CALF_News_December_2020_January_2021

40 CALF News • December 2020 | January 2021 • www.calfnews.net By James Coope Contributing Editor  CALF BEEF REVIEW Vista Vino Modern Grill Castle Rock, Colo. BEEF? Where’s the Really Exceptional A fter arriving at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, It didn’t take long for 21-year- old Paul Epstein to finally discover his passion and talent. For this Ann Arbor, Mich., native, becoming a chef was more than the experience of simply learning how to cook; rather, it was the enlightenment in the art of experimen- tation, expression and responsibility with food. Fast forward almost 35 years later and Chef Epstein’s journey has taken him all over the United States, but has come full circle at his newest creation, Vista Vino in Castle Rock, Colo. Chef Epstein quickly realized that cooking allowed him to “channel what he wanted to do,” creating a “passion for finding out what would happen with experimentation.” That mindset has served Epstein well throughout his career and goes far beyond the plate – in fact, he helped transform many of the fundamental ways the foodservice industry works. Epstein has a particular passion for meats, and beef in par- ticular.“I’m in love with the meat industry,” Epstein says. He sees his role as a chef as “a responsibility to educate guests and deliver the highest quality possible.” At his first job as the banquet chef at the Phoenician in Arizona, Epstein says he “realized I didn’t know everything.” He discovered that the ultimate success of the final product on a plate is not the creation of the chef, but actually starts with the animal itself and those who nurture it. Epstein gained an appreciation for the art of sourcing and hand-picking selec- tions to ensure the highest quality. While vendors would call on him for business, he would often ask to visit their facilities to see how their operations worked. This experience enlightened Epstein to the impor- tance of animal husbandry and how proper sourcing and quality controls could translate into a better end product for the customer, along with greater yields and cost factors for the business. Not to mention,“it’s the right thing to do,” Epstein says. It was this passion that led Epstein out of the kitchen and into a corporate role with Shamrock Foods as corporate chef for the meat plant. He was hired to help Shamrock sell meat, but in a transformative way. Leveraging his experience as a chef, he helped the company sell more higher quality beef to customers by teaching them how a differentiated product can improve customer satisfaction, enhance quality and generate more revenue per plate, which is a critical element of success in the restaurant business. Not only did his approach win customers, it supercharged Shamrock’s meat sales. Epstein was selling the value of quality and sustainability up and down Vista Vino Head Chef Paul Epstein