Local chef may be an ABC Nightline celebrity

There are chefs who get their start at a family restaurant, in their home kitchen, at culinary school.

And then there’s Chef Raymond Arpke.

He learned his way around a kitchen at a mental institute.

Arpke’s parents, administrators of the Sheboygan County Hospital for the Insane, also lived onsite in the 17 years they oversaw the facility. During his childhood, Arpke took particular interest in the hospital’s industrial kitchen, which fed 200 to 300 people three meals a day, every day.

“I always hung out in the kitchen,” said Arpke, co-proprietor of the Longboat Key restaurant Euphemia Haye.

The local chef has received many high accolades during his more than 30-year career. ZAGAT rated Euphemia Haye among the top 1 percent in the nation. Frommer’s Guide called his restaurant this area’s “most extraordinary.” He has competed in Italy and New York City, and has cooked Thanksgiving dinner at the esteemed James Beard House.

Now, Arpke is up for a chance to appear on an ABC News program.

Arpke is one of 18 chefs nationwide vying for a chance to be featured on The Nightline Platelist, a segment on ABC’s late-night news program.

The Nightline Platelist segment features celebrity chefs, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their cooking style, influences and recipes. Each year the show opens up a contest called the People’s Platelist, giving chefs nationwide a chance to be featured on the program.

The chef with the most online votes from the public by Sept. 26 will be the focus of an ABC Nightline segment. Should Arpke win, that would bring TV crews to Anna Maria Island to film Arpke cooking two dishes at Euphemia Haye, which he co-owns with his wife, D’Arcy Arpke.

“If Ray wins, it will be a good reflection of the entire area,” D’Arcy said. “Hopefully it will show more people that we’ve been unaffected by the oil spill.”

Tourism bureaus in Bradenton and Sarasota, as well as the state’s tourism arm Visit Florida, have been hard at work promoting clean beaches to the rest of the world since a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded in April.

“Anna Maria Island, Lakewood Ranch and the rest of the destination will be a winner as well with this coverage,” said Debbie Meihls, executive manager of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We will definitely have a lot of media attention, and with all the negative news these days it is so refreshing to have the Epicurean and culinary arts be focused like this.”

Helping Arpke become a finalist was a two-minute video he submitted and nomination essays written by his regular diners and students of a cooking class he teaches at Euphemia Haye.

“I love Ray’s style of cooking because he uses classic cuisine and innovation without complicating it,” said LucileMiller, a student of Euphemia Hayes’ Lesson Luncheon cooking classes.

Arpke, whose menu includes Grecian lamb shank, roasted duckling and snapper, says he doesn’t like to over-complicate his dishes but rather lets the food speak for itself.

“He makes very elegant and superb food,” said Bob Sherry, a Longboat Key resident who regularly dines at Euphemia Haye and recommended Arpke for the contest. “I surely hope he wins.”

Grace Gagliano, business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081