File this story as: only possible at Time Out Market. Two of the most innovative seafood chefs on the planet are collaborating for a one-time dinner this month in Boston, when Time Out Market Boston hosts the latest Chefs On Tour dinner with Boston’s own Tim Cushman and John van Zyl from Cape Town, South Africa.
Typically in the business of showcasing the best of one city, Time Out Markets across the world have matched culinary talent together for a global tour of local experiences. Chefs On Tour debuted last year with events in Lisbon and Dubai, and has also stopped in Cape Town, Chicago, New York and Montreal.
“We like all of our restaurants to make you feel like you're transported somewhere else for the time that you're there,” says Nancy Cushman, Tim’s wife and business partner at gogo ya and Ms. Clucks Deluxe at Time Out Market, as well as Boston restaurants o ya, Hojoko and Bianca.
Van Zyl is the chef of the Melting Pot, a global street food-influenced seafood restaurant, as well as an oyster bar at Time Out Market Cape Town. The two chefs found common ground when they connected to plan their Chefs On Tour menu. “There definitely was a certain alignment with punchy, big, bold flavors,” van Zyl says.
Cushman then led the conversation toward local ingredients. “We have similar approaches to using worldly ingredients, but we wanted to focus as much as we can on seasonality,” says the chef, who was named Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation a few years after his contemporary Japanese restaurant, o ya, first opened in Boston. During the Chefs On Tour dinner in Boston, diners—and chef van Zyl—can expect the freshest fish, vegetables and other ingredients.
From a palate-opening oyster to four courses of globally influenced small plates—one by each chef per course—the nearly-sold-out dinner is set to be perhaps the most luxurious meal ever served at Time Out Market Boston. Priced at $110 or $150 with curated drink pairings for an eight-plus-dish feast, “we wanted to really make it luxe and still affordable,” Nancy Cushman says. That means using ingredients that are typically too expensive to appear in the sushi lineup at gogo ya or on the menu at Ms. Clucks Deluxe, such as wagyu beef, Island Creek Oysters and local scallops, lobster, tuna and whitefish, Tim Cushman says.
The Chefs On Tour menu will also feature flavors new to many Bostonians. Two of van Zyl’s planned dishes bring a taste of Cape Town to the table by showcasing seasonings and recipes from his hometown area. Cape Malay fish tacos is a dish van Zyl developed when he was the chef at Thali, which highlights South African cuisine’s Southeast and Southern Asian influences, van Zyl says. Pap en Vleis is a classic dish from Black South African culture, comparable to osso bucco with braised short rib beef, polenta and a peppery, end-of-summer relish called chakalaka. “I'm just stoked to bring some Cape Town flavor to Boston,” van Zyl says.
And, he adds, to taste chef Tim Cushman’s food. It will be van Zyl’s first-ever time in the States, let alone Boston. “Whenever I travel, it's pretty much heavily focused on food,” he says. “I'm really excited to see a different Time Out Market and check what's going on.”
Both Cushman Concepts inside Time Out Market are day-one vendors that recently celebrated five-year anniversaries. What’s new with them are exciting menu additions, Cushman says, from beef tacos at gogo ya, inspired by Korean bulgogi; to crispy “smashed dumplings”—which riffs on the smash burger craze using chicken-shiitake dumplings—and cheesy chicken ramen at Ms Cluck’s Deluxe.
Chefs On Tour is a unique promotion for Time Out Market because of the brand’s global network. “The takeaway is that Boston is a great culinary destination,” Tim Cushman says. But, business aside, he can’t wait to collaborate with van Zyl.
“It's fun to taste somebody's food that you've never tasted before,” Cushman says. “This should be cool.”
What's on the menu for Chefs On Tour at Time Out Market Boston?
Amuse: Special pre-dinner starter and welcome cocktail
Course 1:
Chef John van Zyl (listed first): Linefish Sashimi with Fermented Black Bean Dressing, Coconut & Mint
Chef Tim Cushman (listed second): Bluefin Tuna Tataki with Aji Amarillo, Habanada, Cilantro
Course 2:
Cape Malay Fish Taco with Curry Emulsion, Pickled Red Onion
Scallop Shinjo Dumpling with Black Truffle, Herbal Dashi Broth
Course 3:
‘Pap en Vleis’ with Braised Short Rib, Creamed Polenta, Chakalaka
Surf & Turf with Grilled Lobster Tail and A5 Wagyu Striploin, Saffron Bisque Sabayon, Onion Soubise, Confit Potato
Course 4:
Apple Tarte Tatin with Spiced Ice Cream, Candied Orange
HK Style French Toast with Chocolate Hazelnut Stuffed Milk Bread, Strawberry Jam, Crème Anglaise
