Tony Adams
Cooking School Head Chef
Cooking School Head Chef
Cavallo Point - The Lodge
at Golden Gate
Chef Tony Adams has spent
much of his life in kitchens all over the world. Growing up in Central Maine,
he attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, obtaining a unique
Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts. After college, he spent time in several
fine dining restaurants, including working with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux
Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, England. Chef Adams was an instructor at Le
Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Orlando for more than five years, teaching
over 4500 students in his tenure, and twice being named the Best Chef
Instructor as voted by the student body. He also owned a local-food-focused business
in Orlando, Big Wheel Provisions. He has spent recent years cooking in
restaurants and for private clients in Nantucket and Pennsylvania. His
specialties include charcuterie, butchery, making fresh pasta, as well as
Modern American Cuisine and Classical French and Italian cuisines. When he’s
not in the kitchen, you can find him hunting for hard-to-find bourbon, fishing
from the beach, and keeping track of his favorite New England sports teams.
The Cooking
School
Rated #1 Hotel Culinary School by Gayot.com, the Cavallo Point
Cooking School is an intimate place to taste, create and explore. Filled with
natural light and top-of-the line culinary equipment, the Cooking School offers
an ever-changing roster of cooking classes and programs flavored by the bounty
of organic offerings from the San Francisco Bay Area. All classes are led with
a keen eye toward seasonality, sustainability and stewardship.
Sunny working kitchen with plenty of elbow room
The
Cavallo Point Cooking School, 1200 square feet in size, features four
comfortable workstations for hands-on classes. For demonstration classes, two
flat screens linked to adjustable cameras provide a close-up look, and
comfortable chairs and tables accommodate the students. There is a maximum
capacity of 20 people in the hands-on cooking classes and 30 in the
demonstration classes. Country wood tables and Heath Ceramics create a
beautiful dining experience when the meal is ready.
Please note that if a minimum number of
participants is not met 24 hours prior to the class, the class may be canceled
and participants will be fully refunded. Should you need to cancel your class
reservation, you may do so within 72 hours of the scheduled class start time
without penalty and a full refund will be extended. If you cancel less than 72
hours in advance, the full cost of the class will be forfeited.
About
Cavallo Point - The Lodge at Golden Gate
Cavallo Point – one
look tells you this is a very special place. Look deeper and you'll find an
innovative partnership.
Cavallo Point – the Lodge at the Golden
Gate was created by the Fort Baker Retreat Group, a project of Passport
Resorts, Equity Community Builders and Ajax Capital Group. The Fort Baker
Retreat Group is working with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate
National Parks Conservancy in a unique private/public/non-profit alliance to
restore, enhance and preserve Fort Baker as a National Park for generations to
come.
The name "Cavallo"
is part of the San Francisco Bay's history. It dates from 1775 when a rocky
point near Fort Baker was named "Punta de Caballo" by the commander
of one of the first European vessels that sailed into the bay. Wild horses once
roamed here, and "caballo" is the Spanish word for "horse."
Early California settlers started using "Cavallo," as the
pronunciation of b and v in Spanish are very close, and the name took hold.
Travis Day
Owner/Butcher
Thistle Meats, Petaluma
“I’ve worked for years at restaurants
trying to find new creative ways to use products and reduce waste.” Travis Day
Located in the
heart of downtown Petaluma, beloved neighborhood butcher shop, Thistle Meats, reopened
on May 10 under the capable hands of well-known chef and butcher, Travis Day. The
shop will continue to source grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and offer a
charcuterie program featuring handmade pates, Salumi, terrines, and other
house-cured meats. Travis plans to also offer an expanded, new menu of prepared
foods including sandwiches, salads, and soups, along with marinated and
seasoned meat cuts and other local items.
“Thistle Meats
has been a company that has held itself to a very high standard of quality and
craftsmanship. I’ve worked for years at restaurants trying to find new creative
ways to use products and reduce waste. I’m excited to carry on what Thistle
Meats has already brought to Petaluma. We will continue to support the local
farms and small producers that have supplied to the shop over the years. I also
look forward to bringing my influence to the prepared foods served in the shop
and utilizing preserved meats and vegetables to elevate a dish,” says
Travis.
The Talent: Experienced Butcher Travis Day
Travis has
progressed through kitchens abroad and in the Bay Area, having worked in
well-known kitchens including Boneta Restaurant in Vancouver and in San
Francisco at Central Kitchen, Commonwealth, Oro, and Salumeria. Since he
was sixteen, he’s been doing two things he loves most: cooking and traveling.
He has traveled to over 20 countries, including Japan, France, Spain, Italy,
Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, New Zealand and many others, which have opened
his eyes to new experiences, ingredients, people, and foods.
