Chef David Burke has enjoyed so much success throughout his career, that you might think
you've got him pegged. But he revealed in an exclusive with us, that there's more to
this "prankster," community advocate, and family man, than meets the eye. This is the
untold truth of David Burke.
Chef Burke is a dyed-in-the-wool Jersey boy. Of his 20 restaurants, you'll find eight of
them in the Garden State. Though he was born in Brooklyn, the great state of New Jersey
is where Burke makes his home these days. As one of four kids, the aspiring chef was
raised in Hazlet, a middle-class "down the shore" town. His dad was a subway conductor
and driving instructor. And his mom worked at a local hotel — where Burke eventually
got his first job as a dishwasher.
To this day, Burke still enjoys life in New Jersey, despite the fact that three of his
restaurants — including the renowned David Burke Tavern — are New York City destinations.
During his chat with Mashed, Burke made it apparent that he has a fondness for all things
Garden State. New Jersey natives will be happy to learn that this includes Jimmy Buff's legendary
hot dogs and New Jersey's very own version of the "sloppy Joe"; a decadent, triple-decker
deli-meat sandwich.
Burke's younger brother may also be a chef, but Burke's kids didn't exactly follow in
their dad's footsteps. In fact, none of Burke's three adult children have been bitten by the
culinary bug.
Still, Burke's son Connor did, at one point, dip a toe into the hospitality business. Connor
briefly worked with Burke in restaurant management but has since gone back to school to pursue
a degree in information technology. His son, Dillon, co-owns a social media company called
Front of House that focuses primarily on hospitality brands. And the name actually refers to anything
"customer-facing" in the hospitality business. Burke's daughter, Madeline, is the one whose
career trajectory seems furthest removed from the culinary world; she recently graduated
from Tulane Law School and is currently studying to take the bar exam.
Burke is living proof that thinking of your dad as a hero isn't just reserved for kids.
It was clear from speaking with the chef that to a certain extent, his father has even served
as a muse. Burke says that his dad's cancer diagnosis inspired him to fundraise for cancer
research, including through the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. And it appears
his dad may have spurred Burke to prove himself as a chef — albeit through reverse psychology.
Burke told Mashed,
"When I got [into] the restaurant business, it was a bad choice of career. It was in the
late '70s and you didn't get into it because it was respected, you didn't get into [it]
for the money, you didn't get into it for the fame. It was like telling your father,
'I want to be a janitor.'"
When Burke confirmed his dad's worst suspicions — ultimately enrolling in culinary school
at age 17 — his dad supposedly said,
"Why the hell would you want to be a chef? Are you stoned?"
"He tried to deter me by signing me up for a cooking class in a local mall with a bunch
of housewives…kinda backfired on him."
Nevertheless, Burke followed his calling — and still finds himself taking cues from his dad's
personal preferences, such as defending eaters of well-done steak…with ketchup.
Burke had supported the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation since at least as far
back as 2014 — when he was honored at the Foundation's 12th-anniversary gala. When Burke's
father was later diagnosed with cancer, it only reinforced the chef's commitment to the
cause. In the years since, Burke has been integral to the Foundation's success.
In addition to doing his part to generate interest in the Foundation, Burke has also
donated his catering services to the organization's annual Hamptons event, and his personal hospitality
services to the highest silent-auction-bidder for the same. Charity Buzz reported that for
2017's private auction, Burke donated dinner-for-12 in a private dining room at one of his restaurants
and threw in a special appearance by the chef. And for the 2021 event, Burke donated a personal
cooking lesson to the highest bidder.
When the "Iron Chef" chairman pit David Burke against Bobby Flay, either chef would have
been a safe bet to win. Both attended prestigious culinary schools and apprenticed with world-renowned
chefs. Still, Burke might have had the edge in that he was — and still is, as of 2021
— the only American chef to win the prestigious "Meilleurs Ouvriers de France"; a long-standing
international competition to identify the world's best "craftsmen'' in their respective
fields, according to EHL Insights. Nevertheless, Flay triumphed. But, having bowed out gracefully,
Burke told Mashed,
"I honestly thought [Bobby] did a better job."
Still, it's plausible that Burke may have lost for having gone "rogue." As Burke explained,
the theme was lamb. But when a judge confessed to not actually liking lamb, Burke shifted
his focus. He recalled,
"I had a dish called Angry Lobster that was so beautiful — served on a bed of nails.
So I made Angry Lobster and put it with lamb fritters. [I thought,] 'Let me show this dish
to America, I don't care if I win or lose.' I want to show them what we can do, because
at the end of the day, nobody cares if you win or lose on the show, it's who put out
the best product."
"We don't really play it safe. I don't play it safe at the restaurant. We do risky. We
do, y'know, high-wire food."
Perhaps not surprisingly, Burke says that he thinks it's time for a rematch with the
champion.
It appears that Burke remains invested in elevating food to new heights. But sometimes,
even his greatest hits aren't dramatic enough for the chef, whose creative mind seems perpetually
set on dreaming up new ways to thrill his clients. It's at times like these, that Burke
has been known to serve food that is still alive when it reaches the table. He told Mashed,
"We used to do little baby crabs the size of a snail. We would put these live crabs
underneath warm peppercorns and we would put hot oysters on top of the peppercorns, but
as you were eating them, [the crabs] would crawl to the top. They would start coming
out of the […] salt and pepper — and all of a sudden you'd see a little baby claw come
out."
