When it comes to food and cooking, Reiner Drygala is as knowledgeable as he is passionate. He has worked at restaurants nationwide in kitchens large enough to cater a party for 5,000 guests, as well as spaces so tiny there was barely room for an oven. His repertoire includes all types and styles of cuisine, from Caribbean to German to American wilderness (wild game).
“I do what I know,” says Drygala, “and I love what I do.” Now in his third year as executive chef at Bistro 41 in Fort Myers, Drygala is applying his culinary expertise and enthusiasm to a revamped menu for the restaurant and increased community involvement on its behalf.
“There’s always something new and fresh to discover” about food, says Drygala, who has been exploring since childhood. He began learning the culinary ropes growing up in New Hampshire, where his parents owned the Drygala House, a German, smorgasbord-style restaurant. “My father warned me to never get into this business,” he says with a smile.
Disregarding that advice after graduating from high school, Drygala enrolled in the three-year, Disney Culinary Apprenticeship program in Orlando. There, he rotated between the park’s various resorts and restaurants, working in 17 different kitchens, getting familiar with every station and learning “everything.
“At Disney, I worked with some world-class chefs who (in 1996) were on the U.S. Culinary Team that competed in the Summer Olympics. Seeing what world-class food looks like and being involved with it on a very large scale (was invaluable). Because of that, I am familiar with the organization and inner-workings of a massive commercial culinary operation.” After 5,000 hours of practical experience, Drygala was one of only 47 graduates out of his class of 156.
His next stop was Breckenridge, Colorado, where he pursued his dream of being a ski bum. For almost a year, he worked in the kitchen at the Lodge at Breckenridge to support his skiing habit, cooking lots of wild game such as black bear (served with Coca Cola cognac sauce), rattlesnake (pressure-cooked and made into crab-like cakes) and elk.
By the time he left Colorado, he was wiser for the experience — and in need of a job. He found it with Darden Restaurants, Inc., in Orlando, working at its newest concept restaurant, Bahama Breeze. The “temporary” job lasted four years and turned into a position as a corporate trainer, opening new restaurants nationwide and having “a lot of fun.”
In subsequent years, he worked as executive sous chef at Meritage (now Roy’s) in Bayfront in Naples before taking over Jack Roberts Cafe at Royal Palm Square in Fort Myers for two years. The kitchen, which was too small for a grill or a fryer, taught Drygala much about “creative space management” and how to “make do with what you have,” while still serving quality food.
He says that while all of his experience has enhanced his insight into the restaurant business and helped him become a more creative, efficient chef, it also made him grateful for the opportunity to work at Bistro 41. “To succeed in this business, you need a great location, a great concept, a knowledgeable management and kitchen staff, and the right market. Bistro 41 has all that.”
In business for more than 12 years, Bistro has been one of the Bell Tower Shops’ most successful restaurants and, under the management of Cindie Barker, has remained a fine dining anchor, drawing patrons from all of Southwest Florida. Drygala continues to build on that reputation by exposing people to new tastes while being sensitive to the expectations of those with more conservative palates. Bistro 41’s recently revised menu accomplishes this beautifully by balancing its traditional best-sellers with some new and exciting appetizers and entrees.
For example, the restaurant has brought back popular winter dishes including the Bistro Meat Loaf and award-winning Pork Pot Roast, which took top honors in the Fine Dining category at this year’s March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction at Sanibel Harbour Resort. Made with a port wine reduction, this melt-in-your-mouth delight is served with garlic mashed potatoes and caramelized onions.
In addition, there are several new entrees, including an Herb Potato-Encrusted Salmon, which replaces its popular bronzed filet. For this dish, Drygala encases the fresh salmon filet with potatoes resembling golden-brown hashed browns, and serves it with wilted spinach and a stone-crab mustard cream sauce. The Carribean Shrimp and Scallops is another Drygala original, featuring pan-seared scallops and shrimp with a guava glaze, served with plantain chips and a pineapple/mango Jamaican jerk risotto.
For lighter appetites or to start a meal, Bistro also has some newcomers on its already impressive list of appetizers and salads. Among them are Baked Chevre (an oven-baked goat cheese in a red wine balsamic marinara, served with toast points) and a Bistro Bibb Salad (fresh Bibb lettuce and European cucumbers, red and yellow grape tomatoes, roasted beets and a grilled onion white balsamic vinaigrette topped with toasted almonds and soft, Lambchopper® cheese).
The menu also features lunch and dinner specials that usually include an appetizer and dessert, as well as several entrees. It’s rare to see the same specials twice.
While Bistro 41 is known for making nearly everything it serves from scratch, it also goes to great lengths to use natural, wholesome ingredients. For instance, most of its meats are free of growth hormones and other additives, and all of its chicken is free-range. Furthermore, through his affiliation with the recently revived local chapter of the American Culinary Federation (of which he is a long-time member), Drygala is cultivating a network of local food sources, including fruit and vegetable farmers.
When he’s not working behind the scenes, Drygala can be spotted at Bistro’s many special in-house events. Throughout the year, the restaurant hosts themed parties and monthly wine tastings, and recently partnered with neighbor Bacchus on a progressive wine dinner.
During season, Bistro frequently throws wine dinners with a featured vintner or themed wine flight to accompany a multiple-course meal. Drygala also represents the restaurant in its many charitable endeavors, community benefits and fundraisers, including a mid-November invitation-only cook-off at Cru, which showcases the skills of the area’s top chefs.
(Bistro 41 is in the Bell Tower Shops at 13499 South Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers. Open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. — 10 p.m. Monday —Thursday and until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Open Sunday from noon — 8 p.m. For reservations or information, please call 239-466-4141 or visit www.bistro41.com)
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