Chef Neal Langermann | Langermann’s
2400 Boston Steet | Canton| 410.534.3287
Neal Langemann began cooking at a place called the Sea of Cortez in Mill Valley, Ca. in the late 70’s. It was his first restaurant job and when they finally let him cook he fell in love with the profession. It is really all he has ever done.
Neal graduated from University of Oregon in March 1985 with a double major in Marketing and Economic Theory and Application. While he was in school, he was working two jobs at various places during the summers. In late 1985, he met Executive Chef Paul O’Grutter through a co-worker and with his guidance and support completed a European Apprenticeship at the Sherman House in San Francisco. During his four- year tenure, he underwent extensive training in virtually every aspect of managing a professional kitchen in a 4-star environment. The restaurant received the status of Relais et Chateaux in 1987, one of the first to be awarded to the West Coast. Upon completion of his training, he was awarded the Executive Chef Job upon Chef Paul’s resignation.
In 1990, Neal moved east, and after working for the Mayflower and Jefferson Hotels finally got lucky again and met Mark Miller who was opening Red Sage. In 1993, Red Sage would soon be voted Best New Restaurant by John Mariani and honored as a site of Clinton’s Post-Inaugural parties. Neal was again running things as Executive Sous Chef, but left in 1994 to become Executive Chef at Perry’s in Adams Morgan.
Neal’s next move was to Capital Restaurant Concepts as Sous Chef at Paolos in Georgetown, then Rockville, then Inner Harbor. In 1997, he was promoted to Executive Chef Partner of Georgia Brown’s where he spent the next 8 years. During his tenure at Georgia Browns, he was a 7-time James Beard Guest Chef at prestigious Beard House in NYC, in addition to being named Chef of the Year Metropolitan DC in 2001. He was further honored as the Guest Chef at the 2000 Southern Food Symposium in Oxford, Mississippi.
In 2005, Neal left Capital Restaurant Concepts to work for the Clyde’s Corporation in the capacity of opening chef for the Chevy Chase location. One year later, he was slated to become the Corporate Chef for the Grammercy Group which ran a small chain of restaurants called the Café Deluxe. During his year with the Grammercy Group, his focus was on creating systems and practices designed to better execute the menus. It was here that the idea of opening his own restaurant became a reality and in November of 2008 he resigned and set out to open Langermanns in Baltimore.
Charmed| What were your ambitions growing up? When did you show interest in becoming a chef?
Langermann| I had ambitions of working for the World Bank. I wanted to make sure the money that was allocated to go to third world countries was actually dispersed and that their people would receive the money instead of the regimes. My experiences at the University of Oregon led me to believe that was going to be an extremely difficult job and I decided to fall back on the cooking profession which I had used to get through college instead.
Upon graduating from college, I worked in a Gourmet Deli. A woman and a husband ran the deli and they had this concept where they would make dinners for people to buy to take home to feed their family. There I met an English woman, who knew a great many chefs in the San Francisco area. She introduced me to the Sherman House, a luxury hotel in San Francisco. I was offered a job at the old Victorian hotel, where we would prepare 7/8/9 course dinners for guests and friends of the hotel as well as very expensive weddings – it was some of the best food in the world.
The Chef there asked me, “Do you want to pay to learn, or get paid to learn”? His name was Chef Paul Grutter. He gave me my start and honestly he taught me more about life than about cooking. I have since come to learn, as well as preach, that they are one and the same.
Charmed| What was the first dish you ever cooked? How old were you?
Langermann| I used to love to make French toast with my mom. I remember being about 7 or 8 years old. I always “just got” cooking, the colors and textures making perfect sense. I feel so fortunate to have found something that I love and am good at.
Charmed| What sparked your interest in Southern “low country” cuisine?
Langermann| When I worked for Capital Restaurant Concepts, I was given the opportunity to work at Georgia Brown’s in DC. Years earlier, Chef Paul taught me that you need to be true to the food and the culture; understand the ingredients that a culture uses and why they use them. I took the initiative to travel to Charleston to experience the cuisine so that I could truly understand Southern cuisine.
