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| by A. David Dahmer |
| July 25, 2012 |
“I love the compliments… no doubt. But I really love it when food makes a difference in people’s lives. I really think that when you’re cooking what you add makes a difference,” says Chef Rodney Ladson. “I believe that food feeds the soul. It’s comforting knowing that you have a stomach full of goodness and I think that people are generally happy when they have a good meal.”
You may have seen Ladson at the numerous local community events — like the Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Men Who Cook or their annual Walk It Out. Or you might have seen him cooking his two cooking segments each week on the local NBC-15 news station. But Ladson is most well-known as the executive chef at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, an atmospheric, traditional 1940s-style supper club located in Middleton specializing in a wide variety of steaks and chops.
“I’m from a family who loves to cook,” says Ladson who was born in Georgetown, S.C. in the Pennyroyal area. “Our family was big. I have 28 first cousins. My grandparents had eight kids. We all kind of grew up all over the United States but we all migrate back to South Carolina where, ever since I was kid, every Sunday meal was a gathering. When someone comes home to visit, it’s a huge feast for everyone.”
Ladson makes it clear that his family does not share its many family recipes. “You have to be there to learn it,” Ladson smiles. “I don’t share family recipes, either. I keep the family tradition. I do share Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse recipes. “
Ladson is an avid member of the 100 Black Men of Madison through which he does cooking demonstrations at community events on how to prepare foods more healthily titled “Living to 100 Through Healthy Soulful Cooking.” Ladson has a very hectic schedule but he’s almost always willing and ready to give time to healthy cooking and healthy eating. “I’m a big fan of doing whatever I can to help people and the community health-wise,” he says.
He’s in the middle of developing a cookbook for healthy eating with the 100 Black Men of Madison. “Hopefully, in 2013, we will have completed our first version of this,” Ladson says. “Every culture eats differently and you can’t base a cookbook on one for every ethnic background so I’m gearing mine more towards soul food eating. I’m putting the emphasis on taking the old soul out and putting in the new soul in. This involves taking out all of the fats and oils and replacing them with good things, but maintaining the flavor.”
Is that a hard tradition to break up? Long considered the anti-diet cuisine, can soul food be placed on the menu for the health-conscious?
“It is an adjustment, but I’m making it fun because I think when people think diet food they immediately think, ‘Oh, no. No flavor, no taste,’ Ladson says. “But we’ve been successful with the AKAs in bringing foods to life. It’s been a success. Every recipe so far has been a hit for the book.”
Ladson worked at Universal Studios on the Islands of Adventure in Florida before he moved to Wisconsin and that’s where he decided he really wanted to make cooking his career. “I fell in love with the people at Universal Studios and I fell in love with the food and bringing food to life at Universal Studios,” he remembers.
Ladson came to Madison because he wanted to settle his family in the Midwest. He soon became a personal chef to the University of Wisconsin football team. “Those boys ate… there was no slacking for them,” Ladson laughs. “It was very intense. It was a two-day process — Friday and Saturday — for home games. We waited on them hand and foot. Every meal they wanted — breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, midnight snack, and also the field meal as they prepare to play. Those guys were pretty intense.”
About five years ago, Ladson landed his current job at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse in Middleton. It’s a job he really loves.
“I’m able to be creative. I’m able to put a little of myself into what we deliver there,” Ladson says. “I really enjoy doing the TV segment twice a week on Mondays [at 7:20 a.m. on NBC-15] and Wednesdays [at 4 p.m.]. I do a recipe per segment. People recognize me often from the show and I find it very flattering. I’m very humbled by it, too. I’m happy when they have tried the recipes.”
Ladson also does live cooking classes at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse once a month. “It’s a bigger version of what I do on TV,” he says. “I have between 25-35 folks at every single class every month. There’s usually a waiting list. I’ve been doing it for two-and-a-half years now and I love it.”
Chef Rod is constantly in the kitchen and constantly around food. How does he stay in shape with all of that temptation around him?
