The Science of Cooking

It’s noonish at 61 Osteria, and while the downtown Fort Worth restaurant doesn’t serve lunch, the kitchen is already humming.

Restaurant life means showing up midday for dinner service: inventory is sorted, the gnocchi rolled, specials finalized. A mirepoix of vegetable trimmings simmers in a massive pot.

“We don’t like to waste anything or throw stuff away,” says 61’s chef de cuisine Steve Hoogeboom. “The stock will be used in multiple ways. Seeds will be roasted and made into oils. Stems from woody herbs are used in the smoker. The same goes for meat products. We’re big fans of spare parts — chicken hearts, pork liver and other inexpensive cuts of meat — and of turning them into something special. Our dehydrator works overtime.”

Hoogeboom has been at 61 since it opened in January 2023. Located on the ground floor of the First on 7th office building, which was built in 1961, the swanky modern Italian restaurant is the third offering from restaurateur Adam Jones and culinary director Blaine Staniford, who also run downtown
eateries Grace and Little Red Wasp.

Michigan native Hoogeboom, 39, joined the team at Grace in 2011 as a line cook, eventually working his way up to the chef de cuisine position. “I loved cooking on the line and working with Blaine, who taught me so much, but also allowed me to explore and get creative. He pushes me hard and also reins me in when I need it.”

Hoogeboom also found sobriety during his time at Grace. This introverted chef openly shares his ongoing sober journey while thanking coworkers and friends for their support since going clean in 2014.

His passion for experimental cooking bloomed as he gained experience and confidence at Grace. Hoogeboom dug deep into the science of fermentation and aging for intriguing curing experiments born in what he called his “chamber of secrets”: herb and Calabrian chili coppa, fennelcrusted pork loin, pistachio-studded mortadella.

Paired with citrus-marinated olives, chunks of good Parmesan and a dusting of fennel pollen, the Grace charcuterie board and a glass of wine soon became a meal on its own.

After moving on to a Washington restaurant in 2020, Hoogeboom was lured back to Fort Worth two years later to open 61 Osteria. Staniford and his wife traveled to the Pacific Northwest on a camping trip to make the job offer.

“I can’t believe it’s been almost four years,” says Hoogeboom. “I do feel more prepared, but it still can be overwhelming.”

He’s endlessly experimenting. Talking to Hoogeboom about cooking means learning how koji, a culinary mold typically blended with salt and water, is the secret weapon in curing the cuts of beef.

“You’d think we dry age them, but they’re ready in three to four days and, frankly, I think they’re better.” He offers a sample of a fish sauce he created using octopus, one richer and more umami-forward than the bottled stuff home cooks use.

“I’m the guinea pig for everything,” says Hoogeboom with a laugh, who says his staff is used to his mad-scientist tendencies.

While 61’s standards — the rosemary focaccia; ricotta-stuffed serpente pasta with hen of the wood mushrooms and preserved lemon; and the bistecca Fiorentina, a hefty prime porterhouse — never fail to please, diners will find modern twists on classics such as a seasonal special of smoked apple and pork terrine. A pâté en croûte features a lardo crust that encases koji-cured antelope heart, pancetta, salami and fermented veggies set in a black garlic-and-caraway seed aspic. Saffron manicotti is stuffed with rabbit and topped with a fennel cream.

Sampling rich meats at work has led Hoogeboom to eat healthier these days, and he is excited about adding more vegetables to his fall repertoire, including sunchokes and butternut squash. Celery root, he says, makes a pretty good “salami.”

An avid cookbook reader, he encourages staff to check out older tomes and stashes an interesting collection on a shelf in the kitchen.

“I can show staff the origin of aspics and pâté en croûte,” says Hoogeboom. “We can all learn something from the past. The exciting part is to make it fresh and new. That’s our thing at 61. We respect Italian classics, but we’re not afraid to give it our unique twist.”