SUMMER/FALL EDITION 2019, VOL. 10
PEPPERS,
Ports Seafood:
LOVE &
Reverance for
PIMENT
Riverance
D'VILLE
Inside Famed Steelhead Trout from Idaho’s Snake River
with Nacho & Kendra
Bespoke
Riverance Farms American Treasure Competition Winner! Rio Grill, Horseradish Crusted Red Rainbow Trout, by Chef Eduardo Coronel (DN)
oh,
Di Stefano
Canada!
Burrata
Celebrating Our CW Territory's Great Culinary Diversity
At Marin, CA's Guesthouse
NIMAN RANCH
LAMB TOUR CRAFT BEER+
the SUMMER CLUB
MUST LIST
AND:
CUGINI SPARKLING SODA
FABRIQUE
DELICES
CW WINES
GUESTHOUSE
PAHRUMP VALLEY WINERY
Summer's Bounty
By Bruce Luong Executive Vice President West Coast and Canada The Chefs' Warehouse
After all the rain of fall and winter, we find ourselves enjoying the bold summer sunshine and hopefully some relaxing days where we can bask in all the wonderful things (and ingredients) this bright season has to offer. In keeping with this gratitude for nature’s seasonal gifts, in this edition of CW Magazine West Coast, we "throw some love" to our beloved boutique farmers who work tirelessly and passionately to provide us and our chefs with the most wonderfully fresh, delicious, earth-people conscious ingredients procurable. From the peppers from the farms of Piment d’Ville in Anderson Valley, to Niman Ranch’s Lamb Family Farmers from Montezuma Hills, CA, and Oregon, to our much esteemed and promising new collaboration with the unparalleled generation of family farmers who make up Bassian Farms, we are honored to support our small quality farmers in every way possible. Our farmers and esteemed purveyors are at the heart of everything we do at CW and their stories are as fascinating as the dishes our chefs create with the bounty of their harvests. It is a great honor that The Chefs' Warehouse has become synonymous with the finest, cleangreen, high end, and down-home ingredients the world has to offer. May this summer bring you and yours all the success and satisfaction you deserve in this season of dining outdoors, barbecues, al fresco brunches and lunches, sunsets with cocktails or mock-tails and endlessly creative small plates. Let’s enjoy every minute of it.
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The Chefs’ Warehouse Magazine, West SUMMER / FALL EDITION 2019 FEATURES
Bespoke Di Stefano Burrata
16
8
35
Niman Lamb Tour
Oh, Canada!
A Better Boiron
The secret behind Niman Ranch’s quality lamb has everything to do with their carefully selected lamb farmers, a rich crew five generations deep.
From old-school Edmonton, modern Vancouver, to trending Toronto, and all points in between Canada’s incredible culinary scene.
What’s new with Boiron? NEW packaging designed to protect their most flavorful assets, PLUS: An exciting summer recipe from CW’s Francois Mellet.
With a myriad of creative application possibilities Burrata is summer’s sweetheart ingredient al fresco!
DEPARTMENTS
20
Cugini Sparking Grape Beverage
4
Farmed Steelhead Trout Tour
26
Pahrump Valley Winery
24
Pimente D'Ville
Meet the sisters behind the PNW's sparkling sparkler
Port Seafood’s Matt Watson (and team) visit Riverence Farms
10
A farm-to-table winery in Nevada? Move over Napa!
7
The sweet/spicy Basque red chile chefs can't get enough of
The Summer Club Must List It’s club season! And it's all about healthier tastes. Get the 2019 ingredient fireworks.
30
Fabrique Délices NorCal’s local delicacy and Petaluma’s trending ‘Pub Republic’ celebrate summer with sausage/ craft beer pairings.
July – October 2019 | 3
PORTS SEAFOOD
Reverance for
Riverence STEELHEAD TROUT by Kelli Colaco
R
IVERENCE STEELHEAD TROUT is raised along Idaho’s Snake River in pure Rocky Mountain Water as a land-based, outdoor flow-through raceway farm that produces world-class fish in their native waters with minimal impact to oceans, rivers, and wild fish populations. Therefore when the Riverence folks invited Del Monte/Ports Seafood top reps and specialists to tour their amazing farming facilities in Idaho, the general response was, "When do we leave?!"
CHEFS HAVE COME TO KNOW that CW/Del Monte/Ports has an ingrained passion and dedication to supporting sustainable quality farmers such as Riverence. It is also becoming common knowledge that our reps and specialists literally go the extra mile to ensure we offer our chefs the detailed "down low" on the exceptional ingredients we carry to support the creations of their one-of-a-kind menus. Below, Matt Watson of Ports Seafood, Del Monte Meat Company, offers the play by play of the Riverence Tour he attended last April with fellow Ports/Del Monte reps, Donny Loftis, Melinda Liddicote, Michael Christie, and Matt Watson, as well as some specialist insights on the benefits of enjoying quality, sustainable seafood. "Our Ports Seafood crew traveled to Washington State where we toured the egg production facility. We then drove to Idaho where Riverence General Managers walked us through the grow-out farms and processing facilities, conversing and answering our many questions along the way. A highlight was the hatchery, where we got to feed the fingerlings (baby steelhead), which is always the highlight! In the evenings, we went to dinner where we got to know each other and discuss opportunities for River-
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ence in SF. The Riverence Steelhead Trout Tour gave us great information on what it takes to create such a superior fish. Riverence's expertise and facilities are second to none, which informs why they are leading the market in the sustainable and traceable growing of Steelhead trout. Riverence manages everything in house, and is very proud to know exactly how their fish make it to your restaurant. As one of our top reps Michael Christie said so well, “Riverence checks every box. You don’t have to choose between sustainability or consistency.” The biggest takeaway for our chefs is that Riverence Steelhead Trout is delicious! Much of this is due to the fact that Riverence cares for its fish from egg to plate. It is becoming more and more clear that Americans need to eat more seafood. Whether it’s Riverence or not, everyone can benefit from consuming seafood high in Omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association says consuming seafood two times a week helps reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36%!
“
Over 90% of our world’s fisheries are over-fished or at capacity, so fish farming is a great way to alleviate pressure on ocean fish while getting the heart health benefits of seafood. Whether you’re a chef creating a menu or a parent feeding your family, explore the world of seafood." Matt Watson from Ports Seafood/Del Monte
Michael Christie, Matt Watson, , Melinda Liddicote and Todd English.
American Treasure Chef Competition Produced by Riverence Steelhead Trout America’s local food resources are a national treasure of great worth, and an art form worth perfecting. In celebration of our amazing American purveyors and chefs, this past spring Riverence held the “American Treasure Chef Competition which consisted of dishes featuring Riverence, spring water Steelhead Trout from Idaho along with ingredients native to America. The competition was judged by James Beard Award Winning Chef, Giuseppe Tentori, of Boka in Chicago who evaluated participating dishes for creativity, aesthetic, and inclusion of sustainable ingredients from the United States. WINNER! Rio Grill (on cover), Horseradish Crusted Red Rainbow Trout, Eduardo Coronel (DN) won a feature in CW Magazine, a trip for two to Riverence Farms OR $500.00, Featured credit in upcoming American Treasure Cookbook 2020, and extensive social media shout-outs.
Riverence STEELHEAD TROUT are the gold standard of five-star flavor. They offer 4-6 oz, 6-8 oz, 8-10 oz, and 10-12 oz hand-trimmed, ready-to-cook, pinbone-free fillets.
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July – October 2019 | 5
REVERANCE FOR RIVERENCE, cont.
