At his Princeton eateries, Chef Scott Anderson focuses upon local ingredients and modern techniques

by Jessica Jones-Gorman

Scott Anderson was born and raised in New Jersey, but spent seven years of his childhood in Japan after his father’s position with IBM relocated the family. Somewhere in the midst of that early exposure to foreign tastes and cultures, an interest in the culinary arts was piqued.

“My style of cooking is not at all Japanese by any means, but without question a lot of my food’s aesthetics and a lot of my palate memory was developed there and still plays a role in what I do today,” noted Anderson, executive chef and coowner of elements and Mistral, both in Princeton.

So, when he returned to the States during his high school years, the self-trained chef furthered his interest in culinary arts working in the kitchens of some of New Jersey’s most notable restaurants.

“I waited tables, worked as a bus boy, and washed dishes,” Anderson said. “I just enjoyed this business, and really had a desire to go further.”

His talent and commitment to the craft were recognized early, and Anderson earned a spot at acclaimed chef Craig Shelton’s Ryland Inn, where he quickly rose from line cook to chef de cuisine. Working alongside Shelton (well known for elevating New Jersey’s restaurant scene and appreciation of the interplay between wine and dining), Anderson developed an appreciation for progressive cooking techniques that draw out an ingredient’s purest flavors, as well as for inventive plating that complements a dish’s components.

“I was inspired by Charlie Trotter,” Anderson said, speaking of the famed Chicago-based chef and restaurateur. “I read all of his books…memorized his technique, and when I went to work at the Ryland Inn in 2000 with Craig, who was a good friend of Trotter, it became the perfect combination of what I wanted to be and who I wanted to learn from. That job really helped solidify my culinary passion.”

In 2008, along with business partner Stephen Distler, Anderson opened elements, bringing to Princeton a new dining experience that seamlessly blended modernist technique and superlative ingredients to create fresh and inviting flavors. Building on the culturally inspired, locally sourced cui-sine of elements, in 2010 Anderson and Distler opened Mistral, which features smaller plates that encourage guests to create their own tasting menus. Describing the fare there as eclectic and fun, Anderson explained that, “what we wanted to bring to New Jersey was a truly high-caliber, high end restaurant with an honest approach to incredible ingredients. I think my cooking style is definitely defined by my surroundings…in part by what we forage for or what comes up from the farms.”

That’s why the chef places a laser focus on fresh and local, utilizing modern techniques and elements of classic dishes to create his trademark “interpretive-American” fare. This inventive and progressive approach has earned him the attention and accolades from some of the industry’s most authoritative voices, including the James Beard Foundation, which named Anderson as a semi-finalist for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Anderson also believes in the power of collective consciousness, and that collaboration among fellow chefs and local purveyors allows for ideas to take root, flourish, and move forward. That approach is practiced by both the gourmand and his team daily—working with local farms and butchers in farming, foraging and curing meat, produce, and spice to execute their vision of transforming classic dishes into something completely new.

And his fascination with the earth’s natural resources extends beyond the kitchens of elements and Mistral. An avid gardener and outdoorsman, the chef also loves to fish and forage in the state parks for wild edibles such as ramps and morel mushrooms.

“We’re definitely thinking seasonally now, making food a little heavier for the winter and toying with different spices like rosemary in a variety of forms,” he concluded. “I love that type of experimentation and creation.”

Mistral
66 Witherspoon Street, Princeton / 609.688.8808 / mistralprinceton.com
Elements
66 Witherspoon Street, Princeton / 609.924.0078 / elementsprinceton.com