a “chef.”
Charmed | You studied at the prestigious Restaurant Kaiser Keller in Frankfurt, Germany. What did you take away from that experience?
Klaus | Kaiser Keller was one of a kind. I learned that you have to plan everything in a kitchen - even potatoes have to be perfectly shaped and uniform. I learned how to be consistent.
Charmed | What did you do from the time you came to the U.S. in 1967 to the time you opened your first Morton’s in Chicago in 1978?
Klaus | I worked in Washington, DC as a chef before moving to Houston, TX for 2 ½ years and finally to New Orleans as an assistant. A head hunter found me in New Orleans and placed me in a job for Playboy clubs. It was there that I met Arnie Morton. He ate one of my hamburgers and exclaimed, “Who made this hamburger? This is the best hamburger I have ever had in my life!” I went with Arnie to open Morton’s in Chicago, which was the city of steaks in those days. We wanted to serve the best steak that money could buy. We didn’t use fancy china because we believed in what was on the plate.
Charmed | Why the name “Morton’s” Steakhouse?
Klaus | Morton’s just sounded better than ‘Fritsch’s’.
Charmed | What chef inspires you?
Klaus | Cooking shows today are for entertainment – it’s all about the bing bang boom. I don’t think much of them. I love the food prepared by the chef at The Everest in Chicago. It is a very old French style, but lighter - his food is always fantastic.
Charmed | What is your favorite dish to prepare at home? What is your favorite dish to eat?
Klaus| It depends on the time of year. During football season, I like to make a great pot of chili on Sunday morning using hand cut meat. [By the way, my favorite football team is the Denver Broncos, followed by the Pittsburg Steelers.] I enjoy making a roasted whole veal shank. Ironically, I make steak maybe once a year in my home. I enjoy eating ethnic foods.
Charmed | You have teamed up with Feeding America on your book tour. How did your partnership develop?
Klaus | The first cookbook was The Steak Bible and it raised $180,000 for unprivileged children to go to cooking schools. People need food and Feeding America provides food to more than 25 million American’s each year. We have pledged to raise at least $75,000 company-wide for Feeding America. We held an auction and not one item went for less than $1,000.
Charmed | What is the highest compliment someone can pay to a chef?
Klaus| When someone tells you, “That’s the best meal I have had in ages!” Diners should enjoy the whole experience, from the salad to the appetizer to the meal.
Charmed | What item on Morton’s menu would you consider to be your “signature” dish?
Klaus | The ribeye steak cooked medium-rare, served with spinach, mushrooms and potato skins. The Shrimp Alexander appetizer and the Smoked Salmon are also on the list.
Charmed | What is different about the way Morton’s prepares its steak compared to other steakhouses?
Klaus | There are different grades of meat. The best grade is prime – which is what we buy. We only buy aged prime beef; that’s the whole secret and it is very expensive. If you go out once a month for a steak, you might as well have the best steak available
Charmed | How is Morton’s The Cookbook different from other cookbooks?
Klaus| I own more than 1,000 cookbooks in my house. Morton’s The Cookbook is very, very simple. All recipes have around 8-9 items. When people see a recipe with too many ingredients, they shy away. I use a cookbook as a guide, if the recipe calls for Oregano, maybe you try Rosemary instead.
Charmed | What is the worst cooking mistake people commonly make?
Klaus | Overcooking their food. Always cook a room temperature steak, not cold. Chicken breast is one of my least favorite dishes – no flavor whatsoever.
Charmed | Many celebrities dine at Morton’s steakhouses. Who was your favorite customer and why?
Klaus | Tiger Woods dines often at Morton’s. I haven’t met him myself, but have heard from my staff that he is the most gentile, outgoing guy. Not demanding at all. My personal favorite was Jackie Gleason. He would come in 10 minutes till 5pm - he wanted a drink before his wife came to meet him. He was a great guy.
Charmed | What is one ingredient and utensil everyone should have in their kitchen?
Klaus | I like sea salt. I’m not a salt person – just use enough to bring out the flavor. It shouldn’t taste salty. I would recommend a good wire whip for making mashed potatoes and a good sauté pan in the kitchen. But, I must tell you, I cook most of my vegetables in a wok. It keeps in the flavor and doesn’t make a mess.
Charmed | What were your ambitions growing up? When did you show interest in being a chef?
Klaus | My parents had a little restaurant in Germany. I always wanted to be a chef. My Uncle was a chef and he would put me through the ringer. Everything was always my fault.
Charmed | What do you like most about Baltimore?
Klaus | I love those Baltimore crabs. You can sit outside and eat them with some corn and potatoes, and there is no mess in the house. Baltimore is a great city - just look what they have done to the Harbor!
Bio: Klaus Fritsch was born in Germany to parents who owned a small restaurant. This early exposure to cooking inspired him to attend the prestigious Restaurant Kaiser Keller where he honed his cooking abilities. He moved to America in 1967 where he worked several jobs around the country before meeting Arnie Morton and founding Morton’s in 1978. After Arnie Morton ceased active involvement in 1987, Mr. Fritsch took on the responsibilities as President, which he served until May 1992. He then moved on to become the Vice Chairman of the company and has coauthored two cookbooks, Morton’s Steak Bible (2006) and Morton’s The Cookbook (2009). Mr. Fritsch has also teamed up with ‘Feeding America’, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief charity. He currently resides in Chicago, the home of the first Morton’s restaurant.
Contributing Writer: Jordan Zeman
Interviewer: Kara DiPietro
