Chef Christopher Gerster at Red Stag Supperclub in Minneapolis.
Chef Christopher Gerster at Red Stag Supperclub in Minneapolis. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Occupation: Chef, Red Stag Supperclub, 509 First. Ave. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-767-7766;

Age: 34

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Probably a pilot. My dad was a pilot, so I was always kind of into it.

What was your first job in food? I was a dishwasher at Keys Cafe on Nicollet. I was 17 or 18.

What's your first food memory? My mom always cooked. She always had a homemade meal on the table. I have lots of memories of my mom cooking.

How did you wind up in the restaurant business? I guess I just got addicted to it. The guy who was running the kitchen at Keys had really high expectations for everybody. I started as a dishwasher, then moved to prep, then to the line. His high standards just spoke to me.

What's your favorite dish on the menu? Seared scallops. We serve them with polenta cake with preserved lemon and an artichoke stew braised with white wine and mirepoix. It's a simple, tasty dish.

What does sustainable cooking mean to you? It's about using the things that are available to us locally as much as possible. I think we're able to get the best, freshest ingredients that way, and it's good for our environment and supports the people around us. I have kids and I want them to learn those lessons as well. I try to live that for them.


Why is it so important for us to eat locally and sustainably? If you look at Europe and Asia and everywhere else besides the United States, that's the way it is. Ingredients come from down the street or around the corner. Food that's available to you is what you use. It's best for the environment and brings the community together. If I work with a farmer and he's got good, fresh stuff, I can send him down the street to my friend.

Do you think it's possible for people to eat like that at home? Yes. My sous chef and his wife do a lot of canning and the whole traditional thing that everybody did back in the day. They try to live like that at home. It is a little more difficult to source those things for people at home. During spring, summer and fall, it's a lot easier with all the farmers' markets. But you definitely have to work a little harder and you have to plan ahead.

What's something few people know about you? I was born in Texas.

What culinary trend do you wish would die? I'm really hoping the charcuterie plate dies. To be honest, I think everybody serves one, and not everybody does it well. We have one, and it's probably going to be a battle between Kim (Bartmann, owner of Red Stag) and me. She'll win. (Laughs.) But really, I like one item, served as a dish, but not a whole plate of meat. I'd prefer to keep it small and simple and not $17.

What's something in your career that you wish you had done differently? When I was 19 or 20, I worked at Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis. I wish I had stayed there longer.

What's your favorite restaurant? Alma, if I'm going to spend some money. And I always love Tanpopo Noodle Shop in St. Paul's Lowertown.

If someone were to play you in a movie, who should it be? Tony Shalhoub, his performance in "Big Night." That guy's pretty funny.

What's next? The menu is changing soon to spring stuff, and that's exciting. I think the Red Stag has so much potential. I'd like to be at a place where chefs or cooks are excited to come and eat.