UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday evening, Oct. 15, the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake continues its series of special dinners with celebrity chefs by featuring Chef John Ash, often referred to as the “father of wine country cuisine.”

The menu will feature selections from Chef Ash’s most recent cookbook, “Cooking Wild” (Running Press; May 2016; $35).

“I’ve followed Chef Ash’s career – and lots of his recipes – since I began working in the food industry in San Francisco,” says Tallman General Manager Susan Mesick. “It’s a great honor to host him here at the Tallman.”

In 1980 Chef Ash opened his namesake restaurant, John Ash & Co., in Santa Rosa. It was the first restaurant in Northern California wine country to focus on local, seasonal ingredients used to create dishes that complemented the wines being made in the region. It continues to be critically acclaimed today.

Chef Ash still holds true to his philosophy of cooking with ingredients that are ethically grown, created locally and in season. And for Ash, wine is always considered an essential part of the flavors of a meal.

Chef Ash has co-hosted a culinary radio show for 27 years on KSRO (1350 AM) in Northern California. He was also host of two TV shows on the Food Network.

In addition, he is an adjunct instructor at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in the Napa Valley.

With regard to his most recent book, “Cooking Wild,” Chef Ash says that “to eat wild foods, you needn’t crawl through the forest or hunt your own game. Many wild foods are as close by as your local supermarket.” 

This book takes a big view of “wild,” including more than 150 recipes using foraged, uncultivated foods as well as the progeny of wild foods more conveniently found for sale alongside their conventional cousins.

Guests at the Tallman dinner will meet for a wine reception and book signing with Chef Ash in Riffe’s Meeting House and then adjourn for a “wild” dinner in the Tallman Dining Room prepared by Chef Ash, assisted by Blue Wing Executive Chef Mark Linback. Ash has selected a seasonal menu starting with a wild mushroom soup, venison with blackberry sage sauce for the entrée and maple flan for dessert.

Tickets for the event ($100 plus tax or $120 plus tax includes the cookbook) and further information can be obtained by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

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