#alex eagleton

[luckyacid]

Alex Eagleton Guttering On and On and On, 2023 Oil, alcohol ink, flashe, UV ink on canvas in polished aluminum frame 59.25 x 40.25 in (framed)

[terminusantequem]

Alex Eagleton (American, b. 1979), Amore Al Fresco, 2023. Oil, alcohol ink, flashe, UV ink on canvas, 191 x 133 cm

[terminusantequem]

Alex Eagleton (American, b. 1979), Club Montparnasse , 2021. Oil, alcohol ink, reflective glass beads on canvas, 84 × 52 in.

[terminusantequem]

Alex Eagleton (American, b. 1979), Clamberers, 2023. Oil, alcohol ink, flashe, wax, glass beads and UV ink on canvas, 150.5 x 102 cm

[lccoda]

A Conversation with Mina Stone and Alex Eagleton, Personal Chefs

Each issue, The Coda introduces you to interesting individuals who inspire us. This time, we sat down to talk with Brooklyn-based personal chefs, Mina Stone and Alex Eagleton, a couple of brilliant culinary artists that cook for the likes of art world luminaries including Gavin Brown, Urs Fischer, and Elizabeth Peyton. If you're lucky, they'll even pack their aprons and secret (kitchen) weapons and travel to faraway Hellenic Republic to cater your wedding, 600 guests and all.

Last week, Mina and Alex met up with us at Lincoln Center for a mini photo shoot. Afterwards, we shared stories (about food mostly, of course) over a light meal at indie food and wine. In a very recent past life, Mina was a contemporary womenswear designer, dressing cool "it" girls including Sofia Coppola, Rashida Jones, and Jessica Stam. When he's not braising lamb or making a raw cauliflower dish out of five simple ingredients, Alex is also an artist—he's a painter and sculptor. Both self-taught cooks, they look to their shared Greek heritage for "…inspiration, comfort, and the freedom to drown anything in olive oil."

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness." —Elsa Schiaparelli (For as long as we've known Mina, this is her ultimate food quote from one of her favorite designers.)

Our interview with the dynamic duo below as they discuss their mutual love of lemons and how underrated and nonexistent (good) Greek food is in New York City.

The Coda: How did you two meet?

Mina: Long story short, we met six years ago in Fort Greene.

TC: What is your cooking background? What or who inspired you to become a chef?

M: We are both not formally trained. We both just really liked to cook which is why I think we work well together. I started cooking to support myself while having a clothing line and decided I liked cooking much more than fashion. I also think we both had people in our lives (on the Greek side) that loved to cook and that we reference. For Alex, it's his great grandma and for me, my grandma.

TC: Mina, what is Alex's signature, fail-proof dish that is stuff of legend and lore? Alex, Mina's legendary dish?

M: This amazingly delicious beef lemonato. That dish has really taken us places.

Alex: Mina makes a Greek dish with artichokes, peas, potatoes, dill, lemon, and olive oil. That's currently my favorite.

TC: You both cooked for Urs Fischer's team and over 1,500 volunteers spanning a period of six weeks for his "Yes, 2013" show at The Geffen Contemporary, MOCA. What was that experience like? 

A: Crazy and fulfilling.

M: For me, it taught me many things: It taught me how to work well as a partner, and it taught me how to get organized and cook every single day for 150 volunteers. It was also an overall amazing experience to be a part of the project and to see it from start to finish. It was certainly a unique project that I'm very grateful to have been a part of. Also, LA? Too many juice bars.

TC: Mina, you are currently working on a cookbook to be published by Urs' publishing company, Kiito-San. What has that process been like?

M: It is very fun and exciting to work on a book of your own and with someone I respect as much as Urs. On the other hand, it is also a challenge to figure out exactly how we want the book to be. What I realize is that the process is teaching me more and more about how I feel about food and cooking, and therefore, how I'd like the recipes and process to be presented to others.

TC: How do you come up with original recipes? What does that entail?

M: I can't explain it other than it must be the same thing as with people who are good at math. It is something that makes sense to me, and recipes and dishes evolve sometimes alone and sometimes as a part of a greater menu. It is an equation of ingredients that makes sense in my mind.

A: I try to imitate something I once ate. In failing to recreate a particular dish, I make up for it by trying to make it taste delicious.

TC: Alex, you are also a painter and sculptor. How does the art world intermingle with your culinary adventures? 

A: There isn't much crossover. Maybe some organization methods learned from cooking have made their way into my studio. Of course, the art world has financed my cooking and therefore supported me. I'm grateful to be doing both. Daniel Boulud said this: "I believe then, it's easier to be an artist…for example a real artist don't really, um…he create once and he pass on to the next thing. I think for us we constantly perpetually recreate what we do."

TC: What is your philosophy on cooking?

M: My philosophy on cooking is to keep it simple!

A: Enjoy it.

TC: The most challenging and fulfilling cooking job thus far? 

A: There was a wedding Mina and I did in Greece...

M: Yes, the most challenging and fulfilling cooking job was when we cooked for a 600 person wedding in Greece. I had a moment where I saw the sea of people waiting to eat and I realized we were feeding the equivalent of a small village. I still can't believe we managed to do it, and most importantly, do it well. It made me feel like we could cook for 100 people with our eyes closed.

