No one knows the benefits of farm-to-table cuisine better than Chef John Zeitoun. Freshly picked organic tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and freshly slaughtered free-range chicken and pork are readily available.
And he has plenty of ways to spend his winnings. Chef Zaitoun is the executive chef at Cape May's Congress Hall, where he oversees the Pig Tavern, Boiler Room, Tommy's Folly Café, Brown Room, Grand Lawn, and Veranda Bar, as well as banquets, weddings, and corporate operations. Masu. Although his responsibilities are big, Zaitoun enjoys his position.
Blue Pig, a restaurant in Parliament House, serves seared scallops with pear and parsnip purée, Brussels sprouts and bacon.
Matthew Strubuk Staff Photographer
“One of the best things about working on Capitol Hill is that it has such a high profile,” he enthuses. “And what a reputation it has. I can't tell you how many times people are surprised when I'm asked where I work and I say I'm the executive chef at the Capitol. People know Congress Hall. They compliment it and talk about the great times they had with their families. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that my family got married there. , it's so great to be a part of it and be a part of history.”
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Zaitoun's journey to Capitol Hill began in the kitchen of his father's diner in North Jersey, where he grew up and learned about the restaurant business at an early age. When his family moved to Egg Harbor township, he decided that the culinary arts might be his calling. Although he graduated from Atlantic Cape Community College Academy of Culinary Arts with the intention of eventually taking over his family business, he had a strong interest in fine dining. He started out on his own in the kitchen of the former Fuse Restaurant and Lounge in Avalon, a restaurant popular with locals and tourists alike.
Zaitoun's journey to restaurants on Capitol Hill began in the kitchen of his father's diner in North Jersey.
Matthew Strubuk Staff Photographer
“I was drawn to the hospitality and customer service. When I saw the money my father was making, I wanted to be a part of it,” he recalls. After six seasons at Fuze, he learned a lot from Chef Steve Cozzi and moved on to a position in Nashville as sous chef at St. Añejo, a fine-dining Mexican restaurant hired by Nashville's Omni Group. We embarked on a culinary express trip to Key Largo. Playa Largo he is the head chef of the resort and spa, restaurant, beach he is in charge of the bar and banquet.
Wearing Jersey Sand, he returns north to reunite with his father's diner business, but finds himself looking for something more. He discovered the restaurant through an opening for an executive chef position at the Sandpiper Restaurant at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by New Jersey Magazine during his tenure in 2021. When he heard that Congress Hall's chef had resigned, he said, He took action for that purpose. He began his service at Congress Hall in June 2023.
“My personal cooking style is influenced by the Jersey Shore,” he says. “Modern American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist and lots of fresh ingredients. Living on the Jersey Shore is great. Local flavors like the Cape May Salt oysters we use here every day There are a lot of different seafood companies. The scallops are from our backyard, the clams are from Cape May. It's really great to be able to incorporate fresh seafood from the Jersey Shore.”
After graduating from the Atlantic Cape Community College Academy of Culinary Arts, Congress Hall Executive Chef John Zeitoun spent six years learning from Chef Steve Cozzi in the kitchen of the former Fuse Restaurant and Lounge in Avalon.
Matthew Strubuk Staff Photographer
And with the addition of May North Cape's Beech Plum Farms to the hotel's corporate mix, his access to fresh produce would be the envy of any chef. .
“Here at Congress Hall, we have the extraordinary luxury of having an in-house farm. Whatever produce is available, they send it to us. We also have a chicken, pig and egg program. So we also use 16-ounce Tomahawk pork chops that are farm-raised and butchered.”
The pork chop is one of his popular menu items. Salt the chops overnight, grill over an open flame, and finish in the oven. Served with roasted sunchokes, glazed carrots and green garlic cream sauce.
Another customer favorite he brings to the table is seared flounder.
The Blue Pig combines seared flounder with crunchy crumbled fingerling potatoes surrounded by a tomato and crab butter sauce.
Matthew Strubuk Staff Photographer
“Our seared flounder has some influence from Jersey flounder, which is very popular here in South Jersey,” Zaitoun says. Beautiful tomato and crab butter sauce. It's like an emulsion of tomatoes and butter. It goes great with flounder. ”
It's a very American menu.
“At Blue Pig Tavern, we carry a lot of staple items that are part of our tradition,” he says. “The chicken pot pie, made with farm-raised chicken, and the braised short ribs are always popular, and the bacon-wrapped meatloaf brings families back every year. It's a big tradition here at Congress Hall. We're on wheels. We're not reinventing things, but we're making classic items as good as possible and putting the right technology into those items.”
He credits his seasoned team of chefs, cooks and support staff with keeping things running out of the kitchen while maintaining the high level of quality customers expect, especially during the peak summer season.
“There is a real team atmosphere here every day,” he says proudly. “All our chefs, all our cooks, we care. We just do it 100% every day. We strive to provide a great guest experience every night.”
Blue Pig serves 10-ounce hanger steaks with fries and chimichurri sauce.
Matthew Strubuk Staff Photographer
