Chefs Served Personality at Palm Desert Food & Wine’s James Beard Luncheon

Chefs at James Beard Luncheon. From left: Gale Gand, Jamie Gwen, Zac Young, Susan Feniger, Dominiquwe Crenn, Mary Sue Milliken, and Meg Bickford.
PHOTO BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING

It’s safe to say that newlyweds Amber and Antonio did not expect a crowd of some 500 people to witness them licking spoonfuls of caviar off the backs of each other’s hands. But what foodies would decline the invite to sample such a delicacy from Dominique Crenn, the first woman in the United States to receive three Michelin stars and a winner of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Icon Award? Such was the scene Friday afternoon at Palm Desert Food & Wine’s annual James Beard Gourmet Four-Course Luncheon at The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert. The event, emceed by celebrity chefs Zac Young and Jamie Gwen, featured courses served by Crenn, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Meg Bickford, and Gale Gand.

French-born Crenn, who won her trio of Michelin stars for Atelier Crenn in San Francisco stole the show from the moment she walked onstage with her arms flung open and a bottle of wine in one hand. She almost immediately descended the stage to toast attendees and then sought out birthday celebrators (hence coming across the newlyweds). She introduced her own soon-to-be-wife before remounting the stage to talk about a dish her mother made: scallops in bonito butter with a nori crisp.

Crenn brought attendees onstage not only to lick caviar, which was an ingredient in her dish, but also to demonstrate their scallop-rendering skills before she demonstrated the proper way to cook them (basted in butter). Her primary tip for preparing any seafood was simple: “Don’t overcook.”

Chef Dominique Crenn's scallop course.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Sparkling rosé.
PHOTO BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING

Guests watching chefs prepare meals.
PHOTO BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING

Served on the shell, the scallop dish served to attendees was paired with a 2021 estate chardonnay from Bouchaine Vineyards, the oldest continuously operating vineyard in Carneros (dating to the 1880s) and made by a female winemaker (Chris Kajani), which fit the luncheon lineup of all-female, high-profile chefs.

Even though a luncheon pamphlet offered recipes, attendees likely won’t replicate these. Bullet-point lists of ingredients in the first two courses numbered in the 40s! But people come to pick up tips, observe techniques, become inspired, and learn something they didn’t know about their favorite celebrity chefs.

GET TICKETS: Palm Desert Food & Wine continues through March 24.

On the latter point, for example, restaurateur Susan Feniger revealed that she served as a matchmaker for her ex-husband and her restaurant and cookbook partner, Mary Sue Milliken, who are now married. (Feniger herself is remarried.) Feniger and Milliken have collaborated for more than four decades on cookbooks, television series, and restaurants — including Alice B, which opened in December at Palm Springs’ LGBTQ+ Living Out community. The pair demonstrated preparation of a cauliflower leek soup and chicory salad.

Feniger and Milliken emphasized the importance of having a top-quality knife (theirs was made by Takayuki). Another of their takeaway points was to use your fingers in lieu of a saltshaker, so you have total control over amount used. Their soup and salad were paired with a 2021 reserve Carneros chardonnay from third-generation ZD Winery in Napa. Scott Billeci of ZD Wines noted that luncheon attendees were enjoying seven of only 350 cases made.

New Orleans chef Meg Bickford received a standing “woohoo” ovation from fellow Louisiana attendees. The first female chef of Commander’s Palace demonstrated the making of blue crab and coconut milk custard with a citrus and crab fat cornbread crumble. Her main tip involved pairing crab with tarragon. Bickford’s dish was paired with a Russan River pinot noir from The Calling.

an elderflower raspberry rice pudding with Meyer lemon caramel and crispy puffed rice

Elderflower raspberry rice pudding with Meyer lemon caramel and crispy puffed rice.
PHOTO BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING

Kenter Farms chicory salad and cauliflower leek soup.
PHOTO BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING

Pastry chef and restaurateur Gale Gand of Chicago presented the finale course: an elderflower raspberry rice pudding with Meyer lemon caramel and crispy puffed rice. Before honing her culinary skills at La Varenne in Paris, Gand played ukelele in her family’s band. Her brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Joan Gand (among the attendees), are well-known local musicians and midcentury modern enthusiasts. In fact, the chef noted that the Meyer lemons she used onstage came from Gary and Joan’s Palm Springs property. Gand’s dessert was paired with a lush Grgich Hills estate 2018 late harvest Violetta blend.

The luncheon, which supports Friends of the James Beard Foundation and local nonprofit FIND Food Bank, began with Champagne, beer, and craft cocktails served on the terrace. Attendees had an opportunity to bid on auction wines (primarily large-format bottles), and they left with tote bags filled with recipe cards and goodies.

Palm Desert Food & Wine continues through March 24 with two days of Grand Tastings at The Gardens on El Paseo and additional separately ticketed events, including a Celebrity Chef Reception on Saturday night at a private estate in Palm Springs.