"I love experimenting. That's part of why I love what I do. It's part of why I'm good
at it."
Another time, he "pranked" chefs Thomas Keller and Joe Bastianich by serving them a watercress
and escargot soup with live snails sitting on the rim of the plate. Burke clarified,
"We didn't torture the snail, but we surprised everybody."
Burke has also been known to put crickets on pizza and inside ice cubes.
Each of Burke's restaurants has its own set of "signature menu items." For example, Salt
& Char in Saratoga, New York features "Duck Confit Potato Skins, Pastrami Cured Salmon
Gravlax, Highest Quality Aged Meats, Black Angus, and American Wagyu." But one item that
Burke says appears on every single one of his menus, is a version of his Clothesline
Bacon. Grab a menu and you'll likely find "Candied Bacon on a Clothesline" or "Clothesline
Peking Bacon" or some other iteration. So, where did Burke get the idea of hanging bacon
from a clothesline? The inspiration, as it turns out, was "fruit leather" — a dried
fruit snack that '90s kids might remember fondly.
"People are like, 'I shoulda' brought my laundry.'"
As Burke explained, he first got the idea at a charity event he was catering in Vegas.
He was making various "leathers" out of berries, mango, and ketchup to serve as a "wrapper"
with foie gras and duck. To dry the leathers, Burke employed a wooden drying rack, and while
he and his team were hanging the leathers from the clothesline-like slats, he thought
of hanging some of the ducks as well. That led to the realization that if duck was good,
bacon would be even better. He told Mashed,
"That's how it was born…by a mistake."
In 2016, the New York Times toured Burke's light-filled penthouse apartment in Fort Lee,
New Jersey. But it turned out that the highlight wasn't the chef's kitchen. In fact, his home
kitchen is probably smaller than you would imagine — which makes sense given that Burke
tends to use the space for making not much more than coffee and, as he says it, "reservations."
What was far more noteworthy was Burke's collection of "stuff," and lots of it. He told the outlet,
"I'm not a hoarder. But I like collecting art and things I don't need."
Those things include 1,200 cookbooks, full lines of Cuisinart and Illy appliances, a
dozen blown-glass balloons, a vintage Bugatti model race car, lithographs by Picasso and
Chagall, glass-art by Dale Chihuly and various works of sculpture such as a missionary bell
and a driftwood figure Burke referred to as his "butler." But something that only careful
watchers of Burke's Instagram feed may realize is that the chef is also an artist in his
own right. Fans saw an example of his handiwork in July 2020, when he posted:
"Needed some color for the snack bar at [Drifthouse by David Burke] and decided to do it myself."
If there is one thing that unifies all of Burke's restaurants, it is an emphasis on
dishes that do more than just please the senses. To the chef, delivering sensory pleasure through
food is important, but it's not enough. As he explains it, he wants every dish to portray
a story — just like a singer might put into song. That's how Burke came up with one particularly
special dessert. He told Mashed,
"[It's] crème brûlée with chocolate in a glass sugared candy dish that had a lid
on it. When you lifted the lid at the table, you got a [chocolate butterfly] surprise.
[…] My whole menu is designed around stuff like that. When we design dishes, we try to
have a theme to it, a reason."
For example, in 2020, Burke served a "couch potato," — atop a little wooden sofa — stuffed
with short ribs, bacon, mushrooms, onion, jalapeño, sour cream, and cheese.
As restaurant owners across the country attempted to re-open their doors in 2021, those who
survived the lockdowns found themselves faced with yet another challenge: that of securing
enough workers to not just open at full capacity, but also to serve the clientele effectively.
As Burke told Mashed,
"We're open, but we're struggling to get the right amount of staff and the right people
in the right positions."
With the immediate consequence being high staff turnover due to burnout, Burke told
Fox Business,
"People are trying to make up for lost wages last year by opening and going full force
without a full workforce."
"In New Jersey, business is booming. The unfortunate thing is, we can't…we can't find staff."
As he explained to the New York Post, in order to open his New Jersey restaurant, Red Horse,
Burke reached out to his personal landscaper, as well as his former housekeeper, to essentially
beg them to work for him in the kitchen. Burke said,
"[The] hours have been so grueling and tensions so high [that landscaper, Tony Edele found
himself clocking 90-hour weeks."
While Edele has quit and returned several times, Burke says he understands the situation
and commends Edele for his hard work.
Burke is currently the chef and proprietor of 20 restaurants around the world. And even
more impressive is that six of them opened in the midst of the pandemic. In July 2021,
Burke was honored by Ernst & Young as one of their "Entrepreneurs of the Year," with
regard to "Community Impact." One of the firm's managing partners said of the chef;
"[The] Community Impact Award honors an individual for their extraordinary business leadership
and dedication to the community and charitable presence, especially during the height of
the pandemic. […] We know fulfilling [Burke's] vision over the course of triumphs and challenges,
not to mention a global pandemic, is nothing short of spectacular."
During the height of the pandemic, Burke utilized empty dining room spaces to ship meals and
offer groceries at some locations. And his not-for-profit "Feed the Heroes," raised money
from those efforts. As part of his award acceptance speech, Burke explained what is likely his
life's mission, adding,
"We nurture, we feed. There's no off season for us. We lead by passion."
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