From New Orleans to New Milford

Did you know we have a celebrity chef in our midst? Chef Joel Viehland has planted roots in Northwest Connecticut and by early 2017, will have two establishments for his patrons to enjoy. Here is a little about his history, experience, and what he is doing to promote local food and farms:

Joel Viehland grew up in Milwaukee, the youngest of three children born to hardworking parents of modest means. By their example, Joel learned the valueof discipline, respect, and determination Joel’s mother loved to bake and cook for her family, and five nights a week, she did just that. Sunday was deemed “everyone fend for themselves” night. As far back as Joel can remember, he spent Sunday nights figuring out how to make a grilled cheese sandwich better.

With no aspirations to work in the restaurant industry, Joel took the job he could get: bus boy at a local restaurant where his sister worked. After spilling several glasses of ice water on an elderly woman, Joel was sent to the back of the house where he was put in front of the dishwasher. Shortly thereafter, he started in the dish room at Café Knickerbocker; within six months, he was running the pantry station under the supervision of Chef Robert Wagner. Joel’s quick uptake in the kitchen was apparent, but a formal culinary education was financially out of reach. Knowing this, Chef Wagner urged Joel to enter a recipe contest – the winner to receive a partial scholarship to Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts. With the help of Chef Wagner, Joel entered grilled scallops with infused chili oil and Japanese eggplant. Joel’s dish won for the State of Wisconsin and shortly thereafter, he was off to Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1997, with his culinary education complete, Joel moved to the Big Apple. He worked at Gramercy Tavern, helmed by Tom Colicchio (five-time James Beard Award recipient and judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef”), then for Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chef” Katy Sparks. Before there was an official farm-to-table movement, Katy was aligning with local farmers and artisans in order to produce seasonal dishes at her renowned NYC

restaurant Quilty’s. Joel cites Katy as influential in his career; “Katy is extremely intelligent and her techniques are astute and well-thought. She taught me how to train my palate to gain a better understanding of the science behind seasoning,” he said. All told, Joel spent three -and-a-half years in the New York culinary scene, with a sequence of very impressive mentors.

In 2001, Joel ventured south to New Orleans where he worked for Susan Spicer at Bayona, Donald Link at Herbsaint, Scott Boswell at Stella!, and Emeril Lagasse at Emeril’s. Joel fondly recalls his New Orleans experience, pointing to two important figures: Donald Link, who taught Joel how to make traditional Cajun food elegant by isolating the bold flavors in order to maximize their potential; and, Emeril Lagasse for being an amazingly competent communicator. “Emeril’s awareness was uncanny. He was able to quickly assess situations and explain exactly what he needed in an organized manner. He also was an excellent businessman and I learned a lot about the legal and financial side of the restaurant business,” said Joel. “Emeril was a gentleman who cared deeply about his staff. Never was this made clearer than in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated most of New Orleans. Emeril donated money, found lodging for his staff, and redistributed all employees to his other restaurants.”

Once the Emeril’s flagship location was back on the grid, Joel was dispatched to be tasting chef, responsible for writing, creating, ordering, and cooking the menu fully-dedicated to the VIPs who frequent the restaurant. The last eight years Joel spent in New Orleans was at Stella!, an innovative restaurant using relatively unique tools like Cryovacs and Pacojets – it was molecular gastronomy in its infancy and Joel was at the forefront.

Joel explained to me that trends in restaurants tend to follow art, fashion, and music. When he was deciding his next move, he considered all three. It was 2007, and El Bulli and Mugaritz, both in Spain, were considered the best restaurants in the world. However, Joel sensed the trends were favoring another direction: Nordic.

In order to confirm this hunch, Joel sent his sister-inlaw (who was attending college in Copenhagen) on a reconnaissance mission to check out Noma, as he believed it on track to be the next big thing. With her assurances, Joel applied for a position and was quickly brought on as an intern. Within two months, he was working as a stagier, plating and cooking at what would become “the Most Influential Restaurant in the World” in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 by Restaurant Magazine. In a 2015 documentary entitled Noma, My Perfect Storm, Executive Chef René Redzepi explained Noma’s simple core concept: “Time and place — every day, serve a meal that tells guests where they are in the world and what season it is.”

These days, reservations at Noma must be made at least four months in advance and sell out faster than a Rolling Stones concert. Once Joel’s work visa ran out, he was forced to return to the States with the understanding he would return to Noma once he could secure an extension. Shortly thereafter, a financial crisis struck Denmark and a freeze was placed on work visas. As a result, Joel was not able to go back.

Serendipitously, around this time, came an unexpected call. Katy Sparks had been brought in as the consulting chef for a new restaurant in rural Washington, Connecticut with “Nordic sensibilities:” Community Table. It was in search of an executive chef; Katy recommended Joel.

Within five years, Joel put Community Table on the culinary map, receiving a total of three James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef: Northeast and Best New Restaurant.

Itching to ignite the flame of his own vision, Joel left Community Table in 2015; in March 2016, Joel opened The Pine Leaf Café in a charming white cottage on the banks of the Aspetuck River in New Milford.

The Pine Leaf Café offers made-to-order seasonalbreakfast and lunch fare: soups, salads, sandwiches, and paninis. In keeping with his ethos, Joel works to incorporate organic and locally-sourced ingredients. For example, he uses Zero Prophet Coffee, a micro-roaster out of Washington, to supply roasted-fresh-to-order coffee beans. Joel is constantly hunting for native resources that provide humanely-raised, antibiotic-free proteins and non-GMO foods. The menu is simple, yet polished – all delicious and fresh. Open from April to December, you may enjoy indoor or outdoor seating, the latter offering a rippling river. (Side note: get the Cubano.)

The Pine Leaf Café is located at 354 Litchfield Rd., New Milford; it is open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sundays, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays).

Joel’s next endeavor is currently unnamed, but under construction in one of the oldest buildings in Kent. It will be a 70-seat restaurant featuring al fresco dining, craft beer, wood-fired pizza, and shared plates; it’s scheduled to open in spring 2017.

*Pine Leaf was a historically significant female Native American chief. She was captured and adopted by the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation as a child. She would go on to become one of their fiercest warriors. My favorite excerpt about her explains how she was named, written by one of her suitors, James Beckwourth. Pine Leaf refused his proposals of marriage multiple times, conceding she would marry him only “when the pine leaves turn yellow.” Beckwourth eventually realized that pine leaves do not turn yellow.

By Hilary Adorno

Photos by Winter Caplanson