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Foodie Chap With Chef Andrew Court of The Fairmont San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Executive Chef Andrew Court brings three decades of experience and a lifetime of passion for cuisine to his role at the iconic Fairmont San Francisco. Court has worked with inspiring chefs from Europe to the Caribbean, gaining a strong combination of technical knowledge and personal connection to food that now enables him to present guests with the very best of Northern California's celebrated fare.

In his role, Court leads The Fairmont San Francisco's culinary operations, including banquets and catering as well as the hotel's signature Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar and Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar. Prior to joining The Fairmont San Francisco, Court served as Executive Sous Chef at another landmark hotel, The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Ontario.

"As a chef and now resident of the Bay Area, I am excited to continue and grow the strong relationships that The Fairmont San Francisco has forged with this wonderful region's best purveyors," says Court. "These local ties are what enable our hotel to create authentically local, seasonal menus and create vivid dining memories for our guests."

Court believes in being a hands-on executive chef and enjoys working in the kitchen alongside cooks to teach them and collaborate in developing new dishes and techniques. Despite his expertise and varied roles throughout his career, Court very much considers his own culinary education 'a work still in progress' and continues to seek out ways to add to his gastromonic repertoire.

Court's progressive career in culinary leadership began in his native Birmingham, England and kept him in the UK until 1990, when he took an opportunity to work in Cologne, Germany then the island of Madeira. Next he headed to Bermuda, where he was employed by the famed Fairmont Hamilton Princess for a period of his time there. In 1997, he arrived in Canada, working as Sous Chef at The Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in New Brunswick, before making his way to Vancouver. Thereafter he held executive positions at several other hotel brands and award-winning restaurants and attended the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, representing Canada and Jet Sports, for their VIP guest attendees. He also oversaw a Vancouver casino's $5 Million food & beverage renovation in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In addition to culinary pursuits, Court counts motor sports, sailing and rugby amongst his favorite pastimes. This well traveled Chef took some time out recently for our Foodie Chap chat. We picked some herbs from the Fairmont roof garden and then trekked to the kitchen to make one of Chef's personal favorites; Pine-nut Focaccia Stuffing. A perfect dish for the holidays and one that will sit well alongside chicken or turkey at any holiday table.

The Fairmont is a "must visit" around the holidays and for a myriad of reasons, the larger than life sized Gingerbread House that rivals any house anywhere, there's the Gingerbread Holiday Afternoon Tea in Laurel Court daily and the spirit of the holidays abound the moment you walk through the inviting San Francisco Fairmont doors.

Enjoy my chat with a brilliant Chef…ANDREW COURT.

Cheers, Liam!
 


 
Chef Andrew Court's Pinenut Focaccia Christmas Stuffing

Pinenut Focaccia Christmas Stuffing

10 Portions – 1 Dutch Oven
 
Ingredients:

  • 18 oz Focaccia Bread- Cubes
  • 1 floz Fairmont San Francisco Honey
  • 8 oz Mixed Wild Mushrooms
  • 6 oz Shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp Garlic, minced
  • 2 oz Celery, diced
  • 2 oz Carrots, diced
  • 6 oz Toasted Pinenuts
  • Fresh Parsley, Thyme, Pineapple Sage, Rosemary
  • 1 ea California Gala Apple, grated
  • 4 oz Sun –Dried Cranberries
  • 2 ea Eggs
  • 9 floz Half & Half
  • 5 oz Parmesan, Shredded

 


 
Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle.
  2. Toast focaccia cubes in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan until golden-brown.
  3. Tear or cut mushrooms lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
  4. Place honey in thick base pan and caramelize. (This will remove the sweetness, but keep the taste of the honey)
  5. Cook shallot in butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, celery and carrots, sauté till soften.
  6. Add honey, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until liquid mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes, stirring on regular basis to ensure honey does not burn. Remove from heat.
  7. Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, cheese, add salt, and pepper in a large bowl pour oven toasted focaccia. Add in vegetables and freshly chopped herbs, toss all together until coated well and let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb some of egg mixture.
  8. Spoon mixture into Dutch Oven, and bake on middle shelf till firm to the touch, 30 minutes.

 


 


 
For more information, visit Fairmont.com


 

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