Chef’s training included everything … including the kitchen sink

Fortunately for both men, de Oca is no newcomer to the kitchen. Otherwise, he would be hard-pressed to keep up with the demanding task of creating and executing inventive Asian dishes. Because native New Yorker de Oca has done possibly every kitchen job ever devised, listening to his life story is compelling. The son of a Puerto Rican mother and an Ecuadorean father, de Oca grew up knowing and appreciating Latino flavors. In fact, his first job at the age of 14 was working as a busboy in a Mexican restaurant. He moved up slowly, going from dishwasher to line cook at an Italian eatery.

“The cook there helped me learn how to prep,” he said. “As a line cook, I did breakfasts.”

One of the restaurant’s cooks recognized a budding chef and urged de Oca to attend cooking school. He enrolled in the New York Restaurant School. After graduation, de Oca was hired by a country club kitchen on Staten Island. There he befriended a French chef named Yves Vacheresse, who complimented de Oca on his energy.

He then pointed out that de Oca did not have enough experience to even be a satisfactory line cook.

“So I started with the basics,” he said, “and I wound up doing all the grunge jobs. I did all the prep, and made all the pastries and appetizers.”

That paid off. After one year, his boss graduated him to line cook, complimenting de Oca on his potential. That led to his next job with a Wall Street restaurant where he cooked under the watchful eye and careful tutelage of a classic French chef.

After learning to properly prep veggies, then moving on to managing the fish station, de Oca began his long and rather complex odyssey through assorted hotel restaurant kitchens — Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, Algonquin Hotel and the Plaza, to name a few — and such tony restaurants as Vong in New York City.

“I learned a lot from him,” de Oca said of Vong’s chef-owner Jean-George Vongerichten. “What Jean-Georges was doing in New York, Susur Lee was doing in Canada.”

And what that was, specifically, was playing with Asian flavors and ingredients in a new and lively expression of fine cooking.

His long and varied kitchen career has certainly prepared de Oca to pick up the challenge of cooking for Zentan, in close — possibly daily — communication with his boss, Susur Lee.

“Susur’s menu is very intricate, with soup bases, chutneys, and all have to be ready,” he said. “It’s so hard to figure out all the production, so I am always asking questions.”

But diligent de Oca — who mastered Chinese dumpling-making by learning to make dumpling dough from scratch — enjoys the daily challenge, and takes great pleasure in fusing his knowledge of French and Asian cooking to produce such dishes as caramelized black cod adorned with Cantonese preserved vegetables. All in a day’s work.

Q&A with Chef Jaime Montes de Oca Jr.

What’s your comfort food?

Probably home-cooked quick meals — pasta, poletna, burgers, spring rolls, dim sum, soup, tapas from Spain. And Latino stuff, such as pupusas.

What do you do in your leisure time?

You’ll find me taking care of the baby.

Which are your favorite restaurants?

Oyamel and Annie’s

What’s in your fridge?

Fruit, hummus, cheese, triple cream, jambalaya and not much else. We are big on cooking what we just bought.

Which is your favorite cookbook?

Susur Lee’s [“Susur Lee: A Culinary Life”], which was ahead of its time. Well, it depends on my mood. I have some references, like the Culinary Institute of America’s pastry book, Escoffier, and right now the Momofuku cookbook [from the New York restaurant by the same name]. It’s my favorite place in NYC.

From the Chef’s kitchen

Sweet Potato and Shrimp Cake

Serves 4 to 6

1 large sweet potato

8 shrimp, peeled, de-veined and diced

1 jalapeno, chopped fine

1 scallion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 egg whites, whipped almost firm

1 tsp salt

Black pepper from peppermill

About 2 Tbsp clarified butter for frying

Tomatillo and Mango Salsa

2 large tomatillos, diced

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno, diced

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp red onion, diced

1 tsp soy sauce, preferably white

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

To make the sweet potato cakes, grate the sweet potato with a box grater, squeeze off any excess liquid, and add the shrimp, jalapeno, scallion, cilantro, soy sauce and ginger; mix well. Fold in the egg whites and seasoning. Divide the mixture into 4 to 6 cakes, depending on size you like.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the clarified butter and pan-fry the cakes on both sides. Place them on a heatproof pan and bake them for 10 minutes.

To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Garnish the cakes with the salsa.