Check out these great pictures from this year’s event. Doesn’t it bring back memories? Photos by studio404photography.com.
Archive for the ‘Chef Interview’ Category
Photos from the 2010 Sagebrush Classic!
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010Chef Tom Fleming: Exclusive Interview
Thursday, July 16th, 2009Chef Tom Fleming has been featured in Bon Appétit, Southern Living, Gourmet, Esquire, and USA Today, and won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant for his first restaurant, Brasserie Jo. Chef Fleming has cooked simple, perfect food at restaurants in Chicago, Texas and France. He’s now executive chef for Preferred Restaurant Services in Dallas, where his hearty regional American menu evolves with the seasons to feature the freshest seafood, wild game, local produce and a selection of steaks, and chicken, pork, and game items that are enhanced by slow cooking on an exhibition rotisserie. Fleming regularly flies in fresh ingredients from across the country to heighten the authenticity of the menu.
Dallas Chef Tom Fleming
Is it fun being a chef?
Yes. The best part is no two days are ever the same.
Give three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Sunny, ultra-cool, down-to-earth!
What is your least favorite fruit and why?
Ugli fruit… because it’s ugli!
You’ve been framed for murder by a vicious rival. What do you choose for your last meal?
Seared foie gras to start, followed by rack of lamb, than a cheese course.
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
First it was the thought of going to Bend, Oregon! Then I met the people involved, and the great work they are doing for the various charities. And did I mention Bend, Oregon?
Chef Cathy Whims: Exclusive Interview
Friday, July 10th, 2009As chef and co-owner of Nostrana, an Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, Cathy Whims has won numerous awards for her work, including two Restaurant of the Year awards and a nomination from the James Beard Foundation for “Best Chef in the Northwest” — pretty impressive for an Italian chef who is not actually Italian. Her cooking career began at Genoa, another Italian restaurant in Portland, where she flourished for 20 years and eventually became a co-owner. After leaving Genoa, she and three partners opened Nostrana, where the menu is dedicated to the simplicity and purity of regional Italian cooking. Whims always makes sure her food is nutritious, local, and sustainable.
Portland Chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana
What exciting new creations are you working on?
A ‘La Cucina Povera’ menu highlighting the rustic and thrifty dishes
of Italian cuisine.
Sounds recession-friendly. What about three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic?
Delicious, sporty and viniferous.
You have had some amazing accolades — including recently being nominated for James Beard Best Chef in the Northwest — what’s the secret to your success and the success of Nostrana?
Having an incredible team of cooks, waiters and managers working together to promote Nostrana. I think it is indicative of our style that ‘Nostrana’ actually means ours in Italian.
Radicchio-caesar salad at Nostrana
What are some of the most overrated — and underrated — seasonings?
Overrated is truffle oil. Most of it is fake!
Is there a food you just can’t bring yourself to like?
Deep fried grasshoppers, Oaxaca style.
A rival was so incensed by your recent accolades from the James Beard Foundation that they framed you for murder. What’s your last meal?
Bucatini amatriciana, lamb scottaditto and Roman-style deep fried artichokes.
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
Are you kidding – it’s a blast!
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done in a restaurant kitchen?
Dropped a 5 gallon container of yogurt all over my head.
Chef Matt Neltner: Exclusive Interview
Monday, July 6th, 2009Few people realize that Chef Matt Neltner uses beer in almost every item on the menu at the Deschutes Brewery pub in Bend. Chef Neltner’s emphasis is on fresh and handcrafted products with everything possible made on premise including the sausage, breads and mustard. Even the burgers come from freshly-ground, locally-farmed Borlen Cattle Company beef raised on Deschutes Brewery’s spent grain and hops.
Matt Neltner is executive chef at the Deschutes Brewery pub in Bend.
What’s the best part of working at Deschutes Brewery?
The best part of working at Deschutes Brewery is the people. The folks that I work with are a wonderful group of people who are dedicated to the craftsmanship of beer and food.
What exciting new creations are you working on?
