JAMIE BALDERRAMA: MAESTRO DE MISE
Cooking is the ultimate alchemy, where raw ingredients transform into culinary gold. In the kitchen, you wield knives like a samurai, turning humble vegetables into masterful works of art. With a flick of your wrist, you season like a magician, conjuring flavors that dance on the palate and leave taste buds in awe. Heat is your ally, whether it's the controlled inferno of a blazing stovetop or the slow, seductive embrace of a simmering stew. Each dish is a testament to your skill, a delicious symphony composed with precision and passion. Cooking isn't just a necessity; it's a craft, a battle, a masterpiece in the making. That’s what Jamie Balderrama of Station One in Foxborough, MA represents.
T: This isn't your first rodeo, running a kitchen; you've done it in the past. Is this your first non- corporate kitchen?
J: No. I was in corporate kitchens for a long time. That's kind of where I started out. And then I branched off to Barrett’s. You know, that was still the corporate structure but not as corporate. You had some freedom to make menu items and create specials and use some more of that like “chef talent.” I feel like that brought more creativity out of me. I worked with my buddy there. He went on to be a really successful chef for Barrett’s in East Bridgewater right now. His name is Jay Solo. So, I feel like us working together and bouncing ideas off of each other really helped me out. And then he branched off and did his thing, I went to do my thing, we linked back up at Black Raspberry Pub in Plymouth. That's where I really got to explore the creative side. Totally non-corporate; it was a family-owned business. I was there for a long time. I also worked at Waterfront Grille in New Bedford. I got to work with more seafood and also get more familiar with functions and that creative side of it, and really writing menus and costing things out and sourcing out product.
T: In this industry, running a business is just as much of the craft as it is creating a recipe or meal. Would you agree to that?
J: Definitely. Running a kitchen is people. I've always been more “people-first.” I really focus on treating my staff well and helping develop them—I feel like that is one of the most important things. If you're doing all this work creating menus and doing all these special things, and you don't have the people to help you execute it, it's almost pointless. So, the people around you are the most important. Then, the financial side of it: making sure your business is successful and you are able to create an environment that's sustainable for yourself, your future and your career as well as the people around you.
T: Anthony Bourdain said that in Kitchen Confidential. He said that running a kitchen is like running a pirate crew: you are the captain of that ship and you need everyone doing their part to get from one place to the next place.
J: Everybody rowing in the same direction. As soon as you have that division, people going in different directions, spinning in circles, you're never gonna get anywhere.
T: Let's talk about the food. The arrangement of ingredients is an artistic expression. I know it is important, but, in your own words, can you tell me why it is important?
J: Well, I mean, people eat with their eyes first. Especially now, times have changed so much. Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat—those things are on the forefront for people. Food comes to the table: the first thing they're gonna do is take a picture of it, they're gonna put it on social media, and then, if they love it, they're gonna go on social media and talk about it. They’ll say that it was well-presented, that it tasted good. They're gonna go over the top and they're going to remember that. The first impression sticks in their mind. It's the same as when you meet somebody, right? The first impression is something that sticks in your mind about that person. It’s the same way about food.
T: Art/expression has the power to influence people's emotions; it can put a smile on people's faces. Eating is the most basic need for survival, for existing. Do you feel satisfied knowing that you are creating joy on the most fundamental level?
J: Yeah, of course. I mean, I don't always think about it in that sense. But, the passion that I have for food and being in this business for 24 years now kind of shows through when I'm creating and when I'm making this food. It should show in my work going to the table, and hopefully it brings that same joy and passion to someone else. Maybe somebody else is gonna get into cooking. I go to other restaurants constantly and I see the passion that comes through in the food from another talented chef.
T: What is your process, mentally, when you're creating a recipe?
J: Sometimes the process is on the fly. For example, I could think of a dish involving steak and then I'll go on a tangent about the sauce or the side. I'll see something on TV that will inspire me if I get stuck. Then the process will start over again. It's little things that inspire me and, you know, one little thing can steamroll an idea into something major. So the process is kind of scattered. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Something that sparks an idea, inspires me, and will just trigger this snowball effect of a creation.
T: I think a lot of artists feel that way. I think songwriters especially get into that same mode, where it's just building and building and unraveling as it goes. By the time it hits the table, it's like this symphony of taste and presentation. Everyone is introduced to cooking for the sake of eating. When did you realize there was more to it?
