Cooking with Chef Dave Shiplett | Stay calm and make this chicken

I never could float as a child. My great-uncle Lowell Lee would come to visit and swim way offshore, hold his knees and float. He called it sitting in a chair. I tried to copy him like crazy, but the more I struggled to float, the faster I sank.

I was raised on the water and did very well at watersports, but I still couldn't float. I spent a couple summers at the Boy Scouts aquatic camp. One of the skills we spent time learning was called drown proofing (leaning to float). We were made to stay in the deep water and relax. Yes, while water crept in my mouth, I had to relax to get in touch with the fact that I could control my buoyancy.

Now you may wonder why a guy writing a chef's column would tell that story.

For me, years ago when I first started as a cook I had the worst temper you've ever seen -- a la Gordon Ramsay. When bad stuff happened, I could make it worse or fix it.

The first thing I learned was that my decision-making was much more clear if I slowed down and controlled myself. Instead of the moment defining me, I defined the moment.

So years ago as chef at The Quay in Sarasota, I was walking out of the walk-in cooler with a large tray of labor-intensive canapés. I slipped and threw them -- with force -- against the ceiling. Oh boy, did I want lose it, but I had a bigger problem at that moment. I needed appetizers. So I floated, slowed my breathing and was able to solve my problems in no time.

Today when I work with someone in the kitchen and they say what a great chef I am, I know it's partly because I learned I could float in the Boy Scouts all those years ago.

Here's an easy meal that will let you float

right through dinner.

Grilled Chicken thighs with ponzu dipping sauce

Chicken thighs

FOR THE PONZU

3 parts mirin (cooking sake) to 1 part soy sauce

Chile flakes

Garlic cloves

Cornstarch

Grill chicken thighs until 90 percent done. To make the ponzu, combine 3 parts mirin with 1 part soy sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add a cornstarch slurry to make it slightly thicker. Allow to set, then strain it. Coat chicken with the ponzu and toss in a 425-degree oven until glazed. Serve with wasabi mashed potatoes and sizzling spinach. Drizzle with the ponzu.

Chef Dave Shiplett, chef/owner of SOMA Creekside, can be reached at 941-567-4001. SOMA Creekside is at 1401 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cooking with Chef Dave Shiplett | Stay calm and make this chicken."