Chef Q&A with Aleya Hutchens and Stefhanie Royer
I
t’s almost destiny that Sandpoint native Aleya Hutchens, 26, finds herself concocting inventive cuisine inside the Spuds Waterfront Grill kitchen. That’s because while growing up, Hutchens lived in the apartment below the restaurant with her dad – she would come up to Spuds for a brownie and also worked there one summer as a teen. After traveling for six years to places as far away as Georgia, Hutchens was ready to come home. “I found my way back,” she said, and has been working at Spuds ever since. Stefhanie Royer, 42, is a relatively new arrival to Sandpoint, having moved here a year ago from Los Angeles. She attended culinary school in Santa Monica and also worked with a master chef before opening her own Latin-infused restaurant in North Hollywood. Seeking a change of lifestyle, she applied for the chef position at Pend d’Oreille Winery’s Bistro Rouge: “We weren’t planning on moving to Idaho, but I wanted to get out of the big city and get my hands in the dirt.”
Eats
& Drinks
Serving Sandpoint
ALEYA HUTCHENS
132
PHOTOS BY BETH HAWKINS
STEFHANIE ROYER
What influenced your love of cooking?
I taught myself how to cook. When I was a kid, I would watch cooking shows instead of cartoons – there was this one crazy show in the ‘90s called “Yan Can Cook.” And I also worked in the restaurant industry while I was traveling. Both my parents are artists, and they’ve told me that this is my art.
My grandmother was my biggest inspiration. She worked at Westinghouse and knew all about appliances and how to work a range. … She taught me everything, how to melt cheese, she cooked everything from scratch. I go home and bake. I’ve always found peace in that.
What’s your dream ingredient?
Corn tortillas. I love to make any variation of anything that you can put in a tortilla. I just made a bacon blueberry quesadilla and everyone loved it.
Cumin. I love its earthiness. It can be used in absolutely any cuisine; it’s very flexible.
Food trends that you like/dislike?
I like to use organic, local ingredients from the farmers market. I like thinking outside of the box, like making chocolate cake with basil.
The fads make it difficult for chefs, the paleo diet, the gluten-free fad. Idaho is about six months to one year behind the trends, but I like to showcase new things here.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Anything outside. I grew up skiing. I’m also an Olympic weightlifter.
Hiking and gardening – anything that connects me with the Earth. It provides menu inspiration!
Any alternate career interests?
No, this is it. When I was a kid, I always wanted to own a limousine ice cream business. Maybe an Olympic weightlifting coach.
Tour the world, work in Africa and teach people how to plant and cook food. No matter what, food would be involved in what I do.
Any advice for future chefs?
Passion. We have young people who work here, and I see two different types – those who get through the day and those who have a passion for what they’re doing. I put love into my food.
Go in with an open mind, and use the ability to learn all you can while on the job. Don’t get into this if you don’t have gumption, especially women. And you won’t sleep much.
SANDPOINT MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2015