Chef Paul Kahan On The Publican

We'd heard recently that Paul Kahan, chef and co-owner of The Publican in Chicago, was planning to introduce brunch at his wildly popular beer- and pork-themed restaurant. It turns out that this past Sunday was the first day of service and Kahan and his publicist, Ellen Malloy, used the opportunity to send out real-time updates via Twitter (view the full transcript). While it didn't quite live up to its "Reality Twitter Cooking Show" billing, it was an interesting experiment and preview of what we expect to see from other high profile chefs in the future.

Prior to Sunday's Twitter event writer Brittany Bellgardt spoke with Kahan and asked him about The Publican and where he's finding inspiration these days.

What menu item or items best represent the type of cooking you're doing at the restaurant?
Pork, oysters and beer...so pretty much anything on the menu!

What should people know about your wine and cocktail program?
It is all about beer, and we serve any beers that are good.

What's your favorite ingredient to cook with?
This week, quince, because it's quince season and it's tasty. There is so little around that is interesting to cook with this time of year. Quince adds a splash of joy.

If you could collaborate with any chef, alive or dead, who would it be?
Michel Bras because he is so in tune with the product of the ecosystem in which he lives and he is a genius.

What food-related book or cookbook would you recommend to the adventurous home cook?
Right now, I'm really in love with the Moro cookbooks. They seem to really be in tune with what we do at The Publican and I'm very inspired by them.

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The Publican

Location: 837 West Fulton Market between North Peoria and North Green Streets in the West Loop
Hours: Mon-Thu, 3:30-10:30pm; Fri-Sat, 3:30-11:30pm; Sun, 10am-2pm and 5-10pm
Reservations: Call 312-733-9555 or try OpenTable.

Get more information about The Publican on Savory Cities.