Dan's Corona MonTaco Countdown: ALL DAY @ Breakers Executive Chef Robert Sieber

You can meet Cincinnatian Robert Sieber, Executive Chef of Montauk’s ALL DAY @ Breakers, and sample some of his work at Dan’s Corona MonTaco Waterfront Fiesta on Saturday, August 4 at Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club. This will be Sieber’s very first Dan’s Taste of Summer event experience. He says he’s “excited to meet some of the restaurants [staff] that I haven’t had been able to dine at [yet] and see what they’re up to this summer.” We invite Sieber—and you—to indulge in some cold drinks at Dan’s Corona MonTaco Oceanfront Fiesta as well.

What ingredient do you treasure?
Cilantro, I can’t get enough of it. It’s this summer’s menu that has made me realize just how much I use it. I know it’s a love/hate ingredient for most people, but I try to use it to enhance, not overwhelm. Yuzu is my favorite flavor out there. I don’t use it as much, but if I see it on a menu I’m drawn to it.

Where are you from?
I’m originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but have been living in the city for about five years now. Last summer was my first summer out in Montauk.

What’s your earliest food memory?
I didn’t grow up with a huge desire to become a chef. It was a passion that developed later in life. One of the things that I always cooked for myself though was “grandma’s eggs”—she took simple deli salami, chopped it up and scrambled it in eggs. Something I still eat to this day and have done variations on for different menus.

Who has inspired your career the most?
The first chef I ever worked for in Cincinnati, David Cook, taught me the fundamentals of cooking and working in a restaurant. He also developed my interest in Asian flavors. I still keep in contact with him and try to do events with him in Cincinnati as much as possible, constantly bouncing ideas and concepts off of him.

What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
Risotto is, oddly enough, not my favorite to eat, but I just really enjoy cooking it. A chef taught me the history of making it and it’s something I continue to learn the nuances of it each time I prepare it.

What’s the most important thing to teach the next generation of chefs?
Cooking is very hard work, plain and simple.

What’s your favorite beverage to take on an East End picnic?
I’m a beer guy. Out here in the summer, Montauk Brewing Company’s  Wave Chaser IPA always works, but I really enjoy a Tecate with a little hot sauce and lime.

Dan’s Corona MonTaco Oceanfront Fiesta is Saturday, August 4 at Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club. GA tickets are $125 for admission 7:30–10 p.m. Featuring celebrated chefs’ culinary twists on classic Mexican cuisine. VIP tickets are $199 and include After Party 10 p.m. to midnight. For info on all Dan’s Taste of Summer events, visit DansTaste.com. Patrons must be 21 or older to attend.