Jeffry’s Catering at Grey Wolf Cellars

If you don’t know Chef Jeff (Jeffry M. Wiesinger), you’ve probably been living under a rock somewhere out in the sticks. Chef Jeff not only has his own well-known catering business but also runs ‘Barton’s Kitchen Window at grey Wolf Cellars’ where they are producing some amazing food to sit and enjoy or to-go.

I’m going to keep this short since there is a Q&A with Chef Jeff below but we ordered:
– Cuban Pork Loin Sandwich (Wood Fired Roast pork Loin, Swiss Cheese, Kosher Pickle & Dijon Mustard Aioli, on a Grilled French Roll) $10.00
– Paso Mac & CheeseSteak (Award Winning Mac & Cheese with Roasted Garlic-Provolone Cheese Sauce, Smoked Top Sirloin, Sauteed Peppers & Onions, Tossed with Mini Shell pasta) $11.00
– House Made Black Truffle Potato Chips (Thinly Sliced Yukon Gold Potatoes, Fried in Canola Oil, Seasoned with Black Truffle Salt) $5.00

It was the perfect lunch to enjoy on the patio at grey Wolf Cellars. Jeff and his crew do a great job. We’ve been fortunate to have his food creations many times in the past but this was our first time eating at the winery. Well done Jeff, keep it up!

To contact Chef Jeff for catering you can call (760) 709-1519 or email ChefJeff@JeffrysCatering.com.

Now, the Q&A:

Matt: How long have you been cooking?
Jeffry: I’ve been cooking professionally for 23 years, I started working as a dishwasher/prep cook in Yellowstone National Park when I was 15 years old. I’ve been a professional chef for 14 years. My first Executive Chef position, after graduating culinary school was in Glacier National Park when I was 24.

Matt: What moment/ experience or dish got you into cooking on this level?
Jeffry: I was lucky enough to find my passion for cooking at a young age. It was in Yellowstone National Park, while working and living with my grandparents, who retired and became full time RVers, working in Yellowstone during the summers. I spent every summer in high school working in Yellowstone. The first year I was a dishwasher/prep cook in the EDR (employee dining room). I worked under two, 70 year old retired chefs; one was a culinary school graduate from New England, and the other was a retired US Army Chef. It was a Great learning lesson and really sparked my interest. At this point in my career, thinking back on the opportunity I had of getting to learn from a “classically trained chef” and a “turn & burn” Army chef, was pretty unique.

The second year, I moved up into the restaurant where I was a prep cook and was quickly promoted to line cook, at age 16. I got to work along side my grandfather, who was a retired civilian human resources manager for the navy. He taught me how to be a clean & organized cook. I always say that my grandfather taught me “mise en place” before either of us knew what it was or meant. (Mise en place is a french culinary word meaning “put in place” or more specifically “there is a place for everything, and everything is in its place”) That is the cornerstone motto for me, as a chef.

So, long answer even longer; I can’t say that there was a specific dish that got me into cooking, it was about a few people. My Grandpa Doug (who passed away last year) and the two chefs I worked with when I was 15, in Yellowstone.

Matt: Favorite aspect of cooking?
Jeffry: For me, my favorite aspect of cooking is making people happy, and doing what I love to do at the same time. I am a very passionate person, especially when it comes to food & cooking, wine, music, family & friends.

What comes to mind when I think about this is,  one of my favorite quotes from one of the greatest chefs of our generation, Chef Thomas Keller. It’s a quote that I have hanging on my office wall and in my kitchen.
“When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving for perfection becomes clear: To make people happy, that is what cooking is all about.”

I LOVE THAT QUOTE AND I LIVE IT EVERYDAY!

Matt: How would you describe your style of food?
Jeffry: I call my style of food “Globally Influenced, Wine Country Cuisine”. Recently, since opening “Barton’s Kitchen Window at Grey Wolf Cellars”, I’ve also refereed to the menu we serve there as  “Wine County Comfort Food”. Both descriptions are accurate, although a bit different. I take my style from all the wine producing regions of the world. Every place in the world that produces wine, also produces some of the best food in the world. Places like Italy, Spain, France, South America & California. I combine the love & passion for wine with the love & passion for food. My food is not pretentious or “modern”. My style is very much rooted in the classical tradition of proper knife skills and creating flavors based on layers.

Matt: Do you have a favorite dish to make or to eat?
Jeffry: These days, for the past few years, I’ve really gotten into smoked meats. I love to smoke tri-tip, chicken, fish, pork shoulder & belly. I think the style goes great with wine and the wine country lifestyle. On the other hand, one of my favorite styles of food to eat is Asian food. Japanese, Vietnamese & Thai food are some of my favorite dishes, although I don’t really consider myself to be an Asian influenced chef. I wasn’t really into the whole “Asian Fusion” thing when it was really popular in the late 90s. I was more into California & Mediterranean Wine Country Cuisine. But I LOVE a good bowl of Pho!

