Every plate (and every
glass) is a new journey.​
 
If the destination is deliciousness, then building unique flavor profiles is my vehicle of choice. Flavor is instinctual to me, but I always do my homework with respect to ingredients, technique, and culture. Somewhere in the middle — where those aspects overlap — is where I thrive.

I approach tasting wine from a similar hybrid perspective — a bit of prose and a bit of poetry. Drawing from both my training and sense-memory, I dig deep into aroma and flavor to evaluate technically, then creatively.

Here, you'll find an examples of the sensory journeys that motivate and excite me.
ELEVATING FLAVOR
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This plate was one of my best flavor building projects in recent memory: Korean flavors meet the classic American barbecue. I committed to only putting on the plate flavors that really sung together and elevated the concept — the result: bold, bright bites!

The feature is a juicy grilled double burger with pungent kimchi, provolone cheese,  garlic-citrus aioli, and crisp lettuce. It was the perfect marriage of richness, funkiness, and bite.

The sides were ideal companions to the amazing burger: grilled corn on the cob with ginger-lime compound butter and homemade Korean barbecue baked beans. The beans are smothered in a rich Korean-inspired barbecue sauce made with brown sugar, gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, fresh ginger, and garlic.
DIGGING DEEP
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This 2019 Domaine Drouhin estate-grown Chardonnay is from the Dundee Hills AVA. Drouhin has a lengthy and famed history in Burgundy, and the winery is one of the well-known Old World names to put down roots in Oregon.

On the nose, you can immediately tell this wine has seen some oak, but it's not overwhelming. There are aromas of pineapple, lemon, toasted coconut, buttered popcorn, vanilla, cream, and a lovely, tempering note of graphite.

On the palate, the medium body of this wine is amazingly silky with notes of lemon curd, bruised pineapple, vanilla, white pepper, a hint of smoke, and wet stone. The acidity is medium and balances with the sensation of light tannin that lingers pleasantly on the finish.

As Chardonnays go, this is among my favorite interpretations — it really does show the winemaker's delicate touch.
RESPECTING INGREDIENTS 
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I add depth to my salsa verde with fennel. Its floral but mild sweetness compliments the bright tomatillos, lime, and cilantro while marrying beautifully with the more savory onions and garlic.

The bright salsa highlights my enchiladas no matter the filling. In this case, savory grilled chili lime chicken breast, refried beans, black beans, seared peppers and onions, and cotija cheese offer diverse flavors and textures. Finishing the enchiladas with fresh corn salsa and avocado brings everything together.

Building the flavors throughout the dish with a variety of cooking methods really makes it shine.
ALWAYS EXPLORING 
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I can't ever resist trying a new varietal. It was an interesting experience for me to try TWO new wines: Corvina and Plavina. Corvina is among the most grown grapes in Veneto, Italy, but it's less often labeled as such. You're far more likely to see it as Amarone, a dry wine made in the dried-grape style.
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There are lovely soft aromas of unripe plum, tart cherry, chalk, faint cardamom, and eucalyptus. On the palate, there are notes of tart cherry, currant jam, green bell pepper, and light pepperiness. It boasts ample acidity and medium-minus tannins.

Plavina is a native grape from Croatia, and it's a cross of Verdeca and Zinfandel, which also comes from the region.

Aside from blackberry jam and dried currants, the nonfruit aromas of leather, cigar box, coal tar, and smoke dominate. On the palate, the fruit shows more: blackberry jam and dark cherries permeate, and the leather and tar particularly stand out. I'd certainly pair this with grilled meats or game.
FIERCELY ORIGINAL

​​It's not often that butter is welcomed as a starring flavor in a dish, let alone a dessert, but my butter pecan cheesecake makes that a reality. 

Integrating the butter flavor without an extract or artificial flavoring was an interesting challenge. I use a sweet clear glaze to stabilize the butter and carry the flavor. To amplify the butter flavor, I brown some if it before adding it to the thickened glaze. The trick for making that perfect butter colored glaze: a tiny pinch of turmeric.

That nuttiness not only adds to the theme, but it highlights the pecans beautifully. Using a tangy, not-too-sweet cheesecake custard assures that the butter flavor isn't overpowering or heavy.
TAPPING INTO SENSE-MEMORY

A colleague visited northern Michigan recently and brought back this super interesting Chardonnay that was aged in concrete. Concrete "eggs" allow for wines to age with oxygen present, thanks to their porosity. This is similar to how oak barrels oxidize wine, but without the secondary flavors imparted by oak. Oxidation softens tannins, tames acidity, reduces harsher flavor notes, and develops a silkier mouthfeel.

This wine is exceptionally pronounced on the nose: pineapple, very ripe pear, lemon, white flowers, a bit of honey, and the mineral aspect of wet stone. If you know what you're looking for, you can even tell it's seen some oxidative aging — once you learn the characteristics, it's difficult to miss.

There are flavors of underripe pineapple, lemon pith, unripe pear, and the stony finish leads to a delightful pepperiness not typical of most Chardonnays. With medium-intense flavors, the silkiness of the concrete aging balances the tart, peppery finish.
WILD FLAVORS, BITE BY BITE​​

This dish was practice for the Nation's Cup culinary competition pasta round, but it's become one of my favorite ways to feature handmade dough: Michigan sailboat stuffed pasta.

The pasta dough boasts ginger, nutmeg, and white pepper, and the sailboats are filled with a puree of brown butter caramelized parsnips, ricotta, garlic, shallots, Parmesan, and egg.

They're plated in a butternut squash, sage, and cream puree. Alongside the pasta are spicy Calabrian chili toasted breadcrumbs and a mushroom, fennel, and red onion duxelles.

An orange and arugula pesto brings grassy brightness to the plate, alongside orange zest and shreds of Parmesan. (We won best of show with our pasta dish, by the way.)
PUSHING LIMITS

​For my final entremet in pastry class, I was inspired by a savory-sweet cheese board. It's got three layers of pungent black walnut jaconde cake and a layer of brie cheese cremeux suspended in tart green apple and thyme mousse. The entremet is finished with a shiny pastel glaze flavored with lavender.

Eating this dessert is akin to tasting a complex wine — each part of the flavor profile shows up at the proper moment, then moves on.

​First, the tart apple mousse, complete with mouthwatering tartaric acid. Then, the savory-sweet brie cremeux, followed by the earthy black walnut cake. Finally, the lavender glaze clears the palate after each bite.
​ALWAYS LEARNING

One of the great surprises from culinary school was discovering I enjoy making unique pizzas — and that I'm pretty good at it! I experiment with all kinds of sauces, cheeses, and ingredients. 

For example, the leftmost pizza boasts an herb cream cheese sauce, fontina cheese, roasted beets, bacon, walnuts, and it's finished with fresh arugula. 

The middle is inspired by eggplant parmesan, and it's made in the margherita style. I used a regular basil tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, grilled eggplant slices, mini heirloom tomatoes, a little Parmesan, pine nuts, and fresh basil.

The rightmost pizza is my own version of a hometown favorite: alfredo sauce, grated mozzarella and cheddar, garlic, butter-dill red-skinned potatoes, and gorgonzola.