Antony Ballard spends his weekends at the charming North Salem colonial that’s been in his family for 30 years. Its sprawling stone walls and eclectic interior design are equally as elegant as his weekday home: a fourth-floor Upper Manhattan pied-à-terre filled with art, from limited edition Picasso prints to original paintings by Andy Warhol, Salvador Dahlí, Jeffrey Terreson, and more, including Ballard himself. His personal works on canvas are impressive, as is the art that he creates in the kitchen as a private chef to some of our area’s biggest names in show business. Ballard is not one to name names, but the expansive collection of framed photographs atop his piano tells a story of Ballard alongside legendary rock stars and A-list actors. The real story, however, began much differently.
THE CHEF
Born and raised in England, Ballard’s parents died within a year of each other when he was only 17 years old. He landed a job as a dishwasher at a 5-star hotel, where he was paid in food and shelter. Eventually, Ballard took an interest in the chef’s role. “It was classic French cuisine, so that’s what I learned,” he says matter-of-factly with a British accent.
Ballard moved to New York City when he was 21 and settled in North Salem years later to raise his two children. “The highlight of our home for them was the massive treehouse out back,” he laughs. Ballard opened a small cafe in town, Thyme For Change, and fate intervened when one of his customers connected him with a gig that led to cooking for famed author Michael Crichton. “I was his family chef for 5 years,” says Ballard. “Michael was one of the greatest storytellers and he would hang out in the kitchen, telling me stories. How lucky am I?” One thing about Ballard: he never takes a moment for granted.
Ballard contends that there’s a spiritual side to cooking. “Creating, doing what I do and how I do it, it works through me and I can feel it,” he says. “When I’m creating a meal or a painting and I make a mistake, it takes on its own life and becomes something even better.”
THE ARTIST
While the world was shut down during the 2020 pandemic, Ballard made time to take painting more seriously, creating his first real piece of art. His vision was of a night scene, something dark. “And I thought, ‘I'm just going to do that, and that's going to be it,’” he says. He painted a black sea, then “eventually made a mistake somewhere and covered it up with a ship.” The ship became a shipwreck, and Ballard figured out how to paint dramatic, realistic-looking waves. “I ended up with this antique ship that crashed on the rocks,” says Ballard. “I don't know why but I think it was subconscious considering what was going on. Everything seemed like a wreck.”
Ballard framed the painting and hung it in his hallway, admitting that he was unsure of his skills in the beginning and had a love-hate relationship with painting. “Then there are days that I wake up, see my paintings hanging and think, that's pretty damn good,” he says. His art has since come a long way. “When your painting doesn’t piss you off anymore, it’s finished.” Ballard compares the process of painting to making music. “We all feel the music, but the greatest artists can feel the spaces in between and know what to do with them,” he says. “It’s a gift.”
THE MUSICIAN
Ballard plays guitar and for two decades performed in coffee houses to fuel his musical passion. When his daughter left North Salem for college in 2007, Ballard turned his sadness into a song for her, writing and recording it with longtime music producer friend, Rick Witkowski. “I came up with a chord progression, wrote the lyrics, and sang it in the studio,” chuckles Ballard. The song, Fly Away, tells the story of a little girl growing up and a father’s love as he mourns her childhood while proudly embracing her future. “The biggest downside, and upside, to being creative is love, because creatives deeply feel every feeling,” says Ballard with a tone that reflects his own journey. “Our hearts are always open.” @chefajballard
