Flavors of the Ocean in Your Backyard
Story and Photos by Camilla M. Mann
April 28, 2015 – Famous for his fabulous nine-course Big Sur
tasting menu, executive chef John Cox of Sierra Mar restaurant at
the Post Ranch Inn shared his seafood secrets with appreciative foodies at the
fourth session of EMB’s In Your Backyard series last week at
Holman Ranch tasting room. Cox joined forces with Art Seavey of Monterey Abalone Company for
the event called “Cooking the Big Sur Coast.” The chef shared ways to prepare
foraged sea vegetables and seafood while Seavey talked about growing
his business amid initial resistance to aquaculture.
From his restaurant perched 1500 feet above the Pacific
Ocean, John heaped praise on the kelp forest. “It’s an important natural
resource. Algae is responsible for something like eighty-percent of the oxygen
we breathe,” he said. “Additionally, it’s a versatile ingredient.”
The first bites he showcased were jokingly called “beach
flotsam and jetsam,” dishes of dehydrated giant kelp, pickled sea grapes, and
brined chain-bladder kelp. Cox also offered thin slices of Hamachi belly dried
on giant kelp blades. “You can do this with any fatty fish,” he instructed.
Sea urchins were cleaned and dressed simply with lemon,
garlic, and olive oil. He served them alongside ebony-hued squid ink baguette
slices. “I’m lucky to have three sous chefs with whom I can collaborate and
innovate,” he admitted. “I aim to take diners on a journey with foods that
epitomize the flavor of the ocean.”
Cox advised us to be informed consumers, to eat what’s
abundant, and to know where our food comes from. Regarding recipes and how to
prepare foods, he urged: “improvise with simple, good products.”
Seavey discussed the difference between abalone fed
pelletized rations and those nourished with kelp. “Kelp is a natural food of
wild abalone. So it results in a farmed product that tastes like it comes from
the wild, using the nutrients in the water.” The process reduces impact on
water quality. As a result, farmed abalone is listed—by the Monterey Bay
Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program—as a ‘Best Choice.’
A portion of the evening’s proceeds benefitted Nancy’s
Project, a charitable nonprofit organization founded by Nancy Costello
that distributes food, clothing, and other necessities to farm labor families
throughout Monterey County. Project coordinator and shepherd Betty Kasson
described the focus of the organization and shared that Nancy’s spirit still guides
the mission. “There are now approximately seventy volunteers continuing the
work of one tireless 95-year-old woman,” she said. Six days a week, fifty one
weeks of the year, drivers load and deliver donations to the families in need.
There are two more In Your Backyard events before the series
finale on July 15th at the historic Holman Ranch. Attendees
will enjoy spectacular views, food from the area’s best chefs, Holman Ranch
wines, and music, while supporting six worthy causes—Ag Against Hunger,
Everyone’s Harvest, Food Bank of Monterey County, MEarth, Nancy’s Project, and
Seafood Watch.
The May 13th IYB event with Aubergine pastry chef Ron
Mendoza is sold out, but there are still tickets for the evening of June 16th,
when executive chef Ken MacDonald from Edgars at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley
and Serendipity Farms’s Jamie Collins will guide people from garden to table,
sharing how to plant your garden with your menus in mind and offering tips for
cooking your bounty.Tickets are $10 for wine club members and $25 for others;
seating is very limited.
There are also plenty of tickets left for the season finale,
a farm-to-table picnic with live music, Holman’s award-winning wines and
several exciting chefs at Holman Ranch’s stunning, historic vineyard, just
beyond Carmel Valley.
The chefs at the July event Chefs will inlcude La Balena’s
Brad Briske, Sierra Mar’s John Cox, Porter’s in the Forest’s Johnny De Vivo,
Edgars’ Ken MacDonald, Aubergine’s Ron Mendoza, Wills Fargo Steakhouse + Bar’s
Jerome Viel, the Beach House’s Evan Lite and Monterey Meringue’s Lee Zimmerman and
Domenick Allen. Purveyors will include Tassajara Natural Meats and Monterey
Abalone Co.
To reserve your tickets for either event, call the Holman
tasting room at 831.659.2640 or email info@holmanranch.com.
Tickets for the July 15 farm-to-table may also be purchased
on eventbrite at:
The Holman tasting room is located at 19 East Carmel Valley
Rd. in Carmel Valley Village and the Ranch address is 60 Holman Rd., Carmel
Valley.
For information on the entire In Your Backyard program, go
to www.ediblemontereybay.com and
click on the events tab.
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