J: It goes back to getting out of the corporate environment. The corporate environment was just so robotic: “here's the station, here's the recipe, make it look this way, make 100 of these that look exactly the same.” Here [Station One], we’re working more free-handed, and not having that corporate ideology hanging over your head. You're able to express yourself. You’re seeing how people welcome the food at the table and how the people around me will look at something that I've made and say something like, “oh, my God, that sauce is awesome. I never thought to do that with a dish.” There's just more to it. I'm seeing that I can inspire somebody that's just getting into cooking. And, I see myself when I first started getting into cooking, and I'm just like, there's so much more to this world than just “make 100 of these wraps.” There's so much creativity and you can express yourself in limitless ways
T: Is that something you'd like to remind guests who may not understand the difference between a kitchen like Station One and a corporate kitchen that they're entering?
J: I don't really get to talk to them that often but I like to be creative, and I like to keep our menu eclectic. We have Mexican cuisine, we have Spanish, we have European, we have Asian—we just have a little bit of everything. I like to hopefully remind the guests that it doesn't have to be uniform, it can be different, and it's just self-expression. So, being a part of Shovel Town Brewery, I don't know what people would expect coming here. Once they are here, they look at the menu and they're like “wow, this is different.” That's what I like to come through. When we do beer dinners and stuff where I can come up here and talk to the guests and explain my food, I feel like I can really get through to the people and get that immediate feedback.
T: Do you feel like this is a culmination of efforts on your journey in your culinary career?
J: The last place I was at, I didn't really get to do everything I wanted. I didn't have full control. For a lot of things I had to run by the owners before I put them out. Here, I have full trust with the owners. I have full creative expression. The staff that I have is also amazing in helping me execute more. I feel like I can do more because I can trust who I have around me to get it done.
T: Would you want a kitchen with even more control? Or do you think this is a healthy level of balance of parameters and creativity that allows you to do what you need to do best which is create the menu?
J: I think this is a good balance. I don't really have anything standing in my way. The only thing that would help me more is if I had more equipment/more options on the actual line. Whether it's an oven or an alto-shaam where I could make more stations, then I could branch out and be more creative and have a bigger staff and have more diverse things on the menu that are easily executed.
T: The enjoyment of the guests is satisfaction enough, certainly. But, would you ever want to see yourself get the commendation of, like, a Michelin star if you had the chance to?
J: Yeah, but I'm enjoying what I'm doing now. I like the people that I work with. I just feel like I'm in this stage of my life where I'm happy in this kitchen. I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I have the creativity to do what I'm doing and I'm still learning. The people that I brought into this kitchen, I'm learning from them and I'm enjoying that. I didn't go to culinary school. I learned from my friends and I learned from different chefs that I worked with. I put in the work outside of the kitchen. I watch a lot of Food Network. I go on social media. I take masterclasses online and watch YouTube videos. If I don't know how to make something, I watch and I learn.
T: Did you always have that enthusiasm at the very beginning of your journey?
J: No. I started when I was 17. I just went in and did the job that was expected. I was still in school at that point. I was good. I followed direction. I did what I needed to do. I made my money and paid my bills. And that was what I wanted to do. I didn't really focus on anything else. I hung out with my friends and I did typical stuff when I was younger. Once I got out of the corporate environment and met my other friend, we started to get on the creative side of things. Then I was like, “oh, I like this.” That’s when I started getting into it more and being more passionate about it.
T: Are there any family elements to your feelings towards cooking? Did your family have an influence on you?
J: My dad was a terrible cook. He would do it, but he overcooked everything. My mom's a great cook, great cook. Some of the things I make now will come from her. Things I'll make it home will be inspired by her. So, I guess that would be pretty much the family inspiration.
T: Is there anything on the menu that is representative of that?
J: When I would do the Las Cruces bowl. Las Cruces, New Mexico was where I was born. She used to make that similar type of dish all the time when I was growing up. I've changed a few things and made it my own which is typically what I will do if I go to a restaurant and I see something like “wow, that was really good.” I never take the exact whatever-it-was; I always change it.
T: You are a musician. It's not uncommon for artists in one way to also be creative in another way. Do you find that this is a similar bit of orchestration of creativity here?
J: As far like how the kitchen works?
T: Like a band almost.
