Weekend Whisk: Chris Rowe Returns to the TSC Kitchen!
Welcome back Chris - we are excited you will be returning to the TSC kitchen! Catch us up on what you have been up to since you taught here last.
It’s been almost 20 years so just a few things have happened! The biggest move was ending my restaurant career and starting full-time on the wine side. I was able to transition to Southern Wine & Spirits as their Director of Training and Education which ultimately led me to the position I’ve held now for over 17 years with Old Bridge Cellars. Along the way I’ve been fortunate enough to continue my wine studies and travels, always incorporating them into consumer dinners and wine tastings whenever possible. When I first started at The Seasoned Chef Madison was only 2, now my “kids” are 22 and 25, and both work part-time in kitchens which I find quite prophetic. It’s all gone by in a flash
What brought you to your deep love of wine?
Honestly, it was being around others who loved wine. My first real “a-ha” moment was while backpacking around Europe after college. I had never drank much wine but over there I had it almost every day. Just simple country wines from France, Italy, and Spain that cost less than $3.00 a bottle and they were all so amazing. From that point on I knew I had to learn more about how they were made, who made them, and what made each country’s offerings different. Being in the restaurant industry gave me an inside track to tasting wines from around the world while meeting some incredible personalities and that only fueled my passion.
You work with Old Bridge Cellars, tell us a little bit about their portfolio.
When I started back in 2005 we specialized in small family wines exclusively from Australia, we were “the Face of Australian Wines” in the US. Over the last 14 years, we’ve expanded our portfolio to include wines from Napa, Tuscany, Bordeaux, New Zealand, Champagne, and Oregon and we keep growing. The one thing that sets our portfolio apart is that we work with really small wineries and most are family-owned and operated. You won’t find many of our wines in grocery stores because we just don’t make enough and would rather focus on independent restaurants and retailers who can help tell the stories of our wines. In a year we sell about as much as some of the bigger wineries sell in a week and that speaks volumes about the craft and care our winemakers put into every bottle.
You and Chef Dan are collaborating on two Food and Wine Pairing classes we have coming up. Tell us a little bit about what our attendees can expect.
We’re hoping to bring a bit of wine country to each dinner. Although we can’t take you there, we’re going to highlight some classic varietals from the two distinct countries with some of our favorite food pairings. The one thing that always turned me off about wine was how some that spoke or taught about it didn’t really speak in a language that everyone could understand. I like to bring a sense of understanding to the wines without getting too technical. I’m always happy to elaborate but what I’ve found is that people are just looking for wines that they will enjoy, with or without food, and if you have a great story about the owners/winemakers it just helps bring it all home.
Be sure to join Chris and Chef Dan for these very special evenings!
Again Chris, Welcome Back!