Meet Chef Brian Fowler

Restaurant: BLACKBARN, NYC

2024 Hog Farmer Appreciation Dinner Dish: Dry-aged Iberian Duroc pork collar two ways with Swiss chard, Hasselback potato boulangere, kumquat and sauce Romaine

Executive Chef Brian K. Fowler of BLACKBARN in New York City hails from Amityville, Long Island and has deep roots in New York, with a lineage extending from Cuba to Jamaica. He brings exciting flavor profiles to dishes inspired by both his international heritage and travels around the world. He is focused on using ingredients with exceptional quality sourced from local farms.

Chef Brian studied culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Miami and began his career in 2007 in Florida working primarily in Asian restaurants, quickly earning his stripes in the culinary world. He later moved to New York, working at a mix of French, Italian and Japanese restaurants, all of which greatly inspired his cooking style and techniques. Prior to joining the team at BLACKBARN as executive sous chef in 2016, he was the executive chef at Hudson Clearwater, where he specialized in new American fare. He was named executive chef at BLACKBARN in 2021.

Of note are his many trips to the bayou, which have resulted in Chef Brian’s appreciation for creole seasoning and Southern flavors. At BLACKBARN, his influence is found in various lunch and dinner dishes and in BLACKBARN’s extensive brunch menu.

For the Niman Ranch Hog Farmer Appreciation Dinner, his dish was an experiment with dry aging the pork collar for the grill and also braising. “I wanted to highlight that particular muscle,” he said, “because it generally ends up in sausage. I think the dry age will make it special with elevated pork flavor.”

He added that he was honored to work with Niman’s culinary director Chef Andrew Hunter, as well as the other chefs. “I’m here because I love pork, I love Niman Ranch and what they do, and I love the farmers.”