Joey Kistler wanted to join the Navy or Coast Guard when he was
a kid, but that was before he discovered the kitchen.
Taking up his father’s offer to pay for college no matter what,
Kistler enrolled in the Salinas branch of the San Francisco
Culinary Academy and, straight out of college, became Sous Chef at
the Cutting Horse.
Joey Kistler wanted to join the Navy or Coast Guard when he was a kid, but that was before he discovered the kitchen.
Taking up his father’s offer to pay for college no matter what, Kistler enrolled in the Salinas branch of the San Francisco Culinary Academy and, straight out of college, became Sous Chef at the Cutting Horse.
Five years later, Kistler is just finishing up his first month as executive chef for Ridgemark Golf and Country Club, and he’s already busy at work, changing the menu to reflect his own specialties while maintaining the scrumptious surf and turf tastes that customers demand.
The menu offers a variety of chicken, fish and steak along with luxe dishes like herb-crusted lamb, portobello Napoleon and Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon. Kistler even makes the delectable bread pudding himself (most of the desserts are ordered out).
In the future, menus will change from week to week, but expect no more than one switch between now and New Year’s, said Kistler. He’ll need a little bit of time to settle into the job.
“Right now there’s just so much ordering and preparing to do,” said Kistler. “I’m teaching the cooks back here to do things well and to do them better than they’ve been done before, but it seems like 60 percent of the time I’m ordering and inventory-ing. The other 40 percent of the time I’m actually cooking.”
Born in Los Gatos, Kistler’s family moved to Hollister in 1986, and he’s been there ever since.
“I’ve always wanted to work (at Ridgemark),” said Kistler. “I live right near here; I know people who work here. They’re all really nice and my brother works here already, too. I don’t really have plans to go anywhere else any time soon.”
So what does a star chef cook at home?
“I mostly microwave food,” said Kistler with a sheepish laugh. “I get home and I’m so tired from cooking all day … well, sometimes I cook and on my days off I do, but when I want to cook I’ll see my roommate cooking and I’ll go, ‘Yeah, let him make it.'”
Crab Crusted Halibut with Lemon Caper Sauce
1 Alaskan halibut filet, 8 oz.
1 lb. rock crab meat
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 T. of each of the following: dill weed, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt and paprika.
2 t. garlic
1/4 c. capers
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients except halibut in a bowl until they form a slightly chunky paste. Reserve.
Step 2: Flour halibut and pan sear both sides. Top with crab mix and place in oven for 5-7 minutes.
Sauce
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 T. garlic
1 T. capers
4 T. butter
Step 1: Combine wine, lemon juice, garlic and capers in a saucepan and reduce by half.
Step 2: Add butter and bring to a simmer before drizzling over cooked fish.
