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Kristin Tutrone, executive chef of the Phunky Elephant gastropub, puts a new shine on comfort food

by Susan Lunny Keag photos by alex barreto

Even before Kristin Tutrone knew what exact career path she would choose, she was confident she’d be able to infuse creativity into her job.

“For me, it was always about designing something or creating something,” said Tutrone, who has been executive chef of the Phunky Elephant Gastropub since October.

Tutrone graduated from St. Joseph by the Sea in 2000 and went on to study graphic design at Katharine Gibbs. When she graduated a year later, jobs were scarce, so she accepted a position in finance in downtown Manhattan, later pursuing a job at an investment clearinghouse in Jersey City. Her passion, however, remained cooking, something she had been inspired to try at a young age.

“My maternal grandmother’s family is from Naples, Italy, and on my dad’s side, my grandmother is from Sicily. They were both very good cooks and I really learned from them,” she said.

Tutrone particularly enjoyed taking their recipes and adding her own twist.

Hand & Stone SPREAD

“I like the visual image of the plate and the concept of all the different ingredients meshing together to make a delicious meal,” Tutrone said.

Realizing her heart wasn’t in finance but looking to take her skills to the next level, Tutrone applied to Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.

While she attended the culinary school there, she worked at Waterplace (where she quickly advanced from salad girl to sous chef) and Twist on Angell, both in Providence.

“I was learning to do things in the restaurant before I had even learned them in the classroom,” she recalled.

While in culinary school, Tutrone was also chosen to participate in a monthlong study abroad program at Apicius, a culinary institute in Florence, Italy, which allowed her to travel throughout the peninsula to hone her craft.

“I learned a lot while I was in Italy. All the chefs I worked with made me very confident in my ability,” she recalled, noting that students were responsible for not only cooking but creating the menu each day.

When she returned to New York, Tutrone worked at the former Espana Royale in Dongan Hills, Arena’s Steakhouse in Richmond Valley, and the Twisted Dish Tavern in Annadale. In the last eatery, she was executive chef and had a hand in planning, staffing, and even designing the new restaurant before it opened.

She also worked at her neighborhood bakery, Belli Baci in Tottenville. Ernie Guzzo, who owns the bakery with his brother, had just added Italian sandwiches to his menu and was looking for a chef. He not only found one, but his fiancée. The couple live together in Rossville and are expecting a child in June.

While the two no longer work together, Tutrone still enjoys collaborating with her fiancée on her some of her signature dishes, including the Ice Cream Stuffed Peanut Butter and Jelly Doughnut, which is on the Rosebank gastropub’s dessert menu.

“His grandmother would give him jelly donuts with ice cream, and he revisited the idea at his bakery with the creation of the peanut butter and jelly donut,” said Tutrone, who took the delicious treat to the next level as a dessert at the Phunky Elephant. She also uses the bread from Belli Baci to create some of her appetizers, desserts, and entrees. One such creation is the Monkey Burger. The unique dish, which is a hit at the Phunky Elephant, is topped with melted brie, smoky Applewood bacon, and caramelized brown sugar rum-glazed bananas, and served on a warm pretzel roll.

Another one of Tutrone’s signature dishes is a “Taste of Thanksgiving.”

“It’s like a scoop of my grandma’s stuffing,” she observed of the stuffing bites, which are served with homemade chicken gravy and a cranberry gastrique.

Tutrone also created her own signature meatloaf dish, served with cheddar mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy.

“It’s really flavorful…That’s another dish that’s a nostalgic comfort food. I grew up with meatloaf; it was a staple, something my mother always cooked,” Tutrone said. “Everything I make is from scratch, including the gravy that goes on top of it.”

Tutrone, 33, knows she will be in this business for many years to come and hopes to collaborate with Phunky Elephant owners Jerry Agro and his wife Patricia to open a second location. She also dreams of opening a café/bakery where she can serve brunch, along with the breads and other baked goods her fiancée enjoys making.

For now, she will focus on creating a new spring/summer menu at the Phunky Elephant and planning her November wedding at the South Gate Manor in Freehold, New Jersey.

“We picked it because of the food,” said Tutrone with a laugh.•

The Phunky Elephant Gastropub
1271 Bay Street / 718.448.4282
thephunkyelephant.com