My California: Chef Todd Knoll and My Visit to Jordan Winery

You know those moments and places you encounter in life that seem too perfect to be real? The cynic within lies in wait for something to spoil the mood and when it comes you are back in that familiar place most of us know as reality. Maybe it’s just me. In wine country this often comes in the form of promises of a perfect day sipping wine and enjoying the good life when reality it often just comes across as a cheap copy of another man’s work. Last Friday morning the cynic within me was effectively silenced by the staff of Jordan Winery.

Executive Chef Todd Knoll and Sous Chef (and pastry wizard) Manuel Reyes

We dropped our dog at the kennel and drove north to Healdsburg and Jordan Winery for what turned out to be two flawless wine country days. I was there in my official capacity, researching a story for Mutineer Magazine, but was able to get an inside glimpse of the Jordan kitchen, have a chat with Executive Chef Todd Knoll and was fortunate enough to have a few wonderful meals prepared by him and his talented staff. I may work for a fine beverage magazine, but we all know it’s all about the food for me.

The most gorgeous table in wine country.

From the road Jordan is an unassuming place, there is no giant sign announcing to the world that beyond these gates lies your wine country fantasy. If you blink you will miss it and we did, using what looked to be a well worn shoulder just beyond to get back to our destination. We drove slowly through the beautiful wild grounds, the road twisting and turning, branching and forking but ultimately leading us to our destination a beautiful winery that looked as if it had been plucked from the French countryside and placed in Northern California.

The winery suites and kitchen from the terrace, our luxurious room was in the corner with the ivy staircase. I would share photos of our suite, but I was doing the shooting on those and they turned out terrible. The decor was understated country French in shades of oyster to charcoal, complete with a stone fireplace, four poster bed and a luxurious tub. Combined with a breakfast in bed of fruit, croissants and fresh juice made for a lovely place to wake up.

Jordan Winery Bento Box Luncheon

Ponzu Gelée, Roasted Cipollini, American Caviar and Quail Egg

Mirin and Togarashi Glazed Salmon, Bok Choy, Seared Endive, Forbidden Rice with House pickled Ginger

Grilled and Braised Sonoma Duck Breast, with Shiitake, Morels and Enoki

Kumquat Compote, Financier and a Consommé of Our First Strawberries

Mero Seabass and Tasmanian Salmon with Their First Peas and Ramps from the Wine Blogger’s lunch on Saturday.

Grilled Sonoma (milk fed) Lamb and this Morning’s Carrots with Fava, Morels and Black Garlic Jus from the Wine Blogger’s lunch on Saturday.

Me, and Chef Todd Knoll. He is telling me about the craftsman who made his stainless steel spice rack. I am trying to figure out what tools I will need to come back with in order to steal it.

My Interview with Chef Todd Knoll

Upon arriving in Chef Todd’s kitchen I was immediately treated to a taste of green almonds done sous vide with rice vinegar and a few other ingredients. They were amazing. It was like eating a lightly pickled cucumber instead of an almond. I had been in his kitchen for all of about 30 seconds and my mind was officially blown.

This is my interview with project manager turned chef, Todd Knoll who is probably the happiest  most easy going chef I have ever met. My interview was originally significantly longer, sadly a few bits had to be cut out, because of clanging pots and pans. I think it is still pretty great.

How did growing up in Hawaii influence your style of cooking?

TK: It did really, because the end of my day after getting out of school would be diving, spear fishing its almost like growing up in a foreign country . . . beautiful foods, really being in touch with nature, just when you catch a fish and you cook it that day, or when I’d go fishing with my father and actually make sashimi on the boat, that’s an imprint.

Is that the reason you decided to pursue the culinary arts?

TK: I always wanted to cook. I wanted an Easy Bake Oven when I was a kid, they didn’t give it to me, but my mother is a wonderful cook, my father is a wonderful cook and I just always wanted to do it. I worked with my father, he passed away, as a project manager. I decided that I just wanted to do what I loved, so I actually started late professionally. . . I went to the Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked at The Ritz which was a great experience worked through all the kitchens, went to banquets which isn’t the most glamorous thing, but was probably the most useful thing I would recommend it to anyone. I would go to school for eight hours and I would change coats and cook for eight hours. It was pretty brutal, but if you can’t do it then this is the wrong job.

