ChefDance at Sundance

Beetroot Macaroon, Foie Gras, Sherry Reduction

While I didn't get to watch any films at the Sundance Film Festival, nor did I do any skiing on the famous Park City slopes, I did get to attend one event worthy of noting (other than the party at which I cooked).  MorningStar Farms ChefDance, a series of celebrity-chef crafted dinners at Sundance, clearly has made a name for itself as the go-to culinary event during the festival.  Each night, a different chef takes center-stage to put on a multi-course dinner offering for celebrities, festival attendees, and members of the culinary media.  Fortunately for me, I fell into one of those categories!  The crowd at ChefDance was huge.  I spied the likes of Tony Danza as I found my seat, and after some cocktails from the Snake Oil Cocktail Company and a brief delay, food started to come out of the kitchen.  Chef Shawn Armstrong led the brigade to create a stellar menu for the multitude of diners.

Snake Oil Cocktail Co's Bulleit Bourbon Beverage

Aspen Smoked Salmon, Blood Orange, Avocado Cream, Tangerine Lace, Citrus Creme Fraiche

Parsnip Cream & Crisp, Sugar Cured Pork Belly, Seasonal Mushrooms, Oregon White Truffle, Micro Chive, Green Onion Oil, MorningStar Farms "Chix" Pea Powder

Femme Fatale: Bulleit Bourbon, Smoked Maple-Chicory Soda,  Dried Apple Chip

Lamb "Ribeye", Charcoal Tortellini, Local Honey Glazed Butternut Squash, Puffed Black Barley, Roasted Brussels Sprout Petals, Black Garlic

Ginger Graham Crusted Sweet Potato Cupcake filled with Cinnamon Honey Creme Brulee, topped with Orange Whipped Cream and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

On the whole, the meal was quite extraordinary.  Despite the long wait time and lengthy dinner service, each course impressed me enough to stay in my seat until the end.  The macaroon had a savory element with sweetness from the sherry redux.  The salmon may have been the best course, though I'll never argue with lamb or pork belly.  Both of those dishes were outstanding as well, and the lamb came out cooked beautifully, especially considering the crowd of 300+ plates that went out.  The cupcake was a creation of Megan Brown from Sweet Tooth Fairy, winner of Cupcake Wars.  It may not quite have been one of Christina Stephen's cupcakes, but it was really damn delicious!

I'm definitely glad that I got to experience MorningStar Farms ChefDance while in Park City.  Hopefully I'll be back again... perhaps even as a chef.  Hey, you can always tweet @chefdance and let them know that @biteandbooze should be there next year!

Sundance or Bust

Jay Ducote with Sommer and Chris Wadsworth at the Sundance Film Festival

It wasn't easy, but Chef Chris Wadsworth from Baton Rouge's Restaurant IPO successfully guided our team through dinner impossible at the Sundance Film Festival.  With contributions from Chappapeela Farms (duck, pork belly), Inland Seafood (shrimp, crawfish, oysters, redfish, tasso), and Community Coffee, we arrived in Park City, UT ready to cook up a snow-storm of Louisiana dishes.  Chris and I received and invitation to serve as guest chefs for a party being thrown to promote the Louisiana International Film Festival.  Before we left, Chris and I made a video about what we were bringing to Sundance:

Our team hard at work at the Deer Valley kitchen

Trouble came at 9 AM on the day of the party when Chef Chris, his wife Sommer, and I arrived at Cisero's Ristorante.  Kitchen space that we had been promised suddenly disappeared.  Their kitchen, overwhelmed by private parties along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner services, simply had no capacity for us traveling chefs to make our magic happen.  In addition to needing extra space for the three of us to prepare seven different hors d'oeuvres for 200 people, we also had five culinary students from the area who were willing and ready to help us out.  Fortunately, Lisa, one of our extremely helpful students, had a connection at the Deer Valley ski resort, and was able to book us a couple hours of commercial kitchen space.  There's obviously much more to the story, and it will be told at some point.  But for now, let me just thank Deer Valley for their incredible generosity in opening up their kitchen and pantry to us.  We couldn't have pulled off this culinary feat without them.  The same can also be said for our five helpers.  They saved the day.

Ashley serving Strawberry and Pepper stuffed Bacon wrapped Dates

Upon returning to Cisero's only a couple hours before guests were to arrive, I went off on a wild goose chase for some Sternos, knowing that chafing dishes were our only option for keeping food hot.  Fortunately the chef community at Sundance all felt each other's pain, and I eventually found some heat.  We set up a makeshift assembly line and miraculously began to serve our food on time.  

Adjustments had to be made.  Not every dish was exactly like we would have wanted it, but considering the circumstances, Chef Wadsworth made magic happen, and I'm glad I could be there to help!  It was quite an honor to get to go to Park City and bring Louisiana cuisine to Sundance, and it was a trip that I won't soon forget.  

Jessica serving Louisiana Redfish Ceviche with Avocado Relish

The group celebrates with cocktails after all the food had been served

Jay Ducote, Jeff Dowd, Dan Ireland, and Chris Wadsworth enjoy the red carpet