Master French chef Bruno Lopez is not just a force in the kitchen, but a towering man well over 6-feet tall who commands all attention when he walks into a room. His humble nature and sheer culinary joy may dwarf his stature when he talks about his profession.
Lopez has cooked for nearly every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter, but his passion and talent for cooking took root around a campfire during his Boy Scout days.
“I was a Boy Scout for many, many years,” he says. “I was tired of canned food. And when I was a teen, I went to my mom and I said, ‘Listen, you need to give me a few tips because I don’t mind to cook for those guys but [I don’t want] to open a can every time we [eat].’ ”
Lopez will be giving lucky food festival attendees a few tips of his own March 24–26 at the 7th Annual Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival in Palm Desert.
The three-day event continues to build on the success of prior years, and provides an illustration of how America’s appetite for food, wine, and beer events continues to grow. From 2013 to 2014 alone, there was a 47 percent rise in food and drink events on the Eventbrite platform.
With delicious samples from over 40 restaurants, premium wine from more than 60 wineries, craft beer tastings, hands-on cooking demos, and breathtaking desert mountain views, Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival is one of the premiere epicurean lifestyle events in Southern California.
Master chef Bruno Lopez oversees The Ritz-Carlton’s State Fare Bar + Kitchen and The Edge.
VIDEO: Master chef Bruno Lopez talks about the joy of cooking and a special dish at State Fare Bar + Kitchen.
Lopez is just one in a lineup of all-star chefs who will appear at the festival. The executive chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, trained at FERRANDI Paris, the French School of Culinary Arts, and apprenticed at L’Espadon, a Michelin one-star restaurant at Hôtel Ritz in Paris. Lopez has served as executive chef at some of the world’s most noted luxury hotels and dining establishments, including The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, and Ritz-Carlton properties in Half Moon Bay and Dubai.
In Rancho Mirage, Lopez oversees The Ritz-Carlton’s State Fare Bar + Kitchen and The Edge. The Edge is a steak lover’s paradise with remarkable Prime steaks — there are both premium hand-cut and dry-aged bone-in meats, and the restaurant features a dry-aging room where select steaks are aged in-house for 21 to 65 days.
“We are here to create experience, and we try to make memorable experiences,” Lopez says.
State Fare Bar + Kitchen delivers the best of what California has to offer. Whether it’s dates from Coachella and Indio in the breakfast date jam or fresh charcuterie, cheeses, and artisanal breads from Napa and Sonoma Valley, State Fare Bar + Kitchen pays tribute to the Golden State’s prized harvest and ingredients. Their avocado fries are a top seller and a great appetizer to share with friends over a drink at the bar.
“I’ve been in and out of California for about 30 years,” Lopez says. “I always consider California the garden of the United States. We’re very lucky with the weather … it’s so fantastic to do so many fun plates with the product we have here in California.”
Lopez is a Master French Chef, with only 350 such designees worldwide. There are approximately 60 in North America. A big part of this organization is teaching the next generation of chefs “to make the next generation of chefs fantastic, as well.”
The Octopus at The Edge.
One of the many things Lopez aims to teach future chefs is to respect the product and agriculture. “We are so blessed to have such wonderful product and as long as you treat the product well and don’t mix it up or don’t cover it up with any of the wrong stuff … you will have great success,” he says.
The rest of the chef lineup will make you drool:
Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, author, and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception in 2006, Gail has lent her extensive expertise as a permanent judge on BRAVO’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef.
Stuart O’Keeffe blends the old-world goodness of Ireland with the plentiful farm-to-table offerings of California. His philosophy is to cook “hearty but healthy,” with recipes like grilled peaches with basil and prosciutto.
Brooke Williamson is not only the youngest female chef to ever cook at the James Beard House and a runner-up on Top Chef Season 10 in Seattle, but she and her husband, Nick Roberts, have a westside restaurant empire.
Gale Gand was host of the Food Network series Sweet Dreams, the first nationally televised all-dessert show. Chef Gand has also been recognized as Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year by both the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appetite magazine.
Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, also known as The Fabulous Beekman Boys, are bringing their stylish stamp of seasonal living to the Coachella Valley. You may have seen their signature home and food products on the shelves of Anthropologie or Williams-Sonoma.
Zack Bruell put Cleveland on the culinary map. He is the only restaurateur in Cleveland to have nine successful restaurant concepts within the city limits. Bruell also runs a catering and events company and a full line of gourmet coffees and olive oil.
Insider tip: Come early and experience full meals from the participating local chefs and area restaurants during El Paseo Fashion Week, which runs March 18–25.
Palm Desert Food & Wine, March 24–26, 2017, 888-596-1027, www.palmdesertfoodandwine.com