Great Ones is a celebration of humans we admire — and an exploration of why they cook, not just how. Isabel Coss started out as a bread baker at Pujol in Mexico City before moving to New York and working at Empellón, Agern, and Cosme. She is now the chef at Lutèce and Pascual in Washington, D.C. We joined her at home to learn more about how she embraces creativity and confidence while cooking, and why arroz con leche is the perfect canvas.
When I was growing up, I was a very hyperactive kid. I was fortunate that my mom channeled all that energy into different classes. I used to do ballet professionally, as well as swimming. I went to hairdressing school. My mom was just looking for a place to put all that energy. I thought that when I was older I could combine all the disciplines I’d learned with the arts. I thought cooking was that art — it was good for someone hyper like me. I always wanted to do something by hand, so cooking was perfect.
I always wanted to do something by hand, so cooking was perfect.
I started cooking when I was 17 in Mexico City. I got a job as a bread baker at Pujol, and after that I decided to move to New York because I wanted to study at the Culinary Institute of America. Once I moved to New York, by myself and with no money — I realized you need a lot of money! So I started working at restaurants. I started working at Empellón, where I was in charge of pastry and masa. Then I started working at Agern, a Nordic restaurant in Grand Central, where I learned about sustainability and better labor practices. After that I joined the kitchen at Cosme as a Mexican pastry chef. It was incredible. After that I left New York, moved to D.C. with my husband, and we still run a restaurant called Lutèce, where I’m the pastry chef. We just opened Pascual in Capitol Hill.
It was hard when I started out in restaurants because everyone wants that job, but as a woman getting into the kitchen you realize you want to learn everything. You need to prove yourself in a kitchen — everyone has to, but as a woman I was like, I’m going to be the best one. There are so many women I’ve admired in my career; one is definitely Daniela Soto-Innes. She taught me how to be a chef. She was my chef at Cosme, and she is someone I can still reach out to any time I’m struggling. She’s a friend and a mentor.
I always tell my cooks, “You need to be in the kitchen, and people need to notice when you’re not there.” That’s how I am everywhere. Even if I go to a party or a concert, in anything I do I try to have the best time and be contagious about it — so when I’m not there people will notice. That’s what happens in kitchens: You make yourself necessary.
Because I was a woman, I was put in pastry, but right away I realized that you get to have the best product. You get to play and transform.
When I started my career in Mexico, there was no pastry chef career, so I just started in the kitchen. Because I was a woman, I was put in pastry, but right away I realized that you get to have the best product. You get to play and transform. You can only do so much with a piece of meat, but in pastry you can have a strawberry and convert it into an ice cream, a cake, or a jam. The things you can transform in the pastry world were exciting to me; the creativity was exhilarating. I found creativity and independence in pastry. Plus, everyone loves you because you always have ice cream — you have the good snacks.
I found creativity and independence in pastry.
People struggle with creativity in the kitchen. I think everyone wants to do things the way they see it in restaurants. They want it to be perfect. But cooking isn’t like that. I would recommend getting into the kitchen and starting to crack eggs or pouring sugar. Once you get going, try new things. I recommend that if you’re passionate about cooking — cook! Cook in your free time, cook what you can, and ask questions.
You always need a good spatula. You can do so many things with a good spatula: build a cake, make a sauce, spoon something, clean the rest of a bowl.
If you’re passionate about cooking — cook! Cook in your free time, cook what you can, and ask questions.
Being in a kitchen is kind of like theater. Every day is a service. When something goes wrong, at the end of the day you clean your station, wrap up, and the next day you can start from zero. Whatever mistake you make you wash it off at the end of the day, learn from it, and the next day hope you can make a different mistake.
Being in a kitchen is kind of like theater. Every day is a service. When something goes wrong, at the end of the day you clean your station, wrap up, and the next day you can start from zero.
When I’m not at work, I cook for my husband and my brother. We always make rice — we usually have it at home and have breakfast. We try to grill some meat. But we always come back to having rice.
Today, I made arroz con leche. I used the Dutch Baby, and it was incredible. Nothing got stuck. The heat transfer is perfect. Dutch ovens are good for dishes that need to boil and keep a perfect temperature, so it’s perfect for the rice. A pro tip: We used Big Chill — I love that it’s pink and beautiful — and we put it on the dining table so you can bring the pot over to enjoy on the table with your guests.
Arroz con leche changes with the seasons — in spring I would definitely add some rhubarb, or in spring I’d add peaches and strawberries. At the end of the summer I could blend corn with the milk and make a sweet corn arroz con leche. In winter you can add dry herbs from the year.
It’s a dish we have at Pascual, and it’s a dish I grew up eating. My mom used to make big pots of it, and I’d take it to school. It’s such a homey dessert for me. It’s rice, so it’s a good canvas. Today we made it with Mexican cinnamon and raisins soaked in mezcal.
I’m at a point in my career now where I get to cook the food I grew up with: Mexican food. It makes me very proud. I feel very honored to cook the food from my culture and bring my country to the restaurant and to my friends. It’s a way to put my soul out there.
I feel very honored to cook the food from my culture and bring my country to the restaurant and to my friends. It’s a way to put my soul out there.
We’re working on a panadería beside Pascual now. We’re going to have coffee, arroz con leche, Mexican chocolate, and the perfect Mexican breakfast I grew up with. It’s going to be called Volcan.
