The St. Regis Deer Valley will be turning its kitchens over to Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and Sandwich King Jeff Mauro at the end of the month, a first-of-its-kind dinner series made possible by its longtime staff.
This concept of a kitchen takeover is not new, said hotel Director of Operations Chris Okamura, but it’s not something their team could have accomplished before now.
“Maybe a couple years ago, three years ago, I wouldn’t have entertained this because we as a food and beverage team were probably not ready yet to form together with chefs of this magnitude,” Okamura said.
The chefs in question have made their name beyond their own restaurants, and into homes with their individual and collaborative Food Network success.
Chef Zakarian had spent years building a winning career in New York City, serving as a recurring judge on the hit show “Chopped” since 2009. He earned his iron chef title after competing in “The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs” in 2011, and then regularly competing on “Iron Chef America.”
Chef Mauro, originally from Chicago, is known for his Emmy-nominated series “Sandwich King” and as a co-host on “The Kitchen” with Chef Sunny Anderson as well as Zakarian.
Over the years, the two have become close friends, bonded by their love of cooking and humorous attitude in the kitchen, so an opportunity to work together at the St. Regis Deer Valley was a no-brainer, Mauro said.
“Geoffrey and I are a natural duo that have been working together very closely, working rooms and TV screens, for 13 years consistently. We’re just such true, great friends, and that translates to the room,” Mauro said.
The event is not exactly a coincidence: The Mauros and the Zakarians have gone on family ski trips to Park City together for the past few years.
Okamura said that’s how the idea happened organically: He recognized Zakarian at the hotel one day last year, and invited him to dine at their seafood and steakhouse RIME, where their chef de cuisine, Lawrence “Larry” Abrams, works his magic.
“Larry texted me, and said, ‘Hey, I formed a good relationship with Geoffery. Do you think that we could host them on property for maybe a project or an event?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Okamura said.
He added that the no-hesitation “yes” is because of the high-level accomplishments of his culinary team.
“Right now, we’re in this really fortunate place at the peak of our culinary prowess. We have all these great chefs on site. Our front of house team has been here for a number of winters, so they’re sharp. Our service is great,” Okamura said. “It really just starts to expand your horizons, your creativity, the flexibility, the things that you once thought you wouldn’t be able to do, you can now do.”
It’s been almost a year in the making, Okamura said, and wouldn’t be possible without the support of their partners. Wine partners will include Veuve Clicquot, Marchesi Antinori, Donelan Family Wines and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, with luxury ski brand Perfect Moment providing a gift for attendees of the final dinner.
The three-night series will include a dinner takeover by Mauro at La Stellina on Wednesday, March 26; a dinner takeover by Zakarian at RIME on Thursday, March 27; then an all-hands-on-deck, six-course dinner on Friday, March 28, with courses by Zakarian, Mauro, Abrams, La Stellina Chef de Cuisine Josephine Hansen, St. Regis Executive Sous Chef Jason Lahrman, and former St. Regis chef Tyson Peterson, now chef of Salt Lake City’s Mar | Muntanya.
Mauro said, per usual, they fully plan to entertain.
“We’ll be a part of these dinners, and we’ll be front and center, entertaining as much as cooking. And that’s just the experience we provide that a lot of people don’t,” he said. “We’re like the Martin and Lewis of the Food Network.”
Zakarian agreed, adding that while these fancy events can be very serious, that’s not their main goal with the takeover.
“This is a fun event. It’s serious, but it’s not really. The food is going to be great. The wine is going to be great. How could it not be?” he said. “Jeff and I are like a couple of comedians — we think we are, I don’t know if we are. We think we’re funny.”
While they’re excited to welcome guests to experience the food, this event is mostly driven by the team of chefs — they’d have a good time even if no one showed up. Zakarian said that’s just how chefs are.
“You don’t go to an accountant convention in Las Vegas and say, ‘Hey, let’s cram some numbers together.’ No one does that,” he said. “(But) chefs, that’s what they do. They feed people, and they want to cook together all the time. … Taking care of people, feeding people, getting the chance to do it in a great venue with great chefs and at an amazing hotel, it makes it all the better.”
When it comes to their approach to cooking, Zakarian said he appreciates that the team at the St. Regis has a like-minded respect for the product or ingredient.
“The older I’ve gotten, the more I cook, the less complicated I become. I become very simple and very reliant on ingredients,” he said. “I don’t do any of that sort of global fusion tweezer food.”
While it can be tempting to show off, especially as a young chef, Zakarian said he’s gotten over that urge to “flex.” Ultimately, cooking is about letting the ingredient shine, not covering it up.
“My food is fit, it’s very simple. It’s about making sure the product is great, the technique is on point, and it’s yummy, and it has all the soul to it. And you can only do that by editing really well,” Zakarian said. “I take out more than I put in, and that’s really hard.”
Mauro has a similar philosophy, a search for harmony in his food, especially in the sandwich.
“It’s all about proper ratios and the harmony,” he said, “each ingredient being treated appropriately. It’s not just who could stuff the most on a sandwich. It’s not just who could put a dry aged, wagyu burger patty and then put 10 things on top. It’s about the harmony of a sandwich: You’re not having too much, not having too little, and not having one ingredient outshine the rest.”
That pursuit of proper ratios is part of why Mauro, and Zakarian, have become known for their humor in the kitchen.
“We take the food so seriously, and the connection people have to food so seriously, that you need a balance, and that’s where the humor comes in, and the light heartedness,” Mauro said. “Nothing better than eating, drinking and laughing all at the same time. That’s why I got into this racket.”
Zakarian hinted at a few of their plans for the events, which will include some demos and use of ingredients like tuna, lamb and snapper. It’s cold up in Park City, he said, so they’re aiming for clean, hearty food.
Both chefs expressed their excitement to be back in Park City. Mauro said he’s gotten to know the town over the past three years while filming for one of his Food Network shows “Holiday Wars,” during the summers.
“I’ll stay there for two, three weeks at a time, and I’ve just grown to love it so much,” he said. “This is such a nice change of scenery, change of oxygen — or lack thereof for a flatlander like me.”
Mauro said one of the best sandwiches he’s had in Park City was a house-made pastrami at Stacked Sandwich Co.
Reservations for the three dinners can now be made via srdvdining.com or by calling 435-940-5700.
“This is not going to be your run of the mill, just a couple chefs showing up, making some dinner, saying ‘Hello,’ and then walking out of the room,” Mauro said. “We’re going to be there. We’ll be there all week. We’ll be embedded in our events, making sure all the guests have a lot of laughs and a lot of wine and a lot of great food.”