The local-based menu at Tao Yuan is varied, exciting, and last week, executive chef Cara Stadler discussed the thought process behind her kitchen in a talk with the Bowdoin Food Co-Op.
When considering one ingredient over another, Stadler spoke of balancing both availability and price. Those savoring the dumpling appetizer or the duck confit may pay little attention to the journey from farm to plate, but it is a major concern for a restaurant owner as environmentally conscious as Stadler.
Given the difficulty of growing in Maine’s winter season—just look outside—many restaurants source food from places with milder climates like California.
But what happens to the quality of ingredients when they travel hundreds of miles in a refrigerated truck? And how can you be sure that the food is being grown without the use of harmful pesticides or chemicals?
These concerns have led to an increasing desire for local food. Not only can a chef who buys locally know how the food is grown, but she is likely to get a better-tasting product.
Stadler is committed to using fresh ingredients and visits Maine’s nationally acclaimed farmers’ market as often as four times a week during the summer to buy produce.
At the same time, Stadler spoke of making certain sacrifices for the viability of her business. For example, she does not buy beef from local farms down the road simply because it would double the prices on her menu.
For Stadler, it is all about balance—how much she can spend on ingredients depends on how much she can charge customers. This delicate balancing act isn’t expressed on the menu presented to the restaurant-goer, but these daily dilemmas determine the food that eventually leaves her kitchen and is served on patrons’ plates.
Stadler is inspired by diverse culinary genres. She has worked under chefs in Beijing, Shanghai and Paris—some famous such as Guy Savoy and Gordon Ramsey. She saw an opening in the market in Maine for contemporary Asian fusion cuisine, and Tao Yuan was born in May 2012.
When creating her menu, Stadler turns to classic Asian dishes that she updates using her international repertoire. The menu is a showcase of Stadler’s creativity and fearless adaptations. Her latest addition to the menu—a kimchi stew—is a classic Korean dish with the added twist of a black garlic aioli commonly found in French bouillabaisse recipes.
Most of her dishes contain garlic, ginger, and scallions, the backbone of Asian cuisine, but she is not afraid to experiment with other flavors. One daring combination flavors raw scallops with orange and tamarind.
Stadler said she aims to push her customers’ culinary comfort-zones, while balancing the more adventurous dishes on her menu with crowd favorites that are guaranteed to sell.
Though she always includes red meat and poultry on the menu, her duck confit on fried rice is cooked until crisp in its own fat, a far cry from generic chicken breast.
Dumplings are by far the most popular item on the menu, a love affair Stadler will further when she opens a new eatery in Portland this spring that serves nothing but steaming plates of her famous, bite-sized eats.
Tao offers customers unique dining experiences, such as a $45 nightly tasting menu of eight to 12 chef-selected dishes and a special Sunday dinner menu of regional Chinese cuisine.
Stadler’s creative, locally-sourced food is an education in flavors and textures, and a destination for adventurous foodies and dumpling-lovers alike.