OFFER YOUR GUESTS THE BEST, FROM START TO FINISH. Terre Bormane Riviera Ligure is an exquisite D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil from Liguria. Delicate, aromatic, and award-winning.
Watershed- Riverence Tomatillo Gravlax (DN), Nate Overstreet
Riviera Ligure is produced with hand-picked olives from certiďŹ ed "taggiasca" cultivar olives groves.
The Shadowbrook pan-seared Reverence Steelhead with potatoes and Brussel Sprouts, Mike Cameron
American Treasure Chef Competition Produced by Riverence Steelhead Trout Winner: Rio Grill in Carmel, Chef Eduardo and Lynne (see cover). From judge Chef Guiseppe: "Unique presentation, nice texture on the plate with the vegetables. And the contrast from the pesto, very refreshing." *Chef Eduardo wins a trip for 2 to the farms -or- $50 | *Lynne receives $500 AND: CW/Ports/Del Monte Rep Matt Watson won $500.00 for registering the most chef competitors in American Treasure Competition. Get the full list at: CWmag.com/Reverence
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Considered the best of Liguria.
BROADWAY
Perspectives from
Chef Amar Santana Executive Chef/Owner of
Broadway by Amar Santana Seasonal New American small plates served amidst industrial New York-themed decor & an open kitchen.
Interviews by Kelli Colaco photos by Sarah King
Avocado Sorbet, Citrus Sesame Dressing, Cilanto, Wasabi Tobiko
BORN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Chef Amar Santana migrated to the US at the age of 13 and his family settled in Queens, NY. During his sophomore year in high school, an accidental enrollment into a cooking course, sponsored by Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), forever changed his life. At the age of 14 Chef Amar lost his father to a brain tumor and became the chief provider for his family. This, along with his natural talent and drive in the kitchen, propelled Chef Amar to an internship at Chef David Waltuck’s Chanterelle, winning a C-CAP competition working in London's prestigious Le Cordon Blue, attending C.I.A. (on full scholarship), being hired as Robert Dinero's private chef, running the kitchen at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's, South Coast Plaza (at 25), getting to the finals of Top Chef, and finally opening Vaca in Laguna Beach, CA, followed by opening his own venue (also in Laguna) for the past nine years: Broadway by Amar Santana.
Chef Perspective by, Amar Santana: The biggest difference between West Coast and East is chef community. "In NYC every chef knows every chef. You go to the one bar that all the chefs and cooks go to and you talk about food and life and this sets a great community. When I moved here I didn’t see that. Here you don’t have that fun community yet. We do all this all day long. We don’t need to have beef with other chefs. All the recipes have been written. No one is reinventing the wheel. It’s much better if we support each-other and share our community. This way of being greatly benefits the food of an area as well. Which is why nothing compares to New York City."
July – October 2019 | 7
BROADWAY cont.
L: Japanese Hamachi Sashimi, R: Braised New Zealand Lamb Shank, White Bean, Lamb Bacon, Kalamata Olives, Roasted Bell Pepper, Wilted Greens
Share an achievement as a chef "The biggest was making it to the finale of Top Chef. I had no expectations. The producers of the show had me down as the chubby Latino guy from Orange County with the mohawk, ‘what the hell does he know?’ They thought I would be eliminated in the second or third show. But then I was winning and they were like, ‘Whoa, I think we have something.' Halfway through the run of the show they knew I was going to make it to the final show so they reached out to my mentor Charlie Palmer and had him ready to come on the night. I was just being myself. I wasn’t talking s-t about the other chefs. I didn’t want people seeing me after the show was out and saying, ‘Hey there’s the a-hole from Top Chef.’ So people would see me and say, ‘Hey, I saw your story on Top Chef, and I connected to that."
Top Chef Contender Expectations? "I had no idea. I didn’t know how hard it was. The production aspect is very difficult. The waiting, the challenges, the buying, the set up a restaurant. Compete with lunch and dinner the same day. You’d finish at like 1:00 am and then they’d still like to elimination challenge and I’m like ‘No.’ I will sleep in my clothes for continuity, but we can’t do it today."
"When I was a teenager, starting in the kitchen, my first mentor was teaching me how to make a basic rice dish and I said, ‘I want to do something more exciting.’ So I made Spanish rice and threw in a lot of fresh flavorful ingredients and I had my mentor try it and he said, ‘Okay, this is actually really good.’ And then he said ‘Let me tell you something, you know when you are a real success when you are making a lot of money with people buying your rice dishes.’ I carried that thought with me and many many years later I opened Vaca here and we were making paella and everyone loved it and was buying it up. And my mentor came for a visit, because we are still close, and he said ‘See! I told you. People are buying your rice and you are a big success!’ This was a big full circle moment for me."
At the heart of ambition. "My father got a brain tumor when I was 14 years old. When he passed I became suddenly the man of the family. Initially, I got into the kitchen to make money to support my family. I worked harder than anyone and fortunately I had a lot of natural talent. I pushed myself hard so that I could move up in the kitchen because I needed to make more money for my family. Later cooking became about pushing myself creatively and enjoying pleasing the people who came to the restaurant." Chef Amar buys Calrose Sushi Rice, Jasmine Rice, Arborio
A symbolic ingredient. 8 | CWmag.com
Rice, and Bomba Rice (and much more!) from CW.
Inspired by the theaters in New York City, award-winning Chef Amar Santana, along with his partners Ahmed Labbate and Rich Cadarette, create an atmosphere where the food becomes the main show. The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the creativity of Chef Amar Santana and his version of Modern Cuisine of The Americas. It features top quality ingredients from CW, with a focus on local farms who can provide the menu’s seasonal requirements.
L A G U N A
B E A C H
Photography by Andrew Steelman
The speed of the leader is the speed of the game. CW Mag gets up close and personal with multi-talented dynamo, Regional VP, SoCal, Tina Roberts who leads by example and isn’t afraid to put on a chicken suit. Why this line of work. "Like so many, I got into the food industry by mistake. One of the aspects that I love is that this industry is recession proof. People need to eat. If you have a passion and talent, it is a major plus. I think I have the best job in the company because I get to choose who I work with everyday. I take my work very seriously but I’m also a bit of a goof. I have no problem dressing up in a chicken outfit. I wear a lot of costumes. I try to make people laugh. Do a skit. Play a game. You have to be authentic. I am a straight shooter. I don’t play a lot of games. I don’t want my team to have to guess where there stand. I don’t want to have to guess where I stand."
table. I don’t wait for an invite. I say ‘Hey I want to be in that group.’ ‘I want to run that!’ Both my parents never said I couldn’t do something. They always said, ‘If you want it. You can do it.’ I grew up hunting and fishing in Idaho. We didn’t have fences. Fences are something for me that I think, ‘Oh we can just go around, or through.’"
Something hardly anyone knows about you. "I’m currently working on my pilot's license to fly and in the next 30 days I will be certified for Submarine Piloting. My husband and I own a submarine. That is my goal: to have the deepest solo dive for a woman in the ocean."
How do you inspire?
Motto. "The speed of the leader is the speed of the game."
What is the key to your success? "I’ve had amazing mentors. You have to be coachable. I ask what could I have done better? I’ve always demanded a seat at the
"You have to be up. My energy is so reflected in my team. So you have to be on. You have to be excited and passionate. I believe in debate. I tell my team be my solution not my problem. Find the solution. My team likes to say about a problem, ‘this is how we eat our young."
and passion. I don’t want people to match me, but I want their energy to match mine in their own unique way. Everybody’s an ingredient."
Something you love outside of CW. "I love to scuba dive. In sales everyone wants something from you and you are always on the go. When you dive, everything is quiet. I love the bubbles and the stillness. It is my peaceful place."
