Chef Scott Robertson Gives Presidential Feel to Luncheon

Coordinates Celebrity Chef Luncheon to kick off Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert

JIM POWERS El Paseo, Restaurants

He has cooked for three U.S. Presidents – Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.

And for one afternoon on March 22, chef Scott Robertson made nearly 300 guests feel presidential at the celebrity chef luncheon to kick off the fourth annual Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Robertson, of New Leaf Catering in Cathedral City, took the recipes of four dishes and prepared an Italian-esque luncheon complemented by wine selections from Kobrand Wines & Spirits.
Bradley opened the meal with an Amuse Bouche, an ocean carpaccio featuring salmon and halibut on a rosemary flatbread touched with sea salt and lobster oil.

“The lobster oil takes a week to reach its peak,” Robertson said.

The accompanying wine was Capasaldo Prosecco DOC out of Veneto, Italy. Mike Biagi, regional manager for Kobrand, said the sparkling wine boasted a flavoral mix of apple and pear with a hint of citrus.

Robertson and his staff spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the three other dishes demonstrated by a pair of James Beard award winning chefs (Bradley Ogden – salad, Luciano Pellegrini – entrée) and a James Beard nominee (Sara Moulton – dessert).

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