Interview: Napa Valley Grille’s Chef, Shawnté Amour Peery
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009
MALL OF AMERICA- Chef Interview
This week, we thought it would be fun to get to know our Chef de Cuisine, Shawnté Amour Peery, a little better!
I recently found out that Shawnté’s middle name is Amour. Apparently Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” was very popular the year Shawnté was born and is suits her very well.
She is a very young talent, and every guest that meets her; tells her so. Shawnté began her love of food in middle school. She began cooking for herself at home at age 13. At age 17, given the choice of becoming an English Major or a Chef, she chose the latter. Cooking is just one of her many talents. She is a writer, singer, artist (she draws & paints), and she can roof a house! We’re glad she settled into being a Chef…
What do you enjoy most about the Napa Valley Grille concept? “The type of food I get to create. I enjoy taking the Napa Valley flavors and infusing them with the Minnesota style of cuisine.”
What is the most challenging thing about your job? “Predicting the traffic in the Mall of America. You have to create a menu that appeals to a broad spectrum of clientele. On any given day, you’ll have a local family, a business lunch, a layover guest from the airport, or a group of tourists stopping in to relax from a day of power shopping.”
You have Cooking Classes the third Saturday of every month. What do you enjoy most about teaching? ‘Showing people that good food doesn’t have to be difficult, that anyone can do it. It’s fun to see peoples reactions, watching a dish created from start to finish.”
What is your favorite dish on the new Summer Menu? “Out of all of them, if I have to pick one, the Dry Aged Pork.” Why? “The Pork itself is the best I’ve ever had.” Tell me how you created your original side dish: Pear Gratin: “Minnesotans love Gratin, and I think pears are an interesting food ingredient that often gets ignored. We have the Pear Flatbread, which people love and I basically took that idea and turned it into a gratin.”
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now in your career? “I don’t really think that far ahead, I just kinda go where life takes me. I would like to own my own place someday with my husband Mario, just something small where I will get to bake and cook. But at this moment, I’m very proud of my position at Napa Valley Grille!”
POSTED BY: TAVISTOCK RESTAURANTS
Taken from Napa Valley Grille’s blog
