Ryan Skeen on the 'Evil' 'Shit Show' Kitchens of his Past

Peripatetic chef Ryan Skeen sits down with Grub Street to discuss his rambling career as a chef in New York City over the past decade. Skeen, a "talented toque" according to Grubz, says that MePa restaurant 5 Ninth was "a shit show" when he worked there from '04 - '05. Of Allen & Delancey he explains that "That place was just pure evil," and he says of his time at steakhouse V, "I think I'm too much of a cook to work for Jean-Georges." Fish Tag didn't earn positive reviews because he and owner MIchael Psilakis didn't approach it "with enough passion," and he notes of his last project, Pera, "I hope they do well, but I don't consider it a real restaurant."

Skeen's one career regret is that he couldn't turn things around at Irving Mill, a restaurant where he cooked for nine months, and he doesn't discuss his "consulting" gigs or his aborted pop-up. But Skeen fans shouldn't despair: he is planning "a passion restaurant" and will own at least 50 percent of it this time around, as to avoid some of his previous obstacles.
· Ryan Skeen Explains His Career: The Highs, the Lows, and the Exits [GS]
· All Coverage of Ryan Skeen [~ENY~]