Richard Alexander
Amos Mosquito’s
Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Southern Hospitality Magazine: What early experiences fueled your desire to be a chef?

Richard Alexander: I was born in Morgan City, N.C., and grew up in a large family. There were weekly dinners and lunches and activities going on all the time. Then my family moved to New Orleans when I was 5. So I grew up in New Orleans, and that is how I got my Cajun and Creole influences. It sparked my curiosity when I was a real young kid. I always loved to be in the kitchen with my grandmother cooking and stuff like that. Naturally, when I got old enough to work, I started working in a restaurant and have stayed there ever since.

SHM: Where did you train?

RA: I graduated from Johnson and Wales in Charleston, S.C., in 1997. After that I worked for a large hotel management company as the youngest corporate executive chef. But then I realized that it wasn’t really my thing. I wanted to travel, so I worked on a couple of large private yachts as a chef, which was pretty fun. I got to see all of New England during the summers. We had a really good adventure once where we got to sail with the crew down to St. Bart’s in the Caribbean. We spent 11 days offshore. Then we spent the winter there. Even though we were a charter boat, the owner preferred just to use it himself, so we didn’t have that many charters. The owner would just fly in and out whenever he wanted to. We got to travel all around the islands, and it was very enlightening. I got to see a lot of different aspects of cuisine and culinary influences in the Caribbean, which is amazing.

SHM: What shaped your interests and development in terms of style, flavors, etc.?

RA: While I was down there, I fell in love with one of the islands, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. So I came home, packed up a couple of bags and moved to Tortola, where I lived for three years. I went down there to learn, not as a chef that knew it all. Because I went down there with an open mind, the locals could see that I was interested in the cuisine of the area. I was invited to a lot of homes and family cookouts and dinners. I got to see a lot of West Indian cuisine, which was really interesting because of all the influences. There was the old Indian cuisine, mixed in with African and Asian flavors. There is a lot going on in Caribbean cuisine. I have been working on a book about my experiences there, and it explores the lesser known cuisine influences that are involved. My time down there was amazing, and it was a real learning experience and a chance to grow as a chef.

After three years in Tortola, I was offered a position at an all-inclusive resort in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, called Bolongo Bay. I worked there for a year and a half. I was able to play a lot more at Bolongo and begin to practice what I had learned throughout my time traveling and exploring the cuisine of the islands. We had a beach bar and grille that was really successful. I was also in charge of a fine dining restaurant and a 64-foot catamaran. We also did catering for weddings and family events.

SHM: How did you come to Amos Mosquito’s?

RA: After a while, I got to the age where I got the travel bug out of me and wanted to put down roots. I had been back in North Carolina for about six months when I met Hallock. (Hallock Howard is the restaurant’s founder.) We got to talking, and she hired me. I have been here for just about six years. We hit it off. She was a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) grad, and I was trained at Johnson and Wales. We have different styles, and we are kind of opposites in a lot of ways, but it has been a great relationship because we always seem to find a middle ground. We each have our creativity, and it just comes together to make an excellent product.

SHM: How do you mix the low-country, Southern cooking together with the Caribbean and Asian influences?

RA: It comes together really well. Our seafood grill is skewers of scallops, shrimp and fresh catch of the day topped with a mango vinaigrette served with black beans, jasmine rice and a spring salad mix. So there are just little things that we mix in. Also with the heavy Southern cuisine, I do a lot of research. I am a cookbook fanatic. I love old-timey, old-fashioned cookbooks and get a lot of ideas from that. I take old traditions and old dishes and make them new again. We redo them and add some flair. Our menu is very widespread when it comes to different cuisines and influences. When Hallock graduated from culinary school, she also decided to travel but went in the opposite direction, and she brings a large Asian influence into the restaurant.

SHM: What is your hope for your future in terms of your career?

RA: I just want to grow more as a chef and learn more. I always try to learn stuff every day to better myself and my career. I want to further my knowledge of the cuisines out there. I am constantly reading and going through magazines and getting ideas from here and there. I see myself staying here for a few more years. I am very happy where I am. Eventually, I see myself opening my own restaurant.

Recipe

Amos Mosquito’s Scalloped Scallops

Ingredients
1 cup Cracker Crumbs
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup Melted Butter
2 lbs. Sea Scallops
3/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 cups Half and Half
Puree cracker crumbs and bread crumbs in the bowl of a food processor and slowly pour in the butter while the motor is running.
Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
Rinse and drain the scallops.
Pat them dry with a lint-free towel.
In a dry bowl, toss the scallops together with the onion powder, salt and pepper.
Evenly divide the scallops into six individual casserole dishes (12-ounce-capacity rarebit dishes work well).
Top the scallops with 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture and two tablespoons of the parmesan cheese. (You will have extra crumb mixture.)
Using your fingertips, mix the casserole ingredients together.
Top each casserole with 1/3 cup half and half.
Place casseroles on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the crumbs are lightly golden brown and the casseroles are bubbling.

Note: Scallops may be tossed with cheese and crumb mixture and baked in one large casserole. Use a 9x12 casserole dish. Check middle scallops for doneness after 15 minutes. We recommend serving the scallops with mashed potatoes and asparagus.