photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
When you walk into Café 1912, the cozy bistro at the corner of Cooper and Peabody, the first sensory impression is the rich, smoky aroma that emanates from the tiny open kitchen in the main dining room. A quick glimpse into that working space offers a slice of activity, as three men chop, simmer, sizzle, and craft the country French cuisine that is the restaurant’s stock in trade.
One of the restaurant mainstays of Midtown, owners Glen and Martha Hays have kept their cozy bistro humming for well over 20 years, and for most of that time, the chef turning out all those delicious plats has been Keith Riley.
“I’ve been here since 2004,” says Riley. If that’s surprising, it’s because Riley has long simmered under the media radar for the most part, avoiding the spotlight — or more accurately, watching the spotlight pass him by.
“I’d been working with Tony Gault at Café Society, and when he got the chef’s job here, I came along as sous chef.” Three years later, Gault moved on and Riley moved up to become Café 1912’s chef, a position he’s held ever since. To watch him move around the tight space, hot iron pan in hand, changing places with his sous chef, plating a gorgeous rack of lamb and sending it to a soon-to-be happy diner, is to watch an artist at work.
“There’s something about New Orleans-style cuisine. So much you can do with simple ingredients. I love it when Mardi Gras comes around.“ — Keith Riley
Riley cites a chef named Elise Neal as his first mentor. “I was working at The Peabody, at Café Capriccio. It served Northern Italian cuisine at that time, and I think Chef Neal saw something in me. She would call me into the kitchen and say, ‘Taste these herbs, Keith. Get to know these flavors.’ It started me thinking more about how to cook, how to be creative. It was the same with Tony at Café Society. He really encouraged me think like a chef … and told me I had a natural talent for it.”
Anyone who’s sampled the menu at Café 1912 can attest that Keith Riley has a natural talent for cooking. His food is savory, fresh, and creative, his menu a blend of long-time favorites and inspired new dishes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a guy who creates a lot of French-inspired food, Riley also likes making Cajun dishes. “There’s something about New Orleans-style cuisine,” he says. “So much you can do with simple ingredients. I love when Mardi Gras comes around and I get to make some Cajun entrees.”
My advice? Don’t wait until Mardi Gras to sample one of Chef Keith Riley’s French-inspired dishes. Like the restaurant where he plies his talents, he’s become a Midtown tradition.
