Chef Biography
Gerry Klaskala was an art student, but at age 17 he entered into a gourmet food show and took home best of show. He thus abandoned his aspirations for the art world for another passion, and graduated from the CIA. After working his way up the kitchen ladder for 10 years, including serving as executive chef at Hyatt Hotels in Boston and Savannah, Chef Klaskala decided to go out on his own. He helped launch the Buckhead Diner in Atlanta and 45 South in Savannah. He consulted for the Hillstone Group’s Bandera, and Horseradish Grill in Atlanta.
In 1995, he opened Canoe in Atlanta, but the Great Chefs crew showed up prematurely to tape Chef Klaskala at Canoe before opening day. The crew and chef improvised by borrowing a kitchen from a restaurant supply house, and Chef Gerry was taped for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs of America days before the restaurant’s opening.
Now in 2016, some twenty-one years later, he still runs Canoe and has added Aria as a second restaurant.
Recipes
Braised Lamb Hocks with Roasted Vidalia Onions and Butter Beans
Serving: 4 Print Braised Lamb Hocks with Roasted Vidalia Onions and Butter Beans By Great Chefs October 5, 2015 Chef Gerry Klaskala uses lamb shanks as “hocks,” cutting each shank in two, and braises them like osso buco in a rich herbed wine stock. The wonderful onions could appear as a side dish with many […]
Salmon in Gingered Lemongrass Broth with Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms
Serving: 4 Print Salmon in Gingered Lemongrass Broth with Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms By Great Chefs October 4, 2015 Piquant lemongrass stock is used to steam salmon rolls and vegetables. The same stock forms the base of the final broth ladled over the salmon and vegetables into the soup plates in which the dish […]