Que Me Ves? December 28, 2007

Tom Fundaro

I am but a lowly chef with the desire and passion to create a small community on the central coast that sources creates and sustains food both fresh and processed. I am the Chef at Villa Creek Restaurant and am happy to be apart of an organization that values food, farmers, and integrity more than bottom lines, p&l’s and corporate buying power. We have been on this local, sustainable, organic kick for about 4 years. It has been a tough yet rewarding
battle.

We are fortunate to have befriended mentors like the Spencers at Windrose Farm and the Pascuittos from Skipping Stones as well as many more.

So what will you find on this blog? Everything from Erick Cadena’s wine picks to caffeine induced Chef rants from yours truly about the irritations inherent with running kitchens, dealing with purveyors or the life and times of western civilization.

It will be informative, it will be opinionated and it may be entertaining.
It will be truthful, it will be pertinent and it will be updated.

Erick Cadena

Wine guy, bar guy, weekly prep cook, and a GM who truly generally manages, I strive to run a restaurant the way it’s supposed to be ran, where service and hospitality are a top priority. Essentially what I try to do is create an excitement of food and wine with my staff that trickles directly down to the customer, offering them a fine dining experience that is warm and unique.

For the past few years, I’ve been tasting wines with the restaurant owner and winemaker Cris Cherry, learning and absorbing, taking a backseat and soaking up information like a sponge. I received my WSET certification in December of 2006 and recently have begun shaping the wine list with Cris’s occasional input. When building our wine list, I’m inspired by small wineries producing high-quality wines, often off the beaten path. Here at Villa Creek we are proud to offer a diverse and progressive selection of hand-picked wines from around the world. I like to have wines here at Villa Creek that suit the time of year, whether it’s a snappy white from Rueda, such as Basa, or a dark rustic mourvedre from Paso Robles, such as our Tablas Creek\L’Aventure HdR Collaboration.