Grinning barely, with a North Valley Meals Financial institution beanie on his head, Johnny Alamilla says “most individuals know me because the man who made breakfast sandwiches at Uptown Fireside.”
The standard proclamation belies the contents of the binder in entrance of him, though the figuring out grin hints at what’s inside: pages upon pages of press clippings about Alamilla’s prowess as a chef from the business’s most prestigious publications, together with Connoisseur, Meals & Wine, Bon Appétit and New York Instances Journey, in addition to recognition from the James Beard Basis.
Earlier than he turned the breakfast sandwich man, Alamilla had a profitable profession as a chef-owner, gaining nationwide approval for his extremely regarded Latin fusion restaurant in San Francisco, in addition to different eateries, earlier than making his method north by way of Aspen, Colorado and ultimately into Whitefish, the place he served as government chef on the Iron Horse Golf Membership for six years.
Searching for a change of tempo, and even contemplating leaving the restaurant world altogether, Alamilla moved over to Uptown Fireside in Columbia Falls, whipping up breakfasts alongside his spouse Catherine Olsen, his fixed cooking companion. After Uptown recalibrated final fall because of COVID-19, he fell in love with the mission of the natural farmers behind The Farmers’ Stand in Whitefish and joined the staff.
Clients of The Farmers’ Stand possible do not know that the person crafting their tasty sandwiches is among the area’s most extremely acclaimed cooks. At this low-key stage of his profession, that’s the best way Alamilla likes it.
What bought you into the meals business?
I began once I was 15 in Baltimore as a fishmonger reducing fish down on the internal harbor. I had all the time liked meals. My father’s household is from Honduras — I’m a first-generation American — and it was all the good Latin meals that I ate rising up from my grandmother’s cooking that actually drove my ardour for understanding meals higher.
My father was in accounting, and I studied enterprise, however I didn’t see myself having any enjoyable doing a 9-to-5 job. I bought my enterprise administration diploma after which enrolled in culinary faculty and realized I actually wished to be a chef. I labored in downtown Baltimore eating places, cooking at evening and going to high school throughout the day, and that’s what bought me began.
I labored with nice cooks who appeared joyful and glad with their lives. That’s one thing I wished. It was the pliability of a restaurant profession that drove me to wish to be a chef.
I moved to San Francisco in 1990. I liked seafood and I liked recent components, however it was once I bought to open my very own restaurant, Alma, that I bought in contact with my Latin roots. I took the strategies I’d realized from cooks and what I realized from my household from Central America, and I used to be in a position to provide you with a delicacies of my very own, Nuevo Latino, making use of French strategies to Latin meals.
How would you describe your philosophy and method to cooking at The Farmers’ Stand?
Seasonality is the largest factor for me. I attempt to by no means power flavors. I cook dinner with tomatoes when tomatoes are nice. We’re utilizing corn and zucchini when corn and zucchini are nice. Following and staying true to the season is one thing I attempt to do with our delicacies. It’s native delicacies, Flathead Valley flavors, utilizing inexperienced beans from down the road and huckleberries, mushrooms, native components.
It’s a must to work with what’s there when it’s native and in season. To me it’s extra rewarding to work with what’s right here within the Flathead Valley. That’s the hope for the long run. Trucking in meals, society gained’t final like that. Massive agriculture is essential, however should you ship the whole lot to you, that delivery alone will deal with the world not being right here. We have now to get native about how we remedy our issues and the way we feed ourselves.
That’s what (the natural farmers who launched the operation) wished to do right here. The idea is wonderful. It’s what made me signal on. I wasn’t on the lookout for one other job cooking. This in my view is hope for the long run: rising sustainable, native, natural meals is actually the very best factor we are able to do and you are able to do for your self. It was that mission and that idea they got here up with that I wished to be part of.
Every single day they bring about in these greens, this wave of nice, recent greens. It’s a chef’s dream. The produce I get to play with is completely wonderful. My job is to make it style scrumptious so we can provide individuals examples of what to do with it. Bringing this meals to the individuals: that’s their idea. I’m serving to individuals by displaying them what they’ll do with these greens.
What ideas or recommendation do you’ve for residence cooks?
Maintain it easy and persist with three fundamental flavors that you simply actually love and most issues will end up proper. I feel lots of occasions individuals overcomplicate issues by throwing an excessive amount of stuff in. If individuals might actually convey out the true flavors of the meals and maintain it easy, they’d be a bit bit extra profitable.
An awesome quote from Italian cooking is, “It’s not what you set in; it’s what you permit out.” It’s about figuring out what you need, figuring out these flavors are what you need, and never overcomplicating it and muddying the flavors.
