August 29. 06
Feel like I need to brush up
on my culinary etiquette visiting
the website of NINE-TEN
the La Jolla Restaurant where
Executive Chef Jason Knibb
creates Food Enchantment.
Met Jason at the Third Annual
Taste of Slow Food San Diego
event...Chefs, Farmers & World Cuisine
August 27, at Orfila Vineyards.
Jason was one of many local chefs
who came out to tend his enthusiasm
and talent to building up our local
Slow Food movement here in San Diego.
Take a look at the flair of this NINE-TEN website
complete with Trumpet sounds as you enter.
Jason goes out of his way to feature
foods grown by Local Food Artisan
Farmers.
What an exciting trend!
A growing number of local chefs
are going out of their way to establish
connections with our local farmers.
This is SO good for the local farming
economy.
I very much support the Seed Dream that
our Top Local Chefs will gain reknown
and be celebrated because their food
features locally grown food.
NINE-TEN sounds like a restaurant that will
deeply appreciate the six or more kinds
of Art Museum Quality Fresh that Day
Lettuces grown by San Diego's celebrated
Joe the Farmer, fourth generation local grower,
(AKA Joe Rodriquez).
"Joe the Farmer" is based on the life of Joe Rodriguez
is the character in my story.
That story shares the UP and Downs of this fourth
generation farming
family, and its Never Give Up attitude.
In the last ten years, the family has been tested
beyond belief--to the place where Joe Rodriguez
Sr. questions if it is wise to ask future generations
to consider farming as a career.
San Diego local organic farmers really need
our support--they cannot survive--and cannot thrive--
unless we each go out of our way to support locally grown
food.
I have a vision for a Joe the Farmer night at NINE-TEN
that will feature a reading of the story,
and with guest local farmers including Joe.
At the event, you'll taste
Joe's Lettuce--
"Lettuce So Fresh It makes you blush."
Joe the Farmer grew lettuce wasfeatured at the 2005 coming
out of "Organic Celebration at the Hilton!"
three days of organic lunches at
the HIlton San Diego Resort, Aug 5-7.
Joe's lettuces are museum art quality.
The Hotel and International Feng Shui Conference
co-partnered to create lunches made
from locally grown organic farmers and
other foods supplied by Enchanted Garden Sponsors.
Photo below: Kathy Lunna, Masseuse of
the Slow Food Conneseaure (sp?)
delights Jason with her Goddess Lunna Touch.
Kathy offers touch on special Sundays
for Joe the Farmer and family at the HIllcrest
Farmers' Market, 9-1,
Your Enchanted Gardener
Links:
Jason Knibb
bio:
http://www.nine-ten.com/about-nine-ten.html
Comment by Alice Q. Foodie,
on her Blog site:
http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/08/3rd-annual-taste-of-slow-food-san.html
"..and the heirloom tomato salad from 910. I asked Jason Knibb to make me one and he put this together himself. When he gave it to me I think I said some silly thing about him being a local celebrity chef and how I wanted to come try his restaurant, he said "Come on in!" and I said "I will!" and turned around and trotted away all giddy. I thought about introducing myself and saying something about the blog but I was too starstruck. Anyway, these tomatoes were delicious - especially the yellow and green ones."
____
Jason Knibb
Executive Chef
Nine-Ten Restaurant
Jason Knibb joined the staff of NINE-TEN Restaurant at the historic Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla, California, in September of 2003. Knibb was formerly with Robert Redford's Sundance Village, where he served as executive chef for all food & beverage operations located on the resort property, including the Foundry Grill and the renowned Tree Room restaurant.
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and raised in Southern California, Knibb has trained under some of this country's most celebrated chefs. He began his career working with Wolfgang Puck at L.A.'s Eureka restaurant. He then assisted famed Roy Yamaguchi with the opening of Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill in Maui. After returning to Southern California, he accepted the position of Chef Tournant under Hans Rockenwagner at Rockenwagner's in Santa Monica and the popular Rox restaurant in Beverly Hills. Venturing north, Knibb took over as Sous Chef at the San Francisco eatery, Moose's Café. He left San Francisco to oversee the opening of Malibu in Warsaw, Poland, where he trained the restaurant's kitchen staff and created its California Cuisine menus. Knibb returned to the U.S. in 1996 to become Sous Chef at Joe's Restaurant in Venice, California. Following a successful two-year endeavor at Joe's, he moved to Sundance, Utah in 1998 to work under La Jolla's own Trey Foshee at the famed Tree Room restaurant. Knibb took over as the resort's Executive Chef upon Foshee's departure.
"Each of my mentors has a simple common philosophy about cooking," states Knibb. "They create regional cuisine using the freshest local products available. This is perfectly in sync with NINE~TEN's ‘earth-to-table’ approach."
Already a name in culinary circles across the country, Knibb has frequently appeared as a guest chef at the James Beard House, as well as The Food Network's "Cooking Live with Sara Moulton." In 2003, he was a featured chef on Bobby Flay's "Food Nation – Best of Utah" program. Knibb has amassed many awards and accolades for his style and cuisine, including the La Jolla Light’s “2005 Best Chef in La Jolla”, Salt Lake magazine's "Best Mountain Restaurant" award four times running and features in Food & Wine magazine’s "Best Breakfasts" issue and Jamaican Airlines Magazine’s in-flight publication, Sky Magazine.
"He is truly an ideal partner for us," says Terry Underwood, General Manager of The Grande Colonial. "He blends the best of the environment with his own vision of new American cuisine by taking traditional dishes and giving them a simple, healthful new twist. Guests of NINE~TEN have come to love its constantly evolving California cuisine and we are committed to delivering the same style of cooking in new and more exciting ways through the eyes and hands of Chef Knibb."