Chuck Lesbirel’s focus in the kitchen is on fresh, local and simple

by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos by Doug Polle

When Chuck Lesbirel was just 14-years-old, he started working in an Italian American bistro in Keyport, washing dishes after school in the kitchen of one of his relative’s restaurants.

“I was working as a dishwasher when a cook’s position opened up and they asked if I wanted to try it out,” Lesbirel noted. “I was really just a kid so I asked if I didn’t like it, could I go back to dishwashing.”

But Lesbirel instantly fell in love with the fast-paced intensity of the kitchen, and never looked back. In 2006, while still attending Brookdale Culinary Education Center in Asbury Park, he scored a position at Fromagerie in Rumson.

“I started out in salads and worked my way up to sous chef during the three years I was there,” Lesbirel said. “It was the best experience. I learned everything: how to take care of your ingredients, how to take pride in your food, how to produce the best product you can with the best ingredients you can get your hands on. I learned from so many different chefs and even worked with David Burke at his restaurant in the city a couple days a week. The lessons I learned there were the launching pad for my career.”

Lesbirel landed next at Raven and the Peach in Fair Haven, where he worked for two years as a sous chef before taking the position of executive chef at the New American themed Tea Room.

“Being my first chef ’s job, I think it was there where I really found my niche—what kind of food I wanted to prepare and what style of cuisine I really liked,” Lesbirel said.

A fresh, local, and simple worldview followed Lesbirel through several kitchens before he found a new home at Ama Ristorante in Sea Bright.

“I started at Ama in July of 2012, and actually watched the whole restaurant as it was renovated and redone before its opening in September of that year,” Lesbirel said. “As sous chef, I was asked for input on everything as the restaurant was being built, from style of plates to what should be on the opening menu, and it was a wonderful experience.”

Lesbirel took over as Ama’s executive chef in February of 2014 and made it a goal to provide the same dining experience that was always provided at the fine dining Jersey Shore establishment.
Here, he crafted traditional and newly imagined Italian classics from his simple, fresh-cooking philosophy.

“We like to keep it local, and keep it changing, so that our customers are inspired to come back and try something new,” Lesbirel said.

The chef, who is inspired by high-quality olive oil and just about any type of fish, works closely with his produce purveyors, who e-mail him daily about different ingredients available in the tri-state area.

“In the summer I like working with Jersey tomatoes and peaches, and will also do a lot with littleneck clams pulled from the area,” he said. “We also just started a small garden here at Ama, and many of our dishes will make use of the items harvested there.”

One of his current favorites? A spring pea salad, shucked in house and mixed with guanciale (an Italian cured meat), red onions, and mint, then tossed in a flavorful lemon olive oil.

“It’s very simple—just a few ingredients mixed in a bowl,” Lesbirel said. “The peas are blanched for ten seconds to take away the raw bite. People have been really loving it because it’s super seasonal and super fresh.”

The latter adjective could very nearly be a one-word summation of Lesbirel’s career.

“I strive to create new, unexpected, and season-perfect things,” he offered with a smile.

Ama Ristorante
1485 Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright / 732.530.9760 / amaristorante.com