Exciting news, I received a press release today regarding Chef Jason Daniel. You remember him don’t you? If you know anything about the downtown Huntsville restaurant scene you do.
Anyway, with permission from the PR firm, I’m running the press release as is…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MENTONE SPRINGS HOTEL LAUNCHES GUEST CHEF SERIES
CELEBRATING YEAR OF ALABAMA FOOD
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Chef Jason Daniel to showcase local farm community with Valentine’s dinner
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Mentone, Ala.—February 6, 2012 — Chef Jason Daniel is no stranger to Southern kitchens and is indeed at home in Alabama. He has been in the food service industry for twenty-five years and played an essential role in the creation of eight restaurants: six in Huntsville, AL, 801 Franklin, The Chophouse, Humphries Bar & Grill, Cotton Row Market, Sazio, and Starfish, one in Tuscaloosa, AL, DePalma’s Italian Café, and one in Athens, Georgia, DePalma’s Eastside. 801 Franklin, Starfish and The Chophouse all received The Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine with Chef Jason on board.
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“We asked Chef Jason to launch the guest chef series celebrating Valentine’s and The Year of Alabama Food, and we’re so pleased that he was available,” said Darlene Rotch, of Mentone Springs Hotel. “We have known Jason and have admired his work for sometime and look forward to having him prepare one of his fabulous meals for our guests.”
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The Orlando, Florida native attributes his love of cooking to his mother, Nancy and his Nana, Hilda Leigh, who taught him the value of fresh ingredients and elbow grease at an early age. Whether he’s recalling his Nana’s passion for bringing the family together in the kitchen or his mother’s love of handwritten family recipes, he is a firm believer that comfort and food go hand-in-hand with family and tradition.
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Chef Jason will serve a five-course surf and turf prix fixe meal incorporating local vegetables from Mentone's area farmers. The menu includes a miniature Duck Confit Hoe Cake with Satsuma Gastrique and Local Slaw, Dry Creek Farm Braised Greens with Belle Chevre Croutons and Candied Bacon with Honey Citrus Vinaigrette, McEwen and Sons Grit Soufflé with Alabama Gulf Shrimp and Tomato Cream, and Peppercorn Encrusted Beef Tenderloin with Blackberry Reduction and Roasted Root Vegetables.
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To top off the meal, he has created a desert using Granny Hester’s Sweet Potato Biscuits (Ft. Payne, AL), homemade Praline Ice Cream, and Cici’s Chocolate Pound Cake with Macerated Berries and Farm Fresh Whipped Cream.
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Price per person is $39 and reservations are required. Please call the Mentone Springs Hotel today at 256-634-4040 to secure your seat at this special event as we celebrate the love we have for the local farm community and the love you have for your sweetheart.
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About Mentone Springs Hotel: The Mentone Springs Hotel was built in 1884 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Listed in the New York Times Best selling book, “1000 Places to Visit Before You Die,” Mentone Springs Hotel was also recently featured in Southern Living Magazine. The all wood Victorian mansion serves as a bed and breakfast for visitors wanting to experience laid-back living Mentone-style. Situated as the centerpiece of the Mentone community on Lookout Mountain, the hotel features wrap around front porches for dining and relaxing, and a trio of fireplaces in the main living room for guests enjoyment.
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For more information visit www.mentonespringshotel.com
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Contact us at 256-634-4040, or visit us on Facebook.
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Media Contact:
Darlene Rotch – Darlene@prview.com
Panorama Public Relations
The dinner is Feb. 11th at 6:30 p.m.
Seriously, the drive to Mentone is not that far and think about how well received you will be when you announce your plans to your significant other of the romantic evening. She (or he) will love you even more for having executed a special Valentine rendezvous. Really, I’m not kidding, big big points for putting this into action. It’s different, it’s fun, it’s adventurous.
♦ Fashion Week Alabama in Huntsville [FWAH] ♦
The Eaves Restaurant and The Budding Chef Cooking School are under one roof. The two are owned and operated by Chef Merle Phillip. I had the privilege recently to sit down with Chef Philip to do an interview. The next FWAH networking mixer will be February 23rd and The Eaves Restaurant will play host to the event.
Growing up in New Jersey, Chef Merle Phillip’s parents were avid travelers and were the ones who gave Chef Merle her love of food. She graduated from the University of Maryland and trained/studied in the New York City area, the Mecca of all things culinary.
So let’s get on with the interview shall we?
When did you start your business?
I started The Budding Chef Cooking School in October of 2008. I wanted to share the love of the culinary arts with others. We started with children and teen classes first. We wanted to teach them to prepare healthy meals, educating them how to make intelligent choices in the kitchen. I’m a strong believer of bending the tree while it is still young. The Budding Chef started to evolve into the catering business as well. Then in February of 2011 we opened our restaurant, The Eaves.
Tell me about some of your recent accomplishments.
The Eaves Restaurant has been on the Top 10 list on Urban Spoon and we’ve been rated one of the Top 10 restaurants in Go Magazine for the year 2011. Most restaurants don’t survive their first year, let alone flourish, so these two accomplishments are very meaningful to us.
What is the key to your success?
I do my job well. I am constantly raising the bar on my staff and myself. By doing my job well, touching every plate, and striving to do better every day. I don’t ever want to get so full of myself where I think I can sit back and relax.
How do you keep current in your area of expertise?
Personally, I keep up to date on industry trends. This year I will attend a professional culinary boot camp. Remain open and learn from people who have achieved excellence. As far as the staff and servers, I consider them having an additional role, our sales force. They share the backbone of the business. We have a training program in place where we continue to cultivate the craft of fine dining.
Community involvement?
I am a member of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce. I’m a supporter of our local NPR station, WLRH. Wounded Warriors is a philanthropic endeavor near and dear to my heart. I host a special cooking class for the spouses of Wounded Warriors.
Is there anything you have coming up that you’d like to share with everyone? Events, promotions, specials?
The Budding Chef Cooking School kind of took a back seat in 2011 so I want to let everyone know that we will be back in full swing for 2012 with the cooking school. We are filling up our calendar with all sorts of fun classes. One of which I am extremely excited about is called Art with An Appetite. So be sure to get on the schedule for that one! Of course The Eaves Restaurant is also expanding into social events and activities more and more in 2012. We are going to do a series called Dinner & Dancing!
Remember to check out the websites for class information as well as hours of operation for the restaurant.
The Budding Chef Cooking School and The Eaves Restaurant
The Eaves on Facebook
501 Church Street
Downtown Huntsville
256.489.1752
For more information about Fashion Week Alabama in Huntsville you can visit their website at www.fashionweekalabamahsv.com Be sure to LIKE their Facebook page as well to stay up to date on all the news and activities.
Come on out February 23 (6-8PM) for a fun and glamorous networking event.
