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Executive chef Todd Lough said he plans to keep things simple at Pelican Grand Beach Resort.

Todd Lough, the executive chef at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, started at his new gig on April 9. And while he and the resort's manager Bob Keesler said the property won't unveil a revamped menu until the fall -- in order to give Lough time to learn the lay of the land and craft the ideal menu -- his penchant for fresh and local flavors already is impacting the kitchen's output.

He's started with simple steps like "braising (his) own short ribs" and using more local produce and seafood in existing menu items.

"I don't manipulate (ingredients) too much and I use local products as much as possible," Lough said of his philosophy during a recent phone interview.

Lough grew up a self-proclaimed military brat, and moved around a lot as a child, a background that allowed him to experience a wide range of culinary styles.

"Food was a passion since I was a child," he said, adding that several family members had gardens and his appreciation for fresh produce and "things made from scratch" developed from early exposure to whole foods. His culinary career also got a kick from his mother's lack of finesse in the kitchen.

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Fusion has been on the brain. Following our review on Florida's sushi-Thai, Sara Dickerman addresses the up-down of our relationship with fusion in Slate last week in Fusion Reaction: How America fell in love, then out of love, then in love all over again with Asian influenced cuisine. She wrote:

You won't hear much mention, these days, of "Asian fusion," let alone its dubious synonyms "Pacific Rim," "East-meets-West," or "Pan-Asian." But the truth is, the idea of a not-too-traditional take on Asian cookery is among the most dynamic in restaurants today. It's the duchy of Momofuku's David Chang, not to mention dozens of wave-making food trucks and pop-up shops from California to New York and it's the future, it would seem, of conscientious fast food, as Chipotle launches its Southeast-Asian-inspired ShopHouse concept... Fusion as a term may have become deeply unfashionable, but its influence is everywhere.

Florida chef Norman Van Aken borrowed the term fusion from jazz to describe how styles of cooking had evolved for a speech in 1988, she writes. Van Aken is director of restaurants at Miami Culinary Institute -- which includes Tuyo on the rooftop. His latest book, My Key West Kitchen, will debut in October. Van Aken has been recognized as a founder of New American cuisine, along with Alice Waters, Mark Miller, and Paul Prudhomme. He has received scores of awards and recognition from the James Beard Foundation and elsewhere.

So Clean Plate Charlie decided to follow up with Van Aken to ask him his reaction to the article. Here's how he responded in a recent phone conversation:
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​Norman Van Aken -- one of the Mango Gang, along with Douglas Rodriguez, Allen Susser, and Mark Militello -- has started a weekly column, Word on Food, over on the national food site Food Republic -- teasers, perhaps, for his upcoming cookbook, My Key West Kitchen.More >>

Chef Anna Feinberg digs the eats at new sushi joint Fusionarie.

​Anna Feinberg, who recently was named executive chef at Kapow! Noodle Bar, has spent nearly a dozen years working in the restaurant industry and nearly every angle of the biz (dishes, front-of-the-house management, line work, etc.).

More "school of hard knocks" than formal culinary school, this marks the first time the steely-eyed chef has worn the lead title, and she's eager for the challenge.

She's also seriously into food and shared a few of her favorite restaurants both near and far. Read on after the jump to learn about four spots on Feinberg's list.
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Since I arrived in August, I've been struck by how much seafood on menus is from up north, whether it's swordfish, oysters, or lobster. I've also been curious at the pricing of local that's often higher than what's caught in the Caribbean and New England. What's the story?

A basket of snapper, just delivered, in the walk-in of a local fish distributor

​I've been asking around -- line cooks, recreational fishermen, and chefs -- to find out more about this market. I thought Dean Max's assessment of how Florida seafood is selling at 3030 Ocean was especially interesting.

"Despite that 3030 Ocean is a seafood restaurant, we sell 48% beef. That's a pretty high percentage for a seafood restaurant," he said. "I'm not serving mahi sandwiches for under $20 here, so I think a lot of people don't want to commit to a plate that they're not familiar with."

Max said that at 3030 Ocean, year-round residents are less likely to order Florida seafood than visitors. "Visitors are all about local wahoo, pompano, and tuna," he said, though he's selling fewer stone crabs because they're so much more expensive than fish.

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