I am putting out a new spring and summer menu with lots of fresh fish and salads with some fun beer-infused salad dressings. We are also getting ready for our 2nd Annual Chocolate Beer dinner, where all the food and all the beer are made with chocolate.
Give three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Delicious, gratifying, and inspiring.
Favorite Deschutes Brewery beer and why.
Mirror Pond Pale Ale. I love its balance. It pairs well with many types of food. Nostalgia… It is the first Deschutes beer I really got to know.
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
The Sagebrush Classic offers an opportunity to work with some of the country’s most creative chefs in an environment that benefits the community that I live in and love dearly.
Most embarrassing moment as a chef?
My most embarrassing moment probably came when I left a message for my beef order on my seafood purveyor’s machine and my seafood order on my beef purveyor’s. I did not find out that I did this until several weeks later. Both purveyors were familiar with each other so they called each other and straightened out my order without my being the wiser.
Chef Mary Sonnier: Exclusive Interview
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Chef Mary Sonnier is famous for her cocktails and her well-crafted renditions of New Orleans cuisine. Bon Appetit, Southern Living, Esquire, Travel & Leisure and Gourmet repeatedly praised Gabrielle, the restaurant she and her husband Greg opened in 1992, for its excellence in contemporary Creole cooking. Sadly, Gabrielle had to shut its doors due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. Chef Mary Sonnier has been featured on “The New Garde,” a television series produced by Great Chefs Television Productions, and hosts a show called “The Chef Show” on a local public radio station in New Orleans. She and Greg now own a beautiful catering and special events facility called the Uptowner located in the heart of New Orleans.
- New Orleans Chefs Mary and Greg Sonnier
What exciting new creations are you working on?
For the last two years I have been producing specialty syrups made from flower petals such as rose and lavender. I use them in desserts and cocktails.
Give three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Fun, fun, fun.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done in a restaurant kitchen?
Very early in my career (the first week), I lost a band aid in a batch of sausage.
What are some of the most overrated — and underrated – seasonings?
I can’t think of one that I would call “overrated”, when it’s called for. Underrated – salt, pepper and lemon (both juice and zest).
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
I will do anything to get out of New Orleans in the middle of July! (Laughs) Honestly, we love visiting Bend in the summer because the weather is great, beautiful surroundings and great outdoor activities — but it is the people that we have met here and the relationships that we’ve forged over the years that keep us coming back as long as we are welcome!
You’ve been framed for murder by an evil rival. What would you choose for your last meal?
This is all very traditional fare, however I would demand that it be perfectly prepared:
- Old Fashioned Cocktail (made the way I like)
- Crab au Gratin with crusty New Orleans-style French Bread
- Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
- Romaine and Creole Tomato Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, Bacon and Hard-boiled Eggs
- Sauteed Speckled Trout with Crab and Meuniere
- (This would all be washed down with a great Pouily Montrachet)
- Aged Prime Sirloin Strip with Sizzling Garlic Butter and Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Chives
- Sauteed Arugula with Garlic and Pepperoncini
- A nice cheese selection
- The best 1961 Bordeaux that money could buy.
- Homemade Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream; scoop of The Best Vanilla Ice Cream available; fresh wild strawberries
- Billecart Salmon Rose
Is there a food you just can’t bring yourself to like?
Liver and brains.
Chef Ken Frank: Exclusive Interview
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Chef Ken Frank was 21 years old when he made reviews in the Los Angeles Times and Westways magazine as the head of the kitchen at La Guillotine. He’s been called a “wunderkind,” and “Sinatra of the stockpots.” But he also made a name for himself as an outspoken and unusually candid critic of the restaurant industry who declaims food that is all flair and no flavor. His outstanding seasonal, locally-sourced dishes at La Toque are legend. “The trick is for it to always taste as good as it looks,” he says.
Chef Ken Frank at La Toque in Napa
What exciting new creations are you working on?
I don’t really “work” on new things — they happen in an instant and not usually when I’m trying. I love what I do — going to work is not work. Cooking is my passion.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done in a restaurant kitchen?
