Apositive attitude is the key ingredient behind Destination Dining’s executive chef Day Alexander. “A willingness to always give something a chance,” he said. “I saw an ad in the paper from the owners, Jim and Cathy Hoyle. They had this interesting idea for a new concept that’s never, to my knowledge, been tried in St. Louis. We felt comfortable with each other and this concept appealed me.”
What’s the best way to describe what you are doing at Destination Dining? Total immersion. Each month we feature a different cuisine from a different part of the world. We change the entire menu, the décor and the entertainment to give our patrons a fine dining experience unlike they can get anywhere [else] in St. Louis. For example, one of our recent destinations was Morocco. We had a tent set up in the back, which I loved and was sorry we had to take it down. We had seafood, meat and poultry entrées along with a variety of appetizers, wines, desserts and, of course, belly dancers.
How do you plan for such an extreme makeover every month? It’s a challenge, that’s for sure. I read a lot, especially cookbooks. In June we are featuring Hungary. I’ve recently gotten started on the research. I’m thinking strudels, an upscale version of goulash. I see a Lipizzaner Stallion somewhere in the décor. Nothing definite yet. That’s what’s so much fun about this concept. I easily get bored, so while I’ve mastered this month’s menu, I’m already thinking and experimenting with the flavors and textures for the next theme. I work about four to six weeks out.
How did you get involved in the culinary profession? My dad owned bars and restaurants in California’s Bay Area, so I grew up around the business. I’ve worked every phase of it. About 10 years ago I decided I had to get serious about my life and what I was going to contribute to society. I knew I loved to cook and once I seriously began studying the techniques, I realized that cooking is my passion. I went to school in California, then studied under some of St. Louis’ finest chefs.
How did you wind up in St. Louis? I had family in Carbondale and I lived Cape Girardeau for a long time, but I knew that if I truly wanted a career as a chef, I’d have to go to a bigger city. Since I have a 6-year-old son still in Cape I wanted to be close by, so I came to St. Louis. There is a lot of opportunity here and the people love to dine out. I’ve worked in many, many venues here.
What’s your best trait? I’m driven. Driven to create new dishes and flavors that St. Louisans haven’t tried yet.
Driven by what? A love of food. A desire to create a good meal and provide a place where people can relax. The most telling sign that I’ve created an excellent meal is when patrons linger. If a meal and the atmosphere are good, people usually linger and are in no hurry to leave. If it doesn’t do those things, they usually leave right away.
What do you like to do when you’re not working? Stay at home. Enjoy my son. I guess you could say I’m a homebody; I like to be at home. If I go out, I like to play pool.
Day is an unusual name. How did you get it? My parents were hippies. They wanted something nontraditional.
What was your biggest flop? Some years ago, in Chicago, I created a cold eel dish. Bad, bad, bad. I don’t know what I was thinking because even now that sounds awful.
What task do you hate to do the most? Anything that’s tedious. Once I had to make 1,200 Parmesan lace baskets at one of the local country clubs. It was horrible after the first three.
What advice would you give an aspiring chef? 1. Cook passionately. Be involved with the flavors and textures at each stage. Taste through the various stages of preparation and make sure that the flavors are complementary.
2. Use flavors and textures to enhance foods, not cover them up.
This article appears in March 2024.