With deep familial culinary roots—her aunt was restaurateur and politician Ruby Chow, who pioneered Chinese cuisine in Seattle—Angie Mar’s innate passion for food started at an early age, cooking with her family and even perfecting cherry clafoutis thanks to Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a gift from her father. She’s cut her teeth at some of New York’s most celebrated hotspots, such as Andrew Tarlow’s Marlow & Sons and as the sous chef at Spotted Pig under April Bloomfield’s tutelage, paving the way for her greatest accomplishment to date: taking the helm of the West Village’s iconic Beatrice Inn in 2013, where she gets the chance to show off her wholesome cooking style with a meat-forward menu.
On finding inspiration in Paris
I was 7 years old the first time I went there. I had my first veal kidneys there. I had my first paté there. I remember thinking if this is what food is, I have to have this all the time. Going back as an adult, for me, it’s about immersing myself in the food and the culture. I recently went to Paris on a whim. I didn’t want to go to any of the new restaurants or take part in any cutting-edge culinary techniques. I wanted to get in touch with why I fell in love with Paris as a child and go to the classics. That’s what I did, and it was tremendously refreshing. A classic restaurant like Chez George, for example, has served the same radishes with butter for decades, the same liver and onions. There’s something to be said for that kind of quality, that kind of technique. In my restaurant, we pay homage to the classics, but of course, put our own twist on it.
On following her father’s advice
My father grew up [working] in my aunt’s kitchen. But when I told him I wanted to start cooking, he said, ‘Look, it’s not glamorous, it’s not what you think it’s going to be. You’re going to work more hours than anybody you know. You’re going to lose all your friends. It’s going to be hard for you to maintain healthy relationships because you’re going to be working all the time and nobody’s going to understand what you do. But if you love it and you want to do it, then throw yourself in wholeheartedly, because everything starts around a dinner table. The memories you can provide others will be worth every second.’
The eclectic Beatrice Inn in New York’s West Village
