Kevin Curtin of The Restaurant at Love Farms

Waltham native Kevin Curtin knew from an early age where he was headed: the kitchen. “I elected to go to Minuteman Tech,” Curtin says. While enrolled in the culinary arts program at the technical high school in Lexington, Curtin took part in SkillsUSA, a national skills development organization designed to enhance technical high school students’ career readiness. Through SkillsUSA, Curtin earned a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America where he would meet his future wife, PattiAnne, in a baking class.

While cheffing at the Waldorf-Astoria in Boca Raton, Florida, he and PattiAnne began considering ways to change things up workwise. “We decided to look for a seasonal job,” he remembers. “We even thought about cruise ships.” Just as they were researching what it would take to work in the kitchen aboard a cruise ship, Chef Anthony Cole of Chatham Bars Inn (CBI) reached out, recruiting both Kevin and PattiAnne. As a pastry chef, PattiAnne was in demand. “They hired PattiAnne as a seasonal employee and made her full-time after three days,” he laughs. CBI had just purchased the farm on Route 6A in Brewster and planned to start a bakery program. Unfortunately, the town didn’t approve that, so Curtin decided to come up with new ways to stay on at CBI. “They weren’t doing any bread at the time, so I built the bread program,” he recalls. He didn’t stop there. “I built the fermentation program over there because there were natural problems that came with having a farm. The farmer would call up and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a few thousand heads of cabbage for you.’ So, I thought, yeah, I know how to ferment that stuff, too.”

As time passed, his role expanded into the savory side of the kitchen. He became the Executive Sous Chef at CBI when that position opened up. PattiAnne then made the move to Pelham House. Kevin remained at CBI until he was offered the Executive Chef position when The Restaurant at Love Farms, part of Pelham Hospitality, opened its doors this past fall. Open for breakfast and lunch through the winter, Kevin and the crew saw hundreds of people come through the doors daily to enjoy the beautiful new space, creative scratch kitchen, and live music on the outdoor stage. “We’ve been remarkably busy whenever there’s live music, even if it was 28 degrees out!” he laughs. Numerous large fire pits took some of the bite out of the cold winter air for music lovers and will continue to do so during these chilly spring-on-Cape-Cod weekend afternoons and evenings. The Restaurant at Love Farms is expanding to include dinner service as the weather warms up.

Kevin and PattiAnne have also welcomed a little farmer (or chef, or a bit of both) to the family. Two-year-old Aine (pronounced Anya) was helping dad pull potatoes last fall and having the time of her life. “It’s nice having a little farming buddy. She liked getting in there and getting dirty,” he says.

Here Chef Kevin shares with us his recipe for flounder stuffed with scallop and herb mousse, white beans, stinging nettles, and roasted mushrooms. It can seem a bit daunting to take on, but you’ll see that it’s not all that difficult. And, you might pick up a few new kitchen skills along the way. In fact, if you want to develop your kitchen abilities and make your own fish fumet instead of fish or vegetable stock, Chef Kevin has the recipe for that as well. Take a look…

The Restaurant at Love Farms
607 Main Street (Route 28), West Dennis
lovefarmscapecod.com