Taste the Next Generation of Chefs

Alan Wong’s Restaurant presents The Next Generation Dinner on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 with a menu by chef Marc Urquidi, assisted by Stephen Crawford.

Photo: courtesy of Alan Wong’s Restaurant.

The 4-course menu will feature:

Lemongrass Shrimp, "En Salada Fresco" with chili lime vinaigrette, salsa rojo coulis.

Butter Poached Lobster "Tortilla Soup" with crispy corn tortilla cake, steamed Big Island hearts of palm.

Maui Cattle Company Filet of Beef glazed with Big Island goat cheese and with fire roasted poblano puree, and pipikaula curry quinoa.

The dessert by chef Sonny Acosta is a Kona Coffee Flan with Mexican Hot Chocolate and Haupia Churros

The Next Generation dinner is available for $75 per person/$105 with wine pairings. Call 949-2526 for reservations or more information. To see the official menu with wine pairings, click here.

Chef Marc Urquidi. Photo: Courtesy of Alan Wong’s Restaurant

Chef Marc Urquidi is a third-generation Mexican American. With roots that extend all the way to Chiahuahua, Mexico, Marc knows a lot about Mexican food. Growing up, his grandparents and his mother would make him traditional Mexican dishes.

In this Next Generation Dinner, Marc has set out to co-mingle the Mexican flavors and foods that he had growing up with the techniques, ingredients, and influences that he has learned in his six years with Alan Wong’s Restaurant. Marc says that he has learned how Chef Alan Wong’s inspiration comes from borrowing flavors and techniques from different cultures, and he hopes to create a new and innovative experience by thinking outside the box.

The menu that Marc has created is the result of a collabortive process between Chef Alan Wong and Chef de Cuisine Wade Ueoka. The three culinarians took Marc’s ideas and worked and reworked the menu to come up with the dishes that will highlight Marc’s Mexican heritage within the scope of Hawaii Regional Cuisine.

Marc has taken the Next Generation Dinner to another level by mentoring two of his fellow culinarians. As a senior line cook, Marc has been able to involve Stephen Crawford and Sonny Acoba in the menu creation process in the hopes that one day they too will be able to have their own Next Generation Dinners.

The Next Generation Dinner features an up-and-coming cook at Alan Wong’s Restaurant. With guidance from both Chef Alan Wong and Chef de Cuisine Wade Ueoka, the cooks create their own dishes and put together their own menues showcasing their personal styles.

Other upcoming events:

Join the students of the Culinary Arts Program at Leeward Community College as they learn alongside Chef Alan Wong. The event takes place on Friday, April 18, 2009 at the Pearl Restaurant at Leeward Community College. Reservations are available from 6 p.m. and the dinner is $70 or $85 with wine pairings. To reserve a seat, call 455-0298. This special dinner is a prelude to the L’ulu, Leeward Culinary Arts Gala on May 9, 2009.