If three people hadn’t found a few minutes to talk with Kelsey Ihm, her life would have been a lot different.
The first was in high school. It was career day, and a chef told her that cooking could be science and math and art all together. Ihm was a dreamer; she’d wanted to be a psychologist or an environmentalist, but this sounded like a dream, and besides, she’d been an enthusiastic baker ever since, at the age of ten at home in Broken Arrow, she’d gotten hold of a Betty Crocker cookbook. So, after graduating from TCC, she applied to the cooking school at OSUIT in Okmulgee.
The next was at her orientation, when she told chef Rene Jungo, head of the school, that she only wanted to take baking classes.
“Don’t limit yourself,” he told her. “Learn everything!” And this, says Ihm, “opened up all the avenues I’ve had since then.”
The third was Michelle Donaldson, a chef who, though she left for a career in Detroit almost a decade ago, is fondly remembered here. Ihm ran into Donaldson while she was working at popular breakfast-and-brunch joint Bramble.
“Work for Tim Inman,” Donaldson told her, “you’ll learn a lot.”
And so Ihm got a job at Inman’s restaurant, Stonehorse.
“I started in the market,” Ihm recalls. “Within a week I was in the restaurant, cooking on the line. Within a year I was running the line.”
She wanted new challenges – and that’s when she learned that restaurateur Justin Thompson was looking for chefs for his new restaurant. She signed on. It was called Freya and it was something new to Tulsa: Scandinavian fine dining.
“I got to play with things I’d never seen before,” she says. “We pickled everything we could get our hands on. Justin had us adopt the Scandinavian way of life.”
Within a few months, Ihm was chef de cuisine, running the restaurant when Justin wasn’t around.
“I learned,” she says, “how much time and effort it takes to run a restaurant, how every time you finish composing a new menu it’s already time to start the next, how to delegate tasks and not try to control everything.”
But there came a day when Freya closed. Ihm found a place back at Stonehorse, working as chef de cuisine.
“Tim’s a workhorse,” says Ihm. “It’s nonstop for that man. I am his helper.”
Ihm arrives around 1 p.m. daily. She confers with all the cooks, makes a list of tasks to be done, and then the team does them, one by one. Around 4, the dinner rush begins. She goes over the menu with the servers. If there’s a new dish, they all get to try it. Then, if it’s a busy day, Ihm joins the line of cooks.
On weekdays, less busy, Ihm works in the back, doing all the tasks other people hate: grinding meat, making ravioli, doing prep for the market, butchering huge sides of beef or pork. Ihm’s day doesn’t end until every other worker has left. She checks the restaurant, room by room, turns out the lights and locks the door.
That’s a long list of tasks, but Ihm’s favorite part of the job isn’t on it.
“If you’re a cook new to the industry,” she says, “Stonehorse is a good place to work, especially if you want to learn. You’ll pick up all the little tips and bits of knowledge you’d never learn anywhere else. I love to teach. It’s so great to watch someone who comes in totally clueless start to make great pizza, learn mise-en-place, and start to understand why they do each task they do.”
Chili-Limón Watermelon Salad with Candied Tajín Pepitas
Yield: 1–2 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
For the Whipped Feta Base:
● 6 oz cream cheese, softened
● 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
● 1 lime (zest and juice divided)
For the Salad & Dressing:
● 4 cups watermelon, cut into bite-sized cubes
● 1 tbsp olive oil
● 1 tsp red wine vinegar
● Pinch of chili flakes
For the Candied Tajín Pepitas:
● 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
● 2 tbsp honey (thinned with 1 tsp warm water)
● 1/4 cup granulated sugar
● 1 tbsp Tajín seasoning
● Pinch of kosher salt
● High-smoke point oil for frying (such as canola or vegetable oil)
For the Final Garnish:
● 1 cup fresh arugula
● Small handful of fresh mint leaves
● Small handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
1. Candy the Pepitas
● Preheat & Prep: Heat your oven to 300°F. Line a small baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
● The Honey Coat: In a small bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds in the slightly watered-down honey until evenly coated. Spread them in a single layer on your silicone mat.
● Bake: Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the seeds look sticky and tacky. Remove from the oven.
● The Spice Dredge: While the seeds bake, whisk together the 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp Tajín, and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl. Set aside.
● Flash Fry: Heat about 2 inches of frying oil in a small, deep pot to 350°F. Carefully drop the tacky pepitas into the hot oil. Fry for just 1 to 2 minutes until the honey coating crystalizes and bubbles.
● Toss Immediately: Scoop the seeds out using a slotted spoon or spider, drain for a split second, and drop them directly into the Tajín-sugar mixture. Toss vigorously until completely coated, then spread them out to cool completely.
2. Whip the Feta Base
● In a food processor or using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese, crumbled feta, and the juice of half the lime until completely smooth and spreadable.
3. Dress the Watermelon
● In a mixing bowl, gently toss the watermelon cubes with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, chili flakes, and the remaining lime juice.
4. Plate and Assemble
● Spoon: Spread a thick, beautiful layer of the whipped feta across the bottom of your serving plate or bowl.
● Layer: Scatter a handful of fresh arugula over the feta base, then pile the dressed watermelon cubes on top.
● Garnish: Finish the dish by tearing the fresh mint and cilantro over the salad, then generously sprinkle with the lime zest and your crunchy Candied Tajín Pepitas. Serve immediately.
