Sundance 2017: Snowy Conditions Can't Slow Down ChefDance

By: Marjorie Galas

It’s fair to say Kenny Griswold loves the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to being a real estate developer who owns a number of Park City parcels, he’s also served as an executive producer of films focused on the Sundance scene, including “Where Music Meets Film” and “Park City: Where Music Meets Film.”  He’s also the founder of ChefDance, an annual four night event at Sundance that celebrated its fourteenth year during the 2017 festival.

In a 2012 interview he gave Billboard Magazine, Griswold stated the inspiration for the event came from his frustration “with the relentless tray-passed appetizer scene.” He noted fest-goers busy party schedule resulted in the lack of a proper meal and constantly interrupted networking.  He wanted to create an event that would allow people to both enjoy a fine dining experience created by a top-ranked chef and network – preferably with an individual they may not meet otherwise.  Working in collaboration with his wife, Mimi Kim, a producer who’s worked with the syndication and acquisitions department at FX, they came up with the concept of ChefDance.

Each night at ChefDance highlights a different chef. ChefDance 2017 kicked off Friday, January 20^th with Chef Shawn McClain (Sage, FIVE20 Pizza Bar and Libertine Social, Las Vegas, NV).  The next three evenings featured Chef Brian Malarkey (Herringbone, La Jolia, CA), Chef Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, The Wine Studio and MilkWood, Louisville, KY) and Chef Cat Cora, who was the first female chef on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”  I attended Sunday's event, featuring Chef Lees’s Chinese-infused four course menu.

The raging snow storm didn’t deter attendance: the event was filled to capacity and the bouncers were busy turning wannabes away at the door. Guests began the event by mingling in a cocktail area were bartenders mixed drinks featured in the 610 Magnolia menu: the 610 gimlet and the negroni. Having arrived slightly tardy due to poor navigation, I jumped in the very long cocktail line.  While my 20 minute wait left little time for networking, it was worth checking out the 610’s twist on the negroni.  Instead of highlighting Compari, this negroni was a mix of gin, vermouth, bitters and orange juice.  The result was smooth and just slightly sweet with no bitter aftertaste.  I found the libation perfect for sipping.

I engaged in a brief conversation with a documentary producer and sound editor prior to the opening of the dining room doors.  Like myself, it was their first time partaking in ChefDance and they were thrilled.  We peered past the doors and noted individuals were placed at long, banquet tables via the table number they received at check in.  As we were ushered into the room, I bid farewell to my new friends as I embarked on meeting several others who represented entities such as WhoWhatWear.com and Innovative PR.  While red and white wine flowed at the table, the flavors of the selections couldn’t compare to the negroni I was still nursing.   I opted for the sparkling water supplied by one of the event’s sponsors, Voss.  (Additional sponsors included SYSCO, Four Daughters and Uber.)

Chef Edward Lee I learned has received several finalist nominations for the James Beard Foundation Awards Best Chef: Southeast. He also recently received a daytime Emmy nomination for hosting PBS’s “Mind of Chef.”   In addition to owning three restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky, he is also the culinary director for Succotash in National Harbor, Maryland and will step into that roll in the restaurants forthcoming facility set to open later this year in DC.  How he managed to step aside from his duties to dedicate his energies to the massive tasting event at Sundance was a marvel.

The four courses Lee designed for the event balanced each other perfectly and were all equally delicious. The first course featured a furikake rice and gem lettuce salad bowl that included tuna tartar, shiso, and daikon and was tossed with a ginger scallion sauce.  The second course featured a sesame tofu cake dressed with pickled shrimp, avocado crema and pea shoots.  The third course was a miso smothered chicken breast laying on a bead of soft grits, pork belly, edamame and shiitake mushrooms.  The forth course was a togarashi-crusted cheesecake with ginger snap crust, miso caramel and sake strawberries.

I don’t want to sound like I’m placating the chef, but I truly found each dish tremendously enjoyable. I couldn’t scrape my plate any cleaner, to be honest.  The sticky fuikake rice balls and ginger scallion sauce added a nice balance of texture and flavor to the fresh and tender tuna tarter.  The tofu cake had a dense, custard-like appearance. The toasted flavor of the sesame seeds alongside the pickled shrimp and sweat, creamy avocado was delight.  The miso chicken was moist and fun to eat with a forkful of the smooth grits and crispy pork belly.  The table I sat at adored the fourth course.  I enjoyed the crisp ginger flavor that rose above every cheesecake bite.

I marveled at how full I felt from the four course tasting menu.  Stepping back into the blizzard-like conditions, I was unfazed by the falling snow, having just had the best meal of my Sundance visit.

To learn more about ChefDance, please visit:

http://www.chefdance.com/