Table Talk
Today, I’m the guest speaker for a class called “Table Talk: Food, Culture and Development” at the University of Washington in Bothell. I invite the students to start a conversation with me here about their thoughts on the topic of sustainability — or anything related to food. Below, I’ve attached my lecture notes in case anyone is interested seeing my thought process.
– Chef Maria
University of Washington, Bothell Lecture
10/30/07
Guest Lecture: Chef/Owner Maria Hines, Tilth Restaurant, Seattle (Website: www.tilthrestaurant.com. Blog:http://tilthblog.wordpress.com/.)
Lecture Overview
A. Perspectives on the aesthetics for composing a dish.
We’ll discuss balance, texture, flavor combination, quality of ingredients, umami, terroir, and scourcing.
B. Sustainability and Organics
We’ll explore the farmer-chef connection, sustainability definitions, eating local, bioregions, biodiversity, food shed security, marine ecosystem safety, and organics. (more…)
Meet the Wine Buyer
October 11, 2007, 11:02 pm
Filed under:
Wine Hello Tilth Oenophiles!
Since this is my first blog transmission, I wanted to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Adam Chumas and I am the wine buyer and dining room manager at Tilth. Now, a bit about our wine program: Our goal is to keep a stock of reasonably affordable Northwest and Old World wines. Both Maria and I love Oregon and French wine. I am particularly interested in keeping a list that matches our seasonal menus. For instance, this month I’ve bulked up on some Oregon pinot noir and chardonnay as well as some Rhone varietals. I think they best match the hearty fall dishes our kitchen has assembled for October.
An additional note about October: It is harvest week in the Willamette Valley. I was fortunate enough to spend some time at Argyle Winery, learning from the winemakers and enjoying plenty of great juice! This harvest has been a wet one, but the team at Argyle seems optimistic nonetheless. While I was there, I was enticed to pick up their Nuthouse chardonnay for my list. I think it’s a great pairing for our albacore tuna dish. The toasty oak notes hold up wonderfully to the brightness of the fresh cilantro and mint flavors and the acidity is sharp enough to cut the richness of the sumac-dusted tuna. Come check it out for yourself!
Adam