Travis was
most recently Chef de Cuisine at Oro in San Francisco, where he worked with
Chef Jason Fox (Commonwealth) to develop the menu and recipes. Prior to that,
he spent two years as Sous Chef/Salumieri with the Ne Timeas Restaurant
Group, focusing on the butchery programs for both Central Kitchen and
Salumeria. He quickly became known for crafting Salumeria’s cured meat
platter and Central Kitchen’s salumi brunch board, circulating different cuts
every week. Before making the move to San Francisco, Travis spent over two
years in Napa at The Fatted Calf, where he worked with acclaimed butchers like
Aaron Gilliam, and many others. It was there that he learned the ins
and outs of whole animal butchery and also helped lead classes about whole hog
butchery, pates, terrines, and more. Throughout his career, Travis has worked
with incredibly talented chefs, including Sho Kamio (Iyasare); Jeremie Bastien
(Boneta); Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow (Ne Timeas Restaurant Group); and
Jason Fox (Commonwealth). These chefs had an unwavering attention to detail and
care of product and had a huge influence on how Travis cooks and cares about
food. Combining all of his experience and travels, Travis aims to continue to
offer what people love about Thistle Meats while adding to the menu as they
make new product.
Travis’
childhood friend and butchery mentor, Aaron Gilliam, has been a salumi maker at
Thistle Meats from the beginning and will be helping Travis with the
transition. Also, Liam Watson will be staying on as the head production
manager. Both Travis and Liam have been collaborating on ways to expand upon
the already great selection of products at Thistle Meats.
Joining Travis
as part of this project is long-time friend and talented chef, Kyle Itani, of
Hopscotch and Itani Ramen, both located in Uptown Oakland. “Kyle and I met over
10 years ago when we were both working for Chef Sho just after his departure
from Ozumo,” commented Travis. “When I decided to take over Thistle Meats, I
knew from the beginning that he would be the best partner to help oversee the
operations. We share a similar philosophy of offering high-quality
products and an amazing experience for guests, which we’ll bring to Thistle
Meats. Kyle’s mind for running efficient businesses is so important for a
butcher shop, where the margins are lower than restaurants. We both want to
continue offering great value products to the community while I add new
offerings to the menu.”
The Menu: Focus on Local and Sustainable Meats & Ingredients
Thistle Meats
boasts a menu that draws from a variety of local farms. The menu will be
comprised of daily prepared foods, salumi, pates, smoked meats and humanely
raised pork, poultry, beef, and lamb. There will also be other items such as
bread from Red Bird and Della Fattoria, local cheeses from Andante and Cowgirl
Creamery, and additional goods, creating the perfect stop for locals and
travelers alike. At Thistle Meats, Travis will also take an old world
approach to meat and vegetable preservation, which brings out the delicious and
complex flavors of naturally fermented products.
Travis has
close connections with local farmers and ranchers and will continue to offer
high-quality ingredients and celebrate Petaluma’s local bounty. The farmers who
supply Thistle Meats include Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales (beef & lamb),
Magruder Ranch in Potter Valley (beef & lamb), True Grass Farms in Valley
Ford (pork), Mendocino Organics in Ukiah (pork), Llano Secco in Chico (pork),
Green Strings Farms & Cline Vineyards in Petaluma (lamb), Monkey Ranch in
Petaluma (lamb), Liberty Duck in Petaluma (duck), Marin Sun Farms in Petaluma
(chicken), Rockin’ S Rabbit Farm in Cotati (rabbit) and Jones’ Rabbit Farm in
Santa Rosa (rabbit).
Travis plans
to host monthly Sunday Supper events and will team up with guest
chefs from leading San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. He plans to launch the
first Sunday Supper dinner in early June with Lord Stanley.
This summer,
Thistle Meats will get their beer and wine license. Travis has enlisted Jenny Schwarz,
Co-Owner/Beverage Director of Hopscotch and Sláinte, who will oversee the
on-premise beer and wine offerings, as well as the retail wine program.
The Space: Fresh and Transparent
The clean,
welcoming environment was designed by Wylie Price. The open butchering area in
the center of the shop will remain as the main focal point, along with the
stainless steel and glass chiller cabinets that round out the fresh, modern
look. The 1,800 square-foot shop will include 13 seats and a beautiful new bar
in the window with seating. The backyard features an ivy wall and exposed white
brick, creating the perfect outdoor setting for the Sunday Suppers
and other events.
###
About Thistle Meats: Thistle
Meats is a whole animal butcher shop and salumeria where everything
is cut and created by hand. Located in the heart of downtown Petaluma, the shop
features prepared foods, along with fresh meats, charcuterie, and salumi from
Owner/Butcher Travis Day. Thistle Meats is open daily except for Tuesdays from 10:00
a.m. – 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit http://www.thistlemeats.com/ or
call (707) 772-5442 and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Thistle Meats, 160 Petaluma
Boulevard North, Petaluma, CA 94952.
