Long
Islander in Puerto Jimenez Here to Stay
(from the Tico Times)
Growing
up in rural southwestern Long Island in the late 1960s, Barbara
Burkhardt says she developed an early appreciation for fresh,
produce and the bounty of fish and seafood in the surrounding
bays. After training at the New York Restaurant School (now
the Art Institute in New York City)in Manhattan, she spent
the next 22 years working in restaurants all over the United
States, cooking, serving, and bartending. "I
learned the front of the house as well as the kitchen. and
you need to do both to run a restaurant", says Burkhardt.
She prefers to call her self a restauranteur rather than a
chef - a title she regards as a bit pretentious and often
misused. The other key to running a successful restaurant,
she says, is having an eagle eye for detail, both in the dining
room and the kitchen. In designing Jade Luna, she thought
of the diners comfort first. The tables have center pedestals
so people won't knock their knees against a table leg. The
wooden chairs are designed with low backs to provide back
support. READ
MORE ABOUT THE CHEF and JADE LUNA>>
