At the Table with Chef Tony

Chef Tony Coito of ARTIFACT at Mingei took a winding journey to discover his passion for cooking. Although he comes from a family that loves food, he tried to avoid making it a career. At 19 years old, he started school for psychology, working in a restaurant kitchen as a dishwasher to make some money. The cooks taught him basic techniques, but they were far from scratch cooking. Once he began to take it seriously, he woke up one morning to the realization that he was hooked. He applied to culinary school, and through years of practice and experimentation, he has become an integral part of Mingei International Museum’s Michelin-recognized restaurant, ARTIFACT.

ARTIFACT and CRAFT CAFÉ at Mingei are the latest additions to restaurateur Tracy Borkum and Executive Chef Tim Kolanko’s CUCINA family of restaurants.

What was your path to working with ARTIFACT at Mingei?

I was fortunate to work for Paul Arias at The Fishery after finishing school, and he taught me how to cook intuitively. I started to see what was possible with raw ingredients and what went into producing things from scratch. When my time with Paul came to an end, he sent me to The Lodge at Torrey Pines to work for Jeff Jackson and Kelli Crossin. I worked everywhere I could when I got there, The Grill, overnight room service, banquets, everything. Eventually, Kelli gave me a shot to work at A.R. Valentien, and I soaked up everything I could.

I met Tim (Kolanko) at a wine dinner we hosted at the hotel. He was the guest chef, and we hit it off while nerding out about Ancient Roman food, specifically garum. A few months after that, I actually took a short break from cooking and traveled to Florence, Italy to stay with a friend there. When I came back, he reached out to me about working at one of our sister restaurants. To be honest, I wasn't looking to stay in San Diego at the time, but Tim approached me with the chance to help open a small location at the Rady Shell. After the first concert season was finished, he approached me again with the opportunity to be a part of the team at ARTIFACT and CRAFT CAFÉ.

How does working in Mingei’s environment impact the way you create a menu?

The environment at Mingei forces us to think outside of the box. We do a lot of research into recipes and ingredients found around the world and try to apply them in new ways or update them to be seasonal and present them in an appealing way. The research uncovers a lot of history with spice trading, introduction of new ingredients to different regions, and diets that existed thousands of years ago. Fusion is a buzzword that is thrown around a lot, but from our research, we can tell you that food has always been based on creative individuals bringing methods of cooking or spices from their homelands and adapting them to their new environments—just like the concept of mingei, art of the people.

How do you consider design in the creation of a dish?

We start with the season—more than just the produce in season, but also the weather. What do people want to eat in the winter, for instance? Then, we start looking at different foods from around the world that fit what we are looking for. From there, we make small tweaks to add textures to dishes that might be soft. Maybe a dish needs a bit of heat in the form of peppers or radishes. Is the dish heavy? Maybe we add something fresh and vibrant to cut through it. Some of the dishes we make come from humble origins, so we have to think about how to elevate that dish when plating to be something worth showcasing next to the art pieces in the Museum.

Color comes into play during the seasons as well. Something in the fall, we might try to keep it monochromatic, but during the spring when flowers are blooming, we might showcase different colors. It all comes back to flavors, though. I would much rather have something on the menu that looks humble than introduce clashing flavors for the sake of it looking pretty.

Our theme for our upcoming Communiqué issue is "resilience." How have you practiced resilience in your experience as a chef?

In general, being in hospitality is about resilience. You really have to enjoy what you do. You accept that not everything is going to go according to how you plan it, and not every idea that we have is going to come out the way we want. Using criticism as a tool to improve ourselves rather than taking it personally helps a lot. The industry is changing as well. A lot of emphasis has been placed on practicing healthy self-care habits outside of work. When I can, I go on hikes or day trips. It gives me a chance to process information and realign what is important.

Cooking with others involves a lot of communication, sometimes under high pressure. How do you encourage and foster resilience within your team?

Treating people with respect goes a long way. I feel like no one wants to do things wrong, and no one is perfect. Showing people the right way to do something or explaining why things have to be a certain way instead of losing your cool will always win people over. Giving people the tools to succeed harbors resilience naturally. Encouraging them to have a good balance in life is important, having an outlet to let go of the stressors of work.

What’s one thing you learned early on that stuck with you over the years?

Practicing gratitude, thanking every person that has a hand in what we do. We cannot be successful or resilient alone, and that starts with people knowing that you are grateful for the hard work that they put into a shared objective. My name might be synonymous with the restaurant, but there is a whole team of people who make ARTIFACT and CRAFT what they are. Our staff, our delivery drivers, the home office, all of the chefs at our sister restaurants, the Museum staff, and so many more people allow me to keep doing what Tracy and Tim brought me in to do.

Enjoy the work of Culinary Director Tim Kolanko, Chef Wesley Johnson, and Chef Tony Coito on your next visit to Mingei! Dine in for an elevated experience at ARTIFACT or stop by CRAFT CAFÉ for a coffee and a sweet treat.