If I could remember I wouldn’t tell.
What are some of the most overrated — and underrated — seasonings?
Overrated is foam, underrated is salt and pepper.
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
Great camaraderie among the Sagebrush Classic chefs!
A crème brûlée at La Toque
La Toque is in Napa and the menu has a strong emphasis on wine. How do you feel about pairing food with beer?
Winemakers will tell you it takes a lot of beer to make good wine — the same is true in the kitchen.
Is there a food you just can’t bring yourself to like?
Milk.
You always say taste is more important than theatrics when it comes to food. What’s the most theatrical dish you had in a restaurant that didn’t deliver on taste?
A very, very expensive chilled “molecular” style tomato soup that was bubbling and smoking but didn’t taste any better than V-8.
I can’t believe you don’t like milk.
Milk is gross. That being said, I cook with plenty of dairy and I love stinky cheese. Just that a cold glass of milk is disgusting.
Chef Michael Smith: Exclusive Interview
Thursday, June 4th, 2009Chef Michael Smith is the owner of Extra Virgin, one of the hottest new restaurants in Kansas City. A culinary rock star who was the official spokesman for major brands such as Grey Poupon, Chef Smith was named a James Beard semi-finalist in 2009. His recipes have been featured in numerous publications both locally and nationally including Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator.
Is it fun being a chef?
It is fun when you have the tools and resources to do what you want at any time! As an owner/chef I get a lot more leeway in defining my role.
What exciting new creations are you working on?
Working on summer menus for my new Extra Virgin tapas restaurant. I’m always working on new offal (organs) recipes.
What’s a dish that is very “Michael Smith”?
“Grilled Baby Octopus with Roasted Red Bell Peppers & Fingerling Potatoes.” It is a very simple grilled seafood dish that takes me back to my days working and traveling in Southern Europe.
Pick three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Hospitality, beautiful, generous.
One of your rivals was driven to extreme jealousy by Extra Virgin’s explosive success, and frames you for murder. What do you choose for your last meal?
Too hard to choose!
Come on, you have to pick something.
Depends on what the previous meal was. I love sushi, Thai food, rib eye steaks and pasta.
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic?
My mother lives in Eugene and I thought it might be a great way to see her, be part of a great cause and cook with some old friends.
Chef Jackie Lau: Exclusive Interview
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Gary Fish, founder of Deschutes Brewery, and his family met Chef Jackie Lau when they were visiting Hawaii. They were so wowed by her food that they invited her to cook for the Sagebrush Classic.
Chef Jackie Lau
Chef Lau has cooked with some of the best chefs in the world, including Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. She was featured on the TV series “Great Chefs of the World” and she participates in many prestigious culinary events including the Great American Seafood Cookoff, Aspen Food and Wine Festival, The James Beard House dinner and The World Gourmet Summit.
Is it fun being a chef?
Love being a chef! I get to meet wonderful people, make lots of friends who love the same things I do: FOOD! There is a excitement that renews itself daily that you don’t get from a lot of other careers.
What’s it like being a chef in Hawaii? I bet it gets really hot in the kitchen.
I have to say the best part of being a chef in Hawaii is the bonding friendship that you have with other chefs in the business. We all help each other out and work together and everyone pitches in if they can. You don’t see that too often in other places.
And yes it does get hot here, but we have a great view of the ocean and we can always step out side and feel the cool breeze!
What exciting new creations are you working on?
Wild boar. We have an overload of Macadamia nuts right now and there are a lot of wild pigs feeding off of them. Hunters catch them and have them inspected and processed on the Big Island. We have been having lots of fun working with this product.
Give three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Only three? Enthusiastic: Can’t wait to go and hang out with everyone again. Comfortable: After all these years, I love going to Bend, I feel like I could almost live there. Fantastic: Every year the Sagebrush outdoes itself.
You’ve been framed for murder by a jealous rival. What would you choose for your last meal?
