John “JP” Pratt has made a living out of playing with his food.
The executive chef at Tohono Chul Garden Bistro, who just celebrated his 26th birthday, enjoys creating unusual pairings. And he’s a fan of “molecular gastronomy,” conducting innovative experiments by blending physics and chemistry to transform the textures and tastes of food.
His new summer menu at the Bistro includes a salad that blends fruits, cheese and arugula with a cherry vinaigrette. Last summer he served an “ice cube soup” that featured frozen green-and-white cubes of blended avocado and sour cream in gazpacho. A seasonal idea not yet executed includes grilled peaches and brie on a bed of spinach or arugula.
He also creates recipes within recipes that include ingredients such as chipotle gorgonzola butter, honey caviar, spiced apple gelée, toasted almond panna cotta, chipotle hollandaise, cream cheese and poblanos and various microgreens grown onsite at Tohono Chul.
“I like seeing what works and what doesn’t work,” said Pratt. “You don’t know what doesn’t work until you haven’t tried it. I had a teacher at the Art Institute of Tucson … and he would say, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’ and that always kind of stuck with me.
“I’ve never been a person who thinks that I know everything. You will never know everything. There’s always something new out there. That’s why I like to experiment with everything, play with ingredients, a little molecular gastronomy and try to please people in ways they haven’t experienced yet.”
What is your favorite ingredient?
“I love cheese and I love bacon, but bacon-everything is kind of cliché now.”
What is your background?
“Freshman year in high school I started taking the culinary program at Mountain View. I got a job at a little barbecue place, cooking at a little mom and pop place. All throughout high school I did cooking at school, I worked in restaurants — Taste of Texas as busboy, then I worked at Fire and Ice with chef Janos (Wilder) at Dove Mountain. Then I bounced around and ended up at Hotel Congress. I did that for a couple years. I went back to Dove Mountain Grill and that’s where I really got into the finer dining. (Chef) Mike Montesano kind of took me in, he and sous chef Andrew Larkin.”
What appealed to you about cooking?
“My fondest memories of my grandmother are her making potato soup. She used to live up in Oracle. ... All my cousins and my sister and I would run around and she would always make something from scratch, and I always remember her potato soup.”
