At home with chef Maurice Webb

Maurice Webb, the executive chef at Mike’s on the Water in St. Clair Shores, always loved to cook and chose to hone his craft by doing, instead of learning.

“I just didn’t go to cooking school to learn how. Instead, I learned on the job,” Webb, 33, said.

Chef Maurice Webb and his wife, Neisy Webb, pose with their
dishes, including, the Lobster Roll, front, Broccoli and Cheese
Quiche, left, and Mahi-Mahi, right. 

After graduating from Denby High School in 1999, Webb attended Wayne State University with the idea of becoming a lawyer. During that time, he was working at Fishbone’s in St. Clair Shores. “I learned a lot by watching all the cooks there,” he said. “And the head chef, Derrick Collins, was a mentor who helped me a lot.”

Subsequently, Webb quit school and spent a couple of years as a line cook at Bastone’s in Royal Oak. Two years later, he ended up working for Mike LeFevre, currently the owner of Mike’s On The Water, but at that time the co-owner of Jack’s On The Water, also in St. Clair Shores.

“We were really busy there,” Webb said. “And due to the huge volume of business, you couldn’t be lazy. Co-owner Mile LeFevre was very strict and, because of that, I became a better person physically and mentally and also a better cook.”

When LeFevre opened Mike’s On The Water in 2010, he hired Maurice as a line cook. As it sometimes happens in restaurants, personalities butted heads.

“The head chef got rid of me because he felt threatened by me,” Webb said. “After being

 unemployed for two-and- a-half months, my phone rang and it was Mike telling me he had fired the chef and wanted me to come back to work as a line chef.”

Less than three years later, he was officially named executive chef.

“I was nervous about it, but he encouraged me and I’m now in my third season,” said Webb, who lives in St. Clair Shores.

And Webb is delighted that his wife, Neisy, now works right alongside him.

“She’s been my main prepper and my backbone ever since I became the head chef. She had previously worked at the Courtyard Marriott Bistro in Warren, but when I became the executive chef at Mike’s, she said she would do anything to help me, so she came here and she’s been a rock star,” he said.

Webb said he cooks at home maybe once a week and when he does, he likes to make something “real quick,” like the quiche pie, whose recipe is printed here. “It’s Neisy’s favorite,” he said. “And the best part about this dish is that it’s so versatile. You can just do the spinach and cheese or you can add lobster, chicken or ground beef to it.”

And even though Webb keeps very busy making lobster rolls every day (the restaurant has sold more than 9,000 of them since 2013), he still makes them occasionally at home for his parents and his in-laws, who really love them.

“For this restaurant to do so well with me as the chef is overwhelming. Business has tripled,” Webb said. “I’m so honored. Of all the places I’ve ever worked, this one guy, Mike LeFevre, said ‘I want you’ and it changed my life.”

Lobster Rolls

8 ounces of 100% lobster claw and knuckle meat, rough cut into chunky pieces

2-3 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 ounce Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cup lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

1 teaspoon butter

New England-style hot dog buns

Mix all of the above ingredients (except the butter and buns) in a bowl. Then, in a small pan on medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of butter. Grill each side of the bun. Fill buns and serve. Serves 2.

Per serving: 758 calories; 59 g fat (14 g saturated fat; 70 percent calories from fat); 23 g carbohydrates; 4 g sugar; 218 mg cholesterol; 3,645 mg sodium; 32 g protein; 2 g fiber.

Broccoli and Cheese Quiche Pie

1 ready-made 8 inch pie crust

1 pound broccoli crowns (see note)

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheddar cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

1/4 cup Carnation evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1/2 pound butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put pie crust in oven until it is slightly brown, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pie crust from oven. Boil broccoli in boiling water until tender. In a mixing bowl, add broccoli, cheese, evaporated milk and butter. Fill entire pie crust with this mixture and bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Note: You can also add 4 to 8 ounces of chicken, lobster or ground beef to this recipe. However, if you do, reduce the broccoli amount to 1/2 pound.

Per serving: 646 calories; 56 g fat (30 g saturated fat; 78 percent calories from fat); 20 g carbohydrates; 3 g sugar; 211 mg cholesterol; 705 mg sodium; 17 g protein; 3 g fiber.

Pan Seared Mahi-Mahi with Vanilla Sauce And Pineapple Salsa

For the fish

4 6- to 8-ounce pieces of Mahi-Mahi

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of butter

For the Pineapple Salsa

1 cup pineapple (canned or fresh, cut into 1/4 inch pieces)

1 tomato, diced

1/2 ounce fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

To prepare the salsa: In a bowl, combine pineapple, tomato, cilantro, lemon juice and cumin. Can be made in advance.

For the vanilla sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

To prepare the vanilla sauce: In a sauce pan, combine water, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla extract and cook until caramelized. Then add the heavy cream and cornstarch and whisk until thick.

To prepare the fish: Heat a saucepan to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Place the fish in the saucepan, cover with a lid and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side. When done, top the fish with the vanilla sauce and accompany it with the pineapple salsa. Serves 4.

Per serving: 594 calories; 27 g fat (16 g saturated fat; 41 percent calories from fat); 44 g carbohydrates; 34 g sugar; 230 mg cholesterol; 367 mg sodium; 37 g protein; 1 g fiber.