Roberts, 31, said that in his bachelor days he would make occasional forays at cuisine, "messing around here and there in the kitchen." But since getting married last winter to former swimsuit model Diana Chiafair, he has become accustomed to the ritual of meal preparation.
"I like to hang out with my wife when she is cooking, watching her, taking in what she does," Roberts said. "You put on some music. You talk. For us, with our schedule as busy as it is, cooking is a quality time, a relaxing time together."
Zaun, 38, is a veteran catcher and cook. His parents taught him the basics of home cooking, he said, and he got his break at the age of 17 when he working as a prep cook in the Fender Bender restaurant in La Canada, Calif. When one of the regular cooks showed up too soused to work, Zaun was tapped to fill his spot in the lineup.
"They threw me on the line, I handled the Friday night rush, and from then on I had a spot in the rotation," he said. "I learned how to cook comfort food for a large amount of people, in a short amount of time."
Since those early days in a restaurant, Zaun has continued cooking at home, although he admits he has "a hard time cooking for two or for four." He prefers feeding large groups.
His Web site displays photos of several large Chinook salmon he caught during a fishing trip in Oregon.
"Those were real tasty," he said, and launched into a description of the way he cooked them. "I bake them, and put a molasses coating on them. Then I put on either an almond or a walnut crust. As the molasses cooks down, it makes the skin crispy and keeps the moisture in."
There are several key factors to success in making his well-known enchiladas, he said. First the chicken is cooked at a low simmer in a pot of liquid flavored with taco seasoning. Then, after the chicken is shredded and placed in the tortillas, it is covered with sharply flavored cheese. Finally, it is topped with enchilada sauce and heated.
"The sauce topping keeps the cheese from burning," Zaun said.
During the off-season, Zaun and his wife, Jamie, socialize with chefs who work in restaurants near their Cincinnati-area home.
"My wife used to work in a restaurant in Cincinnati, and a lot of her friends are chefs. In the off-season something is always going with food at our house."
Last year, Zaun said, "I learned to braise."
Brian Roberts' Cilantro-lime fish tacos
Makes: 4 servings
1/4
