The Standard: Let’s start off with what Macanese cuisine is, how did you first become interested in it?
Abe Conlon: The impetus for the cuisine that I do is the community that I grew up in. I was raised in a Portuguese family in Lowell, Massachusetts within a large international community: mainly Southeast Asian, but also Indian, African, Chinese, Brazilian and others.
In ‘99, I read an article in Saveur about people in Macau that were using food as a method of heritage preservation. So, when I was in Hong Kong on my “cook’s journey,” I decided to go to Macau to check it out. I saw that Macau had this form of cuisine that mixed all these elements from when the Portuguese traders and missionaries were there over 500 years ago. I was fascinated by how they were combining Portuguese techniques with Chinese ingredients.
So, Fat Rice—how was it inspired by your travels and what’s in the name?
Fat Rice started out as an exploration of the cuisine of Macau. As it developed, we started looking at other factors and places, such as Goa or Nagasaki, where traditional Portuguese dishes have evolved due to the implementation of new ingredients, techniques, or even a cook’s whim. Now, Fat Rice is a way for me to explore what I call global Portuguese cuisine and its position relative to other places around the world.
Fat Rice is the literal translation of arroz gordo, which is similar to a paella, and has lots of stuff on top like turmeric chicken, roasted pork, Portuguese sausage, hard-boiled eggs, raisins, olives and small pickles. It’s a large, home-style dish that was made for families for special gatherings—you’d never find it in a restaurant. Its significance has a direct correlation to what we do at Fat Rice: present unique dishes that combine elements from multiple cultures. It wasn’t created by a chef; it was made through mixed-blood families. Arroz gordo is the spirit animal of what all the dishes that we serve at Fat Rice are.
Chefs are expected to be mobile nowadays, but this extended residency at Chefs Club takes that notion to a whole different level. Why did you decide to take the leap?
When we released The Adventures of Fat Rice book a few years back, we did a special dinner to promote it at Chefs Club. I’ve always wanted to cook and live in NY— it’s exciting because we’re closer to the ocean, there's a lot of great produce, the proximity to Chinatown, the opportunity to further develop my cuisine and interest in Portuguese food. Travel has greatly influenced my food because I go to these places, find new dishes, and learn how to bring them back to a restaurant setting so the public can try them. This pop-up is an extension of that process.
How has the pop-up at Chefs Club been going so far?
It’s going great; the response has been amazing. As the years have developed, Fat Rice has become a recognizable brand that appeals to a lot of different types of people, some of whom have been to these countries that both recognize and have interest in these dishes.