Featured Expert: Chef de Cuisine Michael Johnston

Venue: Cloud Nine [Aspen, Colorado]
Venue History: Cloud Nine is the perfect aprés ski spot for locals and visitors alike at Aspen Highlands. Nestled near the top of the mountain, the venue is known for its party scene starting around 2pm. Among flowing bottles of excellent wine and their well-revered fondue pots, seating accommodates 55 in tight company. Ladies frequently dance atop tables and music is cranked up by the waitstaff as good times blend in with the snow capped mountains surrounding the views from 360 degrees around. Some people call Cloud Nine a European Alpine Ski Hut, but this party scene is all too American in nature.

The staff here truly sets the stage for crazy times and good memories, plus the culinary talent ensures the taste buds aren’t left behind at the base of the mountain. This is one of Aspen Ski Company’s best spots, and it’s not exactly well marketed among the other mountain offerings. If you’re looking for a unique vibe, get here. It’s really that simple. Plus Chef Mike will ensure your last run down the mountain is well endorsed with a stomach full of tasty treats.

Video Contents
1.0 min – Introduction to Party Land (Oh, em, Cloud Nine)
5.0 min – Get that tasty salmon. (Yes, we’re cooking something.)
1.0 min – Well, it’s in the middle of the last item, but it’s a salad.
1.ish min – BONUS: Learn where their sanctified salmon comes from. (Sanctified? …Okay, not holy, but holy cow. It’s good.)

Featured Expert: Chef Jose Salas
Executive Chef: Chef Philippe Piel

Venue: Four Seasons Resort [Punta Mita, Mexico]
Venue History: A picturesque fishing village nestled on Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, Punta Mita is an oasis of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters that boasts some of the best snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, surfing and golf in the world. The Four Seasons staff brings some of the best service standards to the region along with a signature restaurant inspired by Richard Sandoval.

Located near the pool with breathtaking ocean views, the Ketsi restaurant is shaded by a traditional thatched palapa roof and serves modern interpretations of Mexican classics amid a chic casual Mexican-style décor. A variety of fresh, local fruits and vegetables are used throughout the dining menus, along with the catch of the day.

Video Contents
5.0 min – Preparation of Red Snapper Zarandeado
1.0 min – BONUS: Street Taco Prep
1.0 min – BONUS: Conversation with Executive Chef Philippe Piel

Featured Expert: Chef de Cuisine Marcos Rodriguez Baltazar

Venue: Carmelita’s Fish Tacos [Sayulita, Mexico]
Venue History: Started long ago by Carmelita in Sayulita, this rhythmic restaurant is now overseen by her Carmelita Sisneros’ daughter, who puts her boyfriend, Marcos, to work in the kitchen. After eating at ten restaurants around town in the hope of discovering the best Chile Rellenos on this side of Mexico, Carmelita’s came highly recommended by the locals. (And honestly…? By the wait staff from other competing restaurants…) Something’s up when the other restaurant in town called “Chile Relleno” can’t hold a candle to this establishment. Get it together, señores!

After cooking his last chile relleno of the evening (yes, the supply ran out because they were so popular when I arrived), Marcos suggested that we do something off-menu and promptly whipped up a piña relleno. Now that’s some Mexican creativity if you ask me. These guys are suavemente. Family is numero uno and so is their food. So check out this video and find a special treat at the end from the only roving truck-bed baker I’ve ever seen in my life… Dessert is provided by Gabriel Lopez Armenta y Betty Sambrano Ulloan. I’m not sure what festival is going on here in the background, but I’ll await my cultural-insensitivity-check from the Hispanic community so I can make the proper adjustment on this page. Regardless, $#!T was FUNNY when a guy lit up his fireworks-laden outfit and ended up falling over from the sudden propulsion of the costume while we were having dinner. These amigos are loco down there, but I’ve got to say that it’s one tight-knit community that would make anyone from the Midwest jealous. Oh yeah, I qualify. It’s muy bueno down here.

Oh, and about the town… Sayulita is a surf town on Mexico’s west coast, and it’s a little piece of paradise. The locals probably wouldn’t call it a surf town, but, if you’re an expat, that’s what it is for you. Get here. Surf. And get some rellenos after your waves.

Video Contents
2.0 min – Piña Relleno. Yeah, 2 min. These ese’s are quick, meng.
1.0 min – Get acquainted with la familia de Carmelita!
1.0 min – Celebrations and pastries.

Want details about the Capital Food Fight? Find them here.

Sponsored By: SimplyLobsters.com [Maine]
Featured Expert: Chef Scot Harlan

Venue: Green Pig Bistro [Arlington, VA]
Venue History: The Green Pig Bistro serves what may be more obscure cuts of meat in their finest form – food that is hearty, not heavy; sustainable and with proper technique above all. The restaurant utilizes the entire product, head to tail, in dishes that are approachable, solid and basic, yet premium – classic rustic French cooking – with a decidedly American push.