J:I mean, everyone has their role and everyone plays into it. It's the same thing like we said before: if everyone's not moving in the same direction, then we're never going to move forward. And if everyone's not doing that part in the band, it's gonna sound terrible. I feel like having the crew that I have, everyone's doing their part and everyone's helping out and if someone else messes up, there's someone else to cover that mistake. Sometimes you'll see that in the band: If someone misses a chord, maybe there's a fill from the drummer, or maybe the singer forgets the words so the crowd will help them out.
T: Would you like to travel more and experience cuisine?
J: Yeah, I love traveling. In the US, I've lived in New Mexico, Texas, New Hampshire, all over Massachusetts. Anytime I go somewhere new, I look up the most popular restaurants in the area, and I'll go there and I'll try whatever they're known for. If I go somewhere on the water, I'm trying seafood. If I go to an Italian restaurant, I'm trying some pasta that I've never had before. It’s just me trying to hone my craft.
T: We’re close to wrapping up here. Any anecdotes you want to throw in here?
J: I don't know if I have any anecdotes.
T: I kind of wanted to hear again one of the more wild stories but maybe that’s getting off-track.
J: Yeah, yeah, I've seen some wild stuff in kitchens.
T: Any words for aspiring chefs, something that you maybe would tell yourself as a young cook that maybe would have influenced your journey sooner?
J: If you're at all interested in food and learning more about the business: get out of the corporate world. Focus on your family—that's huge. Being in the corporate world and having any kind of relationship or kids or whatnot, it’s just…in the restaurant business especially, it can beat you down. There's a lot expected of you. And there's no give. You are almost expendable. Here, the owners donate to my kid’s baseball team. They will come in and say, “Hey, are you spending enough time with the family? Make sure that you're not here all the time. Make sure that you're taking care of what you need to do outside of here. Do need anything from me?” That's what I get here and that's what I've been missing: people that you work for that care about your personal life. People that come in and will say “hi” to each one of my staff members, and they will know things about their life, they'll remember it. They will get food on a busy Friday night and they'll go back there [the kitchen] and they'll thank each one of them. They appreciate who works for them…who is building up this establishment for them.
T: That's huge for any creator, to have infrastructure around them and not running things in an insular way just trying to make it work for themselves.
J: If you're trying to come up in the business as a chef, make sure that you are in the right environment. Make sure that you if you want to be creative, you have the right outlet to be able to do that. Make sure you put the people around you that can execute what you're trying to do. Any chance that you have to develop the people around you, be a leader. Don't let anyone tell you that what you're trying to do is stupid. Believe in what you're trying to create. And don't work with limits, especially when it comes to food…think outside the box. Don't think there's all these boundaries to what food is. Make it different. Be creative. Throw something out there and see if it works. You might find the next big thing. And again, learn from the people around you. Don't ever be stuck up. Don't be selfish. Take care of your people. They’ll bleed for you. That's it.
T: Vision for the future—do you see yourself staying in the kitchen? Do you want to branch out?
J: Eventually, I would like to branch out. I have talked to the owners about potentially buying in to the place. They have also talked to me about opening up a third location. So, I could basically run the culinary side between both restaurants, and then move people ahead into my place here. I would run culinary for Easton, here, and the next place. That'd be kind of cool. I'd have the opportunity to not only be creative, but to oversee the creative aspect of this brand; move people ahead and promote them. Then, help develop them creatively.
T: You talked about brewing in the past. You guys got to brew your own beer here, too. Working for Shovel Town Brewery, that would probably be a part of it, too, right?
J: Yeah, I would love any chance I would get to get into that again. There's science behind it. I've always enjoyed the craft of making sauces and dressings; that's kind of always been my thing. So, learning brewing and what goes into it is cool. Anything new like that I can learn is right up my alley.
T: Last question. Do you think you would be a good cook if you were a caveman?
J: Probably. I feel like that would be really cool. I like barbecue. You're
T: You’re limited by survival. You have to cook something to survive. Wouldn’t that be the arena for a chef?
J: I would make a big fire pit. I would be able to go and hunt things.
T: Foraging different ingredients and stuff. That's what it comes down to. This is this culinary experience: it's inherent in the human soul. You know, it's been going on for eons.
J: I feel like that art is lost. There should be more people out there doing that right now.
Next week, you will find Jamie and his crew, along with the head Brewer of Shovel Town Brewery, hosting their Summer Beer Dinner. At the last one, an intimate group of 50 patrons listened with reverence to the chef and brewer as course after course of diverse and delicious fare paired each with an original Shovel Town beer were presented with refinement. The vibe was electric, and this next one promises much more.
