PLATED NO.6 — RUSSELL MARKUS

I’m pleased to share the sixth iteration of PLATED, our ongoing series where we ask creative people we admire to share what feeds them both literally and artistically. 

A chef, artist and soup aficionado, Russell Markus is the first person you’ll see at the farmer’s market every morning. A heartfelt gourmand,  he’s the founder of Essential Herbs, a creative studio concentrated on the coming together of food, art, and community.  On a warm day in Brooklyn, he invited us into his home to talk about impossibly red shrimp, the insatiable desire to feed others, and the practice of ephemeral dining. 

WHAT HAVE YOU MADE FOR US TODAY?

The real question is, “what’s the deal with these strawberries?”

At the end of April, Norwich Meadows Farm started bringing the first few pints of New York-grown strawberries to market. That first Wednesday, they might have brought three pints, you’d have to ask Peter or Brant. It was one of those items that if you get to the market after 8 am, they would be gone; picked up by some other chef or lucky individual who stumbled upon them early. 

That’s the beauty of the farmers market as spring starts to trickle in. After months of winter produce, first comes a few ramps, and then strawberries, then chamomile flowers, and then the gates open up with all the magic of upstate. 

Back to the berries — after I missed those three pints of strawberries the first time around, I went early next time, a little before 7:50 am. I grabbed some pints and headed home with the rest of the haul. I stopped at Labay Market to pick up the freshest coconuts in the area. 

My plan was to make some fresh sorbet. The berries needed a little fat to help hold the form. So after peeling off the greens, the strawberries went into the blender with some coconut meat. And that was it. Into the little ice cream maker until it spun into a consistency you’d expect from something in Sicily. 

Last August [‘23], Ahmed from Amoon Farm brought these insanely flavorful, tiny Mara Des Bois strawberries to market. After fermenting them for a few months. The result was a syrup that tasted as if you had popped a strawberry into your mouth right off the bush; the heat pounding down, the warmth of the summer sun. I found a little bit of this syrup hiding in the back of the fridge and added it to enjoy. 

I also made fresh bread and threw in some ramps that Ahmed had recently brought to market. They took a simple saute in olive oil with some other garlics, random greens, vinegar, and some spices. Something simple to dip. 

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS AT HOME?

The sorbet is pretty straight forward. Grab some tasty berries, give them a wash, and throw them into the blender. Add a few tablespoons of fat - maybe yogurt or coconut meat. Blend it till it looks like a nice smoothie. You’ll need to have an ice cream maker. I think Whisk on Atlantic has a few at a reasonable price below 100 bucks. The process is pretty self-explanatory. Pour the blend into a bowl and once it’s firmed up, enjoy. 

This time of year, the yellow fennel flowers at the market pair well on top of just about any sorbet. 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO, AND COULD YOU SHARE A BIT ABOUT ESSENTIAL HERBS?

How much time do you have? I cook and I love it so much. Sharing food with friends and strangers. 

More or less, Essential Herbs is a collection of over a decade of projects that center on food, the arts, and supporting the community. It’s all about sharing something unique, seasonal, and delicious food in good company. 

WHAT ARE A FEW PROJECTS THAT BEST ARTICULATE YOUR PASSION FOR FOOD?

Early in the pandemic when the George Floyd Protests began, with a group of four others, we started Breaking Bread NYC - a way to distribute produce and meals to the community. I’ll always look back to that time with gratitude; there was a sense of urgency, and many of us had the time to give. 

Most of my cooking has been for large dinner events or for close friends and family. Last year, I started a dinner series called Family Meal. It really pushed me to cook more consistently for strangers and forge deeper relationships with farmers upstate. But ultimately, I became a bit disillusioned with ticketed meals because I wasn’t interacting with guests as much as I liked. 

As summer turned to fall, my friend Nanah asked me to make sorbet for an event at Honey’s. I asked to make soup instead. It was fucking awesome. Being able to do all the prep ahead of time gave me the opportunity to meet every single person who tried some soup. 