Scot Harlan opened up his restaurant for a special birthday edition of KitchenlessChef, and SimplyLobsters.com has provided us with six 2lb live Maine lobsters to spark the unique creation of three separate dishes. We kick off with a lobster claw topped salad, followed by lobster macaroni and cheese with the knuckle meat, and then lobster tails side by side with Scot’s famous pork belly. The lobster tomalley is used to create a bright lobster red sauce.

Video Contents
5.0 min – Preparation of Lobster related dishes
1.0 min – BONUS: Birthday Reactions

Featured Expert: Chef de Cuisine Mansour Benali

Venue: Casserole Restaurant at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort [Singapore]
Venue History: The Casserole Restaurant is part of Shangri-La’s signature resort in Singapore– the only beach front property on the entire island. As part of their dining experience, guests are able to enjoy cuisine from both India and Morocco, with influences from around Southeast Asia. As visitors from Singapore, China, and elsewhere in the region begin to expand their culinary palate, Casserole has increased in popularity. Some of its best customers are regulars from downtown Singapore that visit to taste the unique food cooked by Chef Mansour Benali and his staff– and they find themselves immersed in a brief education about the spices and cooking techniques found most commonly in Moroccan food.

In this video you’ll learn about Chef Mansour’s signature dish, the Lamb Tagine, and see how he instills culinary secrets learned from his mother while growing up. Chef Mansour told me he would know when dinner was ready at home, because he would walk near his house and smell the best aromas associated with the tagine dishes. Perhaps you’ll pick up on a secret or two yourself– and maybe even venture out to buy your own tagine cooking dish from Le Creuset or another popular maker. The secret to slow cooking in this Moroccan style is from the water that steams up to the top of the tagine and steeps back down into the food itself to add a unique flavor.

Video Contents
2.0 min – Ras Al Hanout Spice Preparation
4.2 min – Kitchenless Chef Featured Entree (Lamb Tagine)
5.0 min – BONUS: Historical overview with Chef Mansour

Featured Expert: Chef Michele Filandro

Venue: Casa Tartufo [Singapore]
Venue History: Casa Tartufo was conceptualized by Alex Calabro and his wife, Tammy, months after a trip to Piedmont, Italy when they spent a night with ‘trifolai’ (Truffle Hunters) and their dogs. Alex, a finalist for the World Gourmet Summit’s Best Sommelier of the Year award, decided to combine his passion of Italian wines with his love of the ‘golden mushroom’ and knew his wife shared the same affection. The couple realized there was nothing that existed in Singapore to cater to the interests of truffle lovers, thus they took the plunge to start Casa Tartufo in Singapore.

In this video you’ll learn about Alex’s signature dish, Black Truffle Pasta, and see how his staff recreates an authentic Italian experience in the heart of Singapore. The staff at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore insisted that Casa Tartufo was one of the best dining experiences, and it’s easy to see why. Black Truffle Pasta isn’t something you would ever expect to find in Southeast Asia, but Alex and his team know how to deliver the goods. Casa Tartufo treats you like you’re part of their family, and the intimate dining experience makes you feel like you’ve found a new home away from home.

Video Contents
4.0 min – Kitchenless Chef Featured Entree (Black Truffle Pasta)
2.5 min – BONUS: Restaurant overview with Alex Calabro

Featured Expert: Executive Chef Supanut Khanarak

Venue: Spice Market in the Four Seasons Hotel [Bangkok, Thailand]
Venue History: The Spice Market is designed with an interior that resembles an old spice market, and was voted by locals as “The Most Delicious Thai Restaurant” in Bangkok. The food is exceptionally spicy, and service is nothing short of what you would expect from a Four Seasons property.

In this video you’ll learn about Chef Ann’s signature dish, and see how she merges seafood influences from the southern parts of Thailand with her own spices from central Thailand. The dish was inspired by her mother’s pineapple curry, but she says that her mom won’t eat anything this spicy. She also credits her friends in Southern Thailand for inspiring her to add seafood influences, and I think you will find the differences in style to be unique when compared with the video we shot at the Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa in Phuket, Thailand since they are not adding any chilis or other spices like Chef Ann does.

Video Contents
4.5 min – Kitchenless Chef Featured Entree (GEANG PHED NUA POO)
1.5 min – BONUS: Historical overview with Chef Ann

Featured Expert: Executive Chef Amar Singh

Venue: Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa [Phuket, Thailand]
Venue History: The Westin has western amenities, and an exceptionally clean dining area, but emphasizes highlights from Southern Thailand culinary artists. The dining facilities are located right near an incredible view overlooking the ocean, and it’s one of the nicest places in Thailand to relax, eat, and watch the sun setting in the distance.

