Twelve Days of Chefmas: Luke Venner
Photo by Jane Beiles
While we love showing you delicious food 24/7, we also think it's important that you know who is behind the food you're eating. So, our "Twelve Days of Chef-mas" series will introduce you to a dozen noteworthy chefs from across the state. You can see our full lineup of Chefs here. That being said:
🎶 On the eighth day of "Chef-mas," CT Eats Out brings to you.... Executive Chef Luke Venner of elm restaurant in New Canaan, CT 🎶
How You Got Started In The Kitchen:
When I was 18, Fabrice Beaudoin took me as his apprentice at Restaurant Picasso in Vail, CO. I spent the next five years training with him and from there I cooked in Napa Valley, Santa Fe and NYC.
Favorite Ingredient To Work With:
I probably get the most excited about fruits and vegetables these days, but anything from the ocean will always be near and dear to me.
Favorite Menu Item:
I am excited about all the new dishes we will be cooking at elm on Christmas Eve. I really like the Hamachi Ceviche cured in sea buckthorn berries.
Burrata and nasturtium via @lukevenner
via @lukevenner
Funniest Kitchen Story:
Once one of the cooks came in to pick up his last pay check after resigning. The night before we froze the check in the center of a forty-pound block of ice, which we then presented to him on a rolling cart.
Favorite Holiday Dish To Eat Or Cook:
To cook- The cured foie gras that I prepare every year for the holidays. I really enjoy teaching the younger cooks those techniques that get passed down by tradition, and can only be fully understood by practice. To eat- Something at someone else's restaurant! Working in a restaurant it's usually impossible for me to get home, so I've just made it a tradition to go out to dinner every year.
Restaurant In CT That You're Dying To Try:
I still haven't made it to Community Table yet. I'm also looking forward to Bareburger opening in Stamford... I used to live by the original location in Astoria, so it will be nice to have it close to home again.
Social Media:
You can follow Chef Luke on Instagram @lukevenner and on Twitter @lukevenner
