You will not find 25 flavors mixed up on one plate at Thyme. His flavors are symbiotic. They are combined with a thoughtful rational. If you talk to John Bubala and then read his menu, it will make perfect sense. He calls his wood burning rotisserie his "third arm." Spit roasted meats are a specialty at Thyme. Bubala has cooked on one for more than seven years and has used it to cook everything from Conger Eel to Rack of Veal to Mako Shark and Philippino Black Chicken. Seafood is abundant on the menu, as are his wonderfully fresh seasonal vegetable creations.

As a young man growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Bubala was aware of other food worlds. His grandparents lived on Cape Cod, where he spent most of his summers feasting on oysters, clams, and mussels.

He really didn't attend college thinking he would be a chef, but opened a Morton's of Chicago in Boston as chef de cuisine with renown restaurateur Arnie Morton and later worked at the four star, four diamond, Boston Harbor Hotel and the five star, five diamond, Boston Four Seasons. He soaked up the French techniques that were instilled in him at both fine hotels and today they are creatively reflected in his cooking.

Seafood dominates Bubala's clever menus and it's easy to see how the East Coast has influenced his cooking style. In fact, he remembers exactly the day when he knew he wanted to be a chef.

"It was 1989 and I saw my first Styrofoam case of hydroponically grown baby lettuces from Kantor Canyon farms in Los Angeles."

Bubala's childhood home was situated across from a working farm. "I saw chickens and cows, but as a kid, I never made the connection as to what a farm can produce." Now, Bubala buys produce and products from small farmers across America and enjoys the process of researching new and interesting sources.

He cooks what he calls, "French-American straight out." Of course there is history to both countries and just as the restaurant cries out a historic ambiance, so does his research of flavors that have stood the test of time historically in America.

"Wild onion, maze, fish from the Chesapeake River and seafood from Nantucket - these are foods that Americans have been eating for many years," says Bubala. "I add my interpretation and you have Thyme," he says, smiling.

Thyme was named after the chef's favorite herb, so you should not be surprised to find English, Silver, Mexican and Lemon Thyme utilized in dishes such as Sautéed Calamari with Lemon Thyme Nage.

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