Chef Alex Serves Up Dinner for 120 at the USA Pavilion

Alex Young, Executive Chef at Zingerman’s Roadhouse and a member of the U.S. State Department’s American Chef Corps, has been recruited to join the schedule of guest chefs at the James Beard American Restaurant in the USA Pavilion at ExpoMilan 2015.

Chef Alex Young

The restaurant, located atop the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a four-story double arcade and national landmark in central Milan, will provide a showcase for notable American chefs to show off some of the gastronomic delights of our country. The Beard Foundation has invited chefs from all over the U.S. to showcase the finest American ingredients and cuisine in a series of five-course, regionally focused prix-fixe menus. Chef Alex will step into the kitchen on Friday, September 11th, and Saturday, September 12th.

The theme of this year’s Expo is ‘Feeding the Planet: Energy for Life,’ an idea that particularly resonates with Alex. “The planet’s population is estimated to be nearly 9 billion people by 2020. And we have to find a way to make healthy, sustainable agriculture work to feed all those people.” Appropriately, the James Beard Foundation selected chefs based in part on their commitment to sustainability, as well as their unique culinary talents.

Alex hopes ExpoMilan 2015 will help raise awareness of the importance of sustainable farming methods to help keep the planet fertile and productive for a growing population. With that in mind, he chose to focus his Expo menu on how grains can be made more nutritious by using traditional processing methods. “For example,” he says, “sprouting, fermenting, or souring grains helps to begin the breakdown of the grains, releasing all of the stored nutrients within.”

The planned fare for the evening will include such Zingerman’s Roadhouse favorites as BBQ oysters, goat cheese canapés with bacon-pepper jam, and fried green tomatoes. Entrées will include pulled pork served with Appalachia red grits and braised mustard greens, and planked river trout served with roasted potatoes and sautéed kale. And, in keeping with his emphasis on grains, Chef Alex will prepare a traditional New Mexico posole soup made with corn processed using the ancient nixtamal method, buttermilk-graham bread made with soured grain, and a salad made with soured, parched, and sprouted oats.

Chef Alex will have a full kitchen staff at his disposal at the James Beard American Restaurant, as well as the familiar help from San Street Chef Ji Hye Kim, and Ethan Young (Alex’s son), who works in the Zingerman’s Roadhouse kitchen.

If you happen to be in Milan this September, please stop in an say hello!