Q&A with Jonas Baker Executive Chef/Proprietor Slip 14 I found Jonas Baker to be as fresh as his seafood
MM: What's the deal with restaurants with numbers in the name. Coincidence, trend or conspiracy? JB: You don't pick a name. It picks you ... it has to be short and powerful. MM: Got it. The industry's having a Napoleonic complex.

MM: Love your menu - Chopped Summer Salad, Sesame Seared Tuna, Potato Crusted Cod with Shrimp Succotash. How would you characterize it? JB: I like to call it "Summer Fresh" - light, crisp and makes you want to be on your deck enjoying life. I cooked in Florida for five years and was influenced by the flavors and the simplicity of the food.

MM: You're well-known for your former restaurant, Bluefin. Is Slip 14 a complete departure? Or, will you continue with some of the same dishes? And what about the sushi? JB: The sushi! That was a great part of my life. I learned a lot at Bluefin and have grown from the experience. Now, I'm reinventing myself - new food, new restaurant, new life.

MM: Is someone in the kitchen with Dinah, or are you manning the fort on your own? JB: I work on the menus with my chef, Gabriel Kapustka. He worked with me last year and at Nantucket Golf Club before that. I've made a bold move to the front of the house and I'm enjoying the other side - seeing people smile after their meal. As a chef, you're buried behind the line. It really hits home when you see it.

MM: Tell me about the patrons without smiley faces ... it must happen. JB: You can't make someone happy if they don't want to be. I try to comfort them till they make me say, "It's a shame you won't be dining with us again. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you have a better experience at another restaurant." I want a quarter-board over the door that says "No Attitude."

MM: So, did looks come into play when you hired your wait staff? JB: Maybe. Let's just say I have the best staff I could ask for. The ad in the paper read, "Looking for FUN professional staff." No need to say more.

MM: If you weren't a chef, what would you be? JB: I would be me. That's all I'll really ever be.

MM: Do you have to buy your own "choking victim" poster or is it given to you? JB: eBay.

MM: What food from your childhood do you most detest? JB: Stewed tomatoes.

MM: If Rachael Ray tried to shout her way into your restaurant, would you let her in or show her the door? JB: I'd show her the way to the dishwasher and see what she really knows about a kitchen and how it works. I'd like to see what she can actually do in 30 minutes.

MM: Tell me about the wildest night you've had on the island. JB: Read the police log. ... Just kidding. (MM: That's what they all say.)

MM: Finish this sentence: "I'm the luckiest guy on Nantucket because..." JB: ... I have the greatest friends.

MM: Settle this for me: "Jonas and the Whale" or "Jonah and the Whale?" You oughta know. JB: It's "Jonah and the Whale."

MM: Do you ever worry that people lie about their weight when boarding the Cessnas? JB: Yes. There should be a hidden scale in front of the desk with a big neon sign that flashes everyone's weight. Then we'll see who's lying. MM: Are my questions annoying you? JB: Not as much as the list of other things I have to do today.

MM: What's the one tune that most makes you want to get up and dance? JB: "Boning in the Bone Yard" by Fishbone. It reminds me of the days when all I had to do was skateboard.

MM: What five things are always in your home fridge? JB: Half-and-Half, A1, butter, some sort of cheese and a laundry-list of condiments that never get used. MM: If you could cook with any celebrity chef, who would it be? JB: I'd love to cook with a master sushi chef trained in Japan. Not a celebrity - just a true master.

MM: Should eggs be cracked against a bowl or gently tapped on the counter? JB: Bowl. Get it done.

MM: What month do you want in my "Sexy Male Chefs of Nantucket" calendar? JB: October, tuna fishing season. I fish commercially in the fall. It's my obsession. MM: Consider it done.

MM: What's your dream meal, and who would cook it for you? JB: My wife - when I get married - whatever she wanted to cook. It would be about the fact that she went out of her way to make me happy. Weird, huh?

MM: Not weird at all. It's sweet. But consider this: a male friend once told me "the package" is a woman with brains, bucks and beauty. Life's not fair. You can only have one. Your pick? JB: Brains. MM: Why? JB: No substitute. You can make money and you can find beauty. (MM: Sure, as long as you don't find it in someone other than your wife.)

MM: Tattoo question - do you have any? JB: Two, both on my left leg. A knife and fork - the logo my brother created for my former catering company - and a bluefin tuna. MM: I expect that soon you'll be turning into a tuna.

MM: Would you entertain the idea of doing room service for the yachts? JB: Absolutely. MM: Might I suggest that you strap your "No Attitude" quarter-board onto your forehead?

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TUCKERNUCK LOBSTER CAKES

If Jonas delivers this to your yacht boudoir, it will be accompanied by Roasted Corn Relish and Blood Orange Buerre Blanc-

1 pound fresh lobster meat, large diced 1 teaspoon shallots, finely-chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard 2 dashes Tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely-chopped 3/4 cup Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs kosher salt, to taste 1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise coarsely-ground pepper, to taste 1 whole egg canola oil for sauting

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, reserving some bread crumbs until fully mixed (so as to ensure mixture is not too dry). Form into four round cakes and chill for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil until hot in an ovenproof saut pan and sear both sides of cakes; finish cooking in oven for 10 minutes. 4 Appetizer Servings.