Passion, Committment, & Dedication...(part 1)

merlot braised short ribs, crispy sweetbreads, hedgehog mushrooms

"3 onions", celery root puree, mustard-thyme-pear essence

roasted atlantic monkfish & glazed sweetbreads

black trumpet mushrooms, caramelized garlic pancake, carrots & salsify

truffles and silky turnip "bisque"

seared sea scallop & veal sweetbreads
truffled turnips, black trumpet mushrooms, turnip "bisque", black currant sauce

american bison loin sous vide, cacao nib crust, artichokes, crosnes
pears, hedgehog mushrooms, roasted eggplant, argan oil

coffee crusted loin of lamb, hedgehog mushrooms, potato gnocchi
red wine braised cipolline onions, fennel sous vide, shallot-mosto cotto sauce
ras el hanout oil

green apple mustard rubbed bison loin
sweetbreads, artichokes, wild mushrooms, crosnes, pearl onion glace
wild huckleberry essence

syrah braised painted hills beef short ribs
black nile barley, vadouvan cauliflower, honshimejii mushrooms
cranberry-pear relish, smoked pecans, foie gras sauce

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Those are only several things I believe necessary and crucial to achieve a plane even close to perfection. Again, we must know that as humans, we probably will never, ever reach that place. But, as such, we must never stop trying, for it is then when we stop growing, learning, and moving ahead in our craft. As a chef, I always strive and am driven to continue in my pursuit of perfection and aim to produce the best food I can. Sure, there are times when again as people, we get fatigued, exhausted, sick, emotional, angry, frustrated and lose focus on our goal because of a multitude of outside influences, which inevitably distract us and hold us back from our potential, but at the end of the day, we must forge ahead, no matter the resistance. As I rocked my ass off at the Ozzy/Slash show last night, I was reminded that one must never lose sight of what's important and never stop having fun and striving to give the "crowd" the best show and experience that you can. Put your heart and soul into all that you do! At 60+...Ozzy sure does and that's how I roll too. Here are some shots from various plates of cooking in the moment at the chef's table of late...enjoy and keep the passion strong!