Start with Passion, and great foods comes naturally

Last week my girlfriend and I loaded up all the kids and drove the 4.5 hours to my pops house! We go up at least twice a year, once in winter when there is a ton of snow on the ground and if we are lucky a nice storm will blow into the Sierras and once in summer time when the mornings are crisp and cool and the days are hot! Driving out of Meadow Valley up to Bucks Lake for some boating and water fun, or just going down to the river and swimming in the cool water. What does this have to do with food? Well you are just going to have to wait a minute ok, you see I want to paint a picture for you, because this magical place where we all still (feel) pops spirit is where my culinary passion comes from. Since I was a young boy my dad loved cooking, from slow cooked spaghetti sauces and briskets to perfectly seared New York steaks smothered with sautéed mushrooms, and all the while there were family and friends stopping in for a quick hello or a bite to eat, pops would say to me “hey butch will you stir the sauce” and of course I would taste the sauce too! And this is where my culinary journey started even though I didn’t know it then.

This place inspires passion, of family friends and food! That seems to be what keeps us all coming back, to cook great food and see old friends and carry on a tradition for my kids, so they can remember their papa ski and all he stood for.

I tend to write about passion a lot, especially when it comes to the food I prepare, as a restaurant owner and Chef it is the foundation for all my recipes whether easy or complex if you start with passion then you end with a great dish. Simple things like fresh cut fries, or taking a little longer to cold proof your pizza dough, simmering that sauce to perfection and making fresh sausage. Taking the time to prepare great food is a labor of love but when your customers keep coming back to your place because it is the best they have ever tasted then not only have you gained a loyal customer more importantly you have made a friend, and when you have a dining room full of friends your success will go far beyond just profits, it goes to the heart of our success, why we all cook, it makes us happy, making other people happy

Chef Glenn