Advice to women on the career success trajectory. "I never think about being a woman. I walk in the room as a person. I have these attributes, skills, tools etc. I don’t gender set. As long as you always bring value the rest doesn’t matter. The question of power is not about being a women or not, it is only ever about power. I owned a meat company with 80 men working for me. I had to be of that skill set to handle the job. I wasn’t, and am still not afraid to load a truck or sweep floors. I am not above anything to get the job done right."
What do you look for in your team? "You have to have some swagger, confidence
MarchJuly – June – October 2019 2019 | 27 | 9
The
SUMMER CLUB MUST LIST
IT’S CLUB SEASON! And there’s no better time to upgrade your Food & Beverage menus.
The rise of natural, clean ingredients and veggiecentric cuisine is here to stay. Sure, some still want their ribeye, but just as many want pure, plant proteins.
From evolving demographics, finances, cultural shifts and membership interests, change is afoot with the club set. Clubs are trending younger, relaxing their dress codes and policies. The membership palates are evolving and growing savvier, as well. We’ve tracked the club food and drink trends for 2019, and offer these five ingredient ideas for upgrading your membership experience, growing new revenue, and keeping your members happy.
THE NEW MEAT The newest meat on the menu isn’t meat at all. Beyond Burger is trending, healthful, and sustainable.
Beyond Burger is meatier, jucier, and delivers all the flavor, aroma, and beefiness of meat from cows.
Looking for that "secret ingredient?" Try Maine Sea Kelp. Supercharge your smoothies, soups, and add texture to your wood-fired pizza with Sea Kelp Cubes. And use nutrient-rich Kelp Rounds in your favorite salads, sandwiches, and recipes.
HEALTHY TASTES Clean ingredients and veggie-centric cuisine.
We work with ingredient-driven chefs, and we hope that regardless of the current food trends, that our customers will continue to rely on us for those wholesome ingredients that will set themselves apart, and promote the well-being of their diners. Move over prime rib. The clubhouse’s biggest trend? New meat cuts like shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip, and Merlot cut. Not only are chefs finding tasty new ways to utilize these lesser-known cuts, but also, these cuts offer big savings.
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ETHNIC CUISINE
As clubs trend younger, the desire for expanded culinary borders only grows. Infuse your club menu with food-truck fusion, and smash up some international flavor with your popular American classics. From Latin to Mexican, Caribbean jerk, Greek tzatziki, Thai curry, Japanese wasabi and Cajun sauce. And, add chorizo to your omelette!
BAR & MOCKTAILS BEVERAGE'S B IGG Remember the
R END TT ES
Mocktail. Don’t forget that your bar is your greatest profit center, and the Mocktail refrresher remains the big trend in Beverage programs. From purees to kombucha, Bloody Mary's with thai-salad crackle, to sparkling sodas, craft a healthy dollop of creativity and promote unique, tasty sippers that will keep your club members in their seats. Take note of the low-ABV. A well-curated bar menu filled with nuanced ingredients like Portland’s sweet-tart PokPok Drinking Vinegar will keep those rounds a-coming.
? THE MO C
KT
Need inspiration? CW has an expansive range of world's best charcuterie and gourmet cheese. Log in to ChefsWarehouse.com!
L. AI
forward, don’t REINVENTING Asforgetfasttoaslookwe move back. Some of the ideas in club food are reTHE CLASSICS trendiest inventing the classics with finesse. Reinvigorate the classic Caesar, recraft a winning Beef Wellington, and resurrect a super shrimp cocktail with remakes worthy of the best ingredients. Be bold and make them exciting, loud, and fun! From our Xtraordinary Whites, Xtraordinary Tigers, and ABC P&Ds, all are 4-Star Rated using the best aquaculture practices, no antibiotics, hormones, or chemical additives.
July – October 2019 | 11
Oh, Canada! by Sean Jeremy Palmer
From Vancouver Salmon to Alberta Beef and Toronto Flair, join our search for authentic Canadian Cuisine.
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HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW CANADA? FROM ITS FRIGID ARCTIC, THROUGH ITS MAJESTIC ROCKIES, rolling prairies, down its pristine waterways, under its open skies, and through its boreal forests rise some of the world’s most exciting cities and eclectic cuisines. With its fresh local salmon, pure maple syrup, Alberta’s heralded beef, and acclaimed ethnic street food, Canadian cuisine boasts much more than many are aware. One of the world’s most multicultural countries, Canada has a culinary scene unlike any other. And just like its people, Canada is rich, fresh, innovative, and steeped in culture. With fork in hand, CW Magazine set out on a great culinary race to discover Canada’s culinary authenticity: a search for the true Canadiana. Join us!
A view from Banff's Sulphur Mountain Restaurant
AUTHENTICALLY CANADIAN. To many, Canada’s distinct authenticity is found on the restaurant menus showcasing its distinctly local ingredients. From Banff’s renowned Maple Leaf and Sulphur Mountain Restaurant menus showcasing local game, BC fish, freshly shucked Canadian oysters, and Calgary’s Cattle Baron Restaurant's full menu of local Alberta Beef. Canadian authenticity runs deep into its growing aboriginal and indigenous cuisines. Combining ancient rural preparation methods and local proteins such as bison, moose, and deer, these venues are on the rise all across the country.
Indigenous chef Joseph Shawana.
An entree from Boralia Settlement.
Toronto’s Boralia Settlement features cured trout grilled over cedar branches, pan-roasted elk, and sweetbreads, and along with Salmon n’ Bannock, Vancouver’s only First Nations restaurant, are by their very natures decolonizing and repatriating Canadian cuisine.
THE "SOCIABLE" CANADIAN COCKTAIL.
A Canadian whiskey cocktail.
While Canadian’s have their whiskeys and their Ontario ice wine, there is nothing more Canadian than the wildly popular Caesar cocktail. It’s so popular they dedicate entire festivals to it. Known as the Bloody Mary’s more adventurous Canadian cousin that drinks like a meal, the Caesar starts with a tomato vodka base, a celery salt rim, clam juice, Tobasco, Worchestershire, horseradish… BC’s Score on Davie’s Caesar cocktail is so amped up, fully-loaded, and go-for-broke, it includes roasted chicken, a pulled pork Sriracha-glazed slider, onion rings, chicken wings, a pulled pork mac and cheese hot dog, a burger, AND…a brownie for dessert! It’s an inspired stroke of lunacy you’ve got to see to believe.
Ontario Ice Wine.
The fully loaded Caesar from Vancouver's Score on Davie.
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July – October 2019 | 13
Oh, CanadA! cont. Where Poutine is routine.
Jewish Delicatessen Rose & Sons.
The sushi burrito.
Tibetan Momo.
AUTHENTICALLY FRENCH?
A CULINARY MELTING POT.
Many argue that Canada’s true cuisine heralds back to its Quebecoise roots of tourtières, pâté chinois (think French shepherd’s pie), and the most famous poutine – fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Often considered Canada’s national dish, poutine is ubiquitous to menus across the country with just as wide an array of regional culinary spins: topped with scallop, shrimp, and crayfish sauce, served meaty with butter chicken and pulled pork,and even vegan-style with miso gravy, kale chips, and vegan cheese.
Finding the authentic Canadian cuisine becomes increasingly difficult the more you travel around, with over 200 languages and cultures. Nowhere is this culinary diversity on fuller display than in Toronto, home to six Chinatowns. Here you’ll also find Koreatown, Greektown, Little Italy, and Little India. World cuisines are available throughout the city, including Portuguese, Hungarian, Japanese, and Caribbean.
kvetching over Chef Anthony Rose’s matzoh ball soup and trending Calgary/Edmonton Food Halls giving birth to a range of fast-casual fusion.
