Chef Spotlight: Chef Amalia ofChef Spotlight: Chef Amalia of Kuma's Corner
Topping burgers with ingredients as varied and distinctive as bourbon-poached pears, pancetta and tortilla strips, Executive Chef Amalia Obermeier-Smith of Kuma’s Corner is constantly trying to push the culinary envelope. She spoke with us about her restaurant, the creative praocess, heavy metal and the importance of the bun, specifically Highland’s pretzel bun, in building a bigger, better burger.
HIGHLAND BAKING: Tell me about your restaurant.
CHEF AMALIA OBERMEIER-SMITH: Kuma’s Corner is an upscale burger restaurant located at 2900 W. Belmont Ave in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. We play heavy metal music and make gourmet burgers named after heavy metal bands. So, you’re walking into this very loud atmosphere with the smell of burgers wafting off the grill.
HB: What’s the creative process when you’re developing new items for the menu, particularly since they’re named after heavy metal bands?
CHEF: It starts with an idea, such as using a specific ingredient. We’ll develop the burger over a few weeks then do a tasting to get feedback. Sometimes a band will ask us to create a burger for them, like Red Fang. Or, we’ll create a burger and then pick a band based on what’s in the burger.
HB: So, what’s your favorite burger on the menu?
CHEF: Hmm. That’s tough. There’s the Plague Bringer, which has roasted garlic mayo, fresh garlic, hot sauce, pepper jack cheese, jalapeños and tortilla strips. It’s spicy, crunchy and loaded with cheese. Plus, who doesn’t like garlic? Then there’s the Lair of the Minotaur. That one plays salty pancetta and caramelized onions off sweet bourbon-poached pears, all tied together with the creaminess of Brie. Both are served on Highland Baking Co.’s pretzel bun.
HB: What role does the bun play in the burger?
CHEF: The bread is one of the most important components in a Kuma’s Corner burger! It’s the vehicle for the burger. We always jokingly say no matter what you put on the burger as long as it’s on a Highland bun, it will turn out good! We’ve seen so many reviews that just focus on the pretzel bun. People love that bun. It has this great taste combination of salty and sweet. It’s soft with a chewy texture but hefty enough to hold a 10 oz. burger with all our toppings.
HB: Do you use the pretzel bun for all your sandwiches?
CHEF: Yep. Almost everything. All our burgers. The chicken sandwich. Our pulled pork sandwich. The only one that’s not on the pretzel bun is the Slayer burger, which comes on a bed of fries. But, people will often order a bun on the side just because they want that bun.
HB: So, how has the bun worked into how you push the burger into new culinary directions?
CHEF: The thing I love about the bun is that it works in so many different facets. You can pretty much do anything with it. We made French toast with it for a special last November. It was really good!
HB: Wow. French toast?
CHEF: Yes, we dipped the insides of the pretzel bun in a savory French toast batter with thyme and orange zest then threw them on the griddle to toast. This housed our “Sleep Burger, ” a special for the month of November. It was a turkey burger with cranberry jelly, a deep-fried stuffing patty and turkey gravy on top of the French toasted pretzel bun.
HB: Beyond the bread, what do you like about working with Highland?
CHEF: I love Highland. When I became head chef, my rep came over, introduced herself and told me “anything you need, let me know.” She has gone above and beyond, helping me out in crunches and delivering specialty breads. Jim and Stu Rosen [CEO & VP, respectively] came by to meet me as well. I got a really, really good feeling about them. We like to work with local, family-run businesses that started from the ground up, and they’ve definitely helped us out over the years.
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