On August 21, a group of eight select chefs representing a wide variety of restaurants and restaurant groups traveled from around the country to Napa, CA for an exclusive three day California Walnut Chef Summit. During their time in Northern California, the chefs tasted and explored the use of walnuts within inventive menu applications, created innovative recipes, and learned unique techniques while cooking with California walnuts.
Each day included an educational and exciting itinerary that spanned from the walnut orchards, to the local Napa restaurants, to time spent in the Silverado Cooking School’s teaching kitchen. Joining the group were California Walnut Board’s Nutrition Consultant Carol Berg-Sloan who informed the chefs of the nutritional benefits of walnuts; Katie Ayoub from Flavor & The Menu magazine who led an interactive trends discussion; Todd Ramos, a third generation walnut grower from Ramos Farms who welcomed the group to his family’s orchards. California Walnut Board Chef Juliet Greene was also on hand and demonstrated a multitude of ways to cook with California walnuts, showcasing several new recipes including:
- California Walnut and Mushroom Soup
- Roasted California Walnut Gremolata
- California Walnut “Chorizo” Meat
- Herbed California Walnut Butter Crust
Throughout the event, the attendees hailing from Disney to Delta Air Lines enjoyed a range of walnut dishes, saw first hand how walnuts are harvested, and of course rolled up their sleeves and got creative in the kitchen. Make sure to stay tuned for the new recipes from these chefs. You’ll want to see what they’ve come up with!
For more information about this event or if you would like to be considered for the next summit, please email enordee@ehy.com
