The Athlete’s Palate, Runner’s World, August 2006
Chef and cancer survivor Joe Carei runs, coaches, and even serves up omelets at a local 5-K fund-raiser
Like many runners, Joe Carei hits the road after work. Only as head chef of Caileigh’s Restaurant, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he trades his clogs for trainers when the clock strikes 12, not five. Carei’s midnight runs are "a good way to inventory the day," says the 38-year-old New Jersey native.
He has lots to review. After Carei gets his three kids off to school, he puts in a full morning at the restaurant, then heads over to the track to coach the local cross-country team before returning to Caileigh’s for the dinner rush. He led the Brownsville High runners to five consecutive division or regional championships before switching to junior high, and his daughter’s team last year.
In 2002, Carei launched Chef Joe’s Omelet Run to benefit a 4-year-old child with leukemia. At the finish line, he rewarded the 5-K racers with omelets, a touch that made the now-annual June fund-raiser a local favorite. Yet at that inaugural race, Carei wasn’t sure he’d see a second one. He, too, was battling cancer (of the colon), a struggle he says running helped him win. "Running goes through peaks and valleys, and it helps you learn how to deal with life," he says.
That lesson continues to help him juggle work, family, coaching and hosting his own television program, The Cooking Coach, in which he teaches viewers how to make various dishes, like the asparagus omelet tart at left, developed specifically for runners. It packs protein and carbs into a flavorful post-run breakfast. Make it yourself, or register for the 5-K next summer for a taste of the master’s.
ASPARAGUS OMELET TART WITH DILL POLENTA CRUST Crust 3 cups chicken stock ¾ cup yellow cornmeal (coarser is better) 1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dry 1 teaspoon fresh pepepr
Filling ¾ pound fresh asparagus 1 roasted red pepper 4 large eggs ½ cup low-fat milk 1/3 cup grated onion 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 3/4 cup shredded fontina or Swiss cheese 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Bring stock to a boil, whisk in cornmeal slowly. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes; stir frequently the first four minutes, then mix every few minutes, always stirring in the same direction. When the polenta pulls away from the side of the pot, it’s done. Add pepper and mix. Spread polenta evenly in a pie pan.
Snap off the bottoms of each asparagus. Cut into two-inch pieces and blanch for three minutes in boiling water. Clean roasted pepper and cut into strips. Whisk together eggs and add milk, onion, salt, and pepper. In bottom of shell, places peppers and asparagus. Top with cheeses. Pour egg mix over all and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serves four to six.
RESTAURANT INDEX CARD Name Caileigh’s Restaurant Location 105 East Fayette Street, Uniontown, Pennsylvania; 724)-437-9463; www.caileighs.com Signature offerings Kobe steaks, panissa (chickpea) fries, almond-crusted black grouper with buerre noisette and risotto
