OAKLEYS bistro
1464 W. 86th St
Indianapolis, IN
http://www.oakleysbistro.com/

Let’s get to the point, Steve Oakley is a culinary bad ass.  His resume is bulletproof by working on some of the finest kitchens in the US, including Charlie Trotters in Chicago.  Chef Oakley is a 1991 of the Culinary Institute of America.  In 1993 he was a received a nomination for the James Beard Foundation Rising Star and in 2008 a nomination for Best Chef: Great Lakes.  If you ask anyone in Indianapolis (that has a clue) they will list OAKLEYS bistro in their top 5 restaurants every time.

Two years ago I was at a crossroads in my career, I asked (read: begged) Chef Oakley for the opportunity to work in his restaurant.  After a 10 hour day, a deep cut in my thumb, and a good conversation with Chef Oakley about the amount of dedication and sacrifice that it would take to where I truly wanted to be, I decided that time with my family was too important to give up.  After all, I am the son of a chef, so if anyone knows…

I want to take the opportunity to thank Chef Oakley and Chris (Front of the House Manager) for supporting the site and making the time to do a quick Q&A.

WIBIA: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?

Chef Oakley: When I was a kid I wanted to be a professional basketball player, the next Larry Bird, 8″ too short!  Around the age of 14 I started working in restaurants for free and soon after realized this is what I was meant to do.

WIBIA:  If I wasn’t a chef…

Chef Oakley: I would be a country singer/professional fishing guide.  Country singer because all the hot girls throw panties on the stage, fishing guide because fly fishing is truly something I love to do.

WIBIA: Say you’re on death row and you have to pick your last meal, what would that be?

Chef Oakley: That would be my mom’s stuffed cabbage, mushroom pierogi, and her pineapple upside down cake.  She’s the one who introduced me to cooking and the love for food.

WIBIA: If you started a new restaurant, what would it look like?

Chef Oakley: This is something I think about a lot, I always wanted to have a french fry stand in Broad Ripple.  There I am, in the middle of Broad Ripple, 2 am in the morning, serving fries to all the drunks.  In all reality, I toy around with the idea of opening a casual tapas/wine bar with small expressions of food that people would enjoy.

WIBIA: I love a good wine recommendation, what are you drinking right now?

Chef Oakley: I’m a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc for the summer, at work they call me Savvy B, I also enjoy a nice bottle of Syrah, such as the Guenoc Petit Syrah.

WIBIA: If you could choose one knife to use, what would it be?

Chef Oakley: 10″ Shun Chef Knife, I use it for it’s durability and comfort.  I use it for chopping slicing, mincing.

WIBIA: So tell us what’s new at OAKLEYS bistro?

Chef Oakley: Right now we are working our way thru all the summer tomatoes, various types of melons with the idea of my attempt at writing a cookbook that will showcase all the recipes I’ve done over the years.

Tags: Oakleys, Steven Oakley

This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 9:05 am and is filed under Get to Know Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.