Q+A: SAM MARVIN:

Restaurateur’s secret ingredient for success: ‘Some very stern moral beliefs’

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Sam Marvin is the owner of Echo & Rig.

In 22 seasons of “Beat Bobby Flay,” the celebrity chef has only lost 97 of 269 challenges. That’s a winning percentage of 64% — an impressive feat against a slate of talented professional challengers. So beating him is quite an accomplishment. One of Flay's losses came against Sam Marvin, owner of the restaurant Echo & Rig, who used his grandmother’s harissa recipe as part of a lamb merguez sausage dish to score the victory. That was in 2015. These days, Marvin is focused on responsibly expanding his business and teasing us about major plans for 2020.

Do you have any recent news you’d like to share?

The start of a new year and new decade will kick off with plans for two new projects — one in the Los Angeles area and the other in Las Vegas.

This past year, we opened a pasture-raised chicken concept in Carlsbad called Pluck United. It is my first fast-casual project, and the thing that made it so attractive is that it really is trying to make a difference in the chicken industry, which happens to be one of the worst industries in America.

As for Echo & Rig, we are in our seventh year and continue to be grateful for our community. The business is still growing and we are as passionate as ever with our standard new menu changes, beverage program, some exciting events and always striving to create magic.

When did you know you wanted to become a chef?

At age 8, I would walk to the farmers market in Hollywood with my grandmother and we would shop for ingredients and then spend the day preparing dinner for the family. This was our routine three or four times a week.

Who was your greatest cooking influence?

Besides my grandmother, I would say Roger Verge and Marc Meneau. The time I spent at the Moulin de Mougins was amazing, I learned about simplicity and the ocean. There are hundreds of different edible fish in the water, and every one of them have a different skeleton, from sardines to a thousand-pound tuna. It really helped me with my knowledge and skill. Meneau taught me that it is all about the product you start with; we were making red wine sauces with 1982 Chateau Lynch Bages. The better the product, the better the results.

Is your Moroccan heritage reflected in any of your dishes offered at Echo & Rig?

Absolutely. We make our harissa from my grandmother’s recipe, which we use in a few items like our lamb merguez sausage. We preserve lemons for our chimichurri. I also do a ton of specials that are just the same peasant-style dishes my grandmother used to make.

Do you have an unusual or secret ingredient you’re willing to share?

Yes, it’s called always doing the right thing, no matter what. I know where every animal we serve comes from, how they are treated, what they are fed, how they are talked to. We have some very stern moral beliefs, and that’s it. This is the main ingredient for our success. That’s not the answer the question was intended for, but I use so many ingredients for different purposes, so it’s not about a certain fish sauce or anything like that. I do like using fresh citrus in a lot of applications, as it really brightens up certain dishes.

What is the formula for a successful steakhouse?

Quality and value! We are able to offer both because we have a butcher shop on the premises, so we are able to utilize every piece of the animal for something — whether it is tallow to make candles, bones to make bone broth or the heads to make head cheese. Also, portion size lets us create value. Other proteins served in the restaurant industry, like chicken, fish, pork or lamb, range in the 6- to 12-ounce range, so why do steakhouses sell 20-ounce, 30-ounce and 40-ounce portion sizes and only serve a few standard cuts? They don’t have a choice; as beef pricing goes up, so does the size to justify the cost to the consumer. People don’t want to eat like that. A 10- to 12-ounce cut of the highest-quality beef money can buy is the perfect amount.

What is your favorite cut of meat?

It depends on my mood but I will narrow it down to two. The Bavette, also known as a bib steak because of its shape, is fatty, flavorful, tender, luscious, decadent and usually my go-to cut. On the occasion when I am feeling like a lean, bright, juicy and healthy cut, I go for the Spencer, which is the inside loin of a traditional rib-eye. All the cap and fat is removed, so it almost looks like a filet but has amazing flavor.

Where’s your favorite place to explore or people-watch in Las Vegas?

I love to explore what’s going on in Chinatown. I could literally eat or drink there five nights a week. The variety and quality of food available within a couple of miles is outstanding. Farm-to-table, French, ramen, pho, sandwiches, Chinese, bars and chef-inspired. I also like to people-watch downtown, as that is always a fun time, and there’s a ton of good food, too.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Tasmania would be on my short list. The quality of life is second to none, as well as all the food products harvested on the island. The taste of the abalone, cattle, lamb, potatoes, seafood, lobsters and vegetables were like nothing I had experienced before. They have the cleanest air on the planet, and it is very noticeable. The climate is amazing and every town or village has so much character; it feels like how I imagine life was 100 years ago.

If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be?

I would choose three totally different people that represent areas of importance in my life that I live by.

The Dalai Lama would be amazing, as I practice his positivity and spirit in my daily actions and I would learn a lot.

The second would be Bono, as music is another humongous part of my being. The number of times I have used music as a tool in my life is immeasurable, and Bono is one of my favorites. Plus, Bono has used music as a tool to help change the world.

The third person would be Alain Ducasse because he is, for me, the most important chef alive, and I would love to hear every detail about the way his mind thinks about food and executing at the highest level. No one does it better and I would be in awe.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeve is when people are lazy, and I don’t mean physically. I cannot stand when people take shortcuts or cheat the execution; it’s a lack of integrity. I also don’t like hiring anyone who is just looking for a job. I want people who have passion and want to be the best they can be (usually I see more in them than they see in themselves). Cleanliness is probably my most difficult pet peeve that I deal with on a daily basis. If you cannot work extremely clean, then you cannot work for me.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I will eat anything once and have eaten some really crazy dishes, but the only spectrum of flavors that I really dislike is chocolate, coffee and mocha. I have never had a cup of coffee in my entire life.

Do you have advice to offer aspiring restaurateurs?

Go for it. I opened my first restaurant on credit card advances, and it lasted about 2 1/2 years. Failure made me so much better at being a restaurateur. Take advantage of an opportunity, even if you are not ready for it, and then make it work. Take a chance and if it doesn’t work out, learn from your errors and then take a chance again and again. I have never seen anyone who has tried and worked hard and learned from experience and not give up, fail. Eventually, you will win.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

The new Roaring 20s will start with me spending a ton of time in the kitchen, developing a few of my dreams that I have been visualizing and working on the past couple years, with one of them happening in Las Vegas. You will see some major collaborations coming, as well with other chefs and brands in the middle of the year.

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