Sonoma’s Fresh Flavors

Hello. Chef Michael LaDuke here, back from Sonoma County, CA, where we met with Red Lobster leaders to review this year’s menu and company accomplishments. From a culinary point of view, the most inspiring part of the trip was the opportunity to learn about food and wine in such a cool setting.

Sonoma offers an unbelievable backdrop of great wineries, farmers markets and organic gardens. With Sonoma’s cool nights and warm days, is it the perfect climate for fresh, seasonal products. And we had a great time using those fresh products in cool seafood dishes.

We spent a lot of time at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Sonoma. We filmed Chef’s Blog videos from the center’s beautiful winery and organic garden that you will see on this site soon. The chef team also prepared a dinner of Red Lobster dishes with sides and sauces from Kendall-Jackson’s organic vegetables and herbs. Working with the Kendall-Jackson chef team was a great food partnership as we all celebrated fresh, flavorful ingredients. Together we served about 150 people and were uplifted by the Red Lobster leaders’ reaction to the dishes. I couldn’t have been more proud of our chefs’ food. The audience treated them like rock stars.

Now, it’s back to the Culinary Center to prepare new fresh seafood dishes for the fall. We’ll be introducing these dishes here soon. So please join us at the Chef’s Blog as we feature recipes and tips for preparing fresh delicious seafood. Happy cooking. Michael LaDuke.