Food is something that brings together—whether it’s grabbing dinner with friends or cooking a homemade meal with family. That’s something chef Adam Lambay understands. The St. Louis native came by his love of the culinary arts through exploring the cultures and cuisines of his Indian and German heritage. Last year, he won the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family’s Recipe, a national contest put on by Create TV.
Lambay enjoyed growing up in St. Louis, and he recalls his family taking advantage of the amenities the city offers. “We did all the classic St. Louis things: the Arch, the zoo, going to Cardinals games,” he says. “It’s hard to believe that more than 30 years ago I was introduced to St. Louis hockey. I played, and now, my son plays while I coach when I can.” Cooking was another passion of Lambay’s youth. His interest in the culinary arts was sparked by TV shows like Yan Can Cook and celebrity chefs like Julia Child. “I’d tell my mom I wanted to be one of those guys in a white coat on TV, but she thought I meant a doctor,” he jokes. “That was the beginning of me thinking that maybe one day I’d be a chef.”
That interest in cooking grew thanks to Lambay’s family. His father’s Indian heritage meant he grew up watching homemade curries simmer on the stovetop, and his maternal grandmother, the daughter of German immigrants, made comforting meals and baked goods. “I’d have beef stew with onions and garlic at her house, then come home and have beef curry my dad made,” he says. “They used many of the same ingredients, but there was something so different about them. It planted the seeds of how interesting and powerful food can be.”
In high school, Lambay got his first job in a restaurant. He started out as a busser and dishwasher, but one day when a fry cook didn’t show up, he was put to work in the kitchen. “I’m an adrenaline junkie, so I loved that I was intensely busy all the time,” he explains. “I was really young when I started thinking about potentially becoming a chef, and around 16 or 17, I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life working in a kitchen. I started asking around to figure out how I could make it my career.”
Lambay currently serves as the executive chef at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. After attending Sullivan University, he took his place in high-end kitchens, while also working as a culinary instructor and consultant. Some of his most memorable work experiences are those where he learned to better appreciate the ingredients he cooked with. “I worked with phenomenal chefs at The Brown Hotel in Louisville and learned so much about my craft and ingredients,” he says. “At Chaumette Winery in Ste. Geneieve, I worked closely with farmers, and they taught me more about what produce was in season and how I could use it.”
Lambay learned about the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family’s Recipe from his business partner, Robin Orvis. When given the task of presenting a recipe inspired by his family, he went with the first thing that came to his mind: moka, an Indian take on scrambled eggs with onions, cumin seed, eggs, tomato, curry powder and chili flakes. “It was one of the first dishes my father taught me to make,” he explains.” Growing up, my brother and sister loved it, and now, I’ve passed it on to my kids. After I won, I told my dad, and he was surprised because it’s just a simple egg dish. But it’s more than that. It’s a way to share our heritage and family history.”
Winning the challenge gave Lambay the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his childhood icons Julia Child and Martin Yan—the latter even served as a judge for the competition. He was able to develop Adam Lambay’s Indian Inspired, a 10-episode series featured on createtv.com. Each episode takes a familiar dish like a Caprese salad or pot roast and puts an Indian spin on it. “Creating the recipes was simple—they’re all developed from things I cook with my friends and are inspired by my family,” he says. “There was definitely a learning curve to production, but by the end, my team and I were definitely hitting our stride. I’m hoping the series becomes something we can share with more people.”
butter chicken dip with toasted naan dippers
1 rotisserie chicken
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1 medium brown onion, diced
2 tbsp. methi
1 package spice blend for butter chicken
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. Greek whole milk yogurt
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. diced pimentos, drained and divided
2-3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Naan dippers
Directions
- Skin and debone rotisserie chicken. Shred all the meat and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the cumin seed and diced onion. Cook until the onion just starts to take on a bit of color, stirring frequently. Add the reserved chicken and stir into the onions. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the methi and butter chicken spice blend. Stir to coat everything well. Cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cream and cream cheese and stir to combine. Once the cream cheese is softened and distributed evenly, turn off the heat. Add half the pimentos and the yogurt. Stir to combine.
- Place in a casserole dish and garnish with parmesan and other half of the pimentos.
- Serve with naan dippers that have been drizzled with vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste and toasted in a 350°F oven for five to seven minutes, until lightly toasted but not dry or crunchy. You could also serve this with fried chapati or even papad if you’re looking for more crunch and less carbs!
Photos: Bill Barrett