Interview With Executive Chef BRIAN SUNDEEN Q: What is your favorite item on the room service menu? Brian Sundeen: I really like the enoSTEAK cut of the day. It allows us to find unique items for our guests and give them something different throughout their stay. I am always looking for something unique for our guests to enjoy. Q: Where are some local places you like to visit on your days off? BS: I try to go to the farmer’s market every week with my kids and let them pick out what we are having for dinner that night. When we do go out, I like to take them for dim sum in San Gabriel and Irvine, China Moon in Laguna Niguel or Thai food in Mission Viejo. They are crazy for noodles. Q: Do you shop at any local farmer’s markets? BS: I shop at the Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Irvine and Mission Viejo farmer’s markets depending on what days I have off that week. All of them are a little bit different, so dinner will depend on which market we visit. My kids love them all! A couple times a year I go to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market to meet with the farms that we use at the hotel. Q: Where did you study? How did you get started in your career? BS: I went to the French Pastry School in Chicago. It was an amazing experience. It changed my life to see the skill level of Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne. I came back to the Ritz-Carlton at a completely different level. Q: Did you always have a passion for working in hospitality? BS: I always loved cooking for people. Holidays in my family were always centered around food. My mother and her sister are fantastic cooks. They can do dinners for 45 people all by themselves without breaking a sweat. Q: What do you love most about working for the Ritz-Carlton? BS: I love working with passionate people whose main goal is to make our guest experience the best that it can be. Q: How many other restaurants at the hotel do you manage? BS: All of them. Q: What makes each one different? BS: Each is very different in decor, design and cuisine. Q: What inspires you to create new dishes? BS: Childhood memories, products that we discover at the farmer’s market, new items vendors bring to us and travel all play a big part in our menu development. Q: Who is your role model? Do you admire any other chefs? BS: I look up to every chef I met in my career. Each one of them taught me something different that helped shape my career and cooking style. Jacquy Pfeiffer, Sebastien Canonne, Craig Strong, Denis Depoitre, Chris Southwick, Scott Gambone and Pedro Contreras have all been role models for me throughout my career, and I still call them for advice. They all taught me so much and pushed me very hard to get to where I am today. I will always be grateful to them. Q: Where are you getting your fall inspiration? BS: I’m not sure yet. We will go to the farmer’s market in September and see what they have there. Depending on the weather, we will adapt our menu to match. If the weather stays hot, we will do lighter menus using fall produce. If it cools down, we might do a little heavier dishes because our guests will want something more filling. Q: Do you have any exciting events to cook for coming up? BS: Yes, the Thanksgiving Buffet, Gingerbread Display, The Diamond Ball, the fall menus in Raya and enoSTEAK, and game on the enoSTEAK cut of the day.
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