TC: If you could cook a lavish dinner party for anyone, who would it be? 

M: Kim Kardashian, I wanna hang.

A: My mother and Keith Richards—a blind date.

TC: The ultimate album to cook to? 

M: Reasonable Doubt

A: Talk radio gets me in the mood.

TC: What was your first cookbook? Are there any cooking bibles that you keep coming back to?

M: My first cookbook I really fell in love with was Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. I never fully followed a recipe, but I learned about pairing ingredients and making dishes beautiful from that book. I still open it to get inspiration.

A: I think my first cookbook was a Jamie Oliver book. I like The Family Meal by Ferran Adrià. It's really great for those who don't want to read much. Its simple and efficient layout is perfect for the impatient type who just wants to get started. 

TC: What is the most underrated ingredient? The most overrated?

M: Most underrated is lemon juice. I put it on almost everything. My most overrated ingredient is anything truffle-related. No, thanks.

A: Underrated: lemon; overrated: bacon

TC: What five things can we always find in your refrigerator and pantry?

M: Olive oil, lemons, salt, avocados, salami

A: Salami, lemon, salt, olive oil, beer

TC: Cooking blogs, cooking shows, foodies, the locavore movement, etc. have all exploded in recent years. What do you think about how democratized the culinary world has become? 

M: I think on one hand it is very cool and we have so much information available to us. On the other hand, I feel like that information can be very overwhelming and hard to sift through. Sometimes I use organic produce, sometimes local, and sometimes frozen. 

A: I think that much like the rest of the sectors affected by the internet, some real talent gets exposure. On that note, the less talented also get the glory. Regardless, it's great that more people are cooking and sharing. It's pretty primal...

TC: Speaking of blogs, what are some of your favorites floating around the world wide web?

M: Des Hommes et des Chatons

TC: You are both proud Greeks! How does your heritage and culture lend to your cooking style?

M: It is sort of my safe haven. Where I go to for inspiration, comfort, and the freedom to drown anything in olive oil. You also can't find good Greek food in New York.

A: I started cooking the food I couldn't find anywhere outside of Greece. I try to continue this. Also, real Greek cuisine is one of the most underrated out there. But that's a whole other story.

TC: Favorite neighborhood dining spots when you're too tired to pick up the and pan and the thought of washing dishes makes you weep?

M: Academy Diner. And we also go to Roman's a little too much. 

A: Mike's

TC: Jay Z, Led Zeppelin, or ZZ Top?

M: Jay Z

A: Led Zeppelin

TC: Do you have any favorite memories or experiences at Lincoln Center or the Upper West Side?

M: Women in the World was one of the most amazing things I have attended. Also, who doesn't love Zabar's?

A: Big Nick's Burger is all I can say.

Words by Doris Ho-Kane

Images by Mark Ho-Kane (1–3), Alex Eagleton (4,5), and Mina Stone (6,7)

[lccoda]

Alex's Recipe for Beef Lemonato

We're focusing on culinary arts for Issue 9 of The Coda. To whet your appetite, a couple of favorite recipes from personal chefs, Mina Stone and Alex Eagleton. Our full interview with the talented cooks (and lovely couple) coming very soon!

Beef Lemonato

I decided to go with my version of my great grandmother's version of a Greek favorite. It is delicious and simple. Lemonato is a term for a dish with lemon flavor. In this case, beef is what I'm going to focus on. This is really delicious with lemon potatoes. Or rice. Or fries. Or orzo.

*Ingredient quantities based on an average pot with one layer of meat.

1 1/2 lb stewing beef (any of the "chucks" or "roasts") 8–10 cloves of garlic Olive oil Salt Pepper Greek oregano 1-2 lemons 1/4 stick of butter

So...

Season the meat liberally with salt and cracked pepper. Less liberally with oregano.

Heat your pot.

Add a layer of olive oil to the hot pot.

Add the meat and brown it well.

Once the meat is browned, remove it and add the whole garlic cloves—save one for later.

Lightly brown the garlic. If you need a little oil, add it. If the garlic start to get too brown—this can happen in a blink—add a little water. It's going to simmer either way.

Once the garlic is golden brown, add the meat and throw in some more oregano. Stir it all up and add enough water to cover the meat.

At the boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer. Make sure the pot is covered.

An hour and a half in, test for flavor—adjust salt according to taste and add water if it's dangerously low. At this point, finely grate the last clove of garlic and add some more black pepper and oregano.

1/2 hour later (about 2 hours cooking time), the meat should be fork tender. If not, give it a little more time.

When the meat is tender, remove it.

Mash up what garlic is left and add a quarter stick of butter. Stir it all and re-introduce the meat.

Add the juice of one and a half lemons and a little more pepper.

Image by Doris Ho-Kane, photographed at indie food and wine

Recipe courtesy of Alex Eagleton

[stn-to-stn]

Wherever I Am Alex Eagleton

I was flying from New York to Athens, Greece. I felt compelled to take a picture of the film on offer. (This particular plane did not have individual video screens; therefore, no choice in entertainment. I guess that when you’re forced to enjoy something it’s not that bad.)

Alex Eagleton is an artist who lives and works in New York City.

» For more images from wherever people happen to be, check out the tag, "Wherever I Am”