Archive for the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Category
Chef Nelson is a master ice carver and this is his method on creating a showpiece from conception to final product. First you need your design or drawing on a small piece of paper. You can then use an overhead projector to trace the small drawing on to another larger piece of parchment paper to place over your ice. If you dont have an overhead projector, just draw on the larger piece of paper freehand.
The original drawing on paper
This dolphin piece requires four 300 lb. blocks of ice, thats 1,200 lbs. of ice to transport, carry, lift, carve, and shave. The photo below shows the four blocks ready for carving.
Each block weighs in at 300 lbs.
You need to fuse the two blocks together immediately after they are touching. To do this Chef Nelson pours ice cold water in between the two pieces. The ice water should be the same temperature as the block of ice, or it will crack and pop, like when you pour a beverage into a glass of ice, thus ruining the piece.
Fusing the two pieces together with ice cold water
Next step would be to place your thin paper drawing over the ice. The paper will stick to the ice if you spray water on it. See the photos below.
Place your paper over the ice
Spray water on the paper to make the ice stick
Ice ready for carving
At this point, Chef Nelson is ready to start carving with the chainsaw. The chainsaw is used to get the majority of the ice off the sculpture. Its basically cutting around the drawing, not worrying too much about accuracy yet, since you will be hand shaving the piece later.
Use the chainsaw to cut large portions at a time
Cutting around the lines
Carving with the chainsaw on the back side
At the end of the first major cut with the chainsaw
Once Chef Nelson passed through the entire design with the chainsaw he is ready to use his shaving tools to carve a smoother and more detailed piece. The shaving tools come in a variety of sizes, some for use in corners, others for shaving away large slices at a time. He also uses a power drill for the delicate detailed work such as eyes and waves.
The ice pick used for lifting the 300 lb blocks
Various shaving tools and the power drill
Close up of the ice on the blade
Using the power drill
Using the power drill to create the eyes
Using the shaving tool to create a 3D sculpture, and smooth the ice
The photos below show the half completed sculpture, Chef Nelson will finish it the following day. The piece is carted back into the freezer until the actual day of the event. Then the ice will be polished until its crystal clear and ready for the guests to enjoy. Stay tuned for part two of this article. Thanks to Chef Nelson Millan for the technical advice.
Almost done: The right side of the piece
Almost done: The left side of the piece
36 pounds of dark chocolate
Every year Chef Jorge Caballero creates chocolate showpieces for the Christmas Day Brunch at the Lodge at Sea Island. This year he hand carved a 36 lb. block of dark chocolate into a magical Christmas village. He mentions that he used the same tools to carve fruit in this showpiece. Each year he melts the piece back down to be reworked the next year. This piece has chocolate in it from 2004. After 22 hours of carving, spraying, and hand painting the village was ready for brunch.
Approximately 3 feet wide
Chef Jorge is from Montevideo, Uruguay where he worked as a pastry chef at Emporio de los Sandwiches, a popular eatery among locals for over 80 years. He has been working at the Lodge at Sea Island for over 7 years as the pastry chef where they have earned AAA Five Diamond every year they have been open.
Merry Christmas!
Chef Roberto in the dining room of the newly opened Leoci's Trattoria in Savannah
Friends of mine, Chef Roberto Leoci and his wife Lacie just opened a new restaurant in Savannah, Leoci’s Trattoria. The restaurant features hand made pastas, brick oven pizzas, paninis, and fresh local ingredients. Leoci’s opened last week and I had the opportunity to help prepare most of the dishes and take some photos for the article. Roberto and I worked together at Cioppino, the signature Italian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne. This time around I was kneeding dough for the brick oven pizza and reducing lobster broth for the risotto.
Rucola e prosciutto
Working a brick oven pizza is definitely an art form, there are hot spots, limited space, and nuances that play a major role in the success of your pizza. I spent a couple hours burning and damaging my pizzas until I got the hang of it. The photo above was one of my successful attempts and the arugala and prosciutto pizzas. We make a basic dough recipe with flour, water, and yeast, let it rise, portion it, and let it rise again.
Every 45 minutes or so, you should add another log to the fire
If you want a more thick crust pizza, we can roll the dough, top it, and place the raw dough in the oven. This is a more chewy crust, or if you like it thin we bake the dough without toppings and then top it and bake it again for a nice crunchy texture.
