Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 12, 2004 Peerless awarded for fresh ideas By Amanda Bolsinger Tidings Correspondent Ashland offers a vast array of culture that can often only be found in big cities. Besides the theater and shopping, Ashland offers a variety of renowned restaurants. From casual to formal dining, local restaurants can satisfy nearly every desire. What locals have always known, the rest of the country is slowly learning. The Peerless Restaurant was featured in the October restaurant issue of Gourmet. Pea soup made from fresh, local produce was a recent feature on the Peerless restaurant menu. Submitted photo The Peerless is owned by co-chefs Mary Hinds and Stu Stein. Hinds and Stein have been trained in kitchens coast to coast. Stein became the executive chef of the Peerless in 2000, and Hinds joined Stein, her husband, as executive chef in 2001. Gourmet acclaimed The Peerless as sophisticated, and as showing "what Northwest produce is capable of." The Peerless kitchen is run on the philosophy of the flavors of the Northwest and sustainable, natural method of cooking, eating and living. They use only the freshest, best ingredients in their kitchen. Local farmers supply fresh produce. Fishermen from Gold Beach and other local haunts supply the freshest catches. "Today, I was on the phone with a lot of our farmers," Hinds said. "Asking what do they have that is the freshest and best quality. We create our menus around that. We don't write a menu until we know what is available, and we create the menu around the flavors of the ingredients." The Peerless gets the best available natural and wild grown produce. None of the ingredients have been treated with hormones or pesticides, giving every effort to make sure that everything that comes from the Peerless kitchen is wholesome and of the best quality. A part of the philosophy of the Peerless is that farming is the first step of cooking and that the raw flavors and ingredients are the highlight of a meal. Stein and Hinds believe in highlighting the natural flavors. They isolate and maximize the flavors found in local foods without trying to cover them up with exotic spices and flavors. As the seasons change so do the menus. As the temperatures begin to drop, heartier greens, squashes, grains and beans will be gracing tables. "We are getting heartier greens like mustard greens that grow in the fall," Hinds said. "And different kinds of winter squash, there are a zillion different kinds of squash." Other items, such as tomatoes, won't be on the menus at all unless they are some that the restaurant has already dried. The winter season offers more challenges, and more necessity for creativity. Gaining national coverage has been a work in progress for Hinds and Stein. Since they have both worked in large cities across the country they have a large network of relationships and contacts. Now that both are in a small town they have been cultivating the relationships, and sending information to gain the coverage. Both Hinds and Stein attend numerous trade shows, and have done extensive traveling to promote their new book, "The Sustainable Kitchen." "We are absolutely thrilled to be featured in Gourmet," Hinds said. "It's a huge accomplishment and we hope that things continue to go as well. We have had a great year, but we are never satisfied or hoping to maintain. We are always getting better." Hinds and Stein want to welcome Ashlanders to come in for a full meal, appetizers and drinks at the bar, or to any of the special events they host such as wine tasting dinners and other events. Some of the upcoming events are a Christmas Eve Dinner and New Year's Eve at the Peerless. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams