Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/306378
may 2014 / the tasting panel / 91 Jessie Birschbach, Somm at Maestro's noted, "The steely, acidic nature of Eric's Chardonnay balances the acid of the roasted butternut squash salad." Meet the Chef: CJ Jacobson After multiple Top Chef appearances and a stint at Denmark's Noma, CJ Jacobson decided to bring his expertise to the Valley. As a California native, he wants his cuisine to be based on what is wild and natural to the area, so he spends an average of five to six hours a week in the canyons of the surrounding Los Angeles area scavenging for wild herbs and plants. Concentrating on what he finds on his excursions and at farmer's markets, Jacobson strives to create dishes using the seasons as his narrative. He stresses that these ingredients are not garnishes —but rather—what the dish is built around. Here is the menu from our Wente Family Estates Sommelier Lunch: ◗ Roasted butternut squash salad with burrata, green strawberries and bacon, topped with a citrus date vinaigrette ◗ Potato, garlic and green onion soup garnished with Brussels sprouts and rhubarb ◗ Chicken panzanella served with fried kale with lemon and frisée ◗ New York Prime strip with roasted grapes and California fennel palm in a sauce of reduced grapes ◗ Seasonal berry and rhubarb crumble with lemon thyme and crème frâiche Executive Chef CJ Jacobson with Wente Family Estates' Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl Wente. TP0514_072-101.indd 91 4/24/14 11:01 PM