Gregarious gastrophiles can find Ukranian pierogi parlours, best-ever Tibetan momo, Vietnamese, Cuban, Korean, Brazilian, Pan Asian, and a surge of Syrian cuisine. And you’ve got Torontoans
And as evidenced by chefs Carolyn Reid (Scaramouche), Anthony Rose (Rose & Sons), and Curtis Luk (Mission), the diversity of Canada’s veritable cultural stew is only just beginning.
You’ll find poutine variations like "La T-Rex," topped with ground beef, pepperoni, bacon, and hot-dog sausage, "La Mexicaine," a mix of hot peppers, tomatoes, and black olives. And at Toronto’s Lobster Monster, their poutine-bestseller’s slathered in melted mozzarella, chunks of lobster, smothered in lobster bisque, with a side of Canadian maple syrup? Authentically French, indeed.
When it comes to identity, few things define Canadians as well as their food and their Chefs.
There's no shortage of mouth-watering culinary combinations, from Chinese-Jamaican to JapaneseItalian. There’s also Newfoundland-Cajun-Korean, Frenchinfused Mexican, Bangladesh-Indian tacos, Indian-style Chinese, and Korean-Japanese-Mexican burritos.
L to R: Carolyn Reid (Scarmouche), Curtis Luk (Mission), and Anthony Rose (Rose & Sons).
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New & Notable.
Plant-Based Barry-Callebaut's
FORA BUTTER
RUBY COUVERTURE
BUTTER MADE OUT OF CHICKPEAS? Brooklyn-based vegan company, Fora Foods has perfected the recipe for a new plant-based butter called ForaButter, made using aquafaba, the brine water that is leftover when cooking chickpeas. It's creamy, buttery, and delicious.
Ruby chocolate is made from the ruby cocoa bean. It’s a gift from mother nature and a completely new taste experience. Found in Ecuador, Brazil and Ivory Coast, and now through CW!
La Quercia
Speck Americano Made in Iowa and smoked with applewood, this is exceptional prosciutto for the sophisticated palate. The evocative aroma and warm flavor of a wood fire make this a familiar eating experience; the natural sweet flavor of the aged prosciutto offers delicate contrast.
Soom Organic
Sesame Tahini A paste made from 100% roasted and pressed organic Ethiopian White Humera sesame seeds offering a creamy texture and a nutty flavor. This nutritious, delicious, and versatile ingredient is lauded in both savory and sweet applications. Soom Tahini is Gluten-free, Vegan, Kosher and nonGMO.
Maui Food’s
Kitchen Sink Cookie
Lutosa
Belgian French Fries
Offer the fresh-baked cookie that’s literally got everything: Pretzels, Butterscotch, Granola, Raisins, Potato Chips, Almonds, Coconut, Coffee, and Chocolate.
Go poutine! Award-winning Lutosa Belgian fries are highly regarded for their superior taste. This is the real and authentic Belgian Fry. With their irregular cut, they're like hand-cut fries from home. Exclusively crafted from selected Bintje Potateoes and known for their smooth texture inside, crispiness outside, and perfect golden color.
July – October 2019 |15
BESPOKE DI STEFANO BURRATA Featuring Di Stefano Cheese & Guesthouse of Marin BURRATA ORIGINATED IN THE SMALL AREA OF APULIA region, not far from where Di Stefano Owner Mimmo Bruno, the man responsible for introducing Burrata to the U.S., was born. Di Stefano Burrata, the favorite of globally renown chefs like Nancy Silverton, also well known restaurateur and purveyor, is treasured for its fresh, creamy, authentic flavor and divine texture. What keeps Di Stefano Burrata growing in popularity has to do with its consistent layered creamy deliciousness combined with the never-ending myriad of recipes possible with this versatile ingredient. From Risotto Milanese with Burrata, Burrata with Chimichurri and Acorn Squash, super sexy Savory Donuts with Burrata and Caviar, or of course just accompanied by fresh basil, heirloom tomatoes, EVOO and sea salt over grilled La Brea bread‌ it seems anything chefs create with Di Stefano Burrata thrills their guests again and again. Here Co-Owner/Chef of Marin, CA treasure, Guesthouse, offers his fresh summer spin on the winning ingredient Di Stefano Burrata. Everything offered by Di Stefano Cheese, the infamous family-owned cheese company in Southern California, gets rave reviews by the best chefs worldwide. From their mozzarella, mascarpone, ricotta, Samorza and Caciocavallo Di Stefano, award-winning cheeses bring a lifetime of experience, tradition and passion to your menu.
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Jared Rogers and Dustin Sullivan of Guesthouse
“I love serving Di Stefano Burrata on grilled sourdough bread with some very good EVO drizzled over and Maldon salt flakes sprinkled on top. That’s awesome by itself, but Di Stefano Burrata is also a great base that you can add so many other ingredients to depending on what’s in season and delicious. For summer we like to notch it up with sautéed fava beans and salsa verde/pesto or pair Di Stefano Burrata with vine ripe tomatoes, grilled artichokes and marinated citrus or even lobster!”
Jared Rogers
AMERICAN CUISINE. WOOD FIRE GRILL. CLASSIC COCKTAILS. Welcome to Guesthouse, where the music’s spot on, the cocktails are flowing, the wood fire grill is fired up, and the food has that “I can’t put my finger on it” allure. Did we mention the bar is epically big? Marin just got more delicious.
Co-owner/Chef of Guesthouse, Kentfield, CA
July – October 2019 | 17
CUGINI: A FAMILY TRADITION An interview with Maria & Luisa Ponzi co-owner/founders of Cugini Sparkling Soda. by Sean Jeremy Palmer
BACK IN THE LATE 1960s, Dick and Nancy Ponzi moved their young family to the Willamette Valley, southwest of Portland, where they purchased 20 acres on a small farm, and took a daring risk planting varietal Pinot Noir grape plants. The winemaking passion established 50 years ago is still practiced today under the family's second generation sisters: President and Director of Sales and Marketing, Anna Maria Ponzi and Winemaker Luisa Ponzi. Ponzi Vineyards now totals 130 acres of LIVE Certified vineyards, the world's highest sustainable standard. Five years ago, Anna Maria and Luisa began development of Cugini, (which means "cousins" in Italian), a sparkling grape juice beverage crafted in recognition of their Italian heritage and named for the eight young members of their family. CW, Cugini’s exclusive distributor, had an opportunity to talk with Maria & Luisa Ponzi about this unique beverage and about their family history in winemaking.
WHAT’S IT LIKE COMING OF AGE on an Oregon winery? For Maria Ponzi it was a childhood like any other. “Growing up our front yard was a vineyard and the garage was a winery,” she states. “We worked alongside other pioneering families as the industry launched. Our interest was inherent, it’s always been pretty natural.” Discussing their transitions both beyond the family business and their reasons to return, Maria continues, “We grew up with wine, as our kids have grown up. And we’ve both been in the same kind of situation watching kids talk at the dinner table, sitting there with milk. There was an understanding for what that perspective was like from a wine-obsessed family. Our young kids would sometimes taste and were always interested, and we thought it would be fun for them to have their own special beverage, not just grape juice but something sparkling and celebratory.” Luisa adds, “Cugini is about bringing everyone to the table together. It’s not just about kids. It’s equally for adults who choose to not have alcohol.” When asked about the applicable skills between wine and soda making, Luisa states that, “We approach it from the perspective of wine: texture, freshness, aromatics. Where we would typically stop the press and ferment, here, we are just going to preserve the juice."
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What goes into Cugini?
