Domaine Chandon recently celebrated it's 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, its celebrated Yountvile restaurant, Etoile, held an exquisite dinner where Perry Hoffman, the current Executive Chef, crafted a menu honoring each of the past chefs, adding his own new sensibilities to pair with a range of their sparkling signature wines. Slow Living Radio joins the celebration this week with guests spanning the past 20 years.
Robert Curry worked as sous chef under Philippe Jeanty in much of the 90's and was coincidentally the Executive Chef in 1999 when Slow Living's Sally James featured the restaurant for an Australian publication, Wayne Donaldson, who became the winemaker the following year, came from Chandon in the Yarra Valley, Australia. Also, coincidentally, Sally and Stephen Andrews met Wayne when in the Yarra Valley, just before he left there to move to Yountville. Small world indeed!
We also welcome the outstanding and multi-celebrated young chef, Perry Hoffman who has won the restaurant a Michelin Star, a rising star chef award and many other accolades. And finally the current winemaker, Tom Tiburzi will bring us up to date on what's new at Napa Valley's Domaine Chandon.
What is your favorite Sparkling wine and
food pairing?
P.H. Sparkling and anything Asian.
W.D. It
sounds trite but I love sparkling wine and oysters. I love the oysters from
Judd Cove (Orcas Island, WA).
R.C. Onion rings. The real thin and crispy
ones. There's something magical about onion rings and bubbles.
T.T Etoile
brut and seared scallops or etoile rose and paella
What did you love the most about working at
Domaine Chandon?
P.H. It’s amazing to work here on such an estate.
We have freedom to have a thriving garden and forage from the Domaine Chandon
property - it just makes it feel such a
connection to the property and what ends up on the plate throughout the
seasons.
W.D. Other than creating the wines, the
opportunity to travel within the Chandon network was amazing.
R.C. Besides the spectacular beauty of its location? The team I worked with,
our guests and my own personal/professional growth. Oh, and I love sparkling
wine.
T.T. First the opportunity to keep my career
growing. Second, the opportunity to travel
What is your favorite Napa Valley relaxed
day out?
P.H. A good sunny day of fishing on the Napa River
on my boat along with a Fatted Calf sandwich for lunch.
W.D. Hiking
out to Table Rock in the Palisades near Calistoga.
R.C. A nice hike with my dog. Then come
home, grill something delicious for dinner and dine with my family outside in
our back yard.
T.T. To visit one or two wineries, have good
bread and cheese for the drive around, then finish the day at one of the great
Napa Valley restaurants.
What's
your favorite weekend getaway?
P.H. Tomales Bay, Cabins at Nicks Cove, a hike
down to Shell Beach near Inverness.
W.D. We are
blessed with so many opportunities. Check out Shelter Cove in Humboldt County
for a romantic getaway.
R.C. Honestly, I just like to go to the
city - head to San Francisco and eat some great food, maybe see a ball game or
go for some live music.
T.T. Seattle
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| Champagne, France |
Favorite
International wine growing region?
P.H. Champagne, Epernay is just amazing. I spent
two weeks working with the Chef from Dom Perignon last year. Just incredible
history and heritage.
W.D
South Africa or the Alta Adige
region in NE Italy
R.C. Champagne/ Burgundy-It's a toss up
T.T Champagne, specifically to stay in
Epernay!
Perry Hoffman
A Napa Valley
native, Perry Hoffman literally grew up in fine dining wine country kitchens,
as his grandparents, Sally and Don Schmitt were the original owners of The
French Laundry in Yountville. He first became interested in cooking by helping
his grandmother in the kitchen, assisting her with tasks such as making
croutons, roasting bell peppers and chopping parsley.
He took his
first formal restaurant job working as a pantry chef at his neighborhood
restaurant at age 15. Three years later, he moved to Anderson Valley to work as
a sous chef at the Boonville Hotel, where he learned to cook seasonally,
sourcing produce from the restaurant’s vegetable garden. From there, Hoffman
became sous chef at Santé Restaurant at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, where he
remained until getting courted by Chef Robert Curry at Auberge du Soleil in
Rutherford in 2005. During his two years at Auberge, Hoffman helped the
restaurant achieve its first Michelin star rating.
After joining
the culinary team at étoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon in 2007,
Hoffman was quickly appointed Chef. There he captured critical attention in
2010, as the youngest American chef to be awarded a Michelin Star at age 25.
Since then, étoile has maintained one Michelin Star for three consecutive
years, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Hoffman was also named a “Rising Star Chef” by
the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010, and was a James Beard Foundation
Semifinalist for “Rising Star Chef of the Year” in 2010 and 2011. In 2012,
Hoffman was named one of Zagat’s “30 under 30,” and also received
recognition from Food & Wine, as he was voted “The People’s Best New
Chef: California.”
At étoile,
Hoffman enjoys creating fresh, seasonally-changing dishes, drawing on the
restaurant’s extensive gardens, located throughout the property’s 300-acre
estate, which Hoffman describes as a “foragers dream of wild ingredients.” By
drawing upon locally-grown resources to create étoile’s menu, “nature
tells us what to cook,” he adds. In crafting his dishes, Hoffman also pays
special attention to wine pairings, yielding dishes that are balanced and
harmonious. étoile’s unique position within a winery allows for daily
interaction with Domaine Chandon’s winemaking team, resulting in truly
innovative, wine-inspired cuisine.
