NAC: I understand a trip to Hong Kong long time ago was your first realization that Asian cuisine was something you loved to explore. Can you tell me more about that revelation?

KLEIN: I have always been fascinated with Asian culture and the food that goes along with it. My first executive chef position was in Hong Kong, and really loved working in Asia. Believe it or not, I was actually doing Caribbean cuisine in Hong Kong. My experience with shopping for ingredients in wet markets was really awesome. I was invited on a culinary mission to Singapore a couple of years ago, and that led me look closer at new Asian-inspired concepts for my future restaurant.

NAC: You grew up in Miami, and that influenced your cooking style. Can you share if there are similarities between Caribbean and South East Asian cuisines? 

KLEIN: There are indeed many cross-use ingredients in these cuisines. Pineapples, for example, can be found in many SE Asian dishes, but interestingly, they are not originally from Asia, but South America. Living in Florida or the Caribbean, you may think oranges are local as well, but they originally came from China. As I travel more, I came to understand how food culture evolves, and how a cuisine is sometimes shaped by the availability of new ingredients. Of course, with advances in agriculture, many fruits and vegetables are successfully cultivated in non-native soils. I love to explore the use of different ingredients no matter what or where I cook.

NAC: Do you fuse Caribbean and Asian cuisine in your cooking then?

KLEIN: Not really. I may have different dishes from different places on one menu, such as jerk pork, which is a Jamaican dish, as well as a sting ray wrapped in banana leaf which is a popular Singaporean dish. Both dishes work off one another quite well though. I believe in keeping true to the traditional preparation of dishes according to the native countries.

NAC: Your step-father, Steve Raichlen, is the famous “BBQ King” with many cookbooks and TV shows. Have you been influenced by Steve’s love for barbecue?

KLEIN: His style of food and passion for cooking has been an inspiration for me. We have a great time behind the barbecue together. He is also a good source of information, as he travels extensively and is extremely knowledgeable about food as well as culture. It makes it really fun to cook with him, and chat about where ingredients come from. I learn so much from him.

NAC: You recently opened up a new restaurant in Singapore named Wood. What exactly is so unique about Wood? How was that whole experience?

KLEIN: While I was doing a Singaporean-themed dinner at the James Beard House, I was asked by guest chef Daniel Tay, who is a director of a restaurant chain in Singapore, to help him open up a new restaurant there. I thought that would be a perfect opportunity for me to spend time in Singapore, to research more about its local food, as I am working on opening a Singaporean-themed restaurant here in New York City.

Wood’s menu was themed around cooking with wood. The kitchen had no gas stove or ovens. Everything was cooked over live fire! We used several different types of wood, and a multitude of different techniques in order to come up with a menu that would be exciting to local Singaporeans as well as ex-pats. The restaurant also has a very comprehensive beverage list, which includes wine, beer and specialty cocktails – which I think is really cool. In all my years of barbecuing and grilling, I never quite approached composing a menu to exploit and profile the different types of flavors, and textures you can achieve through the use of different types of wood fuels and techniques i.e. smoking, grilling, roasting. This is live fire cooking for fine dining. The result was amazing, hip and chic!

NAC: Ever wonder if you had gotten in over your head with Wood?

KLEIN: Yeah – there were those moments. Working with people I had never worked with before in a kitchen with no conventional firepower was a bit worrying at first. Our first day in the kitchen was December 30. We had to prep for a plated 5 course dinner for 125 people the next day – New Year’s Eve! But we did really well – even got 4 stars given to us by The Straits Times, the leading daily English newspaper. There were several occasions I was really dying to have a burner.

KLEIN: I honestly like the variety in Asian cuisine. To me, Japanese cuisine is very ingredient-driven, simple in style and cooking method. I love to make my own tofu too. I think Japanese food is subtle and understated. Southeast Asian cuisine is vibrant, colorful, bold and flavorful.

NAC: What’s next for you in terms of your career? Is Asian cuisine on the plan?

KLEIN: I just returned from Asia, so I want to catch up with friends and what has happened here in NY. I was supposedly gone for a month, but I ended up staying for seven. Currently, I am weighing everything, but definitely inclined to embark on something sexy, something Asian.