How One Chef Returned to the Kitchen After a Devastating Brain Injury

Chris Long and his fiancee Shelby Stevens, run Natalie’s at the Camden Inn in Maine together. photo by Natalie’s.

Chris Long has plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. On a spring day in April, Long found himself in a hospital bed in Portland, Me., unsure of how he’d gotten there. Turns out he’d suffered a serious head injury after falling down a flight of stairs in his home. Though he’d sustained a fair amount of brain bleeding and needed several weeks of rest and therapy to recover, Long, the co-owner and executive chef at Natalie’s at the Camden Harbour Inn, was back in the kitchen by the busy summer season. While such a life-threatening injury might have driven some chefs to rethink their physically demanding profession, Long dove head first back into his job at the Relais & Chateaux property, which he manages with his fiancée, Shelby Stevens. He told Yahoo Food how he bounced back from his injury, what he learned, and what he’s looking forward to in the future (including his wedding!)

You were in a serious accident a few months ago, and ended up with a fractured skull. What happened?

I fell down some stairs. I wish it were a better story, like saving children from a burning building. Basically, I was doing yard work that day. I came in and looked down the steps, and fell. I landed on my head wrong. I was out for a good 12 hours. It happened at 1 p.m., I woke up at night in Portland. I had brain bleeding, but I never needed surgery. I lost any feeling, any kind of movement on right side of my face. The doctor said I was really lucky, if I hit my head to the left or right there would have been a lot more damage.

You run Natalie’s with your fiancée, Shelby Stevens. Did you close the restaurant at any point after the accident?

The day that it happened, Shelby came down to Portland, and we closed that night. The next day, the restaurant did a very light menu. Shelby was back to work on Monday. The only negative about being the co-people in charge is that one of us has to be here the whole time.

What was your recovery like?

I was sleeping 22 hours a day. I couldn’t chew because my mouth was pretty sore, so I was on a liquid diet for two weeks. I’d wake up every 2 hours to take pills, and go right back to sleep. My mom came in town for the first week, my sister for the second. I wasn’t allowed to watch TV or use the computer, so there was a lot of playing cards. Or sitting outside in a hammock.

How long did it take you to get back in the restaurant?

Three weeks to a month. I was back to full-time after two months. I was here for July 4 because that’s a crazy weekend for Camden.

What’s your return been like?

When I first got the all-clear to start working, it was for two hours a day, three days a week; then [it was] four or five hours a day. Cooking to me is natural, but I was very forgetful and scatterbrained. I’d go into a walk-in and be like, “What do I need here?” That was the first two or three weeks. The only thing that’s not 100 percent is my right ear. It’s not as good as my left as far as hearing.

How has your perspective on cooking, or the grueling hours of restaurant life, been affected by your accident?

There’s no point in holding back. For example, our summertime is insanely different from winter. We do 70 percent of business in the summer, and this was our third summer here. The past two summers we always made very machine-like meals. Our focus was always make sure that things are consistent and really good. This summer we were like, ‘Why do that? If we’re going to get the most people in here, let’s blow them away.’ We had a more adventurous menu.

One of my favorites was the potato gnocchi, tossed in a seaweed butter sauce. It was with local seaweed, with a shiso pesto that’s similar to mint, some really nice pecorino cheese, potato chips, and a ham hock broth. So, five different ways of salt. It was one of those dishes that sounds crazy, but altogether it was different.

What are you thankful for this upcoming holiday season?

Definitely grateful for being alive. I’m grateful for Shelby. Meeting someone that loves you for who you are and will always be there for you is special. I’m also grateful that I had a wakeup call that has made me more aggressive for my accomplishments.

How do you do celebrate the holidays?

Shelby and I will be working in the kitchen at Natalie’s. Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday because it’s all about food and eating with people you care about. Plus, there’s the extra bonus of watching football. We are busy so it does feel nice to cook for families that are out for a special occasion.

What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

To me, a perfectly cooked turkey is all you really need. Shelby starts by searing the sides [where the dark meat is] then roasting and basting. I always have to have braised greens.

Have you started wedding planning yet?

We’re getting married but there’s no rush. The only thing we have to think about that is when we close the inn. There’s not a date set. We got engaged last Christmas.

OK, if you’re not planning a wedding, what hobbies do you do when you’re out of the kitchen?

Shelby’s a huge craft person, when she’s not here working she’s homemaking soap and baskets. She’s the young version of Martha Stewart. I’m really into Brazilian jujitsu, that‘s my out-of-work hobby. It’s all ground work, using your opponents body against them.

Sounds safer than yard work for you.

Unfortunately, yard work can be a little tough. The sad thing? I was coming in for a drink of water. I should have keep on working!

For fall, Chris Long has a robust recipe for lobster bisque with thai basil, butternut squash, and coriander apples, which he is sharing here.

Lobster Bisque

1 apple
8 ounces butternut squash
2 quarts reduced lobster stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon coriander
4 ounces lobster meat
2 ounces thai basil

Sauté apple and butternut squash. Add lobster stock, heavy cream and coriander. Simmer for 45 minutes and puree in blender with thai basil. Garnish with lobster meat and basil leaves.