Kurt Alldredge

The Chef's Touch
Solvang, California

Appropriately, February’s guest chef, Kurt Alldredge, is a newlywed who catered his own wedding last October. Located in the quaint destination town of Solvang, California, The Chef's Touch is devoted to cooking and the food lover’s experience that goes way beyond just ordering from a menu. Created by Chef Kurt and his partner-wife, JoEllen Korte, The Chef’s Touch offers cooking classes, a unique catering service, cookbooks, a cookware and gourmet food shop, wine-tasting, a coffee bar, a bistro café and even a wood-fired pizza oven; plus a very diverse menu for a leisurely lunch on the garden patio or creative choice of dinner dishes in an open kitchen format, where the chef shares process as well as great tastes.

Early Years

Kurt developed his natural ability to take fresh ingredients from the garden and create delicious food for his family at an early age. His interest in the culinary craft continued to develop, cooking for friends and even giving his first cooking classes before he could legally enjoy a glass of wine with it. As his interest in the culinary arts grew, so did his wanderlust to hone his skills in a more professional setting than his central California hometown of Stockton could offer.

The chef spent several years in Chicago building his resumé before returning to the West Coast to settle in Monterey, a resort community with plenty of restaurants. He worked as a sous chef for Restaurant Central, owned by Bert Cutino and Ted Ballisteri of the famed The Sardine Factory, which led to a position with Gernot Leitzinger at his Old Europe Restaurant in nearby Pacific Grove. There he worked side by side with Chef Leitzinger until he ultimately became his chef de cuisine.

In 1988, Kurt moved to Lake Tahoe where his tenure with the Hyatt Hotels started. The management of this upscale hotel chain quickly recognized his skills and he was asked to become the Executive Chef at their Bellevue, Washington Hotel. There he again received prestigious recognition that eventually brought a position in San Francisco at one of the company’s flagship Hotels - The Grand Hyatt.

He worked in San Francisco until being discovered, so to speak, by Universal Studios. That is, Universal Studios conducted a worldwide search for their Executive Chef position. After several trips to Southern California, Kurt was selected for the final three. At the last interview, there appeared a brown paper bag full of ingredients with a simple directive: cook something! Those early days in his family’s kitchen came to the surface; Kurt turned the contents of the paper bag into a culinary masterpiece and got the position. At Universal, Kurt oversaw all food operations for the theme park, Universal Studios restaurants, special event catering and the food production kitchen. His “simple but elegant” food style was his trademark, as he catered to the needs of many of the studios’ high level executives and celebrity clientele.

Eventually, Kurt’s need to be more in touch with the people he was cooking for pushed him to leave the corporate kitchen and continue his passion in a more intimate dining setting. Kurt became Executive Chef for Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn and Spa in the quaint community of Los Olivos, California. There he created a menu that perfectly complemented the twenty-one-room boutique inn, serving some of Hollywood’s elite. Focusing on fresh, local ingredients presented with imaginative style, he garnered both local and national recognition. The move to this more personal environment helped nurture the idea to share his natural abilities in an altogether unique venue that eventually became The Chef’s Touch.

Current Projects

Kurt’s career path was a windy one that included many kitchens and situations that have all contributed to his culinary education like the ingredients of a fine dish. The Chef’s Touch is the culmination of a lot of hard work that the chef considers his professional dream come true.

One night – as Chef Kurt tells it – from a discussion at his own kitchen table with some friends, including his wife-to-be and a couple of bottles of good wine, a business plan developed to practice his culinary skills in a unique setting: a shop that would offer not only delicious food and catering, but also classes and the tools necessary to appreciate and create that delicious food.

“It still amazes me just how close to that original plan The Chef’s Touch resembles in reality my early vision of the place,” said the proud chef. “Since that first night of planning, JoEllen and I have worked to build on that model. It’s been exciting stuff for both of us to make it all really happen just like we talked about until the wee hours that night!” When he talks about what he does and the plans he has for The Chef’s Touch in the near future Kurt’s words are filled with infectious enthusiasm.

The classes are a reasonably priced, hands-on experience, especially considering that they include food and wine. Each class focuses on a specific ethnic cuisine, a single item cooked several ways, or maybe a calendar-timely theme. The schedule for February, for instance, includes Romantic Meals for Two (2/8), Tapas (2/15) and Lasagna (2/22). Whatever the subject, the class is always useful and practical for the non-professional cook. Ranging from what’s billed as a "Married and Bored" series, through barbeque classes to gourmet vegetarian cuisine, the evenings are entertaining and personal. Limited to 12 students to ensure plenty of attention, these cooking sessions are held most every Wednesday evening and are always sold out.

The restaurant also incorporates a gourmet kitchen and food shop offering the latest culinary merchandise, unique cookware from around the world and the latest cookbooks. There is also an assortment of house-made canned goods such as Kurt’s own Arrabbiatta sauce, a chutney recipe he has developed, and his version of a North Carolina-style BBQ sauce.

A personalized catering business is also a very successful part of this multi-faceted business. Again, there is a choice of service, from semi-prepared, fully prepared, fully staffed, or just a little picnic lunch called the "Wine Lovers Box Lunch." Because of the chef’s diverse background, a wide variety of ethnic foods are offered such as Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, European and many more. His own wedding menu, designed by himself and JoEllen, is a mouth-watering demonstration of this diversity and could be easily adopted, as is, as a menu model expected to be found only at the most eclectic of eateries.

And the vision is still evolving. The restaurant is currently expanding to include an authentic Italian wood-fired pizza oven, along with family-style seating for those memorable meals around a large table with great food, wine and friends. A fitting addition since the concept for The Chef’s Touch was born from just this kind large table setting…and wine, don’t forget the wine!

Kurt and JoEllen, together with well-known winemaker Kris Curran, have added another component to this unique atmosphere, with carefully selected wines of the region being the focus. In keeping with the whole experience that The Chef’s Touch offers, wine lovers will not only be able to taste boutique wines not often available, but will also learn about the vineyards, winemaking and stylistic choices that make the wines so exceptional.

Since the chef relies heavily on local producers of fresh ingredients for all his fare, both on the menu and in his cooking classes, Kurt has provided recipes for a three-course meal, especially designed for this feature that emphasize fresh produce ingredients. Enjoy making these dishes at home or take a trip to Solvang where Chef Kurt Alldredge will give them his own chef’s touch!