What’s Cookin’ with Chef Sean…

Chef Sean McNiece is no stranger to the kitchen; starting with the opening of a pizza joint roughly 20 years ago. His career evolved from pizza to deli to fine dining. In his latest venture he wears the hat of Chef, Menu Engineer, beer sampler and selector for Ulysses American Gastropub, set to open Mid-December in North Wilmington.

Even though Sean is extremely busy getting the restaurant ready he took the time to chat with me, share a recipe from the menu; Artichoke Pesto Pecan Crusted Salmon,  and throw  a “Dish it Out” challenge to our readers.  Check  the “Create A Recipe” contest: a contest where you create a recipe using the ingredients from our featured chef each month.  The winning recipe will be featured as a special one night in the challenging Chefs restaurant.

“My passion food wise lies in the Gastropub genre, it reaches the most people and allows for the most fun cooking”, says Chef. The short and simple definition of a Gastropub; a Pub that serves high end food, made popular in the U.S. in the early 2000’s, according to Wikipedia.

Chef Sean said that all cooking methods come into play when creating a menu for a Gastropub; the basics like grill & sauté to slow cooking methods like braising & smoking with a real emphasis & commitment on homemade items.  This allows for chefs to be more creative and really showcase their talents. When I asked him to tell me about some of the items we’ll see he told me that I’ll just have to come and check it out for myself.  Pretty smart of him not to disclose all the secrets.

“I love brewing, drinking, talking about and cooking with beer” he says. He also loves bacon and any other form of pig & often quotes Homer Simpson saying, “The pig is a wonderful, magical animal”.