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Old Blinking Light chef a master multitasker

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Contributed by: Erin Feese/YourHub.com on 6/18/2008

Editor's note: Visit our Faces of Highlands Ranch page, where YourHub.com staff and readers can introduce you to more people who make this part of the metro area what it is.

There's an afternoon lull in the dining room at the Old Blinking Light as executive chef Tony Cahill bustles around the restaurant's kitchen preparing for the dinner rush. He grabs a knife and cutting board and expertly dices up the ingredients for the soup of the day, shrimp bisque, then hurries around the corner to stir a sauce bubbling on the stove.

Dipping a plastic spoon into the mixture, he tastes the sauce, and pauses for a moment before nodding his approval.

"Tasting is the best part," he says with a grin.

But there is no time to waste, as there is still much to be done before dinner customers start arriving. Cahill continues his whirlwind of chopping, mixing, stirring and measuring while ensuring his kitchen staff is also on task. All the while his lunch sits out, untouched.

"After doing this for 15 years, I'm used to eating cold food," he says ruefully. Although an old pro at multitasking, Cahill's biggest challenge he runs into during his job is time -- not having enough time, he says.

Cahill has worked at the Old Blinking Light, 9344 Dorchester St. in the Highlands Ranch Town Center, for about a year and recently was promoted to executive chef.

A graduate of Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, he worked as a line cook during high school and college at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After graduating with a degree in math, he realized cooking was his true calling, and enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of Colorado.

"I can't sit still long enough to work at a desk all day," he says.

On a weekday, Cahill arrives for work around 10:30 a.m., and on a weekend, around 8 a.m. His shift can last until 9 or 10 p.m., depending on how busy the restaurant is, he says. The kitchen will pump out about 250 entrees on a weekend evening.

In addition to managing the kitchen, Cahill plans Old Blinking Light's menu, which is changed seasonally. He describes the restaurant's food as upscale Southwestern cuisine.

"To me, there is nothing more American than Southwestern food," he says. Cahill focuses on using ingredients native to Colorado, buying his products from local farmers as much as possible.

Another part of Cahill's job is teaching budding chefs, as he has several students from The Art Institute of Colorado working for him.

"Bringing them along, making them stronger -- it's quite rewarding," he says.

At the end of the day, Cahill's passion for being a chef is driven by his love for food. His face lights up as he talks about his favorite dish at Old Blinking Light, the fish tacos.

"To take raw product and transform it into something extraordinary - it's a zen kind of experience," he says. "I truly, truly love to cook."

Old Blinking Light

9344 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch
303-346-9797
Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
$11-32 for entrees
www.oldblinkinglight.com

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