Max London's formative years spent around food were irrevocably influenced by what he did not experience.

Raised in Washington County by a Parisian-trained pastry chef and meticulous bread baker, London missed out on the all-American staple of fast food, limp with grease, that was cooked and bagged at lightening speed and pushed through a drive-thru window. Meals weren’t topped off with cans of carbonated corn syrup, and he never did know the challenge of trying to digest hydrogenated peanut butter sandwiches enveloped in disintegrating white bread.

“I just remember being around good food and good ingredients,” he recalls. “And I ate a lot of bread….I lived in a bakery.”

His parents, Wendy and Michael London, opened Mrs. London’s patisserie in Saratoga Springs before he was born, and it was there that the youngster got a first-hand education in the art of fine food preparation.

“It’s where I learned to make desserts,” he says. “But I realized savory was more my thing.”

The Londons closed their downtown patisserie in 1985 and operated Rock Hill Bake House in Greenwich for eight years.  Michael was using biodynamic flour in his baguettes before it became part of the vernacular, and sold his bread around the region and to establishments such as Le Bernardin and Dean & Deluca in New York City.

When Wendy and Michael moved to Paris for two years to hone their pastry-making skills (in preparation for the reopening of Mrs. London’s on Broadway in 1997), Max began sharpening his own skills by becoming chef at Eartha’s restaurant in Saratoga Springs, followed by a tenure in Manhattan working at Aureole and Bayard’s.

When restaurant space became available next door to his parents’ patisserie in late 2007, he jumped at the chance to open Max London’s at 466 Broadway.

In the restaurant’s open kitchen, where the wood-fired oven is the focal point, the 29-year-old chef puts a savory twist on the London legacy with his menu of salads, handmade pasta, grilled meats, as well as wood-fired pizza.

Much of the tapas, chorizo-infused dishes, and pizzas were inspired by Max’s travels through Spain and southern Italy. Witness the imaginative Chickpea Polenta Fries, Bleu Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Serrano Ham, and olive platters layered with Salumi and Manchego. 

Max says that the core of the menu was inspired by his travels to Spain and southern Italy.

“After working in fancy New York restaurants, I wanted to do something more rustic and approachable,” he explains. “The ingredients of Spain and the way they eat inspire me.”

He says the most popular menu choice are his pizzas, which he modeled after the masterpieces he tasted in Naples.

“I use a special kind of flour that makes a crust that’s crispy outside and chewy-soft on the inside. The flavors of the pizza are simple, but strong and distinct.” The varieties range from the traditional Margherita (tomato, basil, and house-made mozzarella) and Sausage (fennel sausage, caramelized onions, and smoked mozzarella) to the more adventurous Shrimp and Chorizo (rock shrimp, chorizo, mahon cheese and fresh chiles) and Mushroom (mushrooms, taleggio cheese, a baked local egg and truffle oil).

The menu’s entrees are featured in three sizes:  small, medium, and large plates. Max says it’s common for groups of people to order a table full of small plate selections and share them. 

Most important to Max, however, is the origin of his menu ingredients.  Though some are imported from Spain and Italy (olive oils, salumi, cheeses), he makes an effort to buy local and organic whenever possible.

Many of the cheeses, such as the chevre from Coach Farm in Pine Plains are local.  Eggs are procured from a flock of Heritage chickens at American Masala Farm in Hebron; rabbit is from WannaBea Farm in Shushan; potatoes, fava beans, squash and beans are from Sheldon Farms in Salem; and H. Childress and Sons supply the micro-greens for the salads.

Wendy and Michael haven’t let their patisserie get in the way of making the restaurant a family operation. While Michael works the floor and serves as host and sommelier, Wendy provides signature desserts of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Lemon Meringue Tartlettes, and Butterscotch Budino.

“Each day Max creates new small and large plates for the menu,” said Michael. “He just informed me that for tonight’s menu, he has 16 special items:  shaved local asparagus salad red wine vinaigrette Parmesan, Quinoa Mint Feta Salad, Morel mushroom bruschetta, grilled ricotta salata frissee with cherry compote guinciale and aged balsamic.”

Though the crowds at Max London’s are often well heeled, he says he really wants it to be a place for everyone – and relishes the idea of initiating the unfamiliar into the local food movement.

“I would hope people don’t judge us by our ambience or location,” he said with a smile. “We have something for everyone. Our small plates and pizzas are extremely affordable. Our medium plates range from $10 to $15, and then there’s our market-driven menu and large plates.”

Happy Hour, which is from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays features all pizzas for $9; $3 for East Coast draft beer; and $9 for quartinos (1/3 bottles of wine).

“We get a lot of families coming in for the first time who are pleasantly surprised,” he said. “Our BLT is the most popular pizza.  Depending on what’s ordered, you probably wouldn’t pay any more than at a chain restaurant.”

Suvir Saran and Charlie Burd of American Masala Farm aren’t just suppliers to Max London’s, but are true-blue fans.

“Charlie and I often go to Max London’s with our friends from the city, and some of our favorite meals ever eaten anywhere on the planet have been served there,” said Saran, who is also chef/owner of Devi restaurant in Manhattan and American Masala Restaurant in Jersey City, N.J.  “Max London’s fare is at once local, sustainable as can be, organic when possible, and always deliciously addictive. A huge rarity for this area, or for most parts of the country.”

”It’s called real food,” said Michael of his son’s menu. “The institutional food truck does not back up at Max London’s. The pigs and rabbits almost walk through the door.”

For more information, call (518) 587-3535, or visit www.maxlondons.com .