Chef Evan Gastman: Siesta Key Summer House
Chef Evan Gastman has a full plate. He’s the executive chef of four Siesta Key kitchens—The Cottage’s seafood-focused global cuisine; The Hub Baja Grill’s tropically inspired beach grub; elegant bar bites at the Beach Club; and, most recently, Summer House’s awe-inspiring new take on Sarasota surf-and-turf. What’s more, Gastman looks to add a fifth menu to the roster later this year, with a nostalgic sports pub coming to the southwest corner of Avenida Messina and Ocean Boulevard.
So, is Gastman sweating? Sure, but that’s not because he’s in over his head. He’s sweating because it’s damn hot in those kitchens, and that’s where he loves to spend his time.
“I don’t want to be that chef who’s in the office, comes down at 5 o’clock: ‘Why isn’t this ready? This doesn’t taste right!’” Gastman says, pulling a Gordon Ramsay-eqsue scowl. “Then I’m leading by fear, and I never want to be that person.”
In the public eye, Gastman sets his restaurants apart with a full-flavored eclecticism and a commitment to the best of local, sustainable ingredients. Behind the scenes, however, it’s his commitment to his people that distinguishes Gastman as one of Sarasota’s best.
Food has always been a personal thing for Gastman. His family came to the West Coast of Florida from Long Island when Gastman was just a pre-teen and his father was dying of cancer. Gastman brought down memories of accompanying his dad on work trips into the heart of New York City and exploring the restaurants there.
“We shared that love of food,” he says. “I remember the first time I had a prosciutto sandwich in Little Italy.” You’ll find Gastman’s memories in his menus at Summer House: the prosciutto on the charcuterie board, for instance, or the roasted chicken with savory bread pudding that’s based on his grandmother’s recipe.
“On my father’s deathbed,” Gastman recalls, “he said, ‘You have to love what you do.’ And that really stuck with me, because you don’t want to get up every day, like, ‘Crap, I have to go to work.’ Are there stressful times and moments? Yes. But I literally love coming to work, designing the menus, going to the market, and getting excited—and I try to pass that off to my cooks.”
When vendors show up with something out of the ordinary in their coolers and baskets, Gastman seizes an opportunity to share it with his crew. The whole team samples new ingredients (if one of the restaurant owners happens to be on site, they’ll get a nibble, too) and collaboratively they brainstorm on how best to bring it to the table.
“It levels the playing field to where executive chef, sous chef, dishwasher, cook, we’re all trying something for the first time together—and we can all be honest about our opinions.”
Some might wonder how Gastman does it all, where all that energy comes from, or how he keeps his creative drive aflame. For answers, just look at how he leads: with heart.
► Siesta Key Summer House: 149 Avenida Messina, Siesta Key, 941-260-2675; summerhousesiestakey.com
