XL Cover Story: The Next Next Wave

Justin Raiford: Chef, 22

By Dale Rice
Dec. 1, 2005

Ha Lam for AA-S
The Next Next Wave
Reginald Harris	René Pinnell
Myrna Cabello	Justin Raiford
Attic Ted	Leah Marino
Wendy Colonna	Nathan Green

That's the Austin café where Raiford this year became executive chef.

"We have our regulars who I'm getting to know," he says, "and I really love the fact that our regulars trust my cooking ability."

That goes hand-in-hand with another aspect of working at Eddie Bernal's 34th Street Café: "I love the creative freedom here that allows me to go with what I know I can do well."

That liberty and skill bring together Asian and classical European ingredients and techniques in Raiford's fusion cooking. The Asian affection stems primarily from three years he spent as a teenager in Singapore, where he took cooking classes at a premier hotel and his school. The classic techniques were part of his education at the Texas Culinary Academy, which is partnered with the legendary French cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu.

He combines both influences in a singular duck dish. Raiford, known simply as "Raif" to those he works with, uses a marinating technique he learned in Singapore, combining cardamom, orange juice, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger and five-spice in the marinade before searing and roasting the duck breast.

Then his love of French food takes over when he serves the duck with a Cointreau and black currant demi-glace (a twist on the traditional duck a l'orange), along with roasted butternut squash and broccoli raab. "It's a dish that I'm proud of," he says.

The son of a water and wastewater engineer, Raiford traveled the world with his family. "It was really hard as it was happening, always being the new kid at school," he says. "But I look back and I'm grateful. It made me who I am. It gave me the world experience and tastes that I incorporate in my food now."

Fortunately, he's not longing to stay on the move.

"I definitely see myself in Austin for a while," he says. "I really love it. I enjoy the restaurant scene here, with all the boutique restaurants that have such personality and style. I would love to gain some respect in Austin, so I can see myself sticking around."