CUGINI SPARKLES Made with 100% Oregon wine grapes, this
natural,
aromatic,
sustainably
produced non-alcoholic beverage is ideal
The sisters start with Gewurztraminer, an AlsatianGerman varietal then blend it with Muscat, both super-high aromatics. This blending results in a nose of rose-petal, spice, honeysuckle, with notes of kiwi.
for anyone who feels each day should be celebrated. Beautiful enough to be served in the bottle, Cugini is also a perfect base ingredient for a refreshing, original mocktail creation. Enjoy!
“For us it’s been a fun experimentation that has value for consumers. And with the red varietals, there’s a lot of room for growth. Lots of potential,” Maria adds. Cugini is more than just bringing family to the table, as Cugini was forged by family at a table. I asked what it’s like to work as sisters within the family business. “I lean on the fact that we’re both sisters and we had the fortune of having kids together.” Luisa says. “We have helped each other through every stage. It is an added bonus that our kids kind of grew up as siblings.” And on the challenges they've faced as women in a maledominated industry, Luisa answers, “I don’t know that our challenges are any different than those for other women in our industry. The challenges are the same. Having to be well educated, which is why I didn’t just join the family business. I wanted credentials, to be taken
W I L L A M E T T E
V A L L E Y
"These wines wouldn’t be here without the women wine pioneers. And that story has never been told."
seriously, to know it really well. This is an industry where if you make quality, you gain respect. I’m now taken seriously and it’s a more comfortable place to be. It’s the same balancing life and kids.” Maria adds, “I’m still amazed that if I’m at a tasting and there’s a man standing next to me, the questions of the wine are asked to the man, not to me. There’s just some things that never go away.” She continues, “People ask me, ‘So how did your dad do it?’ Somehow, our mother is not part of the equation. No one asks about her. Did she contribute, is she around, is she alive? Back then, in the pioneering days, the women were doing the promoting, the marketing, the sales, trying to fuel the Oregon industry so that people knew about it. These wines wouldn’t be here without the women wine pioneers. And that story has never been told.”
Maria and Luisa Ponzi.
Seeing the inextricable connection between Cugini Soda and Ponzi Vineyards, I asked what makes Ponzi unique. Maria replies, “The longevity of Ponzi is pretty important to that. Unlike many beverage products, when you are working with the land as we are, as winegrowers and farmers, we’ve been working in the same area, same soil, same vineyards for nearly five decades.” Luisa mentions that, “In every vintage, the earth gives completely different results. Good, bad, challenging, you never know what you’re up for. Additionally, here in the Willamette Valley, there are very few pioneering, second generation wineries.”
WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE. “WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL,” Maria says reflectively. “We have our own winemaker who’s a family member and owner. The quality is consistent, we’re devoted to what we do here,” she says. “The reality of why we’re here rather than Northern California, Washington State or even Canada, is we were brought up by folks who had a passion for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. And why is wine being made here? We have a pristine valley sheltered by mountain ranges, with unique soils – that we are really proud of.”
The cousins of Cugini.
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/chefswarehouse JulyJuly– October – October2019 2019| |3119
DEL MONTE MEATS:
The Story of
Niman Lamb Family Farmers by Kelli Colaco
ON A SUN-FLECKED DAY last April, in the Montezuma Hills, on 3,700 acres that flank the Sacramento River on the Delta in Northern California, Niman Ranch hosted an educative and sumptuous Lamb Tour and Feast al fresco on the hills of the historic McCormack Ranch. It was the perfect location for CW/Del Monte Sales Reps to meet the family farmers of Niman Ranch responsible for offering the West Coast the very finest (respectfully raised and nurtured) lamb money can buy. During the unique event, the golden era of family lamb farming intermingled with the newer, younger family farmer set, and offered invaluable education and stories to the captive CW and Del Monte audience. The on-premise grilled Niman Lamb lunch, with wines poured from Pressley Vineyards (whose vineyards also make use of McCormack land creating ideal biodiversity), and tables overflowing with fresh flowers, brought home the history-steeped integrity, passion and hard work of our farmers, being at the heart of the outstanding “Center of Plate,” we are so proud to offer our chefs.
Two Professors, based in Africa and Cambodia take over a Lamb Farm in Montezuma California. 1987. Jeannie McCormack was an only child, and was to become the sole inheritor of McCormack Ranch, established in the late 1800’s, and owned and operated by her parents, Aunt and Uncle, and a single Aunt.
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Jeannie shared, “I grew up here at the ranch, but I grew up in a time when girls were not encouraged to join 4H. We were meant to join ‘Future Homemakers’ and learn how to cook and sew. However, I was very close to my father and I knew I would have to come back one day and take care of the ranch, my parents, and aging extended family. Al and I decided to come back from Africa, where I was working as a Women’s Enterprise Professor and Al a scientist, before my parents were so infirm that they wouldn’t be able to teach us anything. Al started driving a tractor and I became a sheep helper. But I knew nothing of the business.”
Integral Farming, An Uphill Battle McCormack ranch historically used the same farming system extending back to the Isle of Erin in Scotland from the early 18th Century. “The idea was you would put your sheep on the ground. They would ‘clean it up’, eating the grass and the weeds. Then we would fertilize the ground and move the sheep on and you would grow grain on that land for the next two years. This organic interaction between the animals and the agronomy was very effective and sustainable,” relayed Al.
M O N T E Z U M A
H I L L S ,
N O R C A L
Al Medvitz and Jeannie McCormack
The on-premise grilled Niman Lamb lunch, with wines poured and tables overflowing with fresh flowers, brought home the history-steeped integrity, passion and hard work of our farmers, being at the heart of the outstanding “Center Of Plate,” we are so proud to offer our chefs.
The problem was, unfortunately, that markets in the ’80’s and ’90’s became dominated by chemical agriculture. However, post chemical agriculture boom, this way of farming was very attractive for Jeannie and Al to return to. When in 1990, both Al and Jeannie’s father fell ill with the same cancer, Jeannie was left to fight for the ranch on her own during an incredibly trying economic period. Al offered, “Luckily, as it turned out, Jeannie’s father Bob had kept some lambs behind after we had sent the main ones off that April. We sent them out to pasture to fatten up. Thankfully the lamb that year was really good.” However, new to being at the helm, Jeannie became frustrated looking for a market to grab to sell the lamb. Out of desperation, she got her mother’s Christmas card list (the oligarchy of SF) sent out an invite to buy their lamb. She was amazingly successful with this and sold off all 50 lambs. By the next year, Al and Jeannie’s father were recovering and with all hands again “on deck,” they decided to pursue the business again. However, as it turned out, Jeannie’s mother’s Christmas Card list had saturated the market. It was a great challenge to find anyone else to buy their lamb.
continued on next page.
July – October 2019 | 21
CW/Del Monte Meat Company Team: Andrew Martin. Colby Morse, Brian Hansen, and Farzad Turk
Ian Anderson and friend
Levi & Casey Wahl
NIMAN LAMB TOUR, continued. Jeannie commented, “In the process of looking around for a market, I was just calling randomly around for restaurants and Chez Panisse jumped in and wanted to buy whole carcasses. Around the same time I enrolled Zuni Cafe and Rouge Cafe in Berkeley into buying and the owner of Rouge Cafe, Marsha McBride, became such huge fan that she introduced me to Bill Niman and the rest, as you say, is history.” Al added, “The Wall Street Journal said that year that our lamb was amongst the best in the world. They called it Niman Lamb. They didn’t mention us, but we were the ones who brought it.”
