Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Cafe Billy South

Billy Kaderli

Tournedos of Beef au Poivre with a Creamy Tequila sauce

Many of you have been asking about my cooking skills and how I became a chef. It’s a two-hour lunch story, but the short answer is that I wanted to eat the way the customers I was serving as a waiter were dining.

The chef of the three-star restaurant where I worked was very talented—truly a gifted, passionate chef. I was in awe of the food coming out of the kitchen. At one point, I told the manager I would work in the kitchen for free so that I could learn to cook. “Free” was his middle name, and I went from Tuxedo to Toque and moved into the kitchen with no clue what I was doing.

After one month, the manager came to me and said he had to start paying me. Meanwhile, the chef took me under his wing and taught me well. When you have a passion for something, nothing can stop you from learning. I eventually became the sous chef of that restaurant, and the chef and I bonded further. So much so that we started traveling to distressed or remodeled restaurants and returning them to profitability.

After working a gig in Los Angeles, I wasn’t into the big-city life and parted ways with the chef, returning to my hometown of Cincinnati, where I was hired at La Maisonette. La Maisonette was one of only nine five-star restaurants in the United States. It was truly an honor to work there, and I continued my training.

Meanwhile, I stayed in touch with my mentor chef, who had now moved north to Central California and was sending me newspaper clippings from the local Santa Cruz paper about Cooper Street, with outdoor restaurants and afternoon jazz bands playing. La Maisonette closed for the entire month of August, which is typical for a French restaurant. At one point in July, the chef pulled me aside and told me that I was talented but would never become the chef there because Marcel had been there for 19 years and was next in line. He told me to get out and work in as many restaurants as I could and “steal with my eyes.” What he was telling me was to get out, travel, and continue my culinary education.

I used the month-long closure as an excuse to move on—in this case, to Santa Cruz, California. It wasn’t a month later when the chef of La Maisonette sent me a telegram—I’m dating myself here—in Santa Cruz asking me to return. Sorry—I had already moved on.

Like I said, this is a two-hour lunch conversation to tell the whole story, but this is how I ended up meeting Akaisha, which took us to France where I continued my training. The rest is history.

In reference to the photo above, this was my recent lunch at what my friends refer to as Cafe Billy: Tournedos of Beef au Poivre with a creamy tequila sauce. Small filet mignons with crushed black pepper embedded, seared in a hot pan and deglazed with tequila and beef stock. I let this reduce, then added Dijon mustard and cream. Normally I would use brandy or cognac, but I am in tequila country.

My chef friend instructed me to work with what you’ve got, and I dislike wasting food, so everything gets used—including the bones for stock. In the restaurant business, consistency is the key. No matter what the delivered ingredients are—even when they’re fresh—they still vary, and you have to make the dish the same as it was yesterday. Sometimes they vary enough that you need workarounds. This lesson has stuck with me.

I eat this way four or five times a week, depending on what else is going on, and I do like to have a cheese course after my meal. I enjoy going out for the sociability, but in this town I can cook as well as any chef here. I have adopted the Mexican custom of eating my heavy meal midday and usually just a simple salad at night.

I was trained in classic French cuisine, which I have modified for today’s health concerns with lighter but still fortified sauces. I have to admit, though, that Akaisha taught me to love Italian cooking. I love it. High-quality, simple ingredients make for a great Italian dish. French cooking takes preparation—stock reduction, butter, cream—it can get complicated. Italian is easier, but it’s all about the ingredients. And once the sauces are made, they can be frozen for future use. The crossover was easy for me.

I rarely know in advance what I am making unless I have friends over. This Tournedos of Beef dish was pretty much made on the fly. Tomorrow? No clue.

I really enjoy long lunches with stimulating conversation—and even, in this case, by myself.

This is my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Billy

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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