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Culture Food & Drink

Michael Ketola

Michael Ketola worked his way through some of Charlottesville’s busiest restaurants before landing at Mas Tapas where he has guided the kitchen for 17 years. Photo by Eze Amos.

Michael Ketola

Chef and general manager
Mas Tapas, mastapas.com

A steak in the biz

Without formal training, I entered the world of professional cooking in 1996, when some college friends from JMU mentioned that the steakhouse they worked at was looking for a cook. So, eager to try something new (and not move back home) I began working at Claiborne’s. I remained there for a year before moving to Charlottesville, where I made it a point to pick up ways to improve myself over the course of working in a variety of kitchens, from Bodo’s to Rococo’s to Starr Hill restaurant.

Chaos and passion

For me, professional cooking has always checked a variety of boxes that I enjoy:  I love the exhilaration I get from being part of a team,  “locked in” with one another in the midst of the (semi) controlled chaos of a busy dinner service. I love the delicate balance of precision and artistry that goes into every plate, and the creative outlet provided by designing new menu items. I love the variety of unconventional and passionate co-workers I interact with, plus interacting with local farmers and purveyors and feeling like I am expanding community bonds by doing so. But at the root of it all, I have always found immense joy in making people happy.

Supplied photo.

Smoke it

I’m always happiest cooking-wise when I’m able to incorporate the process of smoking into anything I prepare. A great example of this is our Smokra (above), a dish composed of smoked okra, roasted sweet corn, onions, peppers, and herbs. The smell of that dish coming off the line is simply intoxicating! Be on the lookout for it later this summer, when all of those wonderful things are in season.

Recipe to rock

Somehow, even with all of my work and family responsibilities, I find time to play music in a few different projects: Peen (a local Ween cover band), and I also play guitar in a classic, Southern country rock band called Campbell Road Band. We’re playing Fridays After Five on June 9, with the Chickenhead Blues Band.

For our ongoing series Why Do You Cook?, C-VILLE Weekly asks area food and drinks folks what motivates them to clock in every day. If you would like to be considered for this column, please email tami@c-ville.com.

By Tami Keaveny

Arts Editor Tami Keaveny has navigated the world of arts and entertainment through a variety of marketing and public relations jobs. She has worked at WBCN, BAM Music magazine, Bonnie Simmons Management, Bill Graham Presents, Tickets.com, ClearChannel Entertainment, WordHampton Public Relations, Starr Hill Presents, and SMG before taking the desk as Arts Editor at C-VILLE Weekly. She calls San Francisco State University her alma mater and Charlottesville, Virginia her home. Hobbies include: amateur food photography, junk food culture (Food Seen), orchid killing, offensive cross-stitch, vintage glassware collecting, and wine with everything.