LOCALadk Magazine

Michael Nicola and his brother David would first define quality pizza through Mr. Mike's. Later, Chef Mike would open a fabulously successful Mediterranean restaurant with the first open kitchen in the Park, at Nicola's Over Main. His first chef at this popular spot was Chef Kevin Gregg, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who would later go on to open his own restaurant featuring a Mediterranean menu at Caffe Rustica. Chef Kevin became one of the area's most prolific chefs as he expanded into regional catering as well. Chef Rob Borden opened a number of restaurants in the Olympic Village, including Le Bistro Liberté and Lumiere Bistro. He acquired his skills working with famed New York City chefs at Le Cirque, Restaurant Daniel, WD-50, and Jacques Torres Chocolate. You may have seen him on Chef Guy Fiera's "Guy's Grocery Games." Still a major influence in the Adirondacks, Chef Rob operates Purple Saige Bistro with his wife, Susan, and son, Remy, in Lake Placid. "A good chef has to be a manager, a businessperson, and a great cook. To marry all three is sometimes difficult." - Chef Wolfgang Puck In Saranac Lake, a chef who was as comfortable fishing in the Ausable River as he was working behind the range, opened Eat and Meet Grill and Larder in Saranac Lake. A unique order-ahead, cook-to-order take-out business that became an underground favorite of everyone who lived nearby. Word-of- mouth advertising was evident, as phone calls among friends would point to Chef John Vargo's feature that day. Chef John now brings his talent and farm-to-table approach to our local hospital, one of the finest healthcare food-service operations in the Northeast. Just down the street, Trisha and Ken Fontana opened Blue Moon Café, a place that gave Trisha, a professional baker, the opportunity to turn locals on to her breads and pastries while Ken and his staff in the kitchen continually expanded the menu from breakfast to lunch; it's now a high-quality evening spot as well. Chef Charlie Levitz, who spent time in the kitchen of the Mirror Lake Inn and Interlaken, went off on his own to open Charlie's and eventually Chair Six in Lake Placid. Rob and Vicky Breyette worked together as a chef team for e Lake Placid Lodge during its early stages of defining high-end hospitality in the Adirondacks and then opened Caribbean Cowboy, and later, in a different location just referred to as Cowboy, an operation small in space, big on flavor. "I love creating something special out of nothing. I am a serial restaurateur." - Chef Charlie Levitz is was the second generation of Adirondack chef/owners who continued to transition the Park from strictly an outdoor sports mecca to a full-service tourist destination with high-quality food as a centerpiece. e newest generation of chef/owners has continued the legacy of those groundbreakers while adding a stronger connection to local farmers and producers. Farm-to-plate is alive and well in the Adirondacks thanks to operations like Holmeyer's German restaurant, e Lodge in Lake Clear, and Chef Craig Allen and his wife Shamim's Fiddlehead Bistro, a trendy and evocative artistic restaurant that highlights Craig's experiences as a chef in Manhattan and Shamim's gentle connections to vegetarianism and the music that inspires them both. Rick Bromley is owner/chef of Casa del Sol, a destination Mexican restaurant that evolved over fiy years from a French Bistro to the first Tex-Mex operation in the Park, under the ownership of Harry Tucker. From there, various owners kept the local favorite in full swing. Chef Rick, who spent time at the four-diamond Mirror Lake Inn and then as executive chef of the refurbished Hotel Saranac, is now the proud owner/operator of Casa. His love of fusion cuisine has added a new dimension to the established Mexican fare that continues to excite locals and visitors alike. Andrea Lautenschuetz, who aer working with Charlie Levitz as executive chef, went on to open Salt of the Earth, offering her version of eclectic comfort food. Top of the Park, owned by Chef Bill Bentz, who came from the kitchens of the Lake Placid Convention Center and the world-renowned Pointe Resort, is a Lake Placid mecca for those who love creative tapas LOCALadk 52

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