Montana Chef Andy Blanton To Cook At James Beard House: The Flavors Of Montana-wild, Natural, Untamed

Cafe Kandahar's chef, Andy Blanton, will be the featured chef at the James Beard House in New York City on May 24, 2012. Chef Blanton will pair his thoughtfully constructed, Montana-inspired cuisine with exquisite wines from the Doubleback, FIGGINS, Abeja and Leonetti Cellar, all from Washington's Walla Walla Valley.

Guests will meet the chef in the kitchen and be served hors d'oeuvres on the ground floor and in the garden starting with buffalo carpaccio with dried tomato confit. Guests will then ascend to the second-floor dining room for a multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings. The seven-course menu includes elk tenderloin with pink peppercorns, huckleberries, ice wine, ramps, and sweet potato flan. The evening concludes with a Q & A session with the chef.

Chef Blanton was nominated in 2010 and 2011 among twenty semi-finalists in the Northwest in the "Best Chef" category for the James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's most prestigious culinary recognition program. Cafe Kandahar has also garnered the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the Wine Enthusiast Award of Unique Distinction for several years.

"It has always been a dream of mine to cook at the Beard House," says Blanton. "I had no idea that a small-town chef from a seasonal restaurant in Whitefish, Montana would be compared with the distinguished eateries of Portland and Seattle-and I am equally honored to cook as a guest in this storied New York kitchen. It's a privilege to share my passion for this art."

Beyond Blanton's accolades, the featured wines are particularly noteworthy. Leonetti Cellar and FIGGINS from the esteemed Figgins Family are regarded as some of the most exceptional wines in the world. Abeja, produced by one of Walla Walla's top winemakers, John Abbot, will also be featured. "We are honored that Andy has included wines from Walla Walla to pair with his dinner showcasing the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer," said Chris Figgins.

Doubleback is part-time Whitefish resident Drew Bledsoe's project that he launched after retiring from the NFL. "Andy has been my favorite chef for many years," said Bledsoe. "I am jealous to share him with the rest of the world. I wish we could keep him as our Whitefish, Montana secret, but I am happy to see such a deserving person recognized with this honor."

Media interested in attending this exclusive dinner should contact Lisa Jones at 406.862.7977 or email her at lisa@whitefishnewsroom.com. For more information, visit: www.cafekandahar.com, www.jamesbeard.org/events/montana-unleashed-052412, www.figginsfamily.com, www.doubleback.com , www.abeja.net.