Scott Mason - Ketchum Grill

Scott Mason's introduction to the culinary world came at an early age. At his grandmothers side he would help with the family breakfasts aided by a cast iron skillet and a step stool. Though the tools of his trade have changed somewhat, his interest then, as it is now, is to make food that tastes good. To be sure Scott has spent well over 1/2 of his life working in restaurant kitchens. Currently at the age of 45 he has spent the past 30 years perfecting his craft.

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon Scott's first job as a busboy at a local Steak House soon became a stepping stone to the kitchen. "The guys back there(in the kitchen) were having a lot more fun than we were out on the floor." Today still, the key word is "fun". "We work very hard in the heat and usually at an intense pace. If I can't enjoy myself I don't want to be there." For Scott, "enjoyment" is creating food and presentations that are balanced both to the eye and the palate. "I don't venture too far to the extremes. Trends are fun, but good solid tastes and combinations are here to stay"

After several years learning some basic cooking skills Scott ventured away from his first job to find a couple of good experiences at two other local Eugene establishments. "At the time Eugene had one or two table cloth places but I couldn't get in. I was too young." Scott's desire to learn lead him to the North Bank and then to the Trawler. "They were not "nose in the air" French places but they had good concepts and I learned." Four years of college and an Oregon Ducks desire to move south before the winter rains led Scott to Santa Barbara.

With every intention of adding to his school years the food world soon won out. A brief search and some extreme luck landed Scott his first "real" cooking job, actually two of them. "Norbert's (Santa Barbara's finest) had a pantry opening three nights a week. "I took the job not realizing the clout working there would give me in the job market." The very next interview landed Scott in the kitchen of the San Ysidro Ranch. Scott worked full time for a little over a year at the San Ysidro Ranch , while keeping his pantry position at Norbert's. "Working for Norbert(a master chef ) gave me loads of ideas as his menu changed daily. Working at the Ranch gave me the facilities to experiment."

While working at San Ysidro, Scott met his future wife Anne. Anne Little was San Ysidro's Pastry Chef at the time "I was in heaven, I worked for great places,and I just met a girl who liked me and made sweet things too."

With the departure of Norbert's sous chef Scott became Norbert's second right hand. "To this day I still look up to Norbert. He has the most remarkable taste. He helped me refine not only my palate but my work ethic as well." Scott recruited Anne to be Norbert's Pastry chef and together they helped Norbert open two other restaurants in three years; Brigittes, and Oysters.

With most chefs, the desire to eat equals the desire to cook. Scott and Anne are no different and with a friendly Bon Voyage from Norbert and the staff the two chefs stored their toques and toured the restaurants and markets of Europe for nearly three months. Upon returning to the USA. Scott took a job as Chef of Alessia Restaurant an Italian eatery in Marin County. "My experience with Italian cuisine at the time was rather limited but I did all I could to learn the ropes from the owner, Guido Piccinini, a 30 year veteran of Italian kitchens." The menu soon evolved from American /Italian favorites to one of more modern Californian/Italian flavors that also included an intently researched "regional Italian" 4 course menu.

With two years in the Bay Area, a first child, long hours and too much traffic, Scott moved his young family to the mountains of central Idaho. "Times here were hard at first. Anne wasn't really happy being away from her family in the Bay Area and I felt trapped in my job." Scott's job was at a seasonally open Alsatian restaurant named Freddys Taverne D'Alsace where his current restaurant the Ketchum Grill now resides. " I, for the first time in my life, was having trouble with the confines of a particular cuisine. So, I began making my own sausage, doing more with home-smoked meats and really started to enjoy making pates of all types." With Scott's apparent enthusiasm for the Alsatian cuisine ,then restaurant owner Alfred Fehlmann arranged for Scott to work/ apprentice in four different French/Alsatian restaurants in Paris and Alsace, France; two of them with Michelin stars. For Scott this was a fantastic boon to his career. "I realized that what I had learned prior to working in France was proper French technique for cooking food. What I learned while cooking in France, was that good food is a right for everyone, not just the privileged."

Unfortunately, a monetary turn of events forced Scott to look for year round employment. He found work quickly at the highly regarded Soup-on Restaurant also in Ketchum. "I was given the Chefs position and the owner wanted to continue with an ever changing menu as he had done before." For Scott this was old hat and with out the restrictions of Alsatian regional cuisine he continued to grow.

Then the day came that every serious chef must surely dream of and dread at the same time. "Of course I always wanted to own my own place. But I cook for a living, I told Freddy, I don't have that kind of money. So he said to me "find it" So I did." In 1991 with the help of a guy named Kevin Boss who was hardly more than an acquaintance of Scott and Anne's from Santa Barbara days and two of Kevin's business associates formed a corporation to buy Freddy's Taverne D' Alsace.

That was just over fifteen years ago and that little place in the mountains called the Ketchum Grill has pulled in more celebrities, foodies and mostly just regular folks than you Ôd care shake your stick near. "I'm not sure why they come... I just cook it and they do" And it's no wonder why. An award winning wine list, food tasty enough to eat every night and reasonable enough for an average Joe to play big spender. Snow Country Magazine chose Ketchum Grill as 1 of the "8 best Ski town restaurants" with "food rivaling Manhattan's best."

And The American Dairy Counsel chose Scott to be one of their Premiere Chefs of America 1997 spokes people . "I love to cook, I love to eat. What more can I say"

As a simple analogy Scott relates trends in food and taste to trends in music... "Mozart and good wine here to stay...the Beatles and Organic Produce staying too.... Back Street Boys and Snail Caviar... only time will tell."

Grilled Breast of Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage Cream

Directions:
Trim Chicken breasts of excess skin. Season both sides of breast with salt and pepper.

Lay out a piece of proscuitto on a flat surface and place breast skin side down and perpendicular to the length of the prosciutto. Pat two sage leaves into the meat of the chicken. Wrap prosciutto around the chicken and set aside with seam side down.

For the sauce: In a sauce pot reduce marsala and lemon juice over medium heat to 1/4 of original volume. Add paprika, roast garlic and cream. Continue to cook on medium heat until desired consistency is reached. Add chopped fresh sage and check for seasoning. Spoon over cooked chicken.

To cook chicken: On a grill over a medium fire place chicken breasts skin side down and cook 80% through. Turn breasts and continue cooking until just done. Serve on a bed of sauteed spinach, wild rice and sauce with sage cream.

Suggested Wine: Phantom Hill Pinot Noir