Slow Living Radio is
delighted to welcome returning guest, Chef Victor Scargle, the new Culinary
Director for the exciting Boisset Collection and JCB Collection.
Learn of his rich culinary background, mission with Boisset, snail
palaces, biodynamics and more. And next time you venture to the Napa
Valley, be sure to visit, not only the magical wineries, but the surreally
French Atellier tasting room and fine food and
catering boutique in Yountville. You'll be transported into Boisset's France and transformed.
Victor Scargle
Culinary Director
With a
special culinary style that melds fresh, seasonal ingredients in a way that
showcases the abundant flavors of Napa Valley, Boisset Collection Culinary
Director Victor Scargle was not always destined for a life in the hospitality
industry, despite growing up cooking alongside his father. Enrolled at the
University of California at Santa Barbara, the Santa Cruz native was well on
his way to achieving an economics degree before returning to his childhood
pastime.
Feeling uninspired from school, Scargle left
college to pursue a culinary career after receiving an American Culinary
Federation apprenticeship in Santa Barbara at the Red Lion Resort. Here, he
found a mentor in Executive Chef Brian Bird, who advised Scargle to travel east
to work with chefs in Miami and New York, including at Patria, Gramercy Tavern,
Tribeca Grill, Park Avenue Café and East Hampton Point with Chef Gerry Hayden.
In 1995, Scargle returned to the Bay Area to work
for esteemed Chef and Restaurateur Michael Mina at Aqua and stayed with Mina
Restaurant Group for five years, first at Aqua in San Francisco and later
assisting with the 1998 opening of Aqua in Las Vegas and Pisces in Burlingame,
where he served as executive chef. During his stint at Aqua, he was honored as
one of San Francisco Chronicle’s
“Rising Star Chefs” of 2000 — a highly coveted award that recognizes
the best and brightest young culinary talent.
In 2000, Scargle accepted a position as chef de
cuisine at Jardinière, where he worked with celebrated Chef Traci Des Jardins.
Three years later, he joined The Patina Group as executive chef of Julia’s
Kitchen, the white tablecloth restaurant at COPIA: The American Center for
Food, Wine and the Arts, a non-profit institution launched by Napa Valley
winemaker Robert Mondavi and other leaders in the wine community. Situated on
12 acres of donated land, Scargle worked closely with the garden curators to
form a seamless alliance between garden and kitchen, establishing a program
that sourced 80 percent of the summer produce from the COPIA gardens. His hard
work and determination at Julia’s Kitchen led to a three-and-a-half star review
from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In June 2011, Scargle joined the team at Lucy
Restaurant & Bar to help guide the evolution of the restaurant, which
re-launched in February 2012 with a brand new concept and design. His menus at
Lucy showcased the bounty of fresh produce sourced from the property’s on-site
garden and local farmers, ranchers, fishmongers, foragers and artisan purveyors
in the Napa Valley. While many restaurants employ a specialized team to
maintain the garden, Scargle took an active role in Lucy’s garden — planting,
harvesting, and experimenting with different produce.
In 2016 after Bardessono was sold, Scargle, who
served on the faculty of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) from
2009-2011, decided to return to the CIA to reopen Copia in Napa. After ten
months on the project, Scargle seized the opportunity to join legendary
winemaker and visionary Jean-Charles Boisset and his Boisset Collection that
features wine, food and luxury giftware.
When not in the kitchen, Scargle is at home
gardening, spending time with his wife and son or going out to listen to music.
And a word from Jean Charles Boisset:
A Family Collection
Boisset is a family-owned collection of historic and unique wineries bound together by a common cause: authentic, terroir-driven wines in harmony with their history, their future and the land and people essential to their existence. With more than twenty historical and prestigious wineries in the world’s preeminent terroirs, including the Côte d’Or, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, California’s Russian River Valley and the Napa Valley, each house retains its unique history, identity, and style, and all are united in the pursuit of fine wines expressive of their terroir.
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| Bonpas Vineyard, Rhone Valley, France |
Franco-American Spirit
Boisset embraces its Franco-American roots with our vision that a spirit of collaboration and commitment to wine on both continents will transcend any divisions. We believe that the union of the two worlds of winemaking will deepen our shared appreciation of their distinctness, diversity and unity, and enrich and enliven our worlds. We are inspired to think that together, we can unite two continents and two cultures around wine… Oceans may separate us, but wine unites us!
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| Wine Caves at Buena Vista Winery, California |
A History of Family Traditions
More than seventeen centuries of combined history unite the wineries of Boisset. Cistercian monks planted the vineyards of Le Clos Vougeot in 1110, inspiring Domaine de la Vougeraie to this day. Bouchard Aîné & Fils has built its family reputation in Beaune since 1750. Buena Vista Winery is California’s first premium winery, founded in Sonoma in 1857. These are just a few examples of the remarkable history of the Boisset Collection. Deepening the legacies of each of its estates is at the core of Boisset’s mission.
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| The Magnificent Atellier Wine Tasting Room and Fine Food Purveyor, Yountville California |
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