Matt Maslowski
Fall-Spice Rubbed Venison Tenderloin with Polenta, Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin, Brussels Sprouts and a Cranberry Port Reduction
Original Event Date, Thursday, November 6, 2014
I first met chef Matt Maslowski a couple of years before this 2014 culinary demo, and became an instant fan. I am extremely happy that he's still in the Disney system... and bringing his culinary skill and personality with him.
The world of culinary arts can be a very pretentious place, and even though chef Maslowski's talent might give him a license to act that way... nothing... could be further from the truth.
There are three things that stand out in my mind when you mention chef Maslowski's name.
- One… he's never shied away from giving you an honest answer about anything you might ask him.
- Two… he has the ability to take some pretty esoteric event concepts and turn them into amazing culinary creations. You'll just have to trust me on that one.
- Three… if you give him enough time, he will tell you how to make every damn thing on the plate. It's not just enough that he's making a Cranberry Port Wine Reduction, that gets drizzled on the Venison Tenderloin… he wants to make the Veal Demi Glace, from scratch, that goes in the Cranberry Port Wine Reduction, that gets drizzled on the Venison Tenderloin.
There's not a doubt in my mind that if you gave him enough time, he'd show you how to kiln fire custom made plates and hand weave napkins. It's that kind of attention to detail, that brings multiple levels of goodness to the dishes he creates.
Matt is one of the few chef in the Disney system that I would blindly give $150 to and simply say "I don't care… I know it's going to be amazing".
He's done quite a few culinary demos over the past few years as part of
Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival… I hope he continues to do them, and I hope that the sometimes safe, mundane normalization of theme park restaurants doesn't diminish his desire to bring complex, detailed, three-page recipe sheets to those demos.
Matt Maslowski
Disney's Contemporary Resort Catering, WDWThursday, November 6, 2014 | 5:00pm
- THE DISH
: Fall-Spice Rubbed Venison Tenderloin with Polenta, Oceanspray® Craisin® Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin, Brown-Buttered Brussels Sprouts, and an Oceanspray® Cranberry - Port Reduction
- WINE PAIRING : Valckenberg Undone Pinot Noir, Valckenberg International, Germany
- HOST : Chef Frank Brough
The wine pairing for chef Maslowski's 2014 Fall-Spiced Venison Tenderloin was this amazing Undone Pinot Noir from Valckenberg International, Germany.
Chef Matt Maslowski's demos are all about cooking, from top to bottom. He wants to show and talk about every detail that goes into the dish.
This is the portion that each guest received at the 2014 culinary demo. Love seeing that edible flower on there. Even with this one dish... chef Maslowski has an eye on plating and presentation.
Who's that in the background? It's chef Frank Brough of course! If you're a LONG time fan of Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, you might recognize chef Brough as one of the "couple of days a week" emcees of the culinary demo program (because Pam Smith gets to take a day off every now and then).
Here, chef Maslowski is stuffing a small Sugar Pumpkin with Craisin® Polenta!
This was the plate that chef Maslowski was putting together on-stage! The stuffed sugar pumpkin is such a great idea! It's like a little dish, that you can eat!