Celebrity Chef Keith Luce Coming to Gracie’s
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Lovers of Gracie’s Star Chef Dinners know that they're one of the best showcases for visiting luminaries. The next dinner, just announced for November 28, is another star vehicle.
Keith Luce is coming back to town. The well-rounded, well-traveled chef, firmly footed in his commitment to detail and using locally-sourced ingredients, has cooked for the likes of former President of the United States Bill Clinton, serving as sous-chef at the White House during the first Clinton administration. He has also appeared on Bravo’s TOP CHEF as a guest judge, is a James Beard Award winner, and boasts a strong culinary training foundation including stints at some of the finest restaurants in the nation and in Europe.
From family farm to France
Now the chef and co-owner of The Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport, NY—just three miles from where he grew up on his family’s farm—Luce’s culinary training began in New York City at the Rainbow Room, Le Cirque and La Côte Basque. He then enhanced his skills in Europe training at the top Michelin-starred restaurants in France and Italy before returning to the states and working at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV, a position that led to his being tapped to cook at the White House. Luce also served as the executive chef at the 5-Diamond Relais & Château in Little Nell in Aspen, Colo., opened Merenda in San Francisco, Calif., and later worked as the executive chef of the Washington State-based, internationally-renowned
“To say we are thrilled that Chef Luce will be returning to Gracie’s to collaborate with us on a second Star Chef dinner is an understatement,” said Gracie’s Owner Ellen Gracyalny. “His knowledge base of food is incredible and his attention to detail is unmatched. When Chef Luce shared his talents with us for the first time in early 2009, our team was able to sharpen a number of cooking techniques and to more fully understand the benefits of using locally sourced food. The entire Gracie’s team is excited to learn something new this time around and to become even better at what we do!”
“I have great admiration and respect for Chef Luce and am ecstatic that he is returning to Gracie’s,” said Varga. “He is an amazing chef and food guru who is committed to precision and using locally-sourced food. He is constantly conducting tests and coming up with new ways to make flavors and textures work together harmoniously. And it’s a well-known fact that Chef Luce raises his own pigs and chickens and grows his own herbs and produce. He even makes his own butter. Chef Luce aims for a truly sustainable model and that doesn’t always make things easy, but it makes for the most vibrant of flavors.”
Coup for Gracie's
Now in its third year, Gracie’s Star Chef Series combines the talents of extraordinary chefs from across the country with the Gracie’s team, led by Executive Chef Matthew Varga. Working collaboratively, the featured Star Chef and the Gracie’s team create a unique, five-course menu that is expertly paired with wine. An informal and intimate format is utilized for the Star Chef Dinners to enable the chefs to periodically step out of the kitchen to talk with guests about their meal and their experience.
Chef to chef
Luce has earned a number of awards for his culinary work. He was named by Food & Wine magazine as one of America’s Top Ten Chefs and was presented with a James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. Luce also holds a Northwest Stir’s “Young Lion Award” and a Crain’s Business News Top 40 Executives Under 40 award.
The cost for each five-course dinner (paired with wine) is $100. To learn more or to make a reservation (number of participants is limited), visit www.graciesprov.com or call 272-7811. You can also follow Gracie’s on Facebook, here.
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