550 degrees of heat in the middle of the oven, can get up to 800 near the roof
The pizza at Leoci’s is delicious, I am sure the locals will discover this quickly and have a new favorite pizza and beer joint. But there is much more than just pizza to indulge on. Try the paninis, Roberto has several to choose from that are served on a fresh foccacia roll. The grilled chicken caesar panini is my favorite, it has house made caesar dressing, buffalo mozzarella, romaine, and sliced roma tomatoes. Another option is the fresh local seafood that Roberto uses in the pasta dishes and specials. The other night he used fresh local Georgia shrimp in his saffron risotto. One of the biggest hits at the bar was the brick oven roasted mussels, served with crostini and a lobster saffron based seafood sauce.
At the bar with fresh mussels roasted in the brick oven
Working as a photographer and chef/writer allows me access to behind the scenes that typical food writers might not have. At Leoci’s I not only did prep work, make pizzas, pastas, and dessert, but I also sat down as a guest and tried the food. Its a unique perspective from the view of all angles, and I must say that so far Roberto is off to a great start and if you are in the mood for some wine, pizza, and homemade tiramisu, then stop on by and have a slice or two.
Now for some photos. Cheers to Roberto and Lacie!
Tuscan wines at Leoci's
Lacie and Roberto on opening night
Fusilli Verde
Tiramisu, the most heavenly Italian dessert
Framed photos of Leoci's family and culinary travels can be found at the entrance to the dining room
Brick oven pizza with sausage and arugala
Caprese salad
Almost forgot, there is a Bocce ball court in the back of Leoci’s near the parking lot. There is a large deck overlooking the courts for al fresco dining in the spring and summer. Should be alot of fun.
Leoci’s Trattoria – 606 Abercorn Street – Savannah
I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, here are some delicious looking dessert photos I hand selected (and ate) for your viewing pleasure!
Dessert buffet
I can drink those for breakfast anyday
Handmade marshmallows, that's what the holidays are all about!
Where do you begin?
Pineapple upside down cake
Tart shells
Love the roulades
Chocolate biscotti
Nice display
Love the droplets of condensation on the chocolate
Close up
Thanks to Sea Island’s pastry team for the delicious dessert buffet.
Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, has announced its 2010 Five and Four Star Winners. This year’s distinguished Five Star winners include 41 lodgings, 20 restaurants and 3 spas, while outstanding Four Star winners span 125 lodgings, 149 restaurants and 84 spas. To help you plan your year in luxury travel, read on and discover the very best in hotels, restaurants and spas throughout the U.S. and Canada and Beijing, Hong Kong and Macau.
Anthony Whiddon, Georgian Room Chef de Partie plates up during dinner service
Five-Star Restaurants:
Arizona – Chandler: Kai
California – San Diego: Addison
California – San Francisco: The Dining Room, The French Laundry
California – Laguna Beach: Studio
Colorado – Colorado Springs: The Penrose Room
Georgia – Sea Island: Georgian Room
Illinois – Chicago: Alinea, Charlie Trotter’s
Maine – Kennebunkport: The White Barn Inn Restaurant
Nevada – Las Vegas: Alex, Joel Robuchon at The Mansion
New York – New York: Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Masa, Per Se
Pennsylvania – Farmington: Lautrec
South Carolina – Summerville: Dining Room at the Woodlands
Texas – Brenham: Inn at Dos Brisas
Virginia – Washington: The Inn at Little Washington
To view the complete list of 4 and 5 star properties click here.
Chef Kristin Butterworth plating up at the Georgian Room, she is currently working at The Inn at Little Washington
Let’s go behind the scenes of a James Beard Dinner with a great friend of mine, Chef Nelson Millan. In April 2004, the team at the Ocean Reef Club, in Key Largo, Florida was invited to attend a special dinner for the “Hidden Chef Series”. The Hidden Chef series gives members a chance to sample the cuisine of chefs cooking in private clubs and other institutions that require special memberships and/or dues.
Nelson was asked to help design and perform a special “Floribbean” menu, since he had so many years experience with Caribbean cuisine. All the other chefs were from France and the States, and ran daily operations tailored to international or american regional cuisine. Nelson is Puerto Rican, and I know how much he loves roasted pork, so its no surprise la “caja china” was used in the dinner.
The team spent about 2 sessions back at the Ocean Reef Club to work out the menu and do a tasting, that includes the wine pairings. Nelson tells me, that the James Beard House even shipped over a sample of their china so the chefs could choose which plates they wanted to serve on, nice touch.