The Crux of the Niman Family Farming “Community” An unexpected turn for the McCormacks was that their lamb became so successful under the Niman name that they could not meet supply. Al shared, “Our Niman mentors helped us out enormously at this time. Soon we came to rely on meeting the demand of the market by incorporating the lambs produced by the Anderson and Hamilton Families.” This family ranch collaboration and support is how the united family lamb farmers of Niman Ranch began. Of course, all farmers under the Niman name must be strictly audited and agree to Niman’s strict protocol regarding quality product and animal welfare, including no stress management, and no hormones/antibiotics. They must also share a commitment to the land and valuing the animals.
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Ian & Margaret Anderson “I speak for the farmers who are doing everything possible to be sustainable. We are very grateful to CW/Del Monte for taking the time to know and share where your products come from.” “I could have been born anywhere in the world, and for me, there could be no better place to spend my 64 years, as a fourth-generation farmer than right here in the Montezuma Hills. I am lucky enough to get to sit in the same claw-tooth bathtub after a hard day’s work as my great grandfather. How many of you can say that? The ability to sustain this beautiful land for future generations is the reason I’m here today. On my farm operation, we have about 2,500 Ewes. My best go-to Niman.” -Ian Anderson
"I speak for the farmers who are doing everything possible to be sustainable. We are very grateful to CW/Del Monte for taking the time to know and share where their products come from.”
Farmers Preserve and Protect Richard Hamilton, Hamilton Brothers “Our family farm was established in the 1870s. Our land extends
Charlie & Brittany Hamilton
from the Delta to land rich with the last growing native grasses in the Sacramento Valley. It is our mission to protect the native species that inhabit Jefferson Prairie. I’m the fourth generation, my kids are fifth, and we even have six generations on the ground now. We are aligned with Niman because they are heavy into verification and this transparency is important when you put a value to it.” -Richard Hamilton
FARMERS ARE THE TRUE HEROES of this industry we all so love. Thankfully, companies like Niman Ranch make it their mission to support integral farmers in every way possible to ensure sustainable, high-quality C.O.P, and family farming, for generations to come.
Survive and Provide Levi & Casey Wall “I’m a fourth generation sheepherder. My family, who originated in Scotland, started farming on the South Coast of Oregon in 1880. My grandmother was a very strong, independent lady who had nine children. We were brought into the Niman program out of survival for our business. Niman Ew protocols are exactly what we have always done. Though I was nervous about it initially, our audit with Niman was no big deal because our protocol was the same: very high standards of farming, doing everything the right way.” Farmers are the true heroes of this industry we all so love. Thankfully companies like Niman Ranch make it their mission to support integral farmers in every way possible to ensure sustainable, high-quality C.O.P. (Center of Plate), and family farming, for generations to come.
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/chefswarehouse July – October 2019 | 23
PIMENT D'ESPELETTE, BY ANOTHER NAME PIMENT D’VILLE. By Kelli Colaco
The story of a town, in a pepper
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Piment D’Ville, the “Sweet, Spicy Basque Red Chile” ingredient chefs and diners can’t get enough of is the same variety of pepper as historically imported Piment d'Espelette (from the Basque region of Southern France). However, to our palate pleasing benefit, Piment D’Ville is hand grown, harvested and produced in West Coast’s own sunny “back yard” of Boonville, CA. The spice has gradually become as foundational as black pepper in everyday cooking far beyond the Basque world. CW Magazine stole some time away from busy Head Farmer at Piment D’Ville, Nacho (a.k.a Ignacio Flores), and Director of Sales, the vitally-multifaceted Kendra McEwen, to get their unique perspectives on the dazzling red pepper product that dynamically pleases the palate while perpetuating power to the people and the planet. But seriously folks, there’s magic in them there hills of Boonville, CA. So much you can taste it.
What should chefs know about Piment D’Ville
The Deeper Flavor and Meaning behind Piment D’Ville
Kendra: "Piment D'Ville should be Chef's go-to seasoning, the third spice in the front line right there with good salt and fresh cracked black pepper. It is literally the secret in all the secret sauces and spice mixes that everyone gets so crazy about."
Kendra: "We strive to bring our ethics to the table in the effort of doing something we feel good about, from the lives we are building to the integrity for the product – from the root to the fruit. It's about the health of people, the land, and the well being of our community.
Nacho’s Farming Journey
"What exactly does hand raising a pepper mean?
Nacho: “I was eight years old when I started farming with my father in Michoacán Mexico. Farming is very natural to me. I’ve always loved working with the ground. When I came here to America, I had the opportunity to do construction or work in restaurants. This was not for me. Farming has always been inside of me. It is who I am.”
Nacho: (Nacho says laughing.) “Growing by hand really connects you to the plants. You get more of a touch and feeling for them. You learn how to read them. If they are thirsty... if they need nutrients. You just learn by being close to them. By loving them. It is just nurturing what you grow. Like a baby.”
What’s In A Name... Spice Girl?
How do you buy Piment D’Ville?
Kendra: “It’s funny a name, but it also has truth to it. My being called Spice Girl here mainly illustrates the difficulty of describing my kind of job. There’s not really a term that covers it. I wear many hats. Nacho
Kendra: Piment D'Ville is available exclusively through The Chefs’ Warehouse: .8oz vacuum sealed pack, #10231902, case of 12 1.2 oz jars, #10231769
does the growing and the loving of the peppers, the science of figuring out exactly the best we can grow and naturally process our peppers. My role is everything else. I am responsible for every other element coming in to place to make Nacho and Piment D’Ville shine.”
pimentdville.com
July – October 2019 | 25
RATHSKELLER:
L.A. & SEATTLE VENDOR SHOWS L.A. Photos by Delilah Pappas, Seattle Photos by Andrew Steelman OUR WESTERN REGION continues to expand with explosive growth fueled by our greatest assets: Our customers, our team, and our vendors. Nowhere do these assets align more fully than at our regional Vendor Shows, offering opportunities to connect, explore, and grow. Here we feature our most recent snapshots of our L.A. and Seattle territorial showcases. Our L.A. Show was held on Tuesday, April 9th at The Magic Box @ The Reef, in Los Angeles, CA; our Seattle Show at Sodo Park on Tuesday, June 11th. Log on to CWmag.com/SummerShows to see the full galleries.
Jennifer Sussman, CW Director of Cheese & Charcuture with Wesley Sjobom from Southcoast Specialty Foods.
FORA founders and Brooklyn-entrepreneurs, Andrew McClure (left) and Aidan Altman.
Nikolai Beshkov (right) with Kimono Drinks.
Just Inc.'s Director of Corporate Accounts James Williams and Monique Lewis.
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Sassanian Farms Caviar's Ashley Jalileyan.
Western Grassfed Beef representatives Johnny Garcia and Jimmy Miller.
Plant-based Meats new brand Abbot's Butcher founder Kim Song (center) with her team.
The event was attended by hundreds of our CW Chef, Pastry Chef, and food purchaser customer partners.
RATHSKELLER
July – October 2019 | 27
If You Build It They Will ComE
With Executive Chef Michael Cordero of Pahrump Winery and Symphony Restaurant in Pahrump, Nevada
An hour West of Las Vegas, award-winning Pahrump Winery and Symphony Restaurant sits like an oasis of possibility (inclusive of its own Olive Trees and quality EVOO), in the middle of the desert. Executive Chef, Michael Cordero, and team are taking what began as a “novelty idea to get folks to visit the small town, Pahrump” and taking it to the next legitimate, Napa style, jewel-in-the-desert level.
