Tastemaker #14, Tim Lipman, and his wife Jenny, are the cool kids behind Coolinary Cafe, Jupiter's 47-seat eatery that is so often so packed, reservations are recommended for the nightly seatings. What's most impressive, however, is that Lipman changes his specials menu twice daily.
Such frequent menu changes is a habit Lipman learned as the original executive chef for well-known Jupiter establishments Little Moir's Leftovers Cafe and Little Moir's Food Shack, where he was known for putting out 10 to 15 new dishes, two times a day.
A Florida native, Limpan is steadfast about product sourcing, buying as much as he can close to home: produce from The Peddler in Juno Beach, milk from Daikin Dairy in Myakka, honey from McCoy's in Loxahatchee, and eggs from Lake Meadow in Ocoee. And what he can't buy local, he grows himself in community gardens his team has established nearby.
It's all part of his personal motto: serve food that is honest, fresh, simple and refined.
The most influential person in my career has been...
There are always people in the industry who we respect as professionals. However, to be influential I feel you must be around that person. Mike Moir of the Moir restaurants, Leftovers and Food Shack taught me more about the business than anyone. How to treat people, how to lead people, and how to teach people. That's what being a chef is all about. I was never one to go from job to job nor did I travel much when I was younger. He taught me to travel through my culinary adventures. I was a timid young cook; he broke me out of that.
When I'm alone and in need of comfort (and no one is there to watch or judge), the one food or drink I turn to is...
I have been known to eat a whole bag of chips in one sitting. I know, that's gross. But my true comfort food, anybody watching or not, is a whole roasted chicken, a stack of warm flour tortillas and a can of pickled jalapenos. Then, I'm golden.
What does the Broward/Palm Beach food scene need more of?
We need more chef- / family-driven establishments. There is typically a different feel when eating in at a place like that. Sure, we care about bottom line, but there is always more to it.
You get to vote one food or beverage trend off the island forever -- what is it?
Anything weird and molecular. Don't get me wrong, there is some pretty cool stuff going on out there, but as a cook I want to smell, taste and feel my food. Leave that stuff for the lab.
You have unlimited funds to open a restaurant or bar -- what's the name, and what do you serve?
I truly believe that opening and naming a restaurant should come from the entirety of the situation. Everything about it has to be right. Time and place. Wants, needs, desires. So I couldn't really tell you.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully answering the previous question.
Dream dinner party for six: Who (living or dead) are you inviting?
I left home at an early age and lost my grandmother shortly after. I used to sit at the kitchen counter and watch her cook a meal for 20 like it was nothing. I would do anything for one more dinner with her, my granddad, my parents and -- of course -- my wife. Nothing quite like family.
New Times' Best Of Broward-Palm Beach 2013 issue arrives June 13. To celebrate, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up 30 of our favorite tastemakers -- restaurateurs, chefs, bartenders, and other foodies who make the South Florida food scene what it is. We'll start with number 30 and lead up to South Florida's number one. All previous 2013 Tastemakers are listed below.
30. Robyn Almodovar of Palate Party Food Truck
29. Chris and Jordan Bellus of Laser Wolf
28. Fulvio Sardelli of Sardelli's Italian Steakhouse
27. Brett Chiavari of BC Tacos
26. Mike Halker of Due South Brewing
25. Chrissy Benoit of the Little House Boynton Beach
24. Dean Max of DJM Restaurants
22. Vaughan Lazar of Kapow!
21. Eric Guerro, Mark Fee, and Jeff Evans of Angry Union Brewing
20. Ben Lubin of The Blind Monk
18. Julieta Bocos of Casa Frida
16. Frank Coniglio of E.R. Bradley's Saloon
15. Iliya Dimitrov of Valentino's Cucina Italiana
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