Adam Goetz
Sample
242 Allen Street
Buffalo, NY 14201
716-883-1675
Sample is an inventive restaurant and cocktail bar located in the heart of Buffalo’s historic Allentown neighborhood. Known for its small bites and big flavors, Sample is the sort of sleek and trend-setting hotspot one might expect to find in Brooklyn or San Francisco. Chef Adam Goetz uses technique-focused method to turn the freshest, simplest ingredients into exciting edibles and culinary cocktails. With a spark of molecular gastronomy and a firm grasp of classic French preparations, Sample blends the old and the new with a deft hand.
Adam Goetz, Chef/Owner
What made you decide to become a chef?
I think I fell in love with the camaraderie of a kitchen at first. Then the whole immediate gratification aspect of cooking really took hold. To be able to cook a dish and immediately give it to a guest and see their reaction amazed and excited me. When we designed the kitchen at Sample, I placed the kitchen in a place where I can see a good number of the tables while cooking. This way I can see people's reaction to the food.
Why have you chosen to own your own restaurant?
I own my own restaurant because as my career progressed I wanted to do so much with my food that I felt I needed to have full control of the cuisine. Although I have been very fortunate to work for some great people in my career, the thing I wanted to do wouldn't always have worked at other restaurants. I wanted to create a restaurant that was not limited to a particular region or style of cuisine. I wanted to own a restaurant with no rules about what kind of food I can serve. I wanted to make an atmosphere that was conducive to creativity, originality and a learning environment. I believe that I have succeeded in creating a restaurant that has all those attributes and I really enjoy working there every day.
What makes Sample different than other area eateries?
Sample is an hors d'oeuvre restaurant. The majority of our offerings are 2-3 bites. This lends itself to a truly unique dining experience. The guest gets to experience many different flavors in one sitting. It also allows us to really pack each dish with over-the-top flavors and we have the ability to offer our guests some items that normally they may not order. We like to tell our guests that they do not have to commit to a full entree here, so they can browse the menu and eat as much or as little as they want. It also allows our guests to try new things and experience new flavors without feeling too much pressure.
Can you describe your cooking philosophy?
My approach to cooking is rather simple. I try to find the highest quality ingredients and then allow them to dictate how they should be prepared. Although we often do something to create surprise textures or unconventional pairings, my main goal is to showcase each ingredient. It really boils down to knowing where my food comes from and trying to stay in season as much as I can. I have visited many local farms and learned so much about where our food is coming from and how it is grown. I have great relationships with many farmers in our area and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of products they have to offer. If you start with great, high-quality ingredients, there is very little you have to do to make it taste fantastic.
What is your favorite can’t-live-without-it kitchen tool?
Lately we have been using a lot of plant extracts to alter textures and the appearance of foods. We have a food dehydrator working constantly in order to make an assortment of powders. We almost always have two thermo whips going and sometimes a few additional cold seltzer bottles filled with some kind of foam. I also love my two ice cream makers which we use to make anything from rosemary gelato to orange consomme sorbet. Do I really have to choose just one? Oh, and then there's also the sausage maker and the pasta machine which never seem to get a day off.
Do you have an edible guilty pleasure?
I have two edible guilty pleasures. The first is ice cream; any kind, any flavors, any brands, all different forms. I absolutely love ice cream year round. The second is potato chips. I like to think of myself as a potato chip connoisseur. I think the last two things I would like to eat before I die is a big bowl of ice cream and a bag of potato chips (all-dressed or ketchup, I can't decide). Oh, I can't forget Bob and John's pizza on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo. I eat their pizza once a week, at least, sometimes more if I'm lucky.
If you weren’t involved in the restaurant industry, what else would you do?
I'm not sure there is anything else I could be. I feel that I'm just built for this industry. I love the hours, the work load, the creativity, the pressure and everything else that goes along with it. Since opening my own restaurant, all those things have been intensified tenfold, but at the end of the day I find myself still loving it. So I think that there is nothing else I'd rather be than a chef. Well, maybe a billionaire world traveler with houses in Rome, Paris and Manhattan and several beach houses along every coast on the planet. But other than that, I'm pretty content to be a chef.
