Würstmacher Adam Gertler, of Dog Haus, discusses the science and art behind the chain's Chef Collaboration Series, which invites chefs from a variety of restaurant formats to create LTOs.
By Würstmacher Adam Gertler, Dog Haus
When Michael Jordan said, "The difference between success and failure is a great team," he probably wasn't referring to menu innovation. It's certainly a key component, however, to creating an inspiring brand and one of the ways Dog Haus stays ahead of the culinary curve.
We love to showcase the unique and valued opinions and personalities of other talented chefs and collaborate to create exciting new limited-time menu items that reflect and emphasize the creativity, spunk and badassery of our brand. We're not afraid to team-up with culinary talent across the country to create an infusion of new ideas that add unique and flavorful creations to our menu.
Last year we launched our Chef Collaboration Series, which gives back to No Kid Hungry. Each chef featured in this series works closely with our culinary team to craft items showcasing their unique culinary style. It's an opportunity for diners who may not otherwise be able to enjoy these chefs' work to do so at their favorite Dog Haus location. It also adds a fresh new vibe to our menu.
Two heads are better than one
Very few chefs know everything about every cuisine. Rather, most chefs are experts in certain culinary genres — some find comfort in southern food but know little about Korean cuisine. Collaborating with multiple chefs and allowing their expertise and ideas to infiltrate the creative process leads to amazing and often unpredictable outcomes. When working with someone else to create something together, it naturally takes all parties out of their comfort zones. Collaborators see your brand with fresh eyes and add their unique perspective to menu creation.
The T-Mex, for example, was spawned from my collaboration with Dean Fearing, known as the Father of Southwestern Cuisine. As a chef with a specific flavor profile from further down south, we were able to work together to conceptualize a new sausage. Although he didn't specify an ingredient list, I was able to expand on his ideas and make a new sausage, loading it with classic Tex-Mex ingredients — such as beef chorizo, pepper jack cheese and jalapeños —and adding some of my own touches. Then voila! We got the T-Mex, which is now on the permanent menu due its popularity. When you get two chefs participating, you end up with a creation neither of us would have come up with on our own.
Punched-up flavor profiles
I always say my favorite ingredient to work with is "smoke." I'm a lifelong barbecue fan. I fell in love with Texas barbecue's brisket and sausage, and I adore Kansas City barbecue. I love to smoke anything, so I'm in the perfect space representing the Dog Haus brand. However, my favorite flavor profile is Southeast Asian —a unique combination of spicy and citrusy that produces an extraordinary dichotomy (think: Dog Haus' Thai Fighter).
But, I'm only one person. I know other chefs have their preferred ingredients and flavor profiles. Working with them enables me to expand my horizons and craft new, innovative menu items that reflect their personalities and flavor combinations.
Creative but aligned
Limited-time menu items also give us the opportunity to experiment with other food types, such as grilled cheese and wings, as opposed to our more traditional hot dogs, sausages or burgers. Because they may not end up on the full-time menu, our chef partners and I like to have fun with these items. The process forces us both to be imaginative with ingredients while staying aligned with the Dog Haus brand. Spurring something new, with only the ingredients available, makes us better chefs because it demands us to think outside of the box.
For example, we recently teamed up with Chef Eric Greenspan from Los Angeles to create BuBu's Hot Chicken Grilled Cheese. Chef Greenspan is known for his out-of-the-box take on grilled cheese sandwiches, he even wrote a book about them. Our new creation is a mouthwatering sandwich featuring a fried chicken breast — dunked and coated in Bubu's Chili Oil and sprinkled with Angry Dust — American cheese, cheese sauce, chipotle aioli, Haus slaw and pickles.
The idea came from a sandwich that Greenspan likes to serve, but he serves it on a specific bread. Dog Haus is known for serving all of its items on King's Hawaiian rolls, so we loaded all of the ingredients onto King's Hawaiian rolls to bring it back to the brand.
Go boldly
When collaborating, we are fearless in our approach to creating new menu items — as long as they make sense in the context of Dog Haus' menu. All joint creations must not only have signature Dog Haus ingredients, but also must reflect Dog Haus' humorously irreverent personality. We like taking things over the top because Dog Haus takes risks. We're a bold brand willing to push the limits, so we make sure to do the same when we collaborate with outside chefs.
Our Chef Collaboration Series really plays into that idea and has been key in evolving my abilities as a chef. It has demanded me to think unconventionally and trust in other chefs' opinions. I've learned a tremendous amount from the masterful culinary trailblazers I've worked with so far, and I look forward to creating more kick-ass limited-time offers with new chefs in the future.
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