The makeover for the gorgeous, multifaceted grounds and venue are to include a new craft cocktail “living room” lounge and farm to table menu, replete with cheese and charcuterie tastings and wine pairings, live music, outdoor movie nights, and many fun forward, indoor-outdoor events including picnics and the ever popular “Grape Stomp.” An annual, much-anticipated event, the Grape stomp is known to attract over 3000 eager stompers-participants. This exciting Pahrump Winery “renaissance” is being created to re-
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flect Pahrump Winery’s new slightly upscale aesthetic, while maintaining its hometown spirit, drawing visitors from afar as well as regular locals who come to enjoy the gorgeous property, award-winning wines, and Chef Cordero’s creative, fresh and accessible menu offerings. Awarded Best Restaurant in Nevada 2015-2017, Chef Cordero is excited to implement his own new seasonally inspired menu and credits the opportunity of leading the forge at Pahrump Winery/Symphony Restaurant for rescuing his creativity and passion as a chef.
P A H R U M P,
N E V A D A
“I’ve been an Executive Chef for 17 years. I earned my way up starting at 13 years old making sauces in the basement of a kitchen, then working with Thomas Keller at French Laundry, to having my own restaurant. Chefs move to Las Vegas given attractive offers and it becomes easy to lose track of why we got into the industry in the first place. It is ironic because often, with a certain level of success, you get to a certain position and find yourself sitting alone, in an office, a lot of the time crunching numbers. I was getting burnt out and losing track of my creativity. Now, I have all of that back, that thing I love so much: seeing guests’ faces after they have enjoyed something we have made for them. I am in my happy place in the kitchen, on the line, in the weeds, throwing sauté pans in the sink. That is where it’s at for me.” -Chef Michael Cordero On C.W.: I greatly value working with my CW Rep and friend Chris Young. I respect him as a fellow chef and he offers me so much in the way of support and ingredient ideas. I’ve also been working with Paul Savage on my C.O.P selection. With Paul, I know I’m always getting the best quality at the best price. When it comes to CW, the name says it all. It really is “The Chefs’ Warehouse.”
July – October 2019 | 29
SUMMER SIZZLING
FRENCH SAUSAGE and charcuterie/pâté expert, Sébastien Espinasse (VP of Sales), for Fabrique Délices (Winner Sofi Awards 2019), contributed an exciting assortment of his French Sausage selection for the pairing, and Jory and Mark, owners of Petaluma’s favorite, family-friendly gastropub, Pub Republic, threw down their A-Game with Pub Republic’s fantastic Craft Beer selection.
with Fabrique Délices' Artisanal Sausages and Pub Republic Craft Beer Pairings!
As Fabrique Délices Broker Philip Franco says: “The right pairing takes a good sausage and beer experience to a whole other level of delicious satisfaction. You know right away. It's like a harmony in your mouth…a euphoric experience!”
What could be better than NorCal’s Petaluma treasure, Pub Republic, hosting a Craft Beer and French Sausage Pairing, a la “fantastique” local-French purveyor Fabrique Délices? Well folks, not much!
Through our diligent ‘hard work,’ we discovered perfect, mouthwatering pairings for our CW chefs to take advantage of for your own menus. But first, some key points everyone should know about what has Fabrique Délices French procured sausages (made by hand in NorCal) on a whole other level than what most American palates are used to.
Pub Republic, the brain child of restaurant owners, Mark Edwards and Jory Bergman (featured left), is an ongoing success that opened in 2013, inspired by the observation that Marin was seriously in need of a cool venue where clientele could bring their kids, enjoy a Craft Beer, a sports event, live music, and a delicious, health-focused menu (think gastropub you you wish could be your “local”), and feel comfortable and at home. The effort and generosity Jory and Mark contributed to our Sausage and Beer Pairing made it clear why Pub Republic is overflowing with happy, returning customers going on seven years.
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FABRIQUE DELICES
Toulous Sausage (#VN048339) paired with Mama’s Little Yella Pils
and Boudin Blanc (#VN048221) paired with Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Chorizo Sausage (#77547) paired with Hazy IPA
Boudin Noir (#923927) and Duck Sausage with Figs (#EI575753) paired with Hefe Sudewerk Bavarian
Chicken Merquez Pork Free (10297557) paired with Heroine IPA
Lamb Merguez (VN048201) Paired with and Apple Cider
7 REASONS WHY FABRIQUE DÉLICES IS SUPERIOR: 1. Fresh Fabrique Délices' sausages are fresh! 90% of the sausages on the market are pre-cooked or smoked. Nothing compares to the flavor and texture of a fresh hand-made sausage.
2. Selection Fabrique Délices offers an excellent variety of meat and flavor profiles in their sausage line. It’s not just chicken and pork ladies and gentlemen!
3. Balance Fabrique Délices sausages specialize in the French artisanal balance of flavor and texture. Bite after bite, there is a mastery of balance of spice, nuance, and mouthfeel that take them to a whole other level than their competition.
4. Sébastien Fabrique Délices' VP of Sales, Sébastien Espinasse, grew up on a farm in the provincial countryside of France. Learning from the minute he could walk about procuring the quality French ingredients he loves so well, Sébastien shared, “I grew up learning from one grandfather who was a chef and the other a farmer. I remember loving to go with my grandfather to market to sell a baby cow. On the way home we would go to a great local restaurant and eat the best food ever, with the freshest ingredients. Delicious fresh tripe and so on. I didn’t want to go to school, I wanted to go to the farmers’ market!”
5. Mission “Perception is everything. You try to make a difference as a small business. You want to give chefs a true honest product and this can be very
difficult when faced with the bigger companies who come in with a big wash of product messaging. Consumers should know the truth.”
6. Ultimate Truth “We start with the chefs. Once they know the quality and consistency of Fabrique Délices, from our sausages to charcuterie and pâté, is excellent across the line, we know the consumers and home chefs will get the message too!” - Sébastien Espinasse
7. Inspiration While immersed in our intensive Fabrique Délices Sausage and Pub Republic Craft Beer Pairing, a lightbulb went off: Sausage and Beer Pairing Flights are a fun, group-vitalizing way to perk up any menu and happy hour time. Why not take advantage of our amazing pairings and offer your guests a delicious, experiential great time?!
