Hedda Gioia Dowd was born in Texas, born a dreamer, and born with a love of France. Her grandmother lived in the sun-kissed south of that country; Dowd spent her childhood summers there. Her grandmother was a fine cook, and Dowd’s favorite dish was what some consider the apex of French cuisine, the soufflé.
Like Proust, Dowd has made a life and career of recapturing her childhood memories and sharing them with the world. She founded an antiques business, which meant that she could spend happy months prowling the dusty attics of chateaux and farmhouses in southwest France. Later, in Dallas, she met a French-born chef, Cherif Brahmi, and together they opened a restaurant specializing in soufflés. Now, she’s brought her dream to Tulsa.
There’s a two-hundred-year-old carved wood door on a building at the northeast corner of Utica Square. Walk through, and you’re in a space decorated with whimsy and panache. Little twinkling lights, French bistro chairs, real antique silver on the tables. That’s Rise.
At the far end, you can see a big, modern kitchen crowded with very busy chefs. Standing to one side, leading like an orchestra conductor, is executive chef Jake Robison.
Robison grew up in Kellyville. When he was a small boy, he recalls, “Grandma made the Sunday dinner, and I’d sit on the counter and watch her.”
He started cooking at home by the time he was thirteen. After college, he was working at the Mayo Hotel as a bartender. A wealthy patron wanted his dinner and the chef was sick, so Robison cooked it. He did such a good job that the hotel hired him as a line cook, and he worked his way up to the top spot in the kitchen. Later, he became chef de cuisine at another lauded fine dining spot in Tulsa, Juniper. And then, one day, he saw a wanted ad for a chef, and that’s what led him to Rise.
Making a soufflé – that glorious concoction of dreams, sauce, egg and air – isn’t easy; it even took Julia Child 28 attempts before she got it right. At Rise, they start, as most classic French recipes do, by making a roux from butter and flour, then blending in milk, and later cheese (emmental and gruyere) and a hint of nutmeg, making a Mornay sauce. It’s put in individual dishes and then the distinctive meats of each souffle are added.
A mixer beats egg whites to a soft peak, which is then hand-stirred into each individual dish. Then it’s put in a very hot oven and baked. When it’s ready, the gleaming golden masterpiece is rushed to your table.
There are quite a few soufflés available. Robison’s favorite is the crab. It’s not on the menu, but it’s always available. You have to know to ask for it. The crab is mixed with roasted red pepper and shallots. Other ingredients include chipotle purée, chive brunoise, thyme and garlic Boursin cheese.
Another popular item is the ham and cheese soufflé. There are dessert options, too. The process is slightly different and the sauce uses creme patissiere (like whipped cream), not cheese. Robison thinks the best is the pecan, with roasted pecans from Texas, Madagascar vanilla extract and crumbled shortbread. But there are a lot to choose from, and you can’t go wrong with any.
You’re taking a friend who just doesn’t like soufflé? Don’t despair. They have French onion soup that takes four hours to make, a lovely steak with green beans, tuna steaks, sandwiches, salads and more. Because they want everyone to leave happy – and you will.
