The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 15

R THE FLAVOR
A Chef 's Cinderella Story

LIZ LONG

LIZ LONG

Billy's Tyler Mason: How he went from dishwasher to head chef in just 10 years.

Tyler Mason's bread pudding works well as breakfast or dessert - ice cream optional!

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE that Billy's head chef
Tyler Mason had no aspirations to become a
chef when he grew up. At only 30 years old,
however, his rise to the top is an impressive one.
His career began at 16 when he started as a
dishwasher, though he had no idea what was
in store for his future. On one fateful day, a
coworker failed to show and so Mason was assigned to sauté on the line.
"I was awful!" he says with a laugh. While
becoming a chef wasn't something he'd considered as a career, Mason got serious about the
job, becoming a corporate chef for Flat Rock
Grill at just 20 years old.
"I liked the fast-paced pressure, as well as
the reward that comes from creating something
from nothing."
Mason was hired as the junior sous chef at
Billy's when it re-opened three years ago. A
year later, he became head chef and it's been
a whirlwind ever since. Seafood, particularly
speckled sea trout, is his favorite type to work
with, though he's open to new things.
"Our cuisine changes on a day-to-day basis,"
THE

R OANOKER.COM

Mason says. "I like cooking things I've never
worked with or seen before."
Outside of work, Mason, a Roanoke native,
enjoys being outdoors, whether it's camping or
fishing. He enjoys experimenting with different
recipes, especially desserts. One of his favorites

to make is ghost-pepper ice cream.
Mason's recipe for bread pudding may have
several ingredients, but rest assured it's not
complicated. This writer can vouch that you'll
be making it for years to come because it's just
that delicious!

Cinnamon bun bread pudding with rum icing
For the pudding:
*
*
*
*
*
*

8-10 eggs
4 cups milk (2% or higher)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 ½ loaves of bread (cubed and crusts cut
off )

For the spiced rum icing:
*
*
*
*

2 cups spiced rum
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups white chocolate

For Pudding Mixture:
* Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
* Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend.

* Add milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg; whisk
to blend well; stir in bread cubes.
* Pour mixture into prepared baking dish;
cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
* Preheat oven to 350 F; bake pudding uncovered until puffed and golden (about 1 hour,
15 minutes).

For Spiced Rum Icing:
* Pour rum into sauté pan and reduce until
alcohol is burned off.
* Add vanilla extract; stir and add white
chocolate.
* Continue to stir and add heavy cream until
there is a thick yet runny consistency.
* Pour over bread pudding and serve warm.

-LIZ LONG
MARCH/APRIL 2015

15


http://www.THEROANOKER.COM

The Roanoker - March/April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - March/April 2015

Saluting First Responders
Rape: Speaking of the Unspeakable
The Changing Face of Banking, and What it Means to Your Loan Hopes
Roanoke Charitable Giving: Your Guide
Lily & Lucky: Two Rescue Dogs Do Their Own Rescuing
Pets, Pets and More Pets
Weekend: Eastern West Virginia
Dialing Up a Masterful Master Suite
Dining Reviews: La Elinita and Nopales
Notes & Click
From The Editor
The Quiz
The Look
The Flavor
The Calendar
The Gist
The Dish: Dining Guide
Where Are They Now?
The Menu Dining Guide
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Intro
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Cover1
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Cover2
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 3
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 4
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 5
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 6
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 7
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 8
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 9
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Notes & Click
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 11
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - From The Editor
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Quiz
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Look
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Flavor
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Calendar
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 17
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 18
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 19
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Gist
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 21
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 22
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Saluting First Responders
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 24
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 25
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 26
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 27
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 28
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Rape: Speaking of the Unspeakable
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 30
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 31
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 32
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 33
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 34
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 35
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Changing Face of Banking, and What it Means to Your Loan Hopes
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 37
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 38
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 39
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 40
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 41
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 42
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Roanoke Charitable Giving: Your Guide
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Lily & Lucky: Two Rescue Dogs Do Their Own Rescuing
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 45
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Pets, Pets and More Pets
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 47
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 48
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 49
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Weekend: Eastern West Virginia
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 51
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Dialing Up a Masterful Master Suite
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 53
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 54
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 55
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 56
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 57
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 58
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 59
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Dining Reviews: La Elinita and Nopales
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 61
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 62
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 63
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - 64
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Dish: Dining Guide
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Where Are They Now?
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Cover3
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - Cover4
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - The Menu Dining Guide
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG2
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG3
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG4
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG5
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG6
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG7
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG8
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG9
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG10
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG11
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG12
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG13
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG14
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG15
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG16
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG17
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG18
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG19
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG20
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG21
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG22
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG23
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG24
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG25
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG26
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG27
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG28
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG29
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG30
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG31
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG32
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG33
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG34
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG35
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG36
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG37
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG38
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG39
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG40
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG41
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG42
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG43
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG44
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG45
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG46
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG47
The Roanoker - March/April 2015 - DG48
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