Hot Spot King crab cake
Chef Andy A
HOOKED UP ARTICLE JENN TANAKA
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Chopped lobster salad with salami and egg dressed in an herb dressing Szechuan bone-in pork with green papaya and Thai basil
NEWPORT BEACH MARRIOTT CHEF ANDY ARDNT CELEBRATES SUSTAINABLE COOKING AT HOOK AND SPEAR
Chef Andy Ardnt began overseeing the kitchens at
may have started in the suds, but his curiosity even-
Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa two years ago.
tually led him to the stovetop. Within months, Ardnt
“Back then we started implementing a few
was cooking on the line. He learned the basics and
changes, but now we’re concentrating on a fully
simultaneously ignited a passion within himself.
sustainable menu focusing on seafood,” Ardnt says.
Eager to learn more, Ardnt enrolled in the
This is exciting news for Ardnt and his team. In
California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
January 2017, the hotel’s flagship restaurant reopened
Upon graduating, he spent several years soaking
as Hook and Spear. The staid menu transformed
in knowledge from acclaimed San Francisco chef
from boring Caesar salads and predictable burgers
Nancy Oakes, a champion for sustainable cook-
to more inventive and inspired food.
ing. He continued learning under the tutelage of
“We started working with Seafood Watch and
Yoshi Kojima at the now shuttered Mc2 restaurant,
the Monterey Bay Aquarium,” says Ardnt. “ There’s
where Ardnt honed his palate for French-California
a general unawareness in the public. We all should
style flecked with Japanese influences.
learn how our food is fished.”
The chef’s thirst for knowledge and innate curios-
Ardnt’s passion for cooking with seasonable
ity eventually led him to New York. There, he thrived
ingredients and freshly caught seafood go back
under the tutelage of “Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio
to his culinary roots.
at Gramercy Tavern. These formative experiences
The fast-talking chef was brought up in the old
heavily influenced Ardnt’s style as a chef. When he
French culinary tradition. Like other great chefs
returned to the West Coast, the Southern California
before him, Ardnt’s career in the kitchen started
native knew that taking the reigns was his next step.
young. At the age of 14, he found himself washing
At Hook and Spear, Ardnt finds himself excited
dishes at a small restaurant in San Diego County. He
about what lies ahead. His new sustainable menu
34
Newport Beach Lifestyle | March 2017
Linguini and clam