Librarians might have a hard time
figuring out where to shelve the new book "50 Years of Shake
Family Traditions & Treasured Recipes."
Local history section? Yes. Biography? Sure.
Cookbooks? Definitely.
In 124 pages, the book touches all that, because it's all
intertwined. It was conceived by local restaurateurs Chris
Shake and his brother, Sabu Shake Jr., and is largely a
tribute to their late father, Sabu Shake Sr., a
larger-than-life figure in the Monterey area. To tell the tale
of their dad, Chris Shake decided the book needed a dash of
Monterey history and a big helping of recipes developed by
Sabu Sr. for the Old Fisherman's Grotto, the signature family
restaurant that Chris Shake now owns. "It's something that
I've wanted to do for quite a few years," Chris Shake said.
"We get an average of 10 to 15 requests a week for recipes and
I just felt it was time. I also felt it was time to tell a
great story, a heartwarming story about a couple who came to
Monterey," had a family of six boys and found success in the
restaurant business.
Combining the elements Shake wanted was logical, said Michael
Chatfield, who researched and wrote the text with his wife,
Melanie, his partner in M Chatfield Communications in
Brookdale, near Santa Cruz. "It wasn't difficult at all
because the cuisine and the recipes were so much a part of how
Sabu expressed himself," Chatfield said. "So it was really
quite natural to sort of weave his personal story with the
recipes."
The book tells of Sabu Shake Sr.'s early days. He was born in
Pakistan, to a family involved in exotic animal trading with
circuses. He immigrated to the United States and had a brief
Hollywood career, appearing in the 1937 film "Elephant Boy."
In the 1950s, he moved to Monterey with his wife Isabella and
began working in restaurants, first Los Laureles Lodge in
Carmel Valley and then Lou's Fish Grotto on Fisherman's Wharf.
When he had a chance to buy his own restaurant on the wharf,
the book says, he jumped at it, opening the Old Fisherman's
Grotto. He bought fresh produce from local farmers and fresh
fish from local fishermen, Chris Shake said. He also was an
early practitioner of vertical integration: He bought his own
fishing boat and planted his own garden to help supply the
Grotto. "I often wonder how my dad did all the things he did,"
Chris Shake said.
He said his dad was also great at marketing. For example, Sabu
Sr. gave a free glass of wine to anyone waiting for a table at
the restaurant, including people who were lined up outside. It
was a popular practice until the California Department of
Alcoholic Beverage Control said no more alcohol outside the
restaurant door. So he began handing out something else in a
cup -- clam chowder -- and a wharf tradition was born, Chris
Shake said.
Another tradition was Sabu Sr.'s attire: white cowboy hat and
white suit. The all-white outfit started with the hat. Shake
had become good friends with Sheriff Jack Davenport. One day,
Davenport took off his white cowboy hat, put it on Shake's
head and said "This is your hat. You wear it." And Shake did,
for years, adding an all-white suit to complete the look. "It
was a proud moment for him for the sheriff of Monterey County
to give him his hat," Chris Shake said. "I think he was very
honored by that."
Chris Shake and his brothers grew up around the wharf, playing
and working in the family business from early ages. "It didn't
take long for me to find my calling," he said. "I knew that
the restaurant was going to be my life." He and his brothers
have owned a range of businesses, including restaurants and
fishing operations, and also are in commercial real estate.
Among the ventures: Chris Shake owns the Old Fisherman's
Grotto, the Peninsula Fish Market and Pirates Cove Gift Shop,
all on the wharf. He is partners with his brother, Sabu Jr.,
in the Fish Hopper restaurant on Cannery Row. Sabu Jr. also
owns a Fish Hopper in Kona, Hawaii. Brother Benji owns
Monterey Whale Watching, David retired from commercial
fishing, and Angelo, also a former commercial fisherman, now
runs a glass-bottom-boat tour business on the Monterey Bay,
according to Chris Shake. Tene Shake, the youngest, owns
Isabella's and Cabo's Wild Mexican Food restaurants on the
wharf and Lattitudes in Pacific Grove and hosts a television
cooking show, "Coastal Cuisine."