A few weeks later, I brought soup to Colbo’s two-year anniversary. Everyone was outside, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, and enjoying soup. After that, I decided to go full soup for a bit - called it a soup tour, because of my days in music - but that’s another story. 

The soup tour turned into “HotSoup.NYC” and has been a blast. I’ve been able to meet far more people through food than anything else that I’ve done in the past. Sometimes hot soup is soup, and sometimes it’s not. It’s about whatever is inspiring at the moment. 

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST MEAL THAT MADE A LASTING IMPRESSION ON YOU? AND THE LAST? 

My parents, when they moved in with one another in the city around York St and the low 80s – there were a bunch of Indian restaurants. It was their tradition to go every month. Fast forward to growing up,  I remember celebrations typically took place mostly at Indian restaurants. That spice and homey feeling of cooking has always been cemented in my style of food. Also, any time a friend brings food over, or cooks for me it makes a lasting impression of love and care.

Last summer, I had the pleasure of floating on a small sailboat off the coast of Noto in Sicily. The skipper, a very tan Italian man, ducked under the deck for 30 minutes to make us some lunch. One of the dishes he brought up was a plate of tiny little bright red shrimp. They were one of the best things I have ever had in my entire life. They are actually in my dreams. He probably traded some wine with a local fisherman for them. WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR DINNERS AND OTHER PROJECTS? 

I watch people in all sorts of settings, having a spoonful of soup {or something else} or ripping into a warm piece of bread, and watching the joy in their faces. That’s it — the joy of eating something simple or unexpected. It is a constant cycle. Cook tasty food, share it, see people smile, make more tasty food, see more smiles.

DO YOU HAVE TWO CENTS TO SHARE FOR ASPIRING CHEFS OR JUST THOSE WHO LOVE TO COOK?

Do your thing. Mix flavors and spices. Make mistakes. Go to the farmer's market and meet the farmers. It is such a treat. It is a privilege. 

YOU SHARED A BOOK WITH US IN YOUR HOME, POETRY IS GROWING IN OUR GARDEN BY ANDERS FREDERIK STEEN; WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE EXCERPT YOU READ THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO YOU?

On my birthday last month, my friend Joyce who owns Hudson Wilder in Dumbo saw me reading this book as I lingered around the store. She gave it to me as a gift. I've been trying to read it every morning. It is a book that collected all the journal entries from Andres Frederik Steen, a winemaker, between 2013 and 2020. He cooks as well but focuses mostly on making wine these days. 

It has inspired me to write more; to capture my thoughts around life and cooking. The except sort of went into this meaningful nonchalant dining experience that they shared with guests one night. It resonated with him to explore more and resonated personally with the way I love for guests to indulge in my own food. I think the dining experience should be more ephemeral. Something that may never happen again. Memories burnt into our beings for eternity. 

The quote: "We held a dinner for around 25 people, but not everyone had the same menu. Those who ate faster got a few more dishes, and those who fell in love with a particular dish got another similar one that other guests didn't get...we served glasses to people smoking in the street while everyone else continued eating inside. It was like they were eating at home, but in our place.”

WHAT DO YOU TURN TO THE MOST FOR INSPIRATION?

When friends share spices from their travels. Going for a drive to clean my head, the farmers market...a long bath. 

OF ALL THE THINGS IN  YOUR HOME, WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY?

My spice cabinet. It’s divided between the drawers above the sink and my grandmother's old armoire, which is now in the kitchen. 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE? 

Cooking and owning a business is a wild journey of unexpected turns. I’m just quite happy to be cooking and having food woven throughout my life. I find my sense of self more and more every time I get to cook the food that I want to share with people.

It’s a gift worth continuing to explore…let's see where it goes.

SHOP BOUQUET STEMWARE→ 

Keep in touch with Russell and his events with Essential Herbs here.

Photos by Jen Steele