Chef Scott Neuman has always loved playing with his food. Chef Neuman is now executive chef at the Nuevo Latino restaurant Oba!, which Willamette Week named Restaurant of the Year and the New York Times called “the best place to eat while in Portland.”
Chef Scott Neuman at the Sagebrush Classic
Chef Neuman has also been hosting the radio show “Dining Out in the Northwest” for over 8 years. He has had over 350 different guests including Iron Chef Morimoto and Graham Kerr the Galloping Gourmet, so he’s usually on the other side of the interview — but we caught up with him to pick his brain about food, cooking and the Deschutes Brewery Sagebrush Classic.
Who influenced your cooking the most?
My father – he was a barbecue aficionado and I loved cooking with him. I grew up in Texas where we shared entire weekends cooking on the grill. He also loved to eat at great restaurants… I grew up thinking restaurants were magical places and couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen to learn to be the magician.
Macademia nut encrusted swordfish with coconut rice and sundried tomato pesto at Oba! Restaurante
Three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Enchanting, exciting,
inviting!
What kind of music do you listen to in the kitchen?
We listen to a little bit of everything – salsa, jazz, 80’s, classic rock, disco, alternative-it depends on the time of day and who’s working in the kitchen. But I don’t allow the music to be playing during service because I don’t want the distraction!
Most underrated and overrated seasonings?
Probably most important to me is salt! That being said, I’m personally burned out on both saffron and rosemary at the moment, but can’t get enough of Pasilla de Oaxaca- it’s smoky, spicy and totally delicious. And coriander always seems to work with the foods I love.
You’ve been framed for a horrible crime by an evil rival. What’s your last meal?
Being from Texas, I think my choice would be a good ol’ chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes; or tacos al pastor from my favorite taqueria in Mexico City.
What makes you want to cook for the Sagebrush Classic?
The very first time I was invited, I remember staring at the list of chefs coming to Sagebrush, and being in awe of the legendary chefs that participated that year. After seven invites, it is still such an honor to be one of them. The people of Bend really embrace the event, and it does wonderful things for the Deschutes Children’s Foundation. And the folks from Deschutes really do it right.
What exciting new creations are you working on?
What made you want to be a chef?