In this video you’ll learn about Chef Amar’s favorite dish, prepared by his sous chef, Sa Nanon, and see how she develops a simple soup to carry flavors from the prawn, squid, and lightly fried seabass throughout a base of egg noodles. The dish is complimented by a soft shell crab laid over top, along with a poached egg. Unlike dishes from Northern and Central Thailand, the Phuket influences do not incorporate heavy spices or spicy flavors.

Video Contents
3.5 min – Kitchenless Chef Featured Entree (Seafood and Egg Noodles)
1.5 min – BONUS: Historical overview with Chef Amar

Featured Expert: Executive Chef Ris Lacoste

Venue: Ris in the Ritz Carlton Hotel [Washington, DC]
Venue History: RIS LACOSTE is one of the most respected and dedicated chefs working in Washington D.C. today. She has earned her reputation built upon high-quality ingredients, bold innovative technique, and food that is both familiar and simply delicious.

For the last decade Lacoste has served as executive chef of Georgetown’s celebrated 1789 Restaurant. Her innovative regional American fare drew national attention and earned numerous awards, including those from Wine Spectator, The Washington Post, Washingtonian, as well as nomination from the legendary James Beard Foundation (JBF). The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) named Lacoste “Chef of the Year” in 1999 (she was nominated again for this award in 2005) and awarded 1789 Restaurant its “Restaurant of the Year” prize in 2000. She was one of three chefs to compete in the Food Network’s Iron Chef America in September 2005 and was Iron Chef for the D.C. Central Kitchen’s (DCCK) Capital Food Fight in 2004 and 2005.

Lacoste has been a fixture on the D.C. culinary scene for almost two decades. Following her studies at the famous La Varenne Écôle de Cuisine in Paris, France, she returned to her native New England and joined Chef Bob Kinkead at the Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, MA. She helped Kinkead open 21 Federal in Nantucket, MA, in 1985 followed by Twenty-One Federal in Washington, D.C., in 1987. In January 1992, Washingtonian magazine named them Restaurateurs of the Year. In 1993, as chef de cuisine, Lacoste opened Kinkead’s American Brasserie, which has become a D.C. dining institution. Lacoste participated in other District restaurant openings, including those of Vidalia, Eye Street Café and Rock Creek at Mazza. In 1995, Lacoste was named executive chef of 1789 Restaurant, where she brought innovation, culinary consistency, and a reinvigorated spirit, and in so doing delivered unprecedented national recognition and local acclaim.

A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Lacoste grew up in a household that emphasized the importance of hospitality and good food. She began her career at the young age of 12, when she worked at Johnny Gorka’s Polish Market. Lacoste’s educational background is eclectic: she followed a pre-med curriculum at the University of Rochester in New York and ultimately graduated with a degree in French at the University of California at Berkeley, which led her to Paris. There she earned a Grand Diplôme from Anne Willan’s La Varenne Écôle de Cuisine. After a stint as sous chef for Buddy Bombard’s Great French Balloon Adventure in Burgundy, Lacoste returned stateside in 1982 and commenced her celebrated working relationship with Bob Kinkead.

In Washington, Lacoste is well known for her commitment to community involvement. She was an active member of the National Board of Directors for the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF), and has served as Chairman of its National Capital Area Chapter. She also sits on the board of RAMW and is a member of its Education Foundation; she is a member of the board of DCCK; and she is on the Advisory Board of the Hospitality High School of Washington, D.C. Her professional affiliations and memberships include the Women’s Forum of Washington, D.C. (WFDC), Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), JBF, Chefs’ Collaborative and Les Dames d’Escoffier. She actively participates in fundraising efforts for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, DCCK, and Suited for Change.

A talented educator committed to young people, Lacoste is a mentor for the students of Hospitality High School of Washington, D.C., a public charter school that focuses on enhancing the educational employment opportunities in the hospitality industry. She works closely with L’Academie de Cuisine, where she assists in the continuing culinary development of their students. Lacoste is also a writer and regular contributor to Fine Cooking Magazine. In 2002 she created “Cooking for Julia” a documentary aired on PBS celebrating the 90th birthday of Julia Child. She is often invited to participate in competitions and food events both nationally and internationally, including Iceland’s Food and Fun Celebration in Reykjavik, St. Petersburg, and Helsinki, Canada’s Food and Wine Festival in Niagara, and Disney World’s Regional Feasts in Orlando.

Beyond the kitchen, Lacoste’s favorite place to be is in the middle of a local farmers’ market, hunting down the freshest fruits and vegetables and chatting and getting to know the farmers who grow the food she serves. These markets, where she frequently presents chef’s demonstrations, are not only a source of inspiration for her cuisine, but a meeting point to talk about the importance of investment in the local community and dedication to the ideals of local and sustainable farming.

In this video you’ll learn about Chef Ris’ signature mussel dish, and see how she merges influences from her childhood on the East Coast with the availability of such fresh seafood found in the local markets of Washington, DC.

Video Contents
5.0 min – Kitchenless Chef Featured Entree (Mussels with Chorizo)
5.0 min – BONUS: Historical overview with Chef Ris