“All of the folks who are hired in my kitchen I kinda use as guinea pigs to try things. The reason I do that is that they really need to get a feel for food,” he says. “Because I’m in the community so often, I need them to be aware of what goes on there so I do a lot of tasting there and I usually use my own tasting as my meal for the day because I taste everything. We’re a from-scratch restaurant. I don’t believe in box foods and deep-fried foods. We make everything from scratch.
“I don’t think I’m in that great of shape by any means,” he adds with a smile. “But I once heard that you don’t want to eat from a skinny chef, anyways.”
A fixture in the Madison community, you can often find Chef Rod speaking with kids as he does at career day at Verona High School. “One of the things I tell the kids about the culinary business is that you need to do it and do it well and become a decision maker in the role that you play,” Ladson says. “That’s where all the fun happens: when you’re the decision maker, you’re the one who can make a difference. That’s when you can put your own heart and soul into what you are doing.”
Ladson also teaches children ages 8-12 how to eat healthy after school. “My own kids in my house ... we don’t eat the frozen pizzas and frozen nuggets,” Ladson says. “If you come over to my house today my kid will be making an afterschool snack like Chicken Alfredo with Alfredo sauce from scratch and she will throw some broccoli in there.
“My daughter [Nichela, age 14] entertains a lot; mainly because her dad is Chef Rod and her friends like to come over and eat and they are amazed when they come over and she is preparing the food,” Ladson adds. “If she doesn’t want this as a career, at least she will be eating healthy when she has her own family.”
About a year-and-a-half ago, Ladson found out that he was a diabetic and that made him focus even more on healthy cooking. Minority health disparities keep Ladson motivated with his recipes and in putting together his cookbook. “We often say it’s more of a financial thing in the minority communities … we can’t afford to eat healthy. But I think we can teach people to be healthy using a lot of the same ingredients,” Ladson says. “Let’s drop the Crisco Oil and use olive oils instead. Let’s drop the butter. Let’s drop the salt. If you have to use salt, drop the table salt and use the kosher salts and the sea salts. It’s just eating different things. [We can be] using different ingredients to prepare the same foods. Instead of deep frying; oven fry.”
What’s Chef Rod’s favorite seasoning?
“My family — all of my cousins and nieces and nephews — would tell you that it’s Lawrie’s Seasoning Salt,” Ladson laughs. “However, I’ve moved away from that and use infused olive oils now. I love to infuse my olive oils and use different garlics and herbs to bring in more flavor. I’ve really let the salt go since I became a diabetic.”
Ladson is especially busy this week because it is Summer 2012 Madison Restaurant Week where 46 local restaurants will offer three special, fixed-price, three-course menu options for just $25 per person for dinner (beverages, tax, and tip no included)
“We love it because that’s when we are at the same level as our competition,” he says. “Everybody gets to fill more seats at the restaurant and they get to win over more guests. We get to show folks who don’t normally come to restaurants what you can do, so I always try to highlight some signature dishes and I always try to bring a surprise to the menu.”
Looking past Restaurant Week, Ladson’s goals are to continue to grow as a chef and to continue to grow as a community member.
“I’ve partnered up with Group Health Cooperative this year to work with some community centers to bring forth more produce in the low-income family communities and to try and build a partnership in getting more families educated on how to utilize more produce in their diets,” Ladson says. “I wrote about 20-some different recipes for the community centers just incorporating produce into your everyday living.
“My goal is for Johnnys, first, is to make sure that we are seen in the community and to grow the Johnny’s brand throughout the Midwest,” he adds. “I want to be in the community constantly and let them know that we are here. I love giving back to the community.”
Johnny's Italian Steakhouse is located at 8390 Market Street, Middleton, WI. For more information, visit www.johnnysitaliansteakhouse.com or call (608) 831-3705.
To contact Chef Rod, e-mail rladson@hoari.com
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