BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Not all chefs go to culinary school. Some learn by trial and error – at least, that was the case for self-taught chef Alan Abryzo.
Chef Alan Abryzo has been working at 40 Steak and Seafood in Bismarck since 2003. With awards like “International Steakhouse of the Year” under his belt, you might assume he’d always planned to be a chef, but, you’d be wrong.
“The funny thing is, I went to school for political science. I didn’t finish it, but I enjoyed cooking. I have what I call a memory for profiles of flavor – I like to work with something more simple,” said Abryzo.
Abryzo said if you can think of a type of food, he’s probably experimented with it. He started his culinary journey in Arizona, and eventually, he made his way to Bismarck.
He said when cooking things like steak, the goal isn’t to pile on the spices – it’s to pay attention to the tiny details so the natural flavor of the beef comes out. He said a lot of steakhouses might use beef that’s been dry aging for about 50 days, but at 40 Steak and Seafood, they age it for around 100 to 150 days in-house. He said paying attention to detail and focusing on bringing out a food’s natural flavor is what helped the restaurant gain so much recognition. It beat out nearly 50 thousand other restaurants in 2017 for “International Steakhouse of the Year.”
And even though the restaurant is empty early in the day, Abryzo said by dinnertime the dining room is packed. Marion Eastgate came early to beat the crowd and pick up a surprise dinner for her family. I asked her what she thought about the food.
“Good, excellent – excellent food,” said Eastgate.
Abryzo said compliments like that are why he’s stayed in the cooking industry for so long.
“One of the best things that can happen for me is when someone mentions, ‘That was the best steak I have ever tried in my life.’ This industry is not easy by any means,” said Abryzo.
But if you’re a chef like Abryzo, challenges don’t scare you – they just inspire you.
40 Steak and Seafood is open Monday through Saturday starting at 4:00 p.m. It’s on East Interchange Avenue in Bismarck.
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