Friends and Culinary Artists,

Here it is- a glimpse inside an Alaskan Chef's adventures. My purpose through this blog is simple. I want to inform you on how to use your CSA produce, local farmer's market produce, and whatever else you may find in our local grocery stores. It is also a chance to read stories and see the menus I'm currently preparing for my backstage catering with Jack Johnson.

Here is a brief history on myself:

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1998, I came back to Anchorage and worked at Jens' restaurant. Then I took a quick flight across the pond to Germany where I worked for about a year and tried to learn German. Not so much. (Worked is a lie, more like 3/4 travel and 1/4 work.) Then it was back to Anchorage where I resumed work at Jens. If you can work at one of the best restaurants, why not do it again? I got another year under my belt working with Jens and a few head chefs that I attribute a lot of my culinary knowledge from- Mike Scopplitte and Brett Knipmeyer (of Kinleys.)

I decided to try surfing, so a move to San Diego was needed. My buddy Jerry and I jumped into my '73 VW Bus and did the infamous Alcan (Alaska Highway.) 2 weeks later, I bought my longboard and got a job with Behind the Scenes Catering, having no idea who their clients were. Little did I know I was going to head chef their backstage kitchen at Chula Vista Coors Amphitheater, cooking for acts like Ben Harper, James Taylor, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, etc. All my favorite musicians were standing in front of me eating my food. That sparked an idea. I thought- how can I travel with these musicians, cook for them, and see the world? That's when Dega came around, a traveling catering company that works for acts like Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Neil Diamond, and Dave Matthews. I sent in resume after resume for 3 years.

In the meantime, I came home and worked at a wonderful fishing lodge, NewHalen Fishing Lodge, in Nondalton, Alaska. After two summers there feeding anglers, I got an offer to fly to Rome, Georgia, and cater a deer hunt for 10 days with one of the clients, Bill. That chance took me closer to my dream of tour catering. Rome was only 6 hours from Knoxville, Tennesse, where homebase for Dega Catering was. I did the drive in order to finally meet face to face with the owner, Hollis. She was an amazing person. You could feel her good energy and happiness right away. After chatting about Alaska, food, and so on for about an hour and a half, she offered me the job! So now I work with Dega, and am currently on the road with Jack Johnson- my dream tour. After only two years with them, I have worked for Cirque du Soliel, The Fray, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), Justin Timberlake, and now Jack.

I'm on my break right now from the first leg of the tour which took us from Indiana, Tennesse (Bonnaroo), Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, over the Atlantic to Europe visiting Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom (London, Birmingham, Newquay, and Manchester), France, Germany, and Netherlands. What a trip so far! Stories to come of road life in my next blog.

To keep it short and sweet, I will give you some of my menus from a few cities to show you what we serve and the kinds of recipes and ideas that I will be sharing with you in the future.


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The Hague, Netherlands July 13th, 2008
Dinner
Soup: Roasted Corn Chowder
Appetizer: Sashimi of Ahi Tuna and Seared Scallop
Appetizer: White Wine Steamer Clams with Riesling and Tarragon Beurre Blanc
Entree: Grilled Skirt Steak with a Roasted Jalapeno, cherry tomato, garlic, cilantro, and parsley
puree
Entree: Seared Northern Rockfish with a Mango, mint, lime salsa
Vegetable: Grilled Broccolini with chive butter
Vegetable: Ginger Roasted Baby Beets
Starch: Cilantro Lime Rice
Salad: Crispy Red Butter Leaf Lettuce with fennel, red onions, shaved parmesan, and a fig balsamic vinaigrette.
Imported Cheese Board
Smoked Fish Platter
Artisan Breads
Assorted Desserts
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This is an average dinner menu that we offer as a buffet for the artist and their crew. I have also taken on the challenge of getting fresh, local, organic, and sustainable produce, dairy, meats and baked goods from local farms in each city we travel to. It makes the difference in so many ways. First, it helps the communities to buy the local goods, rather than buying from a supermarket that has it's meats and produce flown in from all over the world. Second, it reduces our carbon footprint. And most importantly, the flavor, quality, and nutritional benefit of produce that was cut from the ground hours is far superior. Wow. Presentation is easy when all your food is naturally beautiful. I love my job.

Here is a recipe that you can use for tonight. We will start off slow so you can get used to my recipe style. If you got a Full Circle Farms CSA box this week you received beets. This can be a side dish to go with your dinner, or you can just add this to your salad.

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Roasted Beets with a Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Beets, 4ea
Oil, 2T (safflower, peanut, canola..something to take heat)
salt, tt (to taste)
black pepper, tt

Vinaigrette:
Balsamic Vinegar, 1/4 c
dijon mustard, 1T
honey, 2 T
garlic, 1T
dry thyme, 1tsp
dry basil, 1tsp
blueberries, 1/4c
oil (veg), 3/4 c
salt, tt
pepper, tt

1. Set the oven to 400F. Cut the stems off your beets. (Save the greens. If they have life left, add them to a salad or saute them with garlic.) Coat the beets with the oil until they are all shiny. Season with salt and pepper, place on a sheet tray and roast them until they feel like a ripe avocado. 30-50 minutes depending on their size.

2. To make the Vinaigrette, place all the ingredients but the oil in the blender . Blend until it is one smooth liquid. Slowly pour in the oil through the top of the blender until you get a thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. When the beets come out of the oven, let them cool down. Peel the roasted skin off carefully. I eat them with the skin on, as I like the extra fiber. Pour only enough vinaigrette on the beets to coat them. Save the extra dressing for another day.
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I hope you enjoy this, it's one of my favorite quick veggies.
Until next time, cheers!