The Hudson Valley is chef Zach Berger’s home base

“We may interpret the term ‘food habits’ merely as the restatement in individual terms of the dietary pattern characteristic of a group of the population.”
— Margaret Mead, 1943

Chef Zach Berger is currently focusing on his love of culinary adventure with private-chef services and high-end catering in the Hudson Valley. His career path has been varied.

Before becoming a chef he worked as a social worker with high-risk teens for almost ten years in Ulster County.

He’s also been a world-touring musician. He developed a love for travel and food while touring with his band in venues across the world. He was greatly influenced by the cultures he encountered in the 25 countries to which he has traveled.

He has owned and operated Cultura Paraiso in Cusco, Peru. He plans to return to Southeast Asia in January, where he’ll be sure to find new flavor palates to influence his cooking.

Born in Peekskill, Zach gradually made his way north to Dutchess and Ulster counties. He presently rents in the Woodstock hamlet of Lake Hill. “I’d like to buy,” he says, “but real estate is so damned expensive.”

Zach intends to keep his Hudson Valley roots. “It’s my home base,” says this world traveler.

Slice the delicata squash into rings and clean out the center of the seeds.

Using fresh, local and foraged ingredients, he has created relationships with local farms and local makers to use the best produce available. Though he consults with restaurants and occasionally fills in to help friends out, Zach says most of his local work is as a private chef catering for occasions and events,

Here are some excerpts from a conversation Jason Bover recently had with him. To top the occasion off, Zach shares his take on Massaman curry glazed delicata squash, a spicy curry that’s a fusion of Indian, Malay, and Thai ingredients.

Jason: How did you get started cooking?

Zach: I’ve always loved food and travel. My family was big on new experiences, new foods, and sharing culture. As a fat Jewish dude who loves food, I have always been one to cook in the kitchen, whether it was with family, friends or myself. My parents would always make dishes from all different regions of the world. It was awesome.

Jason: Sounds a lot like my childhood, lol.

Zach: As I got older and started to work, I randomly had a few restaurant jobs here and there, but nothing super-fancy. I wasn’t very good, to be honest, After high school I started to tour more with my bands and had the pleasure of really seeing the world through that life traveling to South Africa, Europe, Central America, and more.
Restaurant work and working with children with disabilities were two jobs that were always needed because of the turnaround. I needed a job where I was able to work, but knew I needed to be able to still tour with my band.

Jason: What was the name of your band?

Zach: I’ve toured with quite a few, actually. Signs of Hope, Through this Defiance, and Manu — to name a few. I sing and play bass. As I traveled, so did my passion for food. These experiences taught me so much about food and culture in the world. While my band was out partying, I’d be eating, talking to chefs and others all around to continue learning. Don’t get me wrong, I partied, too! But really those times for e were about the experience of truly learning from different cultures. That opened my eyes to what I love and the chef I am today. The rest is history.

Jason: How do seasonal ingredients influence the dishes you are currently working on?

Zach: Seasonal Ingredients are key. We live in a region where freshness is all around us. Local farms, fresh foraged ingredients from our forests, and amazingly talented people all around constantly working together to share the amazing local flavors we have here in the Hudson Valley-Catskills region.

My menus are constantly changing within the season, although I don’t forget about those ingredients from past seasons, either. Those ingredients can be turned into syrups, pickling, dehydrating, curing, and fermenting so that I can use them year-round. Generally speaking, though, I build my menus based on the season and what I can get locally for my clients.

Jason: How does the selection of fruits and produce from the Hudson Valley add to your creativity?

Zach: Just like I mentioned before, it’s a huge aspect to my creativity. Ingredients are constantly changing. I need to be able to adapt my flavors to what is ripe right now. Orchard apples and pears in the fall, root vegetables in the winter, fresh greens and berries in the spring and summer, I love stone fruits in the summer.
They all have their place. They all add different flavors to my dishes, and I adapt within the seasons to make beautiful dishes with what we have available.

Jason: How would you define Hudson Valley cuisine, and what sets the Hudson Valley apart from other areas of the country?

Zach: I don’t think the Hudson Valley has its own cuisine by definition, but I do feel that it benefits from the bountiful farmland and forests we get our food from.

Jason: Where do you source your local meats/produce from?

Zach: The list goes on and on! I try to support as many local farms and stores as I can throughout the year. The farmers’ markets are key. For me the ones I go to most are the Phoenicia, Woodstock and Kingston ones, but I do try to get to others throughout the weeks, too. I use Windfall Farm, Migliorelli Farm, Back Home Farm, Deadhead Farm, Sustainable Sorcerers — he’s my mushroom man, Hepworth Farms, Adams, Catskill Wagyu, Meat Things, Maynard, Wright’s, Solid Ground, and so many more.

Jason: Here’s a fun one. Favorite and least favorite fall seasonal ingredient?

Zach: I guess if I had to pick a favorite fall vegetable I’d say brussel sprouts. There’s nothing quite like getting a big stalk fresh from the farm and roasting them with some pork belly and shagbark hickory syrup, sweet mustard all over, with confit red onion! Hmmm. My least favorite would probably be beets – though I do like them! I just had to pick a least favorite, and they are a mess to cook with! Black walnuts are a great fall ingredient as well!

Jason: Any tips or tricks for our at home chefs looking to incorporate fresh local ingredients into their at home cooking?

Zach: Don’t be afraid to try ingredients you don’t know about. Push yourself to try that weird-looking celeriac or rutabaga. Go to the farmers’ markets and ask questions. Learn, learn, learn! That’s the most important part. We all can continue learning. Also check out my Instagram and check out some of my cooking videos on YouTube.

Jason: So what are you preparing for us today?

Zach: Massaman curry glazed delicata squash. This is a fun fall dish. Rich bold warm flavors with my favorite squash! This Massaman curry paste was taught to me by Chef Leez during my time in Thailand.

The glaze just seemed right for a fun twist on classic miso glazed squash.

Thai Massaman Curry Paste

4 large red spur chili

6 shallots roasted

10 garlic cloves roasted

2 tsp coriander seed ground roasted

2 tsp cumin ground roasted

2 tsp pepper black

1 tsp mace

2 tsp salt

2 tsp fennel seed roasted

Pound chili in a mortar with pestle and salt thoroughly. Add each ingredient one at a time and pound well between ingredients, garlic, shallots, coriander seeds, cumin, pepper, cloves. Then add the balance of ingredients and pound until it’s a fine paste.

Glaze:

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup of water

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons massaman curry paste

Heat a small sauce pot to medium-high heat and add chili paste and cinnamon stick. Next, add water and whisk until thin. Bring to a boil and add sugar, whisking again. Reduce until glaze.

Squash:

2 medium delicata squash washed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice the delicata squash into rings and clean out the center of the seeds. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss in a mixing bowl. Put rings on an oven safe sheet tray (use parchment paper) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes on each side (25 to 30 minutes in total), flipping the squash halfway through the baking process and brushing with glaze.
Once golden brown and cooked all the way through, you can plate and drizzle extra glaze on top.