Chef’s Pantry featuring James Shrader
March 2008, Food and Drink Section
TulsaPeople, Langdon Publishing

The chef/owner of The Palace Café on Cherry Street is an avid supporter of the farmers’ market, where the seasonality of ingredients helps dictate his creative menu.

Why do you think it is important to “go local”?
Because I have a seasonal menu, I get ingredients from local people who know these products well and can give me inspiration and tips for using them. Most importantly, I want to support the local economy. I am a locally owned, independent restaurant and want to spend my money here rather than out of state.

It must be nice to be located directly across the street from the Cherry Street Farmers’ Market. Is your menu inspired by what is available at the market?
I run daily specials in the summer based on what inspires me at the market, and since our menu is seasonal, I can get an early pick of ingredients.

I live for the summer months when corn and tomatoes run rampant. What is your favorite “food season”?
Definitely summer. We have a booth at the market with ready-made meals … it is great to be there, right in the middle of things. I love the variety of tomatoes — the heirloom Cherokee purples — and the bunches of basil that everyone is carrying. And the variety of greens that you can get locally means I don’t have to order the “field mix” from Texas.

Aside from seasonal ingredients, what or who influences your cooking the most?
I was raised in the Seattle area, on delicious coastal and Asian-influenced food. When I came to Tulsa in 1994, there was nowhere to experience those West Coast flavors. That is why the menu at Palace Café features Pacific Rim-influenced American cuisine.

If you weren’t cooking for a living, what would you be doing?
I would be independently wealthy and travel a lot.