VENUE:
Morgan's in the desert
La Quinta Resort and Club
49499 Eisenhower Dr
La Quinta, CA 92253
760-564-7600
DATE:
February 24, 2012 &
February 25, 2012
February 24th, 2012 6:30PM
Chefs Night Out
Food and Wine with the Celebrity Chefs
at the Morgan's in the desert patio.
PRICE: $95 per person inclusive
Includes: Dinner, Wine, Tax & Tip
February 25th, 2012 6:30PM
Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner with
Celebrity Chefs Stephan, Nancy, & Jimmy
PRICE: $195 per person inclusive
Includes: Dinner, Wine, Tax & Tip
Visa Signature Price: $185 per person inclusive
Does your card say Visa Signature? Check your wallet.
HOST VENUE - Morgan's in the desert
The legendary La Quinta Resort & Club which opened in 1926 is home to Morgan’s in the desert, a restaurant inspired by La Quinta’s original founder, Walter H. Morgan, who understood that the heart of hacienda-style hospitality is the opportunity to gather for an exceptional, freshly prepared meal. That’s why he took special care to create an ambiance of comfort and conviviality in his original dining room.
That same spirit has been captured today as celebrated chef and restaurateur Jimmy Schmidt, a pioneer in America's culinary movement toward sustainable cooking and "farm-to-table" dining, draws inspiration from the Coachella Valley's agricultural bounty to create contemporary American cuisine at Morgan's. Sourcing the best locally grown and raised products, Schmidt employs traditional cooking methods such as open grilling, slow roasting, braising, pickling, and curing to offer healthful, rustic, delicious meals.
A native Midwesterner, Schmidt created the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, a celebrated dining destination for more than 20 years. He was most recently chef/owner of Rattlesnake at the Classic Club in Palm Desert. In addition to receiving multiple awards and accolades, Schmidt founded Chefs Collaborative, a leading national nonprofit chefs' association devoted to fostering sustainable foods. He has authored and co-authored several cookbooks and wrote a weekly cooking column for Detroit News/Gannet Wire Services.
Morgan's in the desert captures the subtle glamour and romance of another era with an arched entryway, oversized fireplace, decorative mirrors and historic mural, intimate alcoves and booths, rustic wood-beamed ceiling, and wide plank flooring. A signature 26-seat, U-shaped bar features handcrafted cocktails created with fresh ingredients by the bar chef. The adjacent lounge is the hub for live entertainment by Paul Douglas and a piano bar. There is a private dining room that seats 38, and the 32-seat patio is available for romantic alfresco dining.
La Quinta Resort & Club, a member of Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, is a historic property set against the breathtaking backdrop of the rugged Santa Rosa Mountains and is situated on 45 vibrant acres accentuated by beds of colorful flowers; fragrant citrus trees, towering palms and cacti, 41 pools and serene waterfalls.
GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF Stephan Pyles
RESTAURANT Stephan Pyles Concepts, Dallas TX
Stephan Pyles, Chef/Owner of Stephan Pyles Concepts was named Esquire Magazine's Chef of the Year for 2006, is a fifth generation Texan, pioneer of New American cooking and founding father of Southwestern Cuisine. He has created 15 restaurants in four cities over the past 26 years including Routh Street Cafe, Baby Routh, and Star Canyon. Texas Monthly named his eponymous restaurant Stephan Pyles, which opened in 2005 in the Arts District, "Best New Restaurant" in Texas that year.
In the fall of 2009, he opened his second Arts District restaurant, Samar by Stephan Pyles, which serves "International Small Plates" inspired from his travels to India, Spain and the Eastern Mediterranean. The restaurant was awarded "Best New Restaurant - 2009" by The Dallas Morning News. Pyles is a four-time cookbook author and has hosted an Emmy-award winning, nationally syndicated PBS television series called "New Tastes from Texas". Stephan is currently a cuisine consultant for American Airlines and The Dallas Museum of Art. He has developed restaurants for Hotel ZaZa and The Gaylord Texan in Dallas and is currently creating a restaurant and food and beverage program for Èilan Hotel and Spa, a boutique property currently under construction next to La Cantera in San Antonio. Pyles has cooked for four American presidents, Queen Elizabeth and countless other heads of state and movie stars.
Bon Appétit credited Pyles with "almost single-handedly changing the cooking scene in Texas" and The New York Times called Pyles "an absolute genius in the kitchen. The Dallas Morning News noted "If anyone can lead this town to its next level of culinary evolution, it's Stephan Pyles". Pyles is the recipient of numerous awards including the AAA Five Diamond Award; Nation's Restaurant News' Fine Dining Hall of Fame Award; Restaurants and Institutions' Ivy Award and the American Academy of Achievement Award. He was the first person in the Southwest to win a James Beard Award for Best Chef, the first Texan inducted into Who's Who of Food and Wine in America and awarded Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year by both the Minnesota Restaurant Association and Texas Restaurant Association.
