Australian chef Ben Shewry to cook at the Restaurant at Meadowood
Ben Shewry is the chef behind Melbourne’s Attica, which is considered by many to be Australia’s top restaurant.
Christopher Kostow and David Kinch together in the Restaurant at Meadowood’s kitchen last winter
But for those who cannot make the pilgrimage to Attica and want to see what the Shewry global buzz is about, the chef will be cooking for a night in the Bay Area — with four notable and local colleagues.
On Tuesday, October 28, Shewry will be cooking at the Restaurant at Meadowood, alongside some friends: host chef Christopher Kostow, David Kinch (Manresa), Daniel Patterson (Coi) and James Syhabout (Commis).
The dinner was born when Kostow dined at Melbourne earlier this year. He was impressed, to say the least.
“I had never met Ben before,” Kostow says. “The food is just bananas good, and in addition, he’s just a nice and generous guy, universally respected and liked.”
“He is really good at extracting flavors,” Kostow continues. “It’s all very vegetable forward, very much about the terroir there. Above all else, it’s delicious.”
After dining at Attica, Kostow invited Shewry to come cook with him at the Restaurant at Meadowood, a request that caused Shewry to hesitate, because he did not want to offend some of his Bay Area friends. Kostow’s simple solution? Make it a group dinner.
And so, the starry collection of chefs will come together next month. The evening will start with a 6 p.m. canape reception, followed by a 7 p.m. collaborative tasting menu. The cost is $450 per person, including wines (but exclusive of tax/tip). A portion of proceeds will go to Napa’s Clinic Ole Community Health. Reservations are available via phone (707-967-1205).
It’s part of a big end of the year for Kostow and company: In mid-October, Kostow’s first book (A New Napa Cuisine) will be released, and once again, the 12 Days of Christmas will bring an impressive lineup of chefs to Napa Valley. Throughout all that, the Restaurant continues to evolve.
“I feel like this year, we’ve reached a level of maturation and we are primed for our next evolution,” says Kostow. “We’re really trying to figure out what to do that no one else is doing. What can we do that is different?”
Source: Inside Scoop - 8 September 2014