Hoffman lives
in Napa, Calif. Combining his passion for food with his love of the outdoors,
when he is away from the kitchen he enjoys fishing and gardening.
Robert Curry
Executive Chef, Auberge du Soleil
Curry brings to the Auberge a passion for Wine Country
cuisine cultivated at award-winning restaurants in the Valley, on both coasts
and in Europe. Prior to joining Auberge
du Soleil in spring of 2005, he served as Executive Chef at the Wine Spectator
Greystone Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena,
Calif. There, his menus showcased
ingredients harvested daily from Greystone’s own organic garden and the bounty
of local farmers and purveyors. Prior to
that, he launched the Flying Fish Café, the fine-dining seafood restaurant at
the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Curry made a name for himself early on among Northern California food
lovers during his eight years at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, Calif., first
serving as Executive Sous Chef under Philippe Jeanty and ultimately succeeding
him as Executive Chef.
A native of Los Angeles, Curry began his culinary career
there in 1986 at Ma Cuisine, Wolfgang Puck and Patrick Terrail’s cooking
school, during which time he received his degree from the Culinary Institute of
America, Hyde Park, N.Y. Following
graduation, he was recruited by Michael Richard and Alain Giraud for Citrus
Restaurant. In the late ‘90s, he
traveled the world to study cuisine, working with Alain Ducasse at his
three-star Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris; with Joseph Thuet at the Moët &
Chandon Résidence de Trianon in Epernay, France; and in Paris at the two-star
Michel Rostang.
Tom Tiburzi
Winemaker, Sparkling Wine
Tom's love affair with wine began long before coming to Chandon. The son of an Italian immigrant chef and retail wine-and-spirits merchant, food and wine are in his blood. Tom worked in the family stores since early childhood, and along with family and friends, made wine at home using a shared press in the garage. After earning a degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and an early foray into microbiology, Tom reconnected with the family's passion and parlayed his scientific training into a professional winemaking career. He's now spent the last 21 years mastering the art of sparkling winemaking at Chandon. His expertise in the science of sparkling winemaking along with his creative blending skills have played a key role in the creation of Chandon's diverse sparkling-wine cuvées. Currently, Tom continues to demonstrate his exceptional talents as he oversees Domaine Chandon's sparkling program, carrying on a tradition of crafting the finest and broadest range of sparkling-wine styles in America.
Wayne Donaldson
Earth/Vine/Wine
Wayne Donaldson has been a leader in the international
wine industry for 27 years. His career began in his homeland of Australia where
he earned an enology degree from the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural
College. Following graduation from college, Wayne began his career working as
assistant winemaker at high-end table wine producer Brokenwood Wines. In 1988,
while earning his Graduate Diploma in Management from Deakin University in
Victoria, he became a founding member of the Domaine Chandon Australia
winemaking team. Over the next eleven years, he rose to Chief Winemaker and
Operations Manager, creating both a sparkling wine and still wine portfolio,
which garnered numerous domestic and international awards including “Best
Sparkling Wine of the Year” at the 1998 International Wine Challenge held in
London.
In 2000 he was promoted to vice-president of winemaking
and vineyards for Domaine Chandon California, and parent company, Moet Hennessy
USA. This new position, headquartered in Napa Valley, broadened his role to
direct all of the company’s sparkling and still wine programs. It also afforded
him the opportunity to elevate the quality and prestige of the American
sparkling wine brand, with success evidenced by two consecutive years of
double-digit growth and doubled profits. During five years in the position he
also led the development and launch of the winery’s first varietal still wine
program, designed several new sparkling wine styles, planted new vineyards, and
reconfigured the winery and winemaking program for higher quality at lower
overhead. In 2003 Newton Vineyards was acquired by Moet Hennessy. Wayne joined
the board of Directors for Newton Vineyards advising on the strategic development
of Newton’s Spring Mountain vineyard and winery facility.
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| Chandon, Yarra Valley, Australia |
After five years at Domaine Chandon, in 2005 Wayne seized
the opportunity to become director of north coast winemaking for E&J Gallo
Winery, the largest privately owned wine group in the United States.
Responsible for all Bordeaux varietal brands, all Pinot Noir brands, the
William Hill Winery brand and the Louis Martini brand, Wayne oversaw all
elements of the business, including wine style development, wine quality, grape
supply, portfolio communication and budget control. By 2008 he was promoted to
senior director of coastal winemaking, which held Wayne responsible for all
wine grape varietals across all of Gallo’s premium portfolio brands; the
winemaking facilities in Napa County, Sonoma County, and Santa Barbara County.
During that time, Wayne was responsible for the winemaking, wine style
development, and launch of three new successful wine brands: Starborough, a New
Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Ghost Pines, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay
from Napa and Sonoma: and Red Rock, a Merlot and Malbec from California.
With experience in many of the world’s finest wine
growing regions including Champagne, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and
California and knowledge of all aspects of he wine business, Wayne decided to
expand his repertoire to launch his own winery consulting business. When he’s
not making wine, Wayne enjoys cooking and mountain biking the rugged mountain
trails of Napa Valley.
