All Kovalencik
Chef All has had a journeyman’s career on and off the island. He began working in kitchens at the age of 13, in his brother-in-law’s restaurant in New York City getting driven into the city when someone didn’t show up in the kitchen.
He fell in love with cooking again when he arrived on Nantucket and started worked for room and board and $1.35 an hour at the Sandpiper in 1971, a classic New England style diner on Main Street, washing
pots and pans and and then moving on to the breakfast and lunch line as cook for two seasons.
From there, it was one stop after another at restaurants that have included The Sail Loft, Shells Steakhouse, India House, Club Car, Mad
Hatter, Ships Inn, Boarding House, The Brotherhood of Thieves for Arthur Krauss, Center Street Café, North Wharf Fish House, West Creek Café and 21 Federal. In 1987 All was hired by Gene Mahon who was partners with Frank Conroy and William J. Torpey at the notorious jazz club/restaurant The Roadhouse.
And most recently, after working for Steve McCluskey as chef at Company of the Cauldron for ten years, he took over the reins and solidified the restaurant's reputation in the Nantucket food scene as owner from 1998 until 2016. With the sale of the business in the winter of 2017 he has begun his next journey as a private chef.
Between seasons, he ventured off-island to work in restaurants and catering events around the country, Providence, Palm Beach, Santa Fe, St. Thomas, Naples Florida, Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale Arizona for three PGA Tour events with Westhampton Chef and friend Starr Boggs. The only excursion outside of cooking was in 1974 working and traveling in Gambia West Africa He was one of four expatriates helping to run West Africa Exports a small company that made tie-dyed clothing
for export to the USA.
He also worked as a cook for three seasons on exploration ships for John Hopkins University and the Naval Civil Engineering Corps (still can’t disclose mission information).