GREENFIELD — Today, Mayor William Martin will trade his business attire for an apron and a spatula as he cooks up Vietnamese pancakes during The Arts Block’s “Fresh Chef” brunch series.
The series, which debuted this summer, features a new cook each weekend who comes up with an original menu using local ingredients that often come from the farmers market outside the Arts Block’s doors on Court Square. As this week’s featured chef, Martin will cook Bánh xèo, using a recipe he learned in Vietnam 16 years ago.
Ben Goldsher, co-manager of The Arts Block and the mastermind behind the series, said he’s thrilled to have the mayor on board.
“Since we came in here, we’ve been right next to the mayor’s office and we just formed a relationship, and I think part of what I want to do with ‘Fresh Chef’ was not only bring in chefs, but spotlight local individuals who people know in town and are doing interesting things,” Goldsher said. “I think the mayor is an interesting guy that people only know as the mayor, and now this gives an opportunity for people to see him in a little bit of a different light and have a nice, fun morning.”
Martin said he’s become sort of an amateur chef over the years — especially while raising his three children, who he’d make interesting breakfasts for when they were young (dinosaur-shaped pancakes were a big hit, he said) — and is looking forward to participating in the series.
“It’s an interesting little touch to the downtown farmers market area,” he said. “This is another effort by another person to create a vibrant and interesting downtown.”
Martin said he wanted to cook something unique, and will showcase a recipe for Bánh xèo he learned while visiting Vietnam in 2000, more than 30 years after he served there with the U.S. Army. He described the dish, also known as Vietnamese pancakes or crepes, as a cross between an omelet and a taco.
He plans to head over to The Arts Block around 7 a.m. to help with prep work, and doors will open for brunch about an hour later. Goldsher said he will also be there to help while Martin cooks and chats with patrons until around noon.
“He was very willing to help out and be part of ‘Fresh Chef’ and he has been helpful throughout our whole experience here,” Goldsher said. “He’s always a nice smiling face that’s right next door, and to have a mayor that’s supportive of what we’re doing and wants to be a part of what we’re doing is a very nice feeling.”
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