Two Oklahoma City chefs among the finalists for Best Chef Southwest
Black, Chanchaleune vying for coveted James Beard Award
The smile on chef Jeff Chanchaleune’s face is here to stay.
On Wednesday, the chef/owner of Ma Der Lao Kitchen learned he’d made the list of finalists for a James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef Southwest.
Joining Chanchaleune on the short list was two-time semifinalist Andrew Black of The Grey Sweater.
“Pack your bags, we’re taking Chicago, man!” Black said this morning. “Me and Jeff are gonna take Chicago!”
National recognition is nothing new to Black or Chanchaleune.
Black was nominated for Outstanding Chef last year, but didn’t advance to the final round. His Grey Sweater is a food-forward culinary arts concept with tasting menus and an open kitchen stacked with up and coming chefs in a spectacular dining room.
Chanchaleune was nominated for a 2020 Beard Award in 2019 but the pandemic scuttled the event that year. In 2022, Ma Der was named by two national publications for being among the Top 50 new restaurants in the U.S. last year.
But every chef knows a Beard award is the highest honor a restaurant or chef can receive in this country. Last year, Florence’s Restaurant became the first Beard winner in state history, taking home hardware from the American Classics division.
Frida Southwest was a semifinalist for Best Bar and Beverage Program but didn’t advance. Tulsa had seven nominations but no finalists.
Black is banking on Grey Sweater’s reputation along with the more casual Black Walnut. His new patisserie, The Gilded Acorn, opened in the The First National complex. He will soon open The Phantom Door downtown.
Grey Sweater’s aspirations and the opportunities it affords other chefs make Black a strong choice for the award.
For Chanchaleune, the aforementioned Ma Der Lao Kitchen is located only blocks from where his Laotian family first lived when they first arrived in Oklahoma. That was before he was born, and Ma Der is an homage to his heritage and family culture. He told me before opening the restaurant was dedicated to his mother and grandmother. Sadly, his grandmother passed away just months before Ma Der’s early fall opening in 2021.
Ma Der features authentic Lao cuisine for modern diners. Chanchaleune maintains the communal spirit of Lao cuisine without necessitating large parties.
Chanchaleune said Lao cuisine is a little like Thai food sans the coconut milk. He told me in the build up to Ma Der’s opening that Thai cuisine was essentially based on Lao principles. He said the main difference is Thai food’s addition of coconut milk to so many dishes, making them sweeter.
Part of Chanchaleune’s challenge has been educating diners not only about the cultural intricacies but the simple stuff like how to eat it.
The consistently bulging dining room indicates those missions have been accomplished. But Chanchaleune didn’t stop there.
With Ma Der attracting the national spotlight, Chanchaleune began sharing the stage with other local chefs and purveyors.
Monday, for example, Chanchaleune teamed with pitmaster Zach Edge of Edge Craft BBQ at Ma Der to present an evening of Cowboys and Laoboys.
Ma Der is closed Mondays, but Chanchaleune does pop-ups and special events on many of them. Monday’s collaboration resulted in a menu that included Smoked Lao Sausage Fatty Brisket with red curry gastrique, Char Siu Burnt Ends, and Duck Pastrami Banh Mi. Among the sides, Tallow Confit Fingerling Potatoes and Lao Braised Collard Greens.
Let’s just take a moment to consider the genius behind replacing barbecue sauce with red chile gastrique, kissing traditional Lao sausage with smoke and evolving char siu, which is typically equal parts undeniably delicious and dubious thanks to the kinds of restaurants it’s found, with brisket ends and Kansas City technique. Did I mention potatoes slow cooked in beef tallow?
The line began forming for the 6 p.m. event not long after 5. By the look of it, folks at the end were looking at 2 hours. When I left at 7:15, the line was still passed the vacated space where The Mule was born.
Chanchaleune heaped praise on Edge for the results, giving him credit for executing the proteins. That’s the kind of community spirit for the industry this market needs to grow and flourish.
If chef Jeff does take home a Beard Award, he might not be the last for the family.
As inspired as Cowboys and Laoboys was on Monday, mixologist Jeslyn Chanchaleune might’ve stolen the show.
Not only did she have the wherewithal to include Lone Star Beer for barbecue inspired by the Texas Hill Country, but developed a killer menu of cocktails, including a Charred Pineapple Old Fashioned, a Phil Collins and a Ma Der Julep.
Jeslyn even curated the Waylon Jennings-laden playlist.
Good news: Jeslyn reports that Charred Pineapple Old Fashioned will stay on the menu for April.
Chanchaleune and Black will find out if they won this summer in the Windy City. They’ll both be at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on June 5 for the ceremony.