While I was there I met a guy named Hoppin’ John, his real name is John Taylor and he owns a business called Hoppin’ John’s. We are friends to this day and through our friendship I developed a sense of what Southern cooking was all about. I was intrigued to learn of the role that slavery had played in the development of the cuisine and culture. The households where the slaves worked would have big fancy parties; the slaves were given the leftovers to take home to their families. They would creatively put it all together and celebrate the food.
Charmed| What is your favorite cookbook?
Langermann| I would have to say Coyote Café written by Mark Miller. I researched it so in-depth while working at the Red Sage in DC that I knew it cover to cover. Chef Paul exposed me to La Rousse Gastronomic, the bible of cooking in his eyes.
I think that cookbooks are guidelines; I use them more for ideas than recipes.
Charmed| What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Langermann| Sea Urchin is the strangest thing I’ve ever eaten. We were given a seafood purveyor. Each chef was given a secret ingredient. I was given sea urchin. My team made sea urchin sorbet. We used the inside of the sea urchin. Everyone was impressed with how it came out.
I was fortunate to have a good team that day. I am from the mindset that I don’t need to be the super star, if we all work together, then we’ll all be successful.
Charmed| What chef do you most admire?
Langermann| Chef Paul for taking the time to patiently mentor a young man
And teach him to respect the efforts as well as the result.
Charmed| What is the best advice you have received personally and professionally?
Langermann| After 4 years, I took his position. It was bitter sweet. I felt like I had betrayed him. But Paul said, “Be willing to step on people to climb, sometimes being fired is the best thing that could happen, it forces a person to grow and change”.
I respect the lessons that Chef Paul taught me and I have done my best to pass them on – I want to give the people on my team the opportunity to become who they are.
Charmed| What is the highest compliment someone can pay a chef?
Langermann| To tell me that you love coming to the restaurant and you trust me enough to invest your time and money to try my craft.
Charmed| What item at Langermann’s will you consider your signature dish?
Langermann| The menu will change seasonally so there will be a variety of dishes that may fall into that category. For the winter months, I see the Maple Braised Beef Short Ribs grabbing that distinction. Our Fried Green Tomato with Green Tomato Chow-Chow will probably be the one constant to hang our hat on.
Charmed| Who has been the most influential/famous person that you have cooked for?
Langermann| I have been fortunate enough to cook for Presidents, athletes and dignitaries.
But I would have to say that I was most proud when I was recognized at the James Beard Society in New York. I was able to cook for people who not only understand and respect the craft of cooking, but through their dedication to The James Beard Foundation have enabled so many people to pursue their dreams and accomplish their goals. That was a true honor.
Charmed| You’ve headed up some very well known kitchens. How does it feel to have your name above the door?
Langermann| I think it’s just the most recent stop on a long journey. Opening my own restaurant is something that I’ve always wanted to do and knew I would do when the time was right. I have been working toward this goal for so long that it’s almost unbelievable that it’s happening.
People have asked me if I am nervous, scared. And actually, I’m not. I really think that it’s been a natural culmination of events. So many people have provided their support and gotten involved that I know it’s the right thing to do. We are providing 80 or so jobs and in this economy to be able to help that many people….well I feel that this is what I am supposed to be doing right now.
Once the doors are open, everything will take care of itself. We’ll be doing a lot of reflecting on our performance and I would like to think that each day we’ll take one or two steps forward.
Charmed| What do you like most about Baltimore? How do you think the “food scene” differs from DC (where you’ve spent so much time)?
Langermann| I think Baltimore has always been considered Washington’s little brother. We came here to be part of the movement to put Baltimore on the restaurant map and a front-runner in terms of cuisine. Baltimore is the next big market and we recognized that. In my time here in Baltimore I have come to like the people I have met and the fact that they are real. This is a no nonsense town from the neighborhood bars to the sports teams.
Charmed| What do you enjoy doing during your spare time?
I like playing golf. You can break golf down into basics. That’s what I do in the kitchen. Both require patience, and management, as well as a sound strategy. I feel like they are very similar, just enjoyed in different settings.