Chris Shake said the recipes in the cookbook are either
regular menu items or specials at the Grotto and the Fish
Hopper. For the book, they were adapted by Chef Mohamed Tabib
and finished dishes were photographed by longtime Monterey
photographers Barbara and Fernando Batista of Batista Moon
Studio. "We would go meet with the chef, select eight recipes
at a time, look at how they were plated at the restaurant,"
said Barbara Batista. "Then we would go back (to the studio)
and see how we could take all the elements -- their philosphy,
the look in the restaurant, the coloring of everything and
create a palate that would support the look of the food and
the look of the book."
Kathy Schipper of Schipper Design+ in San Juan Bautista
designed the book and its look. There are family snapshots and
historic photos and nearly 50 colorful images of the food,
accompanying recipes ranging from crab cakes, to maple soy
marinated skirt steak, to tiramisu.
But don't bother looking for a recipe for the clam chowder.
It's a specialty at the restaurants and a closely guarded
secret. Chris Shake estimates four people know the recipe --
and it's not written down. "We want you to come to the Fish
Hopper and Old Fisherman's Grotto and enjoy it," he said. You
can also buy cans of it from the restaurant and it tastes very
similar -- if you add cream, he said.
His favorite recipe is the cioppino. Once a year, he sets up
tables outside the restaurant, invites 15 to 20 other business
owners, and serves the fish stew.
The Shake family started another tradition in 1999, a year
after Sabu Sr. died, setting up a fund in his name to raise
money for the Salvation Army. Every Dec. 5, the anniversary of
their dad's death, the Shake children kick off the Sabu Shake
Sr. Memorial Fundraiser. Ten percent of gross sales at all the
siblings' restaurants is contributed to the organization and
friends, customers and business associates are encouraged to
contribute as well. Since it began, Chris Shake said, more
than $100,000 has been raised. "We thought it was a great way
for people to continue to remember my dad," he said.
Recipes |Seafood Pasta Monterey|
1 cup olive oil
12 oz. fresh salmon, cut in 1-inch cubes
12 large scallops
12 large prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 cup white wine
1 cup clam juice
1 six-oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 lb. fresh spinach
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
˝ cup or 1 stick butter
1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked
Salt and pepper, to taste
Steps: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté all the
seafood. Add the wine until most of it evaporates. Add the
clam juice, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes and basil and
cook for about five minutes. Add the butter and the cooked
pasta, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
|Chicken Picatta|
4 eight-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
˝ cup flour
3-4 T. vegetable oil
˝ cup white wine
˝ cup chicken stock
˝ cup or 1 stick butter
1 T. flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 T. capers
˝ tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Steps: Place the chicken on a hard surface and pound with a
meat tenderizer or other flat implement. Placing the chicken
in plastic wrap before tenderizing makes clean-up easier.
Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper and then dust
each side with flour. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan
over high heat and brown the chicken on both sides, about two
minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium and add the
wine, cook for a minute and add the chicken stock. Cook about
five minutes more or until the chicken is done. Remove the pan
from the heat. Add the butter, parsley, capers and lemon
juice. Turn off heat and let stand until butter is melted.
Serve the chicken with vegetables over rice or potatoes. use
the sauce in the pan to top the dish.
|White Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Almonds|
2 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3˝ cups egg whites (about 24 large eggs) at room temperature
˝ tsp. salt
3 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup white chocolate, finely chopped
Steps: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To toast almonds, spread
nuts in a single layer on an ungreased shallow baking pan.
Bake for two to three minutes, shaking pan occasionally, until
almonds are golden brown. Sift flour, salt and cream of tartar
together in a small mixing bowl. With a stand mixer, beat egg
whites using the whisk attachment on medium speed until soft,
glossy peaks form (be careful not to over-mix). Continue
mixing on low speed and slowly add sugar and flour until
thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and almond extracts. With a
spatula, gently fold in almonds and white chocolate. Carefully
transfer batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube ban. Bake for
45 minutes to one hour, or until cake is golden brown and
springs back when touched. Invert pan and let cake cool
completely, about three hours. Carefully run a large knife
around the sides of the pan to loosen cake and invert onto a
wire rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room
temperature up to two days.
The book • "50 Years of Shake
Family Traditions & Treasured Recipes," printed by Printworx
in Watsonville, is available at the Old Fisherman's Grotto on
Fisherman's Wharf and the Fish Hopper on Cannery Row. Cost is
$24.95. It is also available online, for $29.95, at
www.oldfishermansgrotto.com. More information is available by
calling 375-4604. |
