Modernist Dinner: Healthy & Accessible Food

This very special dinner series, produced by second year students of The Culinary Institute of Montana at FVCC, celebrates chefs whose style, substance and influence are shaping American cuisine. Each dinner features different chef inspired menus. Our students study these chefs, write and cost a menu and then present this dinner in their honor to the public.

*Please note: Because students are writing their own menus as part of the curriculum, those menus are not posted until a week before each dinner.

Student menu inspired by these three chefs from the Pacific coast who are making healthy food and cooking accessible to the greater community as a whole:

Cortney Burn & Nick Balla

• Cortney & Nick are both internationally trained chefs but are collectively well known for several successful and forward-thinking collaborations including Bar Tartine, Motze and Duna. They are committed to processing all their ingredients themselves, specializing in preservation techniques and a sustainable approach to restaurant operations.

 

Gregory Gourdet

• Chef Gourdet, a native of Haiti, studied in New York and Montana before focusing his interest at The Culinary Institute of America. Gregory has led prominent kitchens from NYC to the Pacific Northwest perfecting his craft in classic French, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisines. Recently he has brought his love of global cuisine into focus by making healthy eating accessible, via his Caribbean restaurant Kann and his James Beard Award for Best Cookbook Everyone’s Table. Chef Gourdet is a leader in the area of self-health in an industry known for overwork.

 

Brandon Jew

• Chef Jew just won the James Beard Best Chef: California for his work with contemporary Chinese cuisine at his Michelin starred restaurant Mr. Jiu’s in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He is focused on bringing the history and technique of Chinese American cuisine into focus. Chef Jew brings the benefit of hyper seasonal foods and local resources to the table.

 
 

CRISPY SCARLET TURNIP CAKES
Mushroom Soy Sauce
CHEF BRANDON JEW
 

FRESH CAULIFLOWER SALAD
Greek Yogurt, Cucumbers
CHEF NICHOLAS BALLA
 

FOUR SEAS CRISPY CHICKEN
Fermented Swiss Chard, Seared Napa Cabbage, Steamed Basmati Rice
CHEF BRANDON JEW
 

GRANNY SMITH APPLE BUNDT CAKE
Cider Caramel, Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
CHEF GREGORY GOURDET