Test your design IQ
Who is the American chef who has made an indelible mark on the West Coast dining landscape with his restaurant Redd and has had numerous nominations for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Region?
Born in New York and a graduate of Miami University in Ohio, his passion for food and wine was sparked by his travels throughout Europe as a young adult and fueled by his experiences working in some of the world’s best kitchens.
Given that, his culinary training had an untraditional beginning. After graduating from college with a degree in business and traveling around Europe, he realized that his dream was not to enter the business world, but to do what he loved most — cooking — and decided that practical training was the way to go.
He began his career working for Roland Passot at San Francisco’s renowned La Folie in 1990, later moving to Postrio before heading to David Burke’s Park Avenue Cafe in New York City.
A stint at Rubicon in San Francisco was followed by a French sojourn in the Michelin three-star Arpege and Le Moulin de Mougins with Roger Verge, a prelude to working with Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel in New York.
Returning to California, he helped open Spago Beverly Hills as sous chef before joining Chapeau in San Francisco, where he was named Rising Star by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Bauer.
He spent the next 18 months as chef de cuisine at Jardiniere, and in 2000, he was drawn north to Napa Valley, and began a four-year tenure as executive chef at the landmark Auberge du Soliel. There he captured attention when he was voted Best Rising Chef by San Francisco magazine in 2003.
He opened his first restaurant, Redd, in Yountville, Napa Valley to critical acclaim in 2005. There, he and his wine director Christ Blanchard are so committed to wine that diners can pick a bottle first, and then ask the kitchen to prepare a dish to match.
Although he shies away from labels like fusion food and global cuisine, his wine-friendly recipes vary from succulent stir-fried chicken in lettuce cups, to fresh arugula and Swiss chard ravioli in a delicate green garlic wine broth.
His most recent venture is Redd Wood, a casual, Napa-style pizzeria that has become a favorite of locals and tourists alike.
His newest project is a house wine that he developed with Christian Moueix in Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate. It’s a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet and Merlot, appropriately called Redd Wine.
Text your answer to 0905-3471998 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1943. Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.
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Last week’s question: Who is the German-born Austrian artist who is one of the best expressionist sculptors?
Answer: Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Winner: Ariel Prondo of Muntinlupa City