Pyles received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from Share Our Strength, America's largest hunger-relief organization, and was named one of the 20 most influential Texans by Texas Monthly. Pyles is a founding board member of Share Our Strength, America's largest private source of funding for hunger-relief, a life board member of The North Texas Food Bank and co-founder of The Dallas Hunger Link, Dallas's perishable food program. In 1988, he founded Taste of the Nation and has raised over $2 million for hunger relief with an emphasis on childhood initiatives. Additionally, he serves on the board of Goodwill Industries. For ten years, under the auspices of the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Foundation, Pyles has offered a $15,000 annual scholarship in his name to a rising star culinary student in Texas.
GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF Nancy Silverton
RESTAURANT Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles CA
Chef Nancy Silverton studied at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in London, England. Graduating with a solid foundation in culinary arts, Silverton returned to the states to begin working at Michael's restaurant in Santa Monica under Jimmy Brinkeley. It was there that Silverton discovered her passion for pastry and returned to Europe to attended Lenotre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France to hone her skills. Upon returning to the states Nancy began as Pastry Chef for Wolfgang Puck at the notorious Spago. In June of 1989, Silverton opened the restaurant Campanile with partners Mark Peel and Manfred Krankl, where she developed an interest in artisanal sourdough bread and began experimenting with it. These experiments would eventually yield artisan bakery La Brea adjacent to Campanile which opened its doors in 1989. Macy's has since opened six La Brea Bakery Café kiosks, three in Chicago, one in Detroit, and two in Minneapolis, all inspired by the original. In 1990, Silverton was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation. After leaving Campanile in 2004, Silverton opened Pizzeria Mozza with partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Osteria Mozza would open in 2007. Silverton is also heavily involved in nutritional education in public grade schools with the Garden School Project of Los Angeles and also with raising funds and awareness for the elderly with the Meals-On-Wheels program in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Silverton has written numerous cookbooks covering everything from breads and pastries to sandwiches. Her seventh cookbook A Twist of the Wrist was published in 2007.
HOST CELEBRITY CHEF Jimmy Schmidt
RESTAURANT Morgans in the Desert, Palm Desert CA
A pioneer in America's culinary movement toward sustainable cooking and "farm-to-table" dining, Schmidt draws inspiration from the Coachella Valley's agricultural bounty to create contemporary American cuisine at Morgan's. Sourcing the best locally grown and raised products, Schmidt employs traditional cooking methods such as open grilling, slow roasting, braising, pickling, and curing to offer healthful, rustic, delicious meals.
A native Midwesterner, Schmidt created the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, a celebrated dining destination for more than 20 years. He was most recently chef/owner of Rattlesnake at the Classic Club in Palm Desert. In addition to receiving multiple awards and accolades, Schmidt founded Chefs Collaborative, a leading national nonprofit chefs' association devoted to fostering sustainable foods. He has authored and co-authored several cookbooks and wrote a weekly cooking column for Detroit News/Gannet Wire Services.
WINEMAKERS
Erik Kramer
Domaine Serene Winery
Erik's lifelong passion for science, and his appreciation of fine wine, led him to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Enology from Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. In addition to his winemaking experience in Oregon's Willamette Valley, Erik has also worked for several well reputed wineries in New Zealand and Washington.
Allan Carter
Domaine Serene Winery
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Allan joined Domaine Serene in 2005 as a Marketing Associate and has served as Marketing Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing, Vice President of Sales & Marketing and most recently General Manager. When not keeping the World safe for great Pinot Noir Allan enjoys riding his Harley and playing drums in two successful Portland rock bands.
Scott and Judy Pruett
Pruett Vineyards
On an eastern slope of the Northern Sierras, just above the American River Gorge, Champion Racecar Driver, Scott Pruett and his wife, Judy, decided to turn their dream of becoming winemakers into reality. Although new to the world of winemaking, they wanted to create special, exciting, small lot, hand crafted, premium wines which would be true to their fruit and could be enjoyed by wine lovers everywhere in the company of good friends.
Arguably one of America's greatest road racers,
Scott Pruett, a nine time Champion and currently leading the Championship in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, is no stranger to farming. "My Grandfather farmed, and even as a young boy I worked along beside him. I have always had a love and appreciation for the earth and hard work." But unlike the fast paced world of racing, there is nothing rushed about this endeavor. "It's my Yin and Yang", jokes Scott. Racing is minute to minute, while wine making takes years!
After utilizing her degree in Occupational Therapy working with patients of all ages, ranging from neurological injuries to Sports Medicine and upper extremity trauma for nearly twenty years, Judy now focuses on their family, health, writing children's books, tending her garden, and helping wherever needed with the Vineyard Estate.
"We have been so blessed," say both Scott and Judy. "It is our desire to continue to grow and learn ways to help make us better in every way. We are so excited about this opportunity to be part of the Evolution Wellness Tour. We have made the lifestyle changes Dr. Gundry teaches and can give testimony to the difference it makes."
Beyond his hectic racing schedule and Vineyard duties, Scott is in high demand for motivational speaking, T.V. Broadcasting, automotive development, and charity work.
"Life is good! We're living the dream."
