Heads up, New York: Josh Galliano is headed to the James Beard House. The executive chef and co-owner of The Libertine will prepare a five-course menu in this hallowed kitchen on Oct. 17, an honor granted to only a few St. Louis area chefs over the years.
The theme of Galliano’s dinner, Along the Mighty Mississippi, will highlight the unique food cultures that developed, merged and evolved for centuries along the Mississippi River’s banks. “(Beard House) asks you to come up with a dinner that reflects you and (that) you’re going to be proud of,” Galliano said. “We live in St. Louis, and we have our feet still in New Orleans. That connection to the Mississippi is more than just the drive. You see it in the community and culture, and you see it a lot in food tradition.”
The New Orleans native has written a menu that includes dishes like Southern vegetables with guanciale powder, green goddess dressing and crab-stuffed zucchini flowers; hay-roasted coppa with pickled collards, field beans, and sprouted wheat berries; and whole-roasted lamb with fried cauliflower purée, piquillo peppers and coffee-infused olive oil. Many of his dishes and hors d’oeuvres will be paired with St. Louis-area wines, beers such as Schalfly and Perennial and Kaldi’s coffee.
“Those are the people who have been supporting me and what I’ve done and what The Libertine has done for a long time,” Galliano said. “It’s also a way of showing the heritage of the food and showcasing what’s going in St. Louis, in our region, and (that’s) very much a part of the theme, too.”
Want to catch Galliano in action? If you can’t book that flight to New York, just head to The Libertine on the big night. A webcam installed in the Beard House kitchen will live-stream the chef in action at a special happy hour event at the Clayton restaurant. Galliano said he hopes to host the same meal here at home after the event for loyal customers and friends to get a taste, too.
This article appears in August 2014.