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Lone Star Extra: Galloping gourmet Chef Jake's only sure bet is his food 04/13/2001 By Cathy Harasta / The Dallas Morning News GRAND PRAIRIE – Jake Duplantis' towering white hat made him easy to spot in the Sunday crowd at Silks Dining Terrace. His voice boomed out to describe a delicate dill sauce. People waiting for post time, their noses to their race programs, looked up to see Duplantis' blue eyes sparkle as he spoke of his bananas Foster pie.
Chef Jake's favorite
day
at the races
WHAT: Chef Jake's Cajun Festival and Crawfish Boil
WHERE: The Courtyard at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
WHEN: Saturday, starting at 11:30 a.m.
THE DETAILS: Chef Jake will have 5,000 pounds of extra large select crawfish from the bayous of southern Louisiana and promises "they'll be extra spicy, too."
Fans will get two pounds of crawfish, four potatoes and an ear of corn for $8.95. If peeling all those tails seems like too much work, crawfish etoufee will be available for $5.95.
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Regulars beckoned him to their tables. Rookies received a pleasant jolt when he lavished them with attention. If every morsel wasn't a winner, Duplantis, the executive chef at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, wanted to know about it.
On one side of the horse track, the pampered stars might load up on alfalfa. But in Duplantis' front-side cosmos, the chef glowed as he got positive feedback for the salmon spring rolls, the homemade chicken-and-pasta soup, the blackened catfish fillets ...
And to think he would have become a welder, if not for what amounted to a hot tip. Duplantis said he was a kid waiting in line to sign up for welding school when a stranger struck up a conversation.
"I was going to be a welder and make $4 an hour back when minimum wage was $1.25," Duplantis said. "The man ahead of me in line said he was going to be a cook because that program gave a free lunch. I said, 'That's for me.' It turned out great."
The baby-faced grandfather in the chef's cap has become as familiar a sight in the 1,200-seat Silks dining room as he is in his industrial-sized kitchen. Duplantis, 54, cut his teeth cooking at some of New Orleans' most famous restaurants before he specialized in racetrack dining. Now he reigns as a favorite at a venue fast becoming a dining destination in its own right.
It's not just what he puts into his recipes, but also what he adds to Lone Star Park's ambience.
"The biggest thing I bring to the table is that I want the customer to be happy," Duplantis said. "I like people. You see every type of person at a racetrack, from the wealthy horse owner to the guy who works at a garage. This is the sport of kings. I treat everybody like a king."
But when it comes to offering advice at Lone Star, he sticks to what he knows best.
"People think the chef at a racetrack will have a hot tip," Duplantis said. "They ask me to give them a winner. I tell them, 'Eat the food.'"
It's the safest bet for miles. Duplantis' creations are priced reasonably, with many entrees under $10.
Chef Jake – as he is known at the track and to viewers of his TV spot each Monday on Channel 4's Good Day – said he works six days a week, 12 hours a day during the race meets. On Lone Star Derby Day last Saturday, his kitchen turned out 1,200 full-course meals in 2 1/2 hours.
Duplantis, a Flower Mound resident, said he believes Silks is the largest white-cloth dining establishment in Texas.
On Mondays, when no horses race at Lone Star, Duplantis arrives at the track early to plan his menus, study computer printouts and make phone calls.
"I call my fish man to see what's fresh," he said. "If it ain't right, it'll go back. After my 28 or 29 years of racetrack service, the people I deal with know me."
As a Louisiana native whose conversations are peppered with Cajunisms, Duplantis said he fields many questions from diners who want to know how spicy his dishes will be.
"If somebody tells me they didn't care for something, the first thing I say is, 'Let's get you something else,'" he said. "I like taking care of people. I never had a desire to own a racehorse."
A cook's tour provided a view of an orderly kitchen operation. The vast kitchen sits hidden beneath the fourth-floor Silks, in Lone Star's inviting clubhouse. Duplantis' 50-person staff does not have to worry about the seasonal nature of racetrack work, he said.
"They go on to better jobs because I done trained 'em," said Duplantis, formerly executive chef at Louisiana Downs and Oaklawn Park.
Duplantis showed off a tidy storeroom and a produce locker redolent of onions. He reserved a special grin for the moment he swept open a closet door to reveal some recent finds.
"Look at these," he said as he reverently lifted some polished aluminum serving dishes. "I found these at the Canton flea market."
He said some of the ornate bowls would perfectly suit Silks' buffet – a popular feast that features a pasta bar among its many highlights.
Racetrack food service presents special challenges, said Jeffrey Greco, a Lone Star Park executive vice president. He said race-goers don't always have high expectations for on-track dining. Silks' goal is for fans to plan to have a nice meal as part of the entertainment experience.
Greco said Lone Star Park, in its fifth year, hit the jackpot with Duplantis. Not every chef prizes people, Greco said, with some noted for temperamental tendencies.
Gary Payne / DMN
"Chef Jake" is at home in the kitchen, but he also likes to mingle with the patrons at the 1,200-seat Silks Dining Terrace.
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"We love him," said Greco, who recruited Duplantis from Oaklawn Park in 1997. "He's a big teddy bear. One of the biggest assets is Jake's personality. He is part of the presentation. He fits the mix so well."
A dining party recently gave Duplantis a standing ovation, to his delight. The group had enjoyed his "Chef's Table" experience – a Silks concept that includes one of Duplantis' special nine-course meals ("I fix whatever I feel like," he said). The special table sits in a semi-private compartment, complete with arm chairs, for a party of eight to 12.
"I get up for these days," he said. "I'm not your typical chef."
Except for when it comes to cleaning up, maybe.
"At home, I'm not allowed in the kitchen," Duplantis said with a sheepish smile. "Chefs don't clean up the kitchen."
Duplantis credited Judy, his wife of 35 years, for her unflagging support of his career. She works in the financial industry. Their son, Jake Jr., and his family live in Hot Springs, Ark.
At Lone Star Park, Duplantis' goal is for people to enjoy the food as much as the wagering. When they do, he eats it up. And though Silks offers a tremendous view of the horses coming down the stretch, some customers appeared to have as much fun watching Duplantis interact with fans.
"I like the excitement of the racing," Chef Jake said with an expansive gesture that propelled his arms outward. "The thoroughbred meet is our bread and butter. When my dining room is full, I'm happy."
And when the diners were full, they couldn't have been happier.
Where the chef likes to go out to eat in greater Dallas:
1. Inter Continental Dallas (formerly the Grand Kampinski) for the champagne brunch
2. Sevy's Grill
3. The Citizen for Euro-Asian cuisine
4. Steel for Japanese-style fare
5. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
6. EZ's
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CHEF JAKE'S WINNERS CIRCLE
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The chef's five favorite entrees:
1. Crawfish etouffee
2. A good T-bone steak
3. Meatballs and spaghetti
4. Open-face roast beef po' boy
5. Boiled crawfish
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