Matt: How about a favorite food and wine pairing?
Jeffry: Doing food & wine pairings is where my heart is. That’s where I got my start on the central coast, doing food & wine pairings at Vinoteca Wine Bar. I really enjoy doing, what I call, “Winery Specific Food & Wine Pairings” and take a slightly different approach.

While working at Vinoteca, I passed the Level 1 Sommelier exam through the court of Master Sommeliers. It was while running the wine bar and having an opportunity to taste many of Paso’s finest wines, that I began to taste the subtle differences between Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, that’s been grown in different areas in Paso. I found that all the wines have these beautiful, subtle nuances, and although it’s easy to say that a Grilled Rib Eye goes well with a Cab or a Seared Salmon Filet goes will with a Pinot Noir; it’s even more fun to create a dish with a specific sauce or technique that goes well with a Joe Barton, Grey Wolf Cellar Cabernet or Syrah.

Matt: What is your education/ experience background as a chef?
Jeffry: I graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors Degree in Restaurant & Food Service Management. I am very proud of my education. I put myself through school and went to one of the best culinary schools in the world. Actually, Johnson & Wales in the worlds largest hospitality educator 🙂 I went across the country to get my culinary education, and would do it all over again if I had to.

My professional background is in hotel resort food service management, specifically the ski resort industry. I’ve worked in Vail, Steamboat Springs & Denver, CO as well as Heavenly Lake Tahoe & Mammoth Lakes, CA. I’ve also worked in the National Parks as a chef & culinary consultant in Glacier & Mesa Verde National Parks, besides getting my start in Yellowstone.

Matt: How long have you been at Grey Wolf Cellars?
Jeffry: We opened “Barton’s Kitchen Window” at Grey Wolf Cellars on Labor Day Weekend 2014. We’ll have our 1 year anniversary next month. It is my catering commissary kitchen as well running the weekend lunch business.

Joe & Shirleen Barton were my first clients when I moved to Paso in 2007. I had met Joe while I was living in Mammoth Lakes, as the Executive Chef of Restaurant LuLu, a San Francisco based, Northern Italian/Southern French style restaurant. Joe and some of his other Paso winemaker buddies would come up to Mammoth to sell wine & ski.  We became friends and always talked about doing something together. After my dad “Papa Jeff” moved to Paso in 2005, I would come to visit him and go wine tasting. When I moved to Paso from Mammoth in 2007 to start Jeffry’s Catering and see what Paso had to offer, I started going to all the wineries and dropping off cards. Because I already knew Joe and Grey Wolf, they were my first clients. So you can say that this project is just about 10 years in the making, although we run two different businesses; I rent the kitchen from Joe & Shirleen to run my business.

Matt: What days and hours are you open at Grey Wolf?
Jeffry: We serve lunch out of the kitchen window on Fri, Sat & Sun from 12-4pm. We are able to stay open most every weekend, with a few exceptions. For example, this Saturday 8/15 is the Mac & Cheese Festival and we will have to close so my team & I can be out at the festival and hopefully, regain our 1st place title. I was the first place winner in 2013, but got second place in 2014 🙂

Matt: You also cater which is much different than running the kitchen at grey Wolf…what is it about catering that you like?
Jeffry: Being a caterer & personal chef in SLO county is still my primary focus and what I’m known for. Although I started the catering business in 2007 when I moved to Paso, it was a part time gig that I did in my spare time. I’ve helped open and work a few other places in the county. When I first moved here I worked as a Culinary Consultant for Aramark and took on the project of redesigning the food court facility at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center. After that project was complete, I took an opening sous chef position at Level 4 working with Chefs Chris New & Will Torres. I also worked as a Chef/Partner at The Wine Attic wine bar & bistro, before being contacted by Aramark to do some more consulting work for them in Mesa Verde National Park and for the 2007 MLB wild card and world series games, where I took care of the owners of the Boston Red Sox. After my consulting gigs I came back to Paso where I took a short lived position as the Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Director at the Carlton Hotel in Atascadero. I soon found out why the place was struggling so hard, and that’s when I met Rob & Pam Sharp and took a position with them as the General Manager of Vinoteca Wine Bar. It was in that position that I learned A LOT about Paso wines and was able to meet many of the winemakers & vintners. We ran a very successful program called “Winemaker Wednesday” at Vinoteca and had a Great Live Music scene on Friday & Saturday nights. Rob & Pam decided to sell that business in 2012, and I was not in a position to buy it from them, so I went back to doing Jeffry’s Catering full time. So although I’ve run the business for 8 years, it’s only been a full time venture for 3 years.

I like catering because I love working for myself and working with lots of different clients. After years of working in the restaurant side of things and working late nights, weekends, holidays and very long hours, making someone else money; it’s very gratifying to be able to work for myself. Although I still work those hours, I often work day time events at wineries and only work nights when I want to. That’s a god feeling.