Then my executive sous Chef Didier Georges called me and said they needed an executive chef here. I wasn’t looking for a job, I was moving up in the Ritz and Nitsa* cried, she didn’t want to come to wine country. She’s a city girl, but now we’d never go back.

What are the benefits of working at Jordan?

TK: Its funny, the first day I worked her here I called my friends at The Ritz there are no windows in the kitchen, great place to work but, nothing like this. I was looking out at the garden calling them and they were just “aw screw you” (laughs). I said, “You wouldn’t believe what I’m seeing here, all the trees and the garden”. I go down and I pick what I need for the day, thyme, herbs everything comes from this morning. The oldest thing that we have in the walk-in is from the day before. Being able to design a garden , I have a few chef friends who are jealous. Its a great place to work.

Are a lot of your ingredients grown on the grounds?

TK: As much as possible. During the winter it is difficult, but in the spring and the summer I have 15 varieties of tomatoes going in, I love to use their heirloom seeds, daikon, beautiful stone fruit coming in our raspberries are amazing, strawberries, but yeah we do as much as we can. White asparagus, which is really good.

Jordan produces olive oil, what part do you have in that?

TK: It’s interesting, the most important part is getting it off the tree carefully, which they do wonderfully. The most important part is to get it milled within 24 hours, but we can do it in four hours since we have the mobile mill. So they are picking the olives and there’s a truck out here and we’re doing a crush right there in the olive grove. Olive oil, unlike wine is best right then. You have the new olive oil thats not stable then we let it naturally rack for a couple of months . . . We do blend, but unlike wine, its just about getting it in that bottle quick thats the secret.

What are some of the challenges of working in a winery kitchen?

TK: Its a small kitchen, it’s beautiful, I have all the toys. I mean I showed you the vacuum machine I also have a pacojet. I have no budget, I have the best china in the world. John affords me anything I want. I mean I get not American Kobe, I get Kobe. It’s not a challenge so much as it is fun. Its a surprise everyday, if I think of anything I can find it.

What do you like to cook at home?

TK: Braised dishes, I love doing a classically roasted chicken, that’s the test of a chef really. A lot of Greek food, stiphado, I love Greek cooking. But simple cooking, bold flavors and just pure food, wine country cooking.

Are there any ingredients that you are really into right now?

TK: These right now (points to a dish of partially prepared ramps), the ramps are fun. These are really just blinks in the eye of the season, the ramps and the green almonds and morels. That is what I really focus on this time of the year.

What is your death row meal?

TK: Death row meal . . . chile verde. (then I blathered on a bit about pho and foie gras and it came out that his other choice would be pho)

During my stay I ate several of Chef Todd’s dishes and was impressed with each one. His dishes are well thought out and all such seamless fusion that you almost forget the cuisines the ingredients have been borrowed from. The lamb, duck and fish were some of the best I have ever tasted and the veggies were gorgeous. I was most impressed when I tasted the melange of mushrooms in the bento box lunch. Several months ago I had a dish with similar mushrooms and the same seasonings at a restaurant that will not be named, it was an epic fail. But, out of Chef Todd’s kitchen it was nothing short of perfection. I am officially a fan and I am glad I am able to share this with you.

*Nitsa is Todd’s wife, Jordan Winery’s Director of Hospitality and Special Events and quite possibly one of the cutest people ever.

Special note: I have to include a shout out to Lisa Mattson who is Jordan’s Communications Director and for all intents and purposes of the weekend, our Cruise Director. Upon arrival we immediately encountered a tiny blond woman lugging the largest tripod in existence across a beautiful stone courtyard; this was Lisa. She exudes boundless energy, entertains journalists, shoots video for the Jordan Blog, writes and I am pretty sure if I asked we’d find out that she can rub her stomach while patting her head and spinning a plate on the end of her toes all while filming a video for the Jordan website. Thanks Lisa!

This was a gorgeous kitchen. The hand painted tile was brought in from Portugal by Mrs. Jordan in the 1970′s.

They were preparing our bento boxes during the interview and Phil was all over the place shooting. This is one of my favorite photos.

Mise en Place

Sous Chef Manuel Reyes zesting oranges. Look at the endive on his board, I have never seen it so lovely before. I should also mention that Chef Manuel is also the pastry chef and from what I understand makes a mean chocolate mousse.

This salmon was amazing and beautiful.

This financier was lovely, the vanilla bean was so robust and the fruit lightly sweet and full of flavor.