What Triggers your Senses?

Good question. If you find James Ritchie, German-teaching professor here at Fresno City College, he might be able to answer that question for you. Hailing from San Francisco, California, Ritchie is a part-time chef for his restaurant, “The Senses World Cuisine”. He states, “It is almost becoming a full-time job”. His restaurant, “The Senses” is located in the Tower District, Fresno. For those that tend to forget what our five senses are, here is a list: See, smell, touch, hear and taste. To Professor Ritchie, his World Cuisine restaurant embraces the five senses, with “taste” being the most important. His menu offers a variety of Tapas, or ‘appetizers’ in our language, “chat” in India, “Masada’s” in Greek, and of course, “Tapas” in Spanish- which are small plate foods that trigger our taste buds. The next best thing his restaurant offers- the array of world platters. “I would definitely describe my platters as a fusion of different foods” he states. His menu offers a blend of Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Latin American, and European cuisine with the use of seasonal organic foods. What is more impressive about the menu and the variety is that “All of the items on the menu are my own recipes and a result of my experience in working in restaurants throughout my life during the course of my education” he states proudly. “It is also a result of a hobby I picked up a long, long time ago” he concludes, “It is slowly becoming a profession”.
So why the five senses? “Cooking involves the use of the five senses” he explains, “Obviously, the presentation of the food you eat has to look good, the taste of it, flavorful, the smell has to be delicious, the touch and sound are less obvious, but they still play a major role in the process” he explains. He adds, “The simple sound of two wine glasses clattering, or a person biting into their buttered bread is enough of a sound. As far as touch goes- the texture has to feel right” he explains.
There is no doubt that with 80 different spices and 95 different wines (South of Shaw being the best wine he has to offer); “Senses World Cuisine” does little to introduce the average restaurant-goer to a cultural experience of their own. “I have traveled to many countries that I have picked up a lot of my recipes from, but I have also blended those recipes with influence from other different countries” he explained. When asked how many countries he has visited, he shook his head and said, “Wow…so many. To name a few, I have visited the Alsatian of France, Germany, Thailand, Japan, Oaxaca, Mexico, Central America, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Korea- simply everywhere!” When asked which country had the best food, he explained, “The US has the best food in the world because we have everything. We can have Belgian waffles for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and pasta for dinner”. He also stated that his cooking style is different in that he hand picks all the produce he uses on his dishes. “You will never see a food service truck in my driveway” he says. Moreover, “I hand-shop for all of the items that I use in my cooking”. It is interesting to note that Professor Ritchie’s cuisine offers no steak. His entrees are made up of organic chicken, and grassed lamb. His dessert menu contains hand made ice-cream, tarts, fresh berry crisps, and banana cake. If this isn’t enough to get your taste buds rolling, a stop at the restaurant might be a worthwhile visit.
Professor Ritchie says, “I really encourage people to mingle when they arrive at my restaurant. The acoustics are great, there is a level of privacy when you dine here, and it’s a casual place. I definitely want people to linger when they are here, because it is nowhere near a fast-food restaurant”. Since Fresno is full of restaurant goers, I asked Professor Ritchie how different his restaurant is as compared to other local restaurants, and he stated, “It is fresh, hand-crafted food made of fresh and organic produce.” He adds, “To me, it is disappointing to see the number of chain restaurants in Fresno, and the immense support that Fresno gives them. I find it very insulting to local farmers and growers that we lean more toward these restaurants than our own locally owned restaurants. Our valley produces some of the best food items in the world”.
So while Professor Ritchie is a major supporter of local farmers and growers, he reassures us that Fresno needs to “maintain food diversity. If you leave your dining experiences to corporate America, you might not get the whole experience of the five senses” he states proudly. If Professor Ritchie’s advice isn’t enough to get you to try his restaurant, the least we can do as students and food lovers, is to muster up some courage and try some exotic food. With a constantly “morphing menu” as he likes to call it, he encourages Fresno City College students to stop by sometime with friends to have some tasty tapas and a glass of wine. The stop will guarantee a fine dining experience for less in an atmosphere with a nice restaurant appeal. When asked what he recommends for the first-time goer, he excitedly states, “The organic zucchini pancakes with Persian dill and Bulgarian feta; it is rather savory to say the least”. Another dish he recommends, “The pork-soaked fig salad with toasted hazelnuts and pomegranate sauce”. MMMmmm! So for our next stop, let’s take an adventurous route to the Tower District and get our senses ready for “The Senses World Cuisine”. For sample menus and reservations, check out the website: http://www.sensescuisine.com or if you are lucky, you might be able to catch Professor Ritchie lingering around campus, if he isn’t already cooking up a storm.