Sun Valley Property News: July 2014 issue
Taste and smell invoke some of the strongest memories. Closing my eyes, I can still almost feel my first seared foie gras melting on the tip of my tongue, eaten after seeing my first Broadway show (“Annie Get Your Gun” starring the one and only Bernadette Peters) at a small New York City bistro lit by candlelight. Everything about the evening was magical — from the teeny tiny portion my eleven-year-old brain did not comprehend on the plate to the fact that it was almost midnight and I had only just sat down for supper.
The Wine Auction weekend brings some of the most recognized culinary wizards to the Valley where food memories, some new inventions, and spins on classic chef favorites are all exchanged. A lucky few will have their taste buds forever transformed by those chefs in what will become a palate-changing experience that will forever remind them of the Sun Valley Center Wine Auction, no matter how far from home they are. I was lucky enough to dig into the memorable food experiences of these artists — here is what they said:
Justin Smillie
Chef of Il Buco Alîmentari & Vineria
Classic trattoria meets New York street-style. Justin came on board at the restaurant’s inception to build the perfect team for this rustic Italian kitchen.
54 Great Jones St. NY
www.ilbucovineria.com
On the menu: Seared octopus with purple potatoes, fava beans and mustard, salt-baked whole Branzino with charred lemon, and house-cured salumi from Flying Pigs Farm.
SVPN: What is your earliest food memory?
Justin Smillie: My great grandmother’s popovers with still-warm chicken, and salad dressed with plump raisins, celery, cornichon and paprika.
SVPN: What is your philosophy on food?
JS: Attend to simplicity, and deliciousness will follow.
SVPN: How do you put your ‘stamp’ on an ordinary steak?
JS: My team and I strive to leave some personal imprint on all things we create. The most ordinary can often become the most superb. For a steak, I might foam butter, crushed garlic, and thyme together, gently spooning the concoction over the perfectly prepared meat.
SVPN: What is your most challenging thing to prepare?
JS: The things that appear naked on the plate.
SVPN: Name one small thing that inspires you.
JS: The sound of something crackling.
SVPN: Why food?
JS: To bring people to the table.
Rob Wilson
Executive Chef at The Montage in Laguna Beach
California-inspired cuisine as exquisite culinary art — this beach resort is the perfect spot for the surfing and paddle boarding 2008 ‘Chef of the Year’ (named by Chef Magazine) to hang his hat.
The Montage
30801 South Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA
866.271.6953
www.montagehotels.com/lagunabeach
On the menu: Handcrafted orecchiette with shrimp, kumquats and African basil, Dungeness crab filets, and a cheese display to swoon for.
SVPN: What is your earliest food memory?
Rob Wilson: My mom taught me how to flip eggs and make omelets when I was five.
SVPN: What is your philosophy about food?
RW: By cooking seasonally, the natural beauty of the product shines through. Source locally-grown produce, and sustainably-raised proteins, and cook to enhance their natural intrinsic flavors.
SVPN: How do you put your ‘stamp’ on something ordinary?
RW: The ordinary can be recreated everyday with a simple shift of ingredient or technique. It is about showing the customer something he or she feels has never been done before.
SVPN: What is your biggest challenge at The Montage?
RW: My challenges don’t come from cooking, as that is my passion, and after 28 years it comes naturally. However, I face major challenges logistically when organizing large-scale events. I am not talking events with guests in the hundreds, but in the thousands.
SVPN: What makes you so passionate about food?
RW: Good food makes people happy, and I love making people happy.
SVPN: What makes events like the Wine Auctions so fun for you?
RW: I work with some of the most talented chefs I have ever known. We always challenge each other and feed off each other’s creative energy. Attending events like this enable me to work with chefs from around the world, and not only be inspired but hopefully inspire as well.
John Murcko
Director of Culinary Operations at Sun Valley Resort
Since 1936, Sun Valley has brought world-class dining to the valley, and John Murcko is bringing that goal to the new generation, innovating what Sun Valley has to offer. He directs the 19 food and beverage establishments at the resort, handling everything from quality control to menu design.
1 Sun Valley Rd., Sun Valley
www.sunvalley.com
On the menu: Roasted chicken crepes with spinach and spicy Liptauer cheese at the Konditorei, or potato-wrapped Idaho sturgeon with peppered bacon and chive creme fraîche at Trail Creek Cabin.
SVPN: What is your earliest food memory?
John Murcko: Steamed artichokes at Tavern on the Green in NYC.
SVPN: What is your philosophy on food?
JM: Cook with your heart.
SVPN: What is an everyday food you make more interesting?
JM: Adding lemon zest to a tuna salad or putting lobster in hush puppies.
SVPN: Can you recall a major challenge you faced in the kitchen?
JM: I look at challenges as opportunities to learn and expand my skill set. One example was to make a dish to represent the ground that a crispy soft shell crab was plated on to resemble a live crab crawling from the sea — I had o make mushrooms look like dirt with out drying out or removing all the moisture from the mushrooms. And in case you were wondering, it worked.
SVPN: You have cooked in some pretty amazing places. Why make Sun Valley home?
JM: The Valley and the resort have so much to offer in a single destination. From the Gun Club, to horseback riding and golfing — you can do it all here. The land still feels dry untouched and vast which is amazing. I love the outdoors, so it is a good fit.
SVPN: Any interesting facts we should know about you?
JM: I have known my whole life that I wanted to be a chef. I come from a family of artists, so I guess doing something creative was in my blood; my father is an award-winning painter, and both my brother and mother are photographers.
