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Chef of the moment: James Trees spices it up at Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill

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James Trees is the executive chef at the newly opened Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill, an Indonesian-focused steakhouse in West Hollywood.

Trees, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, has worked at Le Bernardin, spent a month at Fat Duck in Britain and opened five restaurants as corporate sous-chef with Michael Mina before becoming chef de cuisine at Mina’s now-closed XIV. He has also worked with Gordon Ramsay on “Hell’s Kitchen” and as chef de cuisine at Fig.

At Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill, Trees will serve his interpretation of traditional Indonesian food with lobster tom-kha with coconut-lemon grass broth, galangal and fragrant herbs, beef rendang sliders and American Wagyu skirt steak you can choose to pair with bearnaise, bone marrow bordelaise, Sichuan peppercorn or curry hollandaise sauces.

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What’s coming up next on your menu? Because Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill’s build-out was so long, we planned four menus. That being said, I am excited about the butternut squash dish we are working on with brown butter, fried garlic, Chinese five-spice, lemon and fresh herbs.

Latest ingredient obsession? Spices. It’s the forgotten “not cool” things like Chinese five-spice that are just so good. I love the Indonesian spices I get to work with.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Scissors. We have no less than 30 pairs in the kitchen; anyone who tears the tape [used for labeling pantry items] is immediately singled out as the worst person ever.

Your favorite day off away from the kitchen is … I used to sleep in, but now a day off is actually a “day on” as one of my old chefs used to say. I’ll get on the bike, ride out to Temescal Canyon, then not go foraging. Cruise back to the house, watch a movie and spend time with as many of my friends as I can get in. Usually I end up getting tacos on Pico and an insanely good “concrete” frozen custard at Top Round.

What chef has most influenced you? Michael Mina. He is the boss of bosses. His unrelenting drive to just improve and get better is why his company is the strongest in the restaurant business. He is someone who truly empowers his chefs to create and become more than they ever thought they could be. I remember when we were opening Bourbon Steak in Scottsdale [Ariz.] many years ago. The [fire prevention] system was triggered 30 minutes before the pre-opening VIP party. He and Anthony Carron took total control to the next level. We still had the party, cooking on grills outside in the dark and he said something to me I will never forget: “It’s not how you start that matters. It’s how strong you finish.” I will never forget that.

826 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 360, 0884, www.hutchinsonla.com/

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Looking for more food fun? Follow me on Twitter @Jenn_Harris_

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