BengalNews Reporters
Martin
Danilowicz is the owner of the Martin Cooks restaurant. But don’t dare call him a chef, he’s
simply a cook. Chefs take themselves too seriously.
According
to Danilowicz, a chef inspires other people or creates a new genre of food.
“I’ve never created a genre of food and I
don’t know anyone who aspires to be me,” Danilowicz said. “Until that happens, I’m just Martin.”
Danilowicz, on Martin Cooks:
Danilowicz, on Martin Cooks:
This
philosophy steams from Danilowicz’s humble beginnings growing up on a farm in
Youngstown. Danilowicz said he was going to
become a professional golfer, but his mother and sister are very good cooks and helped introduce him to
cooking.
Danilowicz
has previously worked for several local restaurants and his own catering
business, which he still runs along with his new place at the HorsefeathersMarket on Connecticut Street. Before Martin Cooks opened on May 1, he also
focused on his home cooking classes.
“I
go to people’s homes, it’s been a cool gig, we’ll make ravioli, make bread,
braise meat. Everyone is drinking and we’re having a good time. It’s a good
excuse to hang out and drink. And when you’re done you get to all sit around
and have dinner,” Danilowicz said.
Danilowicz
has transferred that same philosophy to Martin Cooks.
“I
want food to be fun,” Danilowicz said.
“You have to take your food seriously, but not yourself. I think you need to be humble.”
It
was Danilowicz’s attitude that brought close friends to work with him at Martin
Cooks.
Jim
Wells, bartender at Martin Cooks, has known Danilowicz for more than 10
years and has followed him to the various Buffalo restaurants where he has
worked.
“We
try not to take ourselves too seriously,” Wells said. "I mean, come on. We serve cocktails in mason jars for
God’s sake.”
Another
close friend of Danilowicz, Amelia Nussbaumer, Martin’s right hand woman and
marketing guru joins him in his new endeavor.
“This
is the place for me,” Nussbaumer said.
“Martin is doing something extremely progressive. We’re in this space because it needed
to be off-the-beaten-path, because he’s off-the-beaten-path. It’s the perfect fit.”
The
menu for breakfast and lunch will remain stable but the dinner menu will change
weekly. Every Saturday, Danilowicz
gets a call from local farmers who let him know what food is available for the
week. Danilowicz then plans dinner
services around these ingredients. The dinner menu is where Danilowicz gets to flex
his cooking prowess.
“As
far as dinner is concerned, we really want to push the envelope and do some
pretty funky stuff,” Danilowicz said.
Danilowicz
hopes to expand his seating capabilities. It currently seats 12 people but
expansions will be completed by June 1 to accommodate a larger breakfast and
lunch crowd. But he hopes the restaurant retains its intimate setting and
personal customer interactions.
Danilowicz
also has some other projects on the horizon. He plans to incorporate some of
the dining pleasures other cities get to experience, but the West Side has yet
to see.
“I
have a lot of energy right now,” Danilowicz said. “I have to get it all in
right now.”
Martin Cooks only has three employees not counting Martin himself. He has known his bartender, Jim Wells, for over 10 years. Martin and Wells have worked together previously at different restaurants around Buffalo. Martin and Amelia Nussbaumer, another cook at the restaurant, are also long-time friends. Nussbaumer is Martin’s “social media ambassador” and she targeted all forms of social media in hopes of making Martin Cooks’ first official week of business as successful as possible. It was Nussbaumer’s idea to have patrons make dinner reservations through Facebook. “We’re just looking to reach people,” Nussbaumer said. “And so far we’ve been received really well.” -- Michael Mazzuto and Mike Provenzano
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