Anything as long as it is shared with friends, outside sitting around a fire having cocktails. Mary Sonnier would have to be there for sure — she makes the BEST DRINKS!
What made you want to take part in the Sagebrush Classic Feast?
It is a great event! And I do alot of events, this is one of the best. Not only do you get to cook for a great cause, but you also get to be there with friends. There is nothing better.
Chef Scott Neuman – Exclusive Interview
Sunday, May 17th, 2009Chef Scott Neuman has always loved playing with his food. Chef Neuman is now executive chef at the Nuevo Latino restaurant Oba!, which Willamette Week named Restaurant of the Year and the New York Times called “the best place to eat while in Portland.”
Chef Scott Neuman at the Sagebrush Classic
Chef Neuman has also been hosting the radio show “Dining Out in the Northwest” for over 8 years. He has had over 350 different guests including Iron Chef Morimoto and Graham Kerr the Galloping Gourmet, so he’s usually on the other side of the interview — but we caught up with him to pick his brain about food, cooking and the Deschutes Brewery Sagebrush Classic.
Who influenced your cooking the most?
My father – he was a barbecue aficionado and I loved cooking with him. I grew up in Texas where we shared entire weekends cooking on the grill. He also loved to eat at great restaurants… I grew up thinking restaurants were magical places and couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen to learn to be the magician.
Macademia nut encrusted swordfish with coconut rice and sundried tomato pesto at Oba! Restaurante
Three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Enchanting, exciting,
inviting!
What kind of music do you listen to in the kitchen?
We listen to a little bit of everything – salsa, jazz, 80’s, classic rock, disco, alternative-it depends on the time of day and who’s working in the kitchen. But I don’t allow the music to be playing during service because I don’t want the distraction!
Most underrated and overrated seasonings?
Probably most important to me is salt! That being said, I’m personally burned out on both saffron and rosemary at the moment, but can’t get enough of Pasilla de Oaxaca- it’s smoky, spicy and totally delicious. And coriander always seems to work with the foods I love.
You’ve been framed for a horrible crime by an evil rival. What’s your last meal?
Being from Texas, I think my choice would be a good ol’ chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes; or tacos al pastor from my favorite taqueria in Mexico City.
What makes you want to cook for the Sagebrush Classic?
The very first time I was invited, I remember staring at the list of chefs coming to Sagebrush, and being in awe of the legendary chefs that participated that year. After seven invites, it is still such an honor to be one of them. The people of Bend really embrace the event, and it does wonderful things for the Deschutes Children’s Foundation. And the folks from Deschutes really do it right.
Chef Jen Jasinski: Exclusive Interview
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
For the first part in our series of exclusive interviews with world-class Sagebrush chefs, we spoke to Chef Jen Jasinski of Denver’s most critically-acclaimed restaurant, Rioja. Chef Jasinski made Dean’s List when she studied at the Culinary Institute of America, of course, and went on to cook alongside top chef Wolfgang Puck. She’s been named Chef of the Year, Best New Chef, Rising Star and more by various culinary institutions. She also appeared on the Food Network’s Thanksgiving Challenge.
In her spare time, Chef Jasinski enjoys traveling, mountain biking and skiing with her family and friends.
What made you want to be a chef?
I love food and I love the artistic side of creating delicious dishes. I also like the instant gratification of making people happy.
Are you working on any exciting new creations?
Always! We have a great new chilled English pea soup with morel mushroom, haricot vert salad with crispy pieces of gauncaile (an unsmoked Italian bacon).
Give three adjectives to describe the Sagebrush Classic.
Beautiful, fun, great people (not really an adjective). It’s a great charity that has some incredible chefs.
What is your least favorite fruit and why?
Durian or Jack fruit. It stinks.
You’ve been framed for a murder by a jealous rival and sentenced to death. What do you ask for your last meal?
Super sweet corn on the cob with butter and salt.
Advice for pairing beer with food?
Drink, drink, drink. Try to pick out specific flavors and replicate them in your food. Maybe there’s a citrus aftertaste. Then you can do something with tangerine – like that.