July – October 2019 | 31
CW's Plant-based Foods
PLANT-BASED FOODS
You Are What You Eat by health chef guru, and Executive Chef Pete Ghione of Las Vegas Canyon Ranch Spa + Fitness
LIVING IN THE DESERT IN A VERY POPULAR CITY with a flourishing food culture, I often hear restaurants describe their menu as “Farm To Table”. The thought of Chefs buying ingredients straight from the farm is great, but living in Las Vegas since 1997, I’ve yet to pass a farm on my way to work. I see plenty of semi-trailer trucks from California though. The idea that we only care about the source of ingredients and getting them directly to the table without processing plants is great, but it falls short of preventing some very serious diseases that have run off the charts in recent times. When I approach designing a menu or a recipe, I think it all the way through. Many chefs are missing the process of what happens to food once it’s inside our body. What is the digestion process like? How are we promoting gut health to best absorb the nutrients, fats and proteins to fuel our body and burn them as clean energy? Clean ingredients are very important but being labeled as “Organic” doesn’t move that ingredient from the “bad for you” category into the “actively improves your health” category. On a yearly basis, the average person consumes 153 pounds of sugar. Organic or not, excessive sugar consumption can lead to diabetes, obesity, and is a major food source for cancer cells, increasing their ability to grow out of control. This could be one of many reasons that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women are diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. Moderation is also very important when consuming dairy. The U.S. consumes the most dairy in the world, but we also have the highest rate of osteoporosis. Japan has the complete opposite statistics. So, if milk is supposed to do a body good and be good for our bones, why is our population shrinking? Literally shrinking or is it physically shrinking? Either way, if we continue to eat the way our country eats, we will continue to eat ourselves right off this planet. Using healthier alternatives like incorporating more fresh, plant based, vegetable-forward ingredients that taste amazing (on their own without a ton of salt) is a simple way to make big changes in the future of our collective
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health. Using Avocado Oil to cook with for instance, is a perfect way to help your customers enjoy healthy fats. It’s a fact that red meat is high in cholesterol and saturated fat. As if everything, moderation is key. It’s common sense that curbing our consumption of red meat to once a week is so much better for our health and goes a far distance in helping the planet as well. When you’re enjoying red meats, milk and cheese, it is essential to pair them with anti-inflammatory ingredients to help counteract the negative effects or your favorite devilish foods. Simply bolstering your recipes with more turmeric and black pepper (not to mention fresh onions, garlic, greens, brussel sprouts)offer your guests fantastic properties that decrease inflammation, strengthen their immune
system and improve their health. Food is a beautiful life source and by harnessing the healing powers of nature and unleashing its efficacy we can absolutely change our quality of life and that of our esteemed guests without too much added effort on our part. Knowledge is vital to our growth and survival. As we move forward it will become more and more important to get with the fact that ‘You Are What You Eat.’ Without transparent knowledge of what we are feeding ourselves and our customers, one can only assume what eating healthy really is. Chefs’ Warehouse has been a great partner in my journey to keep defining how “eating healthy” is more than a blanket statement, but a journey to consume more of the ingredients that improve our health from good, to great. CW’s clean ingredients and traceability practices have been readily available and affordable so Canyon Ranch can continue to do its part to eliminate preventable disease, a blanket statement, but an individual journey to consume those ingredients that improve our health from good, to great. So, for me, Chefs’ Warehouse has been a great partner. Their clean ingredients and traceability practices have been readily available and affordable so Canyon Ranch can continue to do it’s part to eliminate preventable disease.
More than being a fantastic artisan chef across a variety of cuisines, Chef Peter Ghione has acquired expert-level knowledge of what foods do in your body.
Black Garlic
Turmeric
Pepper
Avocado Oil
His “You Are What You Eat” philosophy has literally saved lives and is accumulating a fast growing audience of fit-forward foodies.
July – October 2019 | 33
CW sources the ingredients that hold your recipes together
CW Wines.
HOW GOOD DOES A COOKING WINE NEED TO BE? According to Gregory D. Miller, a third generation wine and spirits man, and the brawn behind CW Wines, “With cooking wine, quality is important, but composition and consistency matter most.” CW Cooking Wines are as natural as wine can be. They're good enough to pour by the glass, but they’re also high-quality Napa Valley produced wines, with no salts, preservatives, or flavor additives, offering the freshest quality available. CW Wines are ones that chefs can be proud to cook with. Through the R&D process, the CW Wines' project team discovered that the standard 15L/18L bag and box were much too heavy. They also learned that the standard box size was unsanitary, collecting dirt, food, bacteria, and was prone to deterioration during its long kitchen life. CW solved these problems by crafting a 3L bag and box. Now chefs simply takes the box under arm, slice off the nozzle, and measure. No more smelly bag. And when it comes to quality, CW Wine consistency is guaranteed,
CW Wines. Quality, consistency, and one less thing that chefs have to worry about. CW Wines also simplify the purchasing process. The chef no longer has to talk to the front-of-house. With CW, it’s a 1-step issue, putting the chef in control.
in part because they only do small runs. “You need fresh, clean fruit. You don’t want a wine sitting around,” Gregory says. “We’re doing 3 runs a year. The longest a case sits is 3-4 months max. These wines are not sitting in a massive warehouse waiting to be purchased.” While varietal percentages may change from blend to blend, CW’s taste masters ensure flavor consistency which allows them varietal flexiblity, while also giving chefs the best price point possible. Gregory is quick to point out CW Wines’ most important ingredient: quality, which, he informs, “is what CW’s control labels are all about: finding vendors who understand what chefs need, delivering the quality and building the customer confidence.” From a sales standpoint, when the order gets placed, it’s a customer that never leaves. S.J.P.
CW White
CW Red
In a white cooking wine, chefs seek cleanliness and acidity. Our CW White blend is in full balance with the fruit. Produced in Napa Valley. #108618N
Our red wine blend has a nice, proper tannic backbone with good forward fruit, and maintains a decent alcohol level when reduced. Produced in Napa Valley. #108618N
Clean with the perfect acidity.
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CW Control Label Spotlight
Full-bodied and balanced.
CW’s chef customers are increasingly choosing to purchase CW Wines as opposed to receiving closeouts at a fraction of the cost, a practice that wreaks havoc on your recipes.
Boiron ‘Tray’ Magnifique! Your genius deserves something "NEW". Introducing: Airsealed, easy to open and to handle.
Michael Laiskonis, Creatove Director at ICE, 2007 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef
O
N THE INSIDE nothing’s changed: Boiron continues to use a selection of the best fruit and their blending expertise, their 54 flavors are made for you to express your creativity. But, on the outside: air sealed, easy to open and handle: the new Les Vergers Boiron package was designed with chefs from around the world. The global leader in frozen fruit purées has developed a flagship innovation: a new packaging for its fruit solutions. This innovative tray, presented for the first time at Sirha 2019 and designed by chefs from all over the world who are at the service of their creativity, fully meets professionals. This new tray is now acclaimed by the many chefs who had the chance to test it (Jean-Thomas Schneider - Pastry World Champion 2017 and
Gelato World Champion 2018, Michel Willaume- Pastry World Champion 2001, MarcBalaguer- Gelato World Vice Champion 2018, Martin Lippo- NitroSchool Chef), largely because their needs were taken into account and their work methods fully analyzed. Its design involved three-year long efforts, tests and research, and about €15 million investment to build a production plant and a new freezer. This innovation is part of the actions implemented by Les vergers Boiron to facilitate the daily lives of chefs, pastry chefs and mixologists from all over the world. PLUS: An exciting NEW summer recipe debuts from CW’s Francois Mellet, starring Boiron Guava Puree. Recipe on next page.
July – October 2019 | 35
The Chefs’ Warehouse Magazine, West Coast 1250 Whipple Rd, Union City, CA 94587
GUAVA PETIT POT By Francois Mellet featuring
2
Guava Compote Boiron Guava Puree 500 G White Sugar 45 G Gelatin 8G Soak the gelatin in cold water. Bring the Guava puree and sugar to a simmer. Fold the drained gelatin into it.
1
Ginger White Chocolate Mousse Heavy Cream Cocoa Butter White Chocolate 31% Silver Gelatin Fresh Grated Ginger Lemon Juice Whipped Cream
310 G 40 G 370 G 8G 20 G 1/2 Lemon 340 G
Bloom gelatin in cold water. Pre melt white chocolate and cocoa butter. Whip the cream to a soft peak, setbaside.Bring the cream, ginger and lemon juice to a simmer, remove from stove, cover and let sit a few minutes. Sieve the cream mixture and complete to the original weight of the cream (310 G). Bring back to a simmer, remove from the stove, add the bloomed gelatin and mix into the white chocolate, emulsify well. Fold in the whipped cream at 110ºF. Use immediately.
3
Honey Streusel Unsalted Butter Sugar Pastry Flour Almond Flour Honey Salt
120 G 20 G 135 G 120 G 100 G 5G
Cut butter in small cubes and freeze. Using the paddle attachment, mix together sugar, salt, pastry flour, almond flour and honey. Add the cold butter cubes, do not over mix. Let the dough rest for 2 hours and bake at 300ºF until a golden-brown color is achieved.