King Estate Winery Hires Stu Stein as New Culinary Director World-renowned chef brings unique talent for pairing food with wine in addition to a strong commitment to local organic ingredients King Estate Winery now boasts Stu Stein as Culinary Director. Hired on April 4th, Stein is expected to use his exceptional talent and dedication to sustainable agriculture to complement the winery’s commitment to high quality wine and food pairings.
After contributing to the King Estate Winery Pinot Gris Cookbook and PBS “New American Cuisine” television series in 1995, Stein maintained a close relationship with the winery. King Estate’s CEO, Ed King, III, believes that the shared philosophy of sustainable living formed a strong bond. “Stu’s relationship with King Estate has been natural from the beginning,” King says. “We are thrilled that he is helping take the winery’s culinary expertise to the next level.” King sees Stein as an integral part of the new Visitor’s Center opening in the summer of 2005. Designed with a commercial kitchen, the new Visitor’s Center will enable Stein to create new dishes exclusively to complement the portfolio of King Estate wines. The Estate organic gardens have been increased to supplement culinary needs.
“We want to offer only the best food to pair with our quality wines,” King says. “With his focus on organic, locally farmed ingredients, Stu is just the person we want to help create our new selections for the Visitor’s Center.” Stein’s culinary foundation is based on the premise of starting with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. His cooking philosophy strives to bring environmental conservation to the table by working with farmers to encourage sustainable food production.
Stein’s culinary experience is founded in French dining traditions. While working as Sous Chef at La Fontaine in Chicago, he was honored with the Champagne Mumm Award for Culinary Excellence in 1991. Stein then studied in France with legendary French chefs Paul Bocuse and Francis Garcia. He returned to the United States to work in Atlanta, Kansas City, Washington DC and New York City. His restaurants consistently ranked as the finest local dining establishments. In 1995, Stein won the Evian/Gourmet Magazine Health Menu Award for the Midwest.
After participating in the International Pinot Noir Festival in Oregon, Stein became enamored with the Pacific Northwest. In 2000, he joined The Peerless Restaurant in Ashland as the Executive Chef. Stein favors clean, bold dishes and sustainable Pacific Northwest cuisine that help support local farmers.
The Peerless Restaurant is the only restaurant in Ashland to win a coveted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2001 through 2004. His first cookbook, The Sustainable Kitchen, focuses on cooking with a conscience and pairing delicious food with exceptional wines. As the new Culinary Director for King Estate, Stein hopes to continue his focus on seasonal organic ingredients that help the local community. His passion for the culinary arts encourages regional food supplies, a strong local economy, environmentalism and the future of family farms. Stu Stein and Ed King, III, are available for interviews. Please contact Miles Johnson at (800) 884-4441, or visit www.thesustainablekitchen.com or www.kingestate.com for more information.
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King Estate, celebrating 13 years of Oregon winemaking in 2005, is located southwest of Eugene, Oregon, and produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and limited amounts of Chardonnay. Founded in 1992 by the King family, King Estate is committed to producing Oregon wines of exceptional quality using sustainable farming methods, meticulous fruit selection, impeccable winemaking practices and judicious blending. The 1,033-acre Estate includes 250-acres of organically certified vineyards, boasting almost half the total certified acres in Oregon as well as a grapevine grafting and propagation facility, gardens, orchards and a state-of-the-art winery.
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