Acclaimed chef Joel Huff has joined Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara as head chef overseeing the two dining outlets at its Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, including Tydes restaurant and bar.
Tydes, which opened in November 2008 and boasts serene 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Barbara coastline, is open to resort guests and club members only.
At 36, Huff is a seasoned veteran of the culinary industry, having gained invaluable knowledge in both classical and modern techniques through cooking and studying cuisines all over the world. His own style of cooking draws heavily on his experiences in Southeast Asia, Europe and particularly Australia, where he met and worked with renowned chef Nori Sugie.
Huff later followed Sugie to Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York City before moving to Silks at the company’s San Francisco property. Most recently, he comes to Four Seasons from The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, where he was chef de cuisine.
A native of nearby Ventura, his decision to move back to the small town to oversee a world-class restaurant was an easy one for Huff.
“Tydes has that feeling of home to me, and that makes me feel comfortable,” he said. “It’s exciting to be able to express my craft right here in my own backyard, and share my food with my local region. It’s something we as chefs dream about, since most of us never see our own towns.”
While guests will continue to enjoy Mediterranean cuisine at Tydes, Huff has introduced a new menu, one that revolves around Old World ingredients but uses the modern European cooking styles and techniques that he has so masterfully perfected. Moreover, the seasonal menu is heavily influenced by the California terroir and Santa Barbara’s bounty of local, sustainable ingredients — including fresh seafood from the Channel Islands, such as Santa Barbara spot prawns and lobster.
Highlights include a 12-hour Spanish-style suckling pig cooked sous vide over a longer period at lower heat to maintain flavour and served with a battered and fried duck egg, white truffle mashed potatoes, migas (based on the Spanish dish featuring seasoned bread or tortilla) and a red wine reduction.
Guests are already talking about Huff’s nontraditional bouillabaisse, served deconstructed, papillote-style, baked in a parchment-like paper. From the garden, the Tydes salad incorporates seasonal pear, fennel, pomegranate and winter greens with blue cheese and a Spanish sherry walnut vinaigrette.
“The flavour profiles are distinctly Mediterranean, but the selection of fresh ingredients surrounding us in this area is what really drove me in the process of creating this menu,” said Huff, who believes that every part of every dish must be harmonious and conducive to the whole. “Once I figure out what direction the key ingredients are taking, for me it’s really about just letting them speak for themselves.”
— Gena Downey is the director of public relations for the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara.