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Executive Chef Anthony Chittum is turning the Vermilion staff’s family traditions into a Mother’s Day menu, including a French-inspired appetizer layered with domestic prosciutto, Pennsylvania goat cheese, red onion marmalade and a coddled egg.
The dish is a favorite of sous chef Franklin Sivac’s mother, who lives in France. It begins with a thick slice of sourdough from Bread and Water in Alexandria, toasted in a cast-iron pan with unsalted butter.
Vermilion would ordinarily grill the bread, but Sivac called his mother for guidance and learned she wanted it buttered. Chittum cooks the slice for about a minute on each side, warming the center while caramelizing the exterior.
Several pieces of prosciutto are arranged over the toast, followed by chunks of Goot Essa ash goat cheese from Pennsylvania. The ham is a domestic prosciutto produced by a Kentucky farm.
Chittum then adds an egg that has been boiled for five minutes, transferred immediately to ice water and peeled. The result falls between soft- and hard-boiled. When opened on the plate, its yolk runs around the prosciutto before receiving a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.
Small spoonfuls of homemade red onion marmalade fill the spaces between the meat and cheese. Chittum prepares the condiment by finely chopping purple onions and cooking them for about 20 minutes with local honey, brown sugar, red wine vinegar and citrus. The combination gives the rich dish a sweet-and-sour counterpoint.
Purple watercress adds heat and bitterness, while mustard blossoms finish the presentation. The final touch is olive oil from a Georgia farm that grows and presses its own olives. The honey comes from Earth and Eats in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
The creation is one of four appetizers on Vermilion’s Mother’s Day menu, alongside five entrées and two desserts.
Chittum returned to the King Street restaurant about a year and a half ago. He had previously spent five years at Vermilion before leaving for a 12-year tenure at Irongate in Washington, D.C.
Raised on Kent Island, Chittum remembers crabbing and shucking oysters in the backyard, although he said his parents were not culinary experts. His first serious exposure to cooking came at 17, when he worked under a talented young chef at a neighborhood restaurant. That experience led him to consider cooking as a career.
He later moved to San Francisco and worked for James Beard Award-winning chef Donald Link, whom Chittum identifies as his greatest influence. Living far from his family and friends forced him to support himself in a major city, while Link’s demanding kitchen showed him the differences between neighborhood dining and high-end restaurants.
Chittum said a chef’s responsibilities extend well beyond preparing meals. The job also requires managing employees and controlling costs at a time when, he said, about 30 percent of restaurants could close within the coming year.
He also believes expectations within the profession are changing as chefs seek more balanced lives. Chittum wants his staff to receive good wages and have time outside work—and he wants to attend his 10-year-old son’s baseball games.
His career honors include recognition from Washingtonian for Best New Restaurant at Notti Blanche. During his first run as Vermilion’s executive chef, he was named Rising Culinary Star of the Year, while the restaurant was recognized as Best Upscale Casual Restaurant and received three stars from The Washington Post.
One Mother’s Day tradition from Chittum’s own family also made the menu: porterhouse steak. His mother-in-law requests it for every special occasion.