Nelson pictured in the center with Chef's: Phillippe Reynaud, Mark Gallaudet, Kevin Cornaire, Jennifer Schaffer, and Manda AIken
So from the time they get the invitation to the event date was about 4 months. They decided to ship all the ingredients through Fedex to the event, and they all flew up there to save time. They stayed at the New York Yacht Club, a hotel just a few minutes away from the James Beard House. On Tuesday and Wednesday they prepped all day with the help from students at the French Culinary Institute, as the dinner was scheduled for Thursday night. A total of about 60 guests attended the dinner, among them 15-20 chefs from New York City, and a handful from Hawaii.
As Nelson explains, the kitchen is small with not alot of room to move around, and there arent any walk-in coolers. During plate up guests have the chance to interview the chefs, ask questions, and get to know more about the menu and techniques involved.
So basically, the reception is at 6:00 pm, the dinner starts at 7:00 pm and goes for about 3 hours. After dinner you clean up a bit, and make it upstairs to the dining area. After a standing ovation, each chef receives a plaque, a medal, and are thanked by the House organizers and head off to their hotel to celebrate.
After party? Hell ya, I cant imagine all the fun they had after the dinner, but they all decided to go to DB Bistro, Daniel Boulud’s interpretation of a classic american/french bistro. Had some great food, sipped wine, and shared memories that will last a lifetime. Cheers to that!!
I’d also like to mention, that most of the expenses were paid by the hotel the chef’s worked for. So if you are a chef in a large hotel or decent size restaurant then go ahead and get your team together and send an email or call the JBH for more details. It would be great publicity for your hotel, and a great experience for the chefs on the team.
The Menu: A Taste of the Tropics (click here for James Beard website description)
Ocean Reef Club, James Beard Foundation “Hidden Chef Series”, Monday April 19, 2004
The original menu
Braised Pineapple with Coconut Gelato
1. Shaved Baby Conch Salad
Candied Lime & Sweet Potato Straws with Passion Fruit Syrup
Eroica, 2002 Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington
Red Stripe Beer, Jamaica
Shaved Conch Salad
2. Island Spiced Wahoo
In Banana Leaf with Annatto Oil
Grilled over Coconut Husk
Whitehall Lane, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California
Grilled Wahoo
3. Sour Sop Float
with Lychees & Strawberries
4. Caja China Roast Lechon
Sweet Potato & Corn Risotto
Micro Sprouts Salad with Crispy Hearts of Palm
Mojo Roasting Juices
Indian Wells, 2001 Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington
Suckling Pig Entree
5. Spiced Rum Braised Pineapple
Coconut Gelato & Sapodilla Compote with Plantain Crisp
Bosc dla Rei, 2002 Moscato d’Asti, La Morra, Italy
Our team & help from Diane & Steve
Prepared by:
Executive Chef Phillipe Reynaud & Assistant Executive Chef Mark Gallaudet
Chef Garde Manger Nelson Millan & Chef de Cuisine Kevin Cornaire
Senior Pastry Chef Jennifer Schaffer
Manda Aiken Director of Banquets and Catering
Sponsored by Southern Wine and Spirts, Premier Beverage Company, BBJ Linen
The team working in the kitchen
Caja china in action
Side view of the Kitchen
Chefs Nelson & Kevin
Chef Nelson is currently the Chef de Cuisine at the Beach Club, Sea Island Resorts, Sea Island, Georgia.
Chef Daniel Zeal plating up in the Georgian Room kitchen, Mobil Five Star, 2 years in a row
As some of you may not know, the Georgian Room (at the Cloister, Sea Island Resorts) was named the Best Restaurant in Georgia by Georgia Trend magazine. A link to the article can be found here.
I have done many photo shoots with Chef Danny and his crew and I am always amazed by the presentation, taste, and creativity in the food. Not to mention the dedication to excellence that each of the chef’s consistently puts forth. Congratulations to Chef Danny, his team, and the entire Georgian Room service staff.
Below are some photos of Chef Danny and the crew doing what they do best. Enjoy!
Mobil Five-Star, Georgian Room, 2008, 2009.
Black Cod, “Creamed” Corn, Maitake, Bok Choy, Maple-Ginger Barbecue, Autumn 2009 Menu
Lindsey Stevens, Georgian Room Chef de Partie plates up dessert
Bret Edlund, Cook I, plates during dinner service
Butter Lettuce, Sweet Avocado, Strawberry, Pistachio, Ice Wine Vinaigrette, from the Summer 2009 Menu
Anthony Whiddon, Georgian Room Chef de Partie plates up during dinner service
Oak Scented Wahoo, Shanghai Cabbage, Fresh Coriander, Coconut Essence, from the Summer 2009 menu
Chef Danny with farmer David Lewis at Sapelo Farms in Brunswick, Georgia
For more information about the Georgian Room, visit www.seaisland.com
To view the current menu click here.
