Cooking with Chef Kent Rathbun
On a Monday afternoon, I found myself cooking with (mostly prepping for) a 4-time James Beard nominated chef, Kent Rathbun, in our farmhouse kitchen. It was a bucket list experience!
The restaurateur power couple, Tracy and Kent Rathbun own several restaurants in Texas. Their portfolio includes Imoto and Shinsei in Dallas and at the DFW Airport, Lovers Seafood & Market and Republic Restaurant. The couple also operates The Grove in Tyler Texas.
You may have seen Chef Rathbun on Iron Chef America on the famous “Battle Elk” episode where he and his brother beat Bobby Flay. Kent is a talented chef and I was honored to have him in my kitchen.
I met Kent and Tracy through one of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards clients. I hosted them at our farmhouse last year. We had a fun afternoon and bonded instantly. They are such genuine people…the kind that you can’t wait to spend time with again.
This summer, Kent and Tracy were a gaggle of 8 as they were in tow with the successful bidders of a March of Dimes auction lot.
The auction lot included the experience of having Chef Rathbun cook for them in Napa Valley…a generous donation…like I said, these are genuine people. Their six guests were equally amazing, all kind, generous and accomplished.
After greeting the group with champagne, I set us up on the back porch…our outdoor dining room. Alexa played some low down, dirty blues in the background (a nod to our group’s Southern Roots).
It was a warm day. I filled a water dispenser with oranges and blueberries so people could help themselves. We all visited on the porch while Chef Rathbun worked his magic on the grill.
For appetizers, we offered several cheeses, charcuterie, olives, cranberry walnut bread and sweet baguette. Chef brought cheeses from Andante Dairy. I had my staple of Brillat Savarin there as well.
One of my recent kitchen experiments was wine salt. I reduced a bottle of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards Cab down to about 3 tablespoons, then mixed it with coarse salt. After letting it dry for about a day, I had a rich, savory salt that has become a staple in my spice rack. Chef Rathbun was pretty excited about my Mount Veeder Wine Salt.
Chef Rathbun is known for his grilling skills. He brought the most amazing Wagyu Beef. They were such richly-marbled steaks. He seasoned them with herbs and my Mount Veeder Wine Salt and cooked them perfectly. They paired very well with all four vintages of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards Cab that we opened.
He also brought a wild-caught salmon. It was moist, flavorful and there was not a bone to be found. I can tell you that there were tweezers involved in the removal of the bones…salmon surgery.
Chef cooked up an amazing mix of wild mushrooms as a side dish. Aromas of mushrooms and butter oozed out of the kitchen windows. It was a treat for the senses.
I made a salad with butter lettuce from my garden, some toasted marcona almonds, nectarines and goat cheese. For dessert, “Cruffles” from Sift Dessert Bar satisfied our sweet tooth.
It was an afternoon filled with joyful conversation over excellent food and wine and new friends were made. I thank Chef Rathbun for including me in his itinerary and I look forward to hosting him again next year.
I met Kent and Tracy through one of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards clients. I hosted them at our farmhouse last year. We had a fun afternoon and bonded instantly. They are such genuine people…the kind that you can’t wait to spend time with again.
This summer, Kent and Tracy were a gaggle of 8 as they were in tow with the successful bidders of a March of Dimes auction lot.
The auction lot included the experience of having Chef Rathbun cook for them in Napa Valley…a generous donation…like I said, these are genuine people. Their six guests were equally amazing, all kind, generous and accomplished.
After greeting the group with champagne, I set us up on the back porch…our outdoor dining room. Alexa played some low down, dirty blues in the background (a nod to our group’s Southern Roots).
It was a warm day. I filled a water dispenser with oranges and blueberries so people could help themselves. We all visited on the porch while Chef Rathbun worked his magic on the grill.
For appetizers, we offered several cheeses, charcuterie, olives, cranberry walnut bread and sweet baguette. Chef brought cheeses from Andante Dairy. I had my staple of Brillat Savarin there as well.
One of my recent kitchen experiments was wine salt. I reduced a bottle of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards Cab down to about 3 tablespoons, then mixed it with coarse salt. After letting it dry for about a day, I had a rich, savory salt that has become a staple in my spice rack. Chef Rathbun was pretty excited about my Mount Veeder Wine Salt.
Chef Rathbun is known for his grilling skills. He brought the most amazing Wagyu Beef. They were such richly-marbled steaks. He seasoned them with herbs and my Mount Veeder Wine Salt and cooked them perfectly. They paired very well with all four vintages of my Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards Cab that we opened.
He also brought a wild-caught salmon. It was moist, flavorful and there was not a bone to be found. I can tell you that there were tweezers involved in the removal of the bones…salmon surgery.
Chef cooked up an amazing mix of wild mushrooms as a side dish. Aromas of mushrooms and butter oozed out of the kitchen windows. It was a treat for the senses.
I made a salad with butter lettuce from my garden, some toasted marcona almonds, nectarines and goat cheese. For dessert, “Cruffles” from Sift Dessert Bar satisfied our sweet tooth.
It was an afternoon filled with joyful conversation over excellent food and wine and new friends were made. I thank Chef Rathbun for including me in his itinerary and I look forward to hosting him again next year.