Chef’s Morsels: Behind the Scenes with Aspen’s Top Chefs

Mario Hernandez: Jimmy’s Bodega
Three kitchen staples: A good knife, salt, garlic
Favorite indulgences: French fries
Cuisine you wish you could master: This is very hard for me to answer. I respect all the cuisines of the world. If I had to pick one, it would be Chinese cuisine. It’s one of the oldest countries in the world.
Adult beverage of choice: Bodega Margarita, rocks and salt
Can’t get enough: Ceviche
Winter warmer: Homemade soup — classic chicken noodle or potato soup
Food you daydream about: I don’t dream too much about food … I’m a chef! I cook whatever I want.
Best cooking music: Andres Segovia
Food trend you wish would go away: There really isn’t one that I can think of … I enjoy learning new techniques all the time — even if they are annoyingly trendy.
Chef you’d like to cook with: Francis Mallmann
I miss mom or dad’s: Pollo Adobado; it’s a homemade soup that my mother would make every week.
Wish I had easy access to: Worldwide travel so that I could fully experience the different cultures and techniques in person.
Sweat treat: A classic chocolate-chip cookie
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Wild mushrooms — I feel as though you can do anything with beautiful Colorado mushrooms.
Greg Van Wagner: Wine director, Jimmy’s
Three kitchen staples: Japanese knives, cast iron pan, and plenty of small towels so you can reuse them instead of using paper towels to clean up.
Favorite indulgences: If there are any hard aged cheeses around me then they won’t last long!
Cuisine you wish you could master: Tamagoyaki. I got to witness this omelet making technique in Japan and it’s beautiful. Breakfast would never be the same.
Adult beverage of choice: Wine, of course! Spanish reds, white Burgundy, and Manzanilla Sherry are always stocked in my house.
Can’t get enough: High-quality, reasonably priced red or white Burgundy.
Winter warmer: I go for the Rhone Valley of France, wines from areas such as Cornas, Cote Rotie, Hermitage.
Food you daydream about: The grilled quail at A Fuego Negro in San Sebastian; Kalamata olives if I can’t have that.
Best cooking music: Phantogram, Buena Vista Social Club, Polo and Pan
Food trend you wish would go away: Hipster plating. Situations like using Mason jars for anything and everything, random wood boards, and clothespins holding food or garnishes.
Chef you’d like to cook with: Thomas Keller, no question a model of discipline and hard work over decades of time.
I miss mom or dad’s: Corn on the cob from our family garden.
Wish I had easy access to: Aged wines that are readily available and reasonable in Europe but eye-wateringly expensive in the States.
Sweat treat: Gelato
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Palisade peaches
Troy Selby: 520 Grill
Three kitchen staples: Kosher salt, good olive oil, fresh herbs
Favorite indulgences: Sushi
Cuisine you wish you could master: Japanese cooking
Adult beverage of choice: O’Doul’s n/a beer
Can’t get enough: Mountain biking
Winter warmer: A trip to the beach
Food you daydream about: Our new house-smoked beef brisket coming soon
Best cooking music: Cooking music reggae
Food trend you wish would go away: Truffle oil French fries
Chef you’d like to cook with: Rick Bayless
I miss mom or dad’s: Mom’s pumpkin bread
Wish I had easy access to: Fresh Colorado elk
Sweat treat: Root beer float
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Colorado organic Angus beef
Rob Ittner: Cooking School of Aspen
Three kitchen ingredient staples: What’s fresh and in season
Favorite indulgences: Getting to see world-class chefs from around the globe up close at the Cooking School of Aspen
Cuisine you wish you could master: It’s about diversity and the journey — not just one food.
Adult beverage of choice: Wine
Food you daydream about: Truffle omelet
Best cooking music: Depends on the food
Chef you’d like to cook with: Alice Waters
Wish I had easy access to: Year-round fresh vegetables in backyard
Sweet treat: Chocolate soufflé
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Lamb
Vincent Bagford: Bamboo Bear
Three kitchen staples: Desire, respect and love
Favorite indulgence: So many. Here is one: a full slab dinner, salad with house dressing, baked potato and roll at Old Hickory Bar-B-Q in Dayton, Ohio, followed up with a milkshake.
Cuisine you wish you could master: I will always be a student of food and technique and never a master of a cuisine.
Adult beverage of choice: Charleston “docktail” — Bourbon, ginger, squeeze of lime and the salt of the coastal breeze.
Dish you could make in your sleep: Red sauce and pasta.
Can’t get enough: Travel time!
Winter warmer: My wife’s pork belly braised in coconut water, with rice.
Food you daydream about:Live, coal-roasted, whole suckling pig at Lang Nuong Nam Bo in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Best cooking music: Depends on the task. Waylon Jennings/outlaw country or any live Grateful Dead show for prep; pre-service is Rolling Stones live; and for those long, tedious prep items, classical music.
Food trend you wish would go away: ‘You must meet my special dietary needs cuisine’ — this trend got to go!
Chef you’d like to cook with: Marco Pierre White
I miss mom or dad’s: I miss my dad’s breakfast, and anything my mom cooks I miss.
Wish I had easy access to: Asian market
Sweet treat: Peanut butter chocolate homemade Buckeyes
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Clean water
Robbie Kostrba: Rustique Bistro
Three kitchen staples: Salt, pepper, onions
Favorite indulgences: Good bourbon and cigars
Cuisine you wish you could master: Thai
Adult beverage of choice: Old-school Martinez
Can’t get enough: Hours in a day!
Winter warmer: Constant Comment tea spiked with bourbon
Food you daydream about: In-N-Out Double-Double Animal Style, Animal Fries, strawberry shake
Best cooking music: James Brown
Food trend you wish would go away: Foam
Chef you’d like to cook with: Julia Child
I miss: Mom’s hugs and Dad’s elk meat in the freezer
Wish I had easy access to: A beach and fresh coconuts
Sweet treat: Rum cake
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Love and Palisade peaches
Chris Keating: Pinecreek Cookhouse
Three kitchen staples: Butter, salt and pepper
Favorite indulgences: Seafood, life and my wife
Cuisine you wish you could master: Anything pastry
Adult beverage of choice: About four times a year I pride myself with my ability to make the most amazing Martini … home use only and I can’t seem to get past two.
Can’t get enough: Of my motorcycle and bicycle
Winter warmer: Take it as it comes and make the best of everyday.
Food you daydream about: Smoked black cod
Best cooking music: I find the sounds of the kitchen and the food cooking is music to my ears … everything else is a distraction.
Food trend you wish would go away: Sous Vide
Chef you’d like to cook with: Chris Lanter … again.
I miss mom or dad’s: I miss Dad and see my Mom as much as I can
Wish I had easy access to: Time off
Sweat treat: Hot waffle ice cream sandwich
Favorite Colorado ingredient: Everything the Colorado farmers raise and grow! They really have stepped up locally sourced game, the customers want more of it, chefs love to cook it … the program is working!

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism
Readers around Aspen and Snowmass Village make the Aspen Times’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.
User Legend: Moderator
Trusted User