From Copenhagen to NY’s James Beard House – All in a Day’s Work for Castagna Chef Matt Lightner
August 26, 2010
Food & Wine’s Best New Chef 2010 takes his food on the road with two back-to-back culinary events
PORTLAND, Oregon – (August 26, 2010) – Castagna’s young executive chef Matt Lightner will soon be juggling multiple culinary gigs in different time zones – from Copenhagen Cooking 2010 on August 29th to a James Beard Dinner on September 1st. As a recent James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semifinalist and one of Food & Wine Magazine’s 2010 Best New Chefs, Lightner is turning heads for his edgy farm to table style where vegetables, herbs and botanicals often take center stage. Closer to home, Castagna received the Oregonian’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year award and Lightner was a guest chef at Aspen’s Food & Wine Classic.
Nordic Cooking in Copenhagen
Lightner will be one of six international guest chefs chosen to cook at this year’s Copenhagen Cooking 2010 at the Copenhagen Hospitality College on August 29, 2010. The Nordic Academy of Culinary Leisure (NaCl) organizes showcooking events throughout the year hosted by some of Denmark’s bright new chefs, who have all worked at Michelin restaurants abroad. The association is a “playground for chefs and a forum for unlimited gastronomic creativity.” Lightner spent a month at Noma in Copenhagen after cooking at Mugaritz in Spain. Lightner will prepare a dish featuring carrots from the Lammefjorden area of Denmark made up of ancient seabeds. He will serve the carrots with wild herbs and an edible sea bed of buttermilk and oysters, and the juice of the sea buckthorn which will imitate the natural juices of the carrot.
Oregon meets Manhattan at James Beard House
Lightner will prepare his first NY dinner at the James Beard House on Wednesday, September 1st with a multi-course menu served alongside premier Oregon wines. For reservations, please visit www.jamesbeard.org.
James Beard Dinner Menu, September 1, 2010
Hors d’Oeuvres
Lardo and Tomatoes on Brioche
Salmon on Rye Toasts
Cheese Puffs with Garlic Aïoli
Crispy Pigs’ Ears with Radishes and Hazelnuts
Matello Ribbon Ridge Pinot Gris 2009
Dinner
Willamette Valley Onion Salad with Caramelized Allium Vinegar,
Herbs, and Crisp Vegetables
Andrew Rich Vintner Roussanne 2007
Black Cod with Shell Beans, Seaweed, Brown Butter Infusion, and Wild Salcornia
Matello Caprice 2009
Charred Oregon Beef with Poached Potatoes, Wheat Grass, and Leek Ash
The Eyrie Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Beets and Berries with Salted Meringue
Andrew Rich Vintner Gewürztraminer 2007
Licorice Root with Streusel and Tahitian Vanilla
About Castagna:
Located adjacent to the Ladd’s Addition neighborhood in Southeast Portland, Castagna is owned by Monique Siu and has been a culinary destination for more than ten years offering sophisticated dishes prepared simply with seasonal ingredients and influences from France, Italy and Spain. Castagna was recently honored with the Oregonian’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year award and executive chef Matt Lightner was chosen as one of the 2010 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine. Lightner brings a true focus on seasonal ingredients prepared with various cooking techniques – from grilling or brining to smoking or curing, and even more modern innovations like sous vide, which uses braising to bring out the intense flavors of certain cuts of meat like leg of lamb and pork cheeks. Castagna opens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday at 1752 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. For more information call 503-231-7373 or visit www.castagnarestaurant.com. Adjacent to Castagna is Café Castagna opened daily at 5:00 p.m. for dinner and lunch Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Follow Castagna on Twitter at Castagnapdx.