The Divine Dish

Interview with Chef Rene Lenger, Switch, Encore Las Vegas

I sat down with Chef Lenger for a short chat before sampling a great tasting menu at Switch restaurant, located at Encore Las Vegas.

 
René Lenger is the executive chef of Switch at Encore, the new signature resort in the  Wynn collection, where he serves modern seafood and steakhouse fare with an  emphasis on the finest market ingredients. Lenger joined Wynn Resorts in 2005 as  executive chef of The Country Club, A New American Steakhouse.

“At Switch, I hope to provide my guests with a truly unique dining experience,” says  Lenger. “The seasonally-inspired cuisine combined with the restaurant’s theatrics offers  an event that’s in a class of its own. There’s nothing like Switch in Las Vegas.”

Previously, Lenger spent seven years working alongside David Walzog, (former  executive chef of The Country Club, now executive chef of SW Steakhouse, also at  Wynn Las Vegas) at Strip House, Michael Jordan’s and Monkey Bar, where they were  both key members of the Glazier Group, a prominent restaurant company based in New
York.   Born in Vienna, Austria, Lenger grew up in a home where food played a major role. The  chef’s father was a professor at the esteemed Culinary Institute of Vienna and taught  Lenger at an early age how to make Austrian specialties such as taffelspitz and gulasch.  By the time Lenger graduated from high school, he was hooked on cooking and applied
to the Culinary Institute of Vienna where he graduated at the top of his class.

Upon graduation Lenger trained at Zu den drei Husaren under three-toque chef Ewald
Plachutta. While working under Plachutta, he would set off daily for the market, choosing
items for that evening’s menu.

By the early 90’s, Lenger seized the opportunity to come to New York to work at the
Rhiga Royal Hotel. To build upon his already impressive culinary background, he
decided to master pastry arts and accepted a position as assistant pastry chef at the
hotel. Lenger returned to Vienna in 1993 where he worked at another three-toque
restaurant, Altwienerhof, and then became an executive chef at Da’ Marcello. By 1996,
the chef was ready to move to the U.S. and was hired as executive chef at Theodore
Restaurant, a critically acclaimed Austrian-American brasserie in New York’s flatiron
district.

In 1999 Lenger was introduced to restaurateur Peter Glazier of The Glazier Group and
was immediately asked to helm the kitchen at the Glazier Group’s Strip House
restaurant in New York City (in addition, he later helmed the kitchens of Strip House
Houston and Palm Beach Gardens).  Under Lenger’s supervision, Forbes magazine named Strip House as one of the “Forbes
2003 All-Star Eateries in New York.” In addition, Time Out New York’s Eating and
Drinking Guide 2001 nominated Strip House as one of the year’s “Best New
Steakhouses.” Lenger is also a published author in Austria and has written several
books on culinary arts used at many schools throughout Eastern Europe.

Lenger incorporates his love for quality products at Switch, where he brings his
trademark flair to this dynamic dining destination.

Chef Rene Lenger Gives Tips on How to Cook a Great Steak

I interviewed Chef Rene Lenger at Switch restaurant in Las Vegas and he demonstrated how to cook a perfect steak.  Here’s the video.

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Interview with Chef Frank Pabst of Blue Water Cafe, Vancouver

Chef Frank Pabst

Widely recognized for his creative impetus and leadership in responsible seafood practices, Chef Frank Pabst leads Vancouver’s Blue Water Cafe’s brigade of expert chefs in what has been called “one of North America’s finest seafood restaurants.”

With tenures in Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Germany and France, including La Becasse (Aachen), the Hotel Negresco (Cannes) and Restaurant de Bacon (Antibes), Pabst was schooled in the rigorous classical technique that provides the foundation for his diverse cooking style today.

Directing the kitchens at Blue Water Cafe since 2003, Pabst has consistently demonstrated excellence, both in the procurement of impeccably fresh, sustainable seafood—Blue Water Cafe is a founding member of the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program—and in the execution of its cookery, showcasing his trademark “complexity without complication.”

My dad and I visited Blue Water Cafe for a tasting menu and we sat down with Chef Pabst to talk a bit about Blue Water Cafe and his philosophy on food.

Interview with Ethel M Chocolates Head Pastry Chef Jin Caldwell

Ethel M. Chocolate Head Pastry Chef, Jin Caldwell

On a recent visit to the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory I interviewed Jin Caldwell, who is their head pastry chef.  She was nice enough to give me a tour of the factory and picked out some great chocolates that she created.

For Caldwell,  the art of creating chocolate confections is the realization of a lifelong culinary passion. as the former chocolatier and pastry chef for Wynn-Las Vegas and the Bellagio Hotel, Chef Jin has worked under the direction of world renowned pastry chefs such as Jean-Phillipe Maury and Frederic Robert.   A graduate of  Le Cordon Blue Culinary School-Scottsdale, Arizona, Chef Jin has had a life long passion to create great cuisine.

Chef Jins’ culinary skills have earned her numerous awards and worldwide recognition. In 2003, she won the grand championship of the American Culinary Federation Culinary Challenge, with two “gold” and one “silver” medal. She has been featured in numerous national venues, including the Food Network and Rachel Ray programs Chef Jin also represented the United States at the 2006 World Ice Cream Cup in Rimini, Italy, where her chocolate-raspberry ice cream cake was judged to be among the world’s best.

In 2007, Chef Jin was invited to be one of 12 team captains selected for the prestigious national pastry team championships held in Nashville, Tenn. her 3-person “Team Caldwell” was also the first all-female pastry team to ever compete at this high level of culinary expertise, and earned a silver medal overall in the 13-hour competition. Team Caldwell also took first place in the chocolate entremet, frozen entremet & chocolate bon-bon categories.

Chef Jin sat down with me after our tour and talked about what probably is the best job in the world, creating great chocolates!