The Best Seat in the House

Table Five Is All Yours

Interview by Kelly Curry

When hosting a dinner party or other special event in your home, what could be better than bringing in an expert to help with the catering? Chef Phillip McDonald is a seasoned chef and event planner with experience in Northwest Florida, New York City, and beyond. His private dining company, Table Five Chef, is dedicated to providing clients with exceptional meals. He also works with local restaurants on culinary brand consulting, food styling, and menu development. He is one of the creative minds behind Black Bear Bread Co. in Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside, and Miramar Beach, Florida, and has been integral in developing Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar in Seaside, Reynard in Brooklyn, and more. Returning to his former love for private events, Chef McDonald unveils the new era of Table Five Private Chef + Catering for the Northwest Florida community around Scenic Highway 30-A and beyond. We caught up with him to chat more about his love for food and creating community around the table.

VIE: Tell us a little about your background. Have you always enjoyed cooking and restaurant life?

Chef Phillip McDonald: I was born and raised in Destin, Florida. I discovered the thrill and passion of cooking when I was twenty-one, on summer break from college. I was hired as a dishwasher at a local fine-dining restaurant and loved the energy of the kitchen. I asked the chef how I could be a chef one day, and he told me, “Start by being a good dishwasher.” And so the journey began.

VIE: How did you decide to make the culinary arts your full-time career?

CPM: It was unexpected, and I fell head over heels in love with cooking and working in really nice, structured, fast-paced kitchens. I decided to quit college immediately because I felt I was wasting my time seeking a major I had no passion for. The choice was quite simple, and I knew I had to start from the bottom and work my way up the hierarchy. Starting from the bottom was the best way for me because it gave me a foundation of cleanliness and organization.

VIE: What inspires you about food? How does that passion come through in your dishes?

CPM: The seasons inspire me. Local and regional farms, fishermen, cheesemakers, and culinary artisans inspire my approach to cooking. My creativity when writing menus or creating dishes comes from what is available during that particular season. It’s so much fun, and it’s such a true statement when you hear, “If it grows together, it goes together.” The final product when applying this ethos is absolute freshness.

VIE: What is the most challenging part about your business?

CPM: The most challenging part is having to improvise. Sometimes, the homes we cook in have pretty rudimentary stoves and ovens rather than professional-grade equipment. This creates a handicap of sorts that you have to observe when offering certain menus. It’s crucial to be organized and triple-check your equipment list and mise en place. Sometimes, you are cooking off-site away from your commissary kitchen, and if you forget even the most minor thing, it can make your event very difficult or even disastrous. But seeing your clients happy and eating delicious food with their family or friends is so rewarding.

VIE: What did you learn working in some of the best restaurants in New York City, and why did you return home to the beachside hamlet along Scenic Highway 30-A?

CPM: Working and living in NYC as a chef is probably the single most amazing experience of my career. The game is so elevated you have no choice but to leave your comfort zone. You get to work with highly talented people on all sides of the restaurant. It becomes infectious. For me, it was the heartbeat of the city; all the excellent ethnic restaurants, art, and music of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan were inspiring in so many ways. I returned home to apply everything I learned and adopted during my time in the city to our culinary scene here in South Walton, first by revamping Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar menu and then with my creation of Black Bear Bread Co.

VIE: How do you stay current on new culinary trends? The health craze seems to have altered how people eat—what are your thoughts on eating healthy?

CPM: I don’t typically follow trends, per se, but I love seeing how chefs are plating food these days. Again, if you are cooking as much as possible using seasonal and local ingredients and proper foundational techniques, I feel that you are avant-garde. To me, eating healthy is just eating whole foods—nothing processed. Knowing where your food comes from is also an integral part of healthy eating.

VIE: You’ve worked in many restaurant kitchens and been a partner in several restaurants. How does the life of a private chef compare to working in a busy restaurant, and what are some key differences in your daily operations?

CPM: It’s more relaxed being a private chef, and you can really connect with your diners. I love that I get to forge a deeply personal connection with my clients.

VIE: How did you get involved with Outstanding in the Field when the organization hosted a huge outdoor dinner on the sand at Kaiya Beach Resort in 2019? What was the experience like being their featured chef for the evening?

CPM: I was referred to Outstanding in the Field by Theresa Palmer and Jason Romair of Kaiya. That was an amazing experience, and OITF is made up of an amazing team of professionals with the most amazing logistics of any culinary outfit I have ever seen. It was challenging. The standard was to use local sources for almost every ingredient, and this was February on the Gulf Coast! All my farmers and fishermen came through, and we created a menu that was visually appealing and hyperseasonal. What I loved about it was that we served each course family style, which allowed guests to pass the dishes and share, creating a truly intimate experience.

VIE: What’s your favorite meal to make at home?

CPM: I make sourdough pizza in my outdoor pizza oven. I have had the same bread starter for seven years, and it’s super tangy and mature. I make three or four variations of pizza dough using different cooking methods. It’s really fun to make bread and dough using wild yeast. You are essentially using a living bacteria. My kids love it, too!

VIE: Are there any projects or events coming up we should be on the lookout for?

CPM: I am working on a private dinner series for Table Five. In this series, we will create a cool menu at interesting locations using a wood fire and hyperlocal seasonal ingredients. The food will be served at one table, enabling perfect strangers to come together for a meal and make new friends. Using only a wood fire also adds such a culinary romance to the event. We’ll be sharing more on social media when reservations are available.

VIE: Thanks, Chef Phillip. We can’t wait!

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Visit Instagram @tablefivechefservices, TableFiveChef.com, or contact Chef Phillip McDonald at (850) 496-5066 and Phillip@tablefivechef.com to learn more or book your next event!