- Seared wild salmon, mushroom risotto with truffle oil, and micro basil
It was a warm night downtown in the historic district of Savannah but the atmosphere in the Inn was purely Alaskan. The salmon was super fresh, we used salt, pepper and the juice of a lemon to season, really simple to play up the essence of the fish. After portioning the salmon we seared it off and placed it on top of this creamy mushroom risotto. Flavored with a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a hint of truffle oil. Special thanks to Jamie Barr at Blue Marlin Seafood for the fish.
Chef Stephen adding chocolate dust for the baked Alaska
Andrea, a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu was in the kitchen helping with desserts. She did a baked alaska with raspberry sauce that was really delicious. Sweet sauce, creamy ice cream and moist cake, hope we can have her back again soon. Also, we had the help of Chef Stephen McLain of Savannah. Stephen prepared the halibut in papillote dish with some olives, potatoes, and artichokes, a really nice aroma from opening the package and the taste was even better. Thanks again to everyone who makes this happen, Chef Roberto, Lacie, Rudy, Allison, and Jeff.
Chef Roberto with the salmon
So it was another great night at the Dresser Palmer House, this was our 6th Wednesday in a row! We had about 25 guests and a few good friends coming along to dine with us. All of this great food is turned out of a kitchen probably no bigger than the one you have at home. Ill post some pics of it in a later article.
If you would like to experience one of the tastings call the Dresser Palmer House to make a reservation.
Chef Andrea preparing the baked alaska
BB 10
Last night was alot of fun at the Taste of Tuscany in Savannah’s Dresser Palmer House. The highlight of the evening was the Tuscan style steaks and the Birrificio Barley10. The combination of the two for me was quite enjoyable.
BB10 pours like coffee, and the aroma is somewhat fruity with a touch of cocoa. There is a complexity of malt, oak, vanilla, raisins, and chocolate. The beer is made with Cannoau red wine grapes (which are boiled for 16 hours straight) and 6 varieties of English barley, which definetly gives this beer a unique flavor. Its a bit pricey at $32.00 a bottle but well worth it.
The secret ingredient of the night was the 100 year old cast iron pan, provided by Jonathan Johnson of Savannah. After the beautiful sear, we finished them up in the oven over a bed of rosemary and garlic. Served with sauteed baby zucchini and a salad of arugala – tossed in a fresh lemon vinaigrette. Then topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Photographer Erin Adams of Savannah was back in the kitchen with us taking photos for an article in Savannah Magazine, cant wait to see the article, ill post it here as soon as it comes out.
Tuscan style steaks seared and cut tableside, Tagliata di Manzo e Zucchine Trifolate
Family photo after the dinner, celebrating a wonderful night of delicious food paired with great friends.
Chef Roberto with his wife Lacie, her father and brother Rudy
Leoci Family Photo 1965
Chef Roberto will be preparing classic Tuscan food this Wednesday night at the Dresser Palmer House in Savannah. The menu is simple but the flavors will be amazing. John Mariani used to rave about these ravioli’s when we worked at Cioppino, but now we make them fresh, not with won-ton wrappers! “You could eat rafters of his sheer spinach ravioli with butter and sage and walk away light on your feet.” says Mariani back in 2005.
(Read the Esquire Magazine article here).
Menu
Hors d’oeuvres: Chef’s Assorted Choices
Crostini di Fegatini di Pollo: A Traditional Tuscan Pâté served over Thinly Sliced Crostini
Ribollita: Tuscan’s Most Famous Soup, Slow-Cooked to perfection with Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
Ravioli di Ricotta con Pomodori: Hand Made Ravioli filled with Fresh Ricotta and Local Tomatoes then drizzled with Chef Roberto’s Signature Sauce
Tagliata di Manzo e Zucchine Trifolate: Grilled Florentine Steak topped with Shaved Parmesan and Arugula accompanied by Zucchini with Olive Oil, Garlic and Parsley
Doppio Cioccolato: Double Chocolate Torte topped with assorted Fresh Berries.
Event Info
Wednesday September 9, 2009
7pm Cocktail and Hors d’oeuvres Begin, 8pm Dinner
211 East Gaston Street, Savannah GA 31401
$55.00 per person/ tax and gratuity not included