Culinary Collaboratives Again
World-renowned Chef Jeremiah Tower shared the kitchen again with The Pink Cabana Executive Chef Jason Niederkorn for a special dining experience.
I was fortunate enough to attend this fabulous dinner last weekend. I was very excited to go, not only because I knew it would be a wonderful experience, but because I used to work for Jeremiah at Stars in San Francisco.
He was always the most elegant, eloquent, creative chef, and I found that to still be the case. It was great to see him and a lot of the friends that flew in from all over the country to attend.
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- David Shiverick/Wine
The Backstory
Fresh from graduating the Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Jason Niederkorn earned his first taste of culinary greatness in the 1990s when he was hired to work under Chef Jeremiah Tower at Stars Restaurant.
The duo worked together to further cultivate what Tower had originally created, known today as “California Cuisine,” and later a major figure in creating “New American Cuisine.”
Greater Palm Springs food enthusiasts were the lucky recipients of their collaborative efforts again when Tower came to The Pink Cabana inside the Sands Hotel in Indian Wells on Sept. 15 to help Niederkorn create the “Cabana Under the Stars” dinner experience.
“One of the great highlights of my career is the time I spent working alongside Chef Tower,” Niederkorn says, “and to partner with him on this incredible menu is an amazing opportunity. It will be an evening to remember.”
The evening featured a cocktail hour with canapés and apéritifs, a six-course menu, and thoughtful wine pairings. This dinner highlighted the chefs’ imaginative creations like filet mignon and buttered lobster, foie gras agnolotti with black truffle broth, and ended with an almond cake baked Alaska with passion fruit meringue and peach ice cream. The menu was accompanied by a curated wine and cocktail pairing from The Pink Cabana’s food and beverage director and sommelier, Molly B. Casey, featuring Mezcal shooters of mint, cucumber, and jalapeno.
Chef Jason Nierderkorn Photograph By Jaime Kowal
Tower is considered one of the most prolific chefs in contemporary American cuisine. In addition to Stars, he was also executive chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He has appeared as the subject in the late Anthony Bourdain’s documentary The Last Magnificent and has won the prestigious award from the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Chef of the Year” in America and “Best Regional Chef” for California. He is also an award-winning cookbook author for Jeremiah Tower’s New American Classics; his latest release is The Flavors of Taste.
“Cabana Under That Stars,” 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at The Pink Cabana, 44985 Province Way, Indian Wells. 760-321-3771; sandshotelandspa.com/dining-bar/. Tickets are $260 per person including wine and beverage pairings. Seats are limited and advanced purchase is required.
From Sheri Dettman
In Dining Around The Desert, Lifestyles & Things To Do