FrederickCooke:
Hello everyone! Welcome to CuisineNet Live! Tonight we will be chatting with Michael Mina, executive chef of Aqua in San Francisco. Michael received the James Beard Foundation's prestigious Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 1997. His intensely flavorful and creative seafood cooking is quickly earning him a reputation as one of the nation's most respected and influential chefs.

FrederickCooke:
When and how did you first get into cooking?

Michael Mina:
I first got into cooking when I was 15 -- 14 years ago. I was living in a small town in central Washington. I was working in the back kitchen. From there, I just fell in love with it and just pursued it from that point.

Kenny:
How do you feel being so successful and so young? Where do you go from here, do you feel the pressure to do bigger and better things constantly?

Michael Mina:
I guess you always feel pressure. I couldn't say that I don't enjoy it. It's great being successful at such at young age. The restaurant business is so challenging because there are so many different cuisines and problems to deal with. I don't think I could ever run out of things to challenge me. I think you'd have to live 3 or 4 lifetimes to even get close to that stage.

warren:
If I walked into an Egyptian restaurant what kind of food could I expect? Would there be anything unique to Egypt?

Michael Mina:
Falafel (chuckles). I'm not an expert. I moved to the U.S. when I was 1. I know a few things my mother made when I was young. That question's probably answered in an Egyptian cookbook.

Kenny:
What was your favorite dish when you were young? or younger?

Michael Mina:
I loved steamed crab. My parents would go to Seattle and we'd steam crabs with just lemon juice.

FrederickCooke:
Aqua specializes in seafood. Was that what you enjoy to cook or was it an adaptation to the restaurant's theme?

Michael Mina:
A little bit of both. It was something that I felt was needed in SF. There weren't very many high end seafood restaurants in SF. It's very challenging, and there are so many different varieties that it's interesting to research. I also like to cook meats, of course.

FrederickCooke:
With fusion cooking being all the rage, do you feel the urge to infuse your cooking with influences from other exotic places? How about Egyptian fusion?

Michael Mina:
I don't necessarily believe in the idea of fusion. I think you really have to study a cusine to do that. Some are doing it great. Many are doing it average. Some are ruining dishes. I care more about product. From Egypt, there are a lot of spices. I think it's good to taste those spices with foods and see how they work together on the palate. I don't necessarily think you should take Italian food and Asian food and mix it together to make a restaurant. There may be some cases where certain dishes would work, though.

Kenny:
I read that a number of chefs on the East Coast have stopped serving swordfish as they are in danger of becoming an endangered species. Is this also an issue on the West Coast? Do you serve swordfish?

Michael Mina:
I do serve swordfish. I don't know if it is as much of a problem on the West Coast as the east. All of our swordfish is from Hawaii. It's more difficult to get on the East Coast, so the prices are probably higher there. The price hasn't fluctuated on this side of the country yet.

warren:
There is a feeling among many people that seafood should be graded for quality and purity just like meat is graded today. Do you think that the overall quality of seafood is declining? Would you promote such regulation?

Michael Mina:
I'm very fortunate because at an upscale restaurant I can use the very best seafood available. I think the quality has a lot to do with the weather. I would love to see a system of grading. It would make it easier for me to buy. I don't know how feasible that is, and it might make the costs of fish astronomical.

Kenny:
Do you have a favorite fish?

Michael Mina:
I have a lot of favorite fish, but my favorite fish is Atlantic cod. For a long time it wasn't very expensive, but it's very moist and flavorful, and I like the texture.