Why did you accept the invitation to participate in the 2015 Twelve Days of Christmas charity event at The Restaurant at Meadowood?
Chris guilt tripped me into it.
What are you most looking forward to about the Twelve Days of Christmas event at The Restaurant at Meadowood?
I heard Chris won’t be there!
Can you tell us a bit about what you will be doing on your evening- any hints at what might be served to guests?
My evening will mainly be dependenton the products available. I’m not planning in advance until the products available at that time, start to show themselves as I want them to be a fresh and seasonal as possible. I’m sure there will be a lot of things cooked in and around a fire.
Where did you get your inspiration for the menu you will serve?
Inspiration comes from products and how to best articulate those products’ natural flavors, while getting them to the guests’ mouths when they taste their best.
Describe your culinary style…
Style isn’t really important – quality, integrity, and sincerity are.I have some principles in which we cook by – providing the highest value by way of the highest quality products that exist in our region; extracting the maximum taste from the ingredients in a clear and pure way while tailoring the cooking to the inherent characteristics of the ingredients; preparing them in ways that provide the most pleasure to our guests.
What are your most indispensable ingredients?
All products have the same value when they are at their most perfect and pristine state.
What is your guilty pleasure?
It’s not guilty but – white burgundy.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self, starting out a career in the world of food?
Oh so much. Looking back on your younger self as a chef is horrifying. When we are younger we tend to let our ego get in the way because we have to climb the ladder and have something to prove – oftentimes young chefs love to overcomplicate. Eventually you learn that the products will guide you, you just have to learn to listen.
Find out more about Joshua
To find out more about Chef Skenes’s takeover at Restaurant at the Meadowood, or full the full chef line up click
900 Meadowood Ln
St Helena
CA 94574
United States
+1 707-531-4788