OPEN MAP HERE and Cathi Wastal Upcoming Tarla Grill Winemaker Dinners Truchard Winery: March 11 Juslyn Winery: April 8 Peju Province Winery: May 13 Melissa Miller A Downtown Napa Must-Do Experience missed!” added Cathi Wastal. “And the service was impeccable.” The key to Tarla’s Wine Dinner Series success starts with the chef himself. Though chef Powell has only been with Tarla for six months, he comes to Napa with an impressive resumé that started when he was a small boy. “I knew when I was seven that I wanted to be a chef,” said Powell, who was inspired by his Greek grandfather. At ten years old, he wrote a three-page letter to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) requesting application for the school. When he was 13, Powell was almost permanently paralyzed after being struck by a drunk driver. He recovered and eventually attended the CIA and graduated with honors. His passion and determination to walk again has carried on in his life into his desire to be the best in the culinary world. At the age of twenty-three, Powell was chosen to compete in a national competition, where he placed second in his region for best young chefs in the United States. It was at the same age, working for a restaurant in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, that he met Napa winemaker Mitch Cosentino. The duo decided to pair the Cosentino wines with Powell’s culinary fare. “These special wine dinners allow our customers to learn more about who I am as a person through my food,” said Powell. “They’re also an opportunity for our customers to share our passion, knowledge and style of food.” Tarla’s Bar Manager Jim Foster, Chef Michael Powell and business partner Ali Yildirim Chef Powell said each Wine Dinner Series is unique and each course is designed specifically to complement the wine’s acidity level, texture, flavor, color, smell, and finish. “I like to harmonize the balance of the wine with my food,” he said. “It allows me to exhibit the qualities of my talent that are my strongest point.” Each food and wine pairing, said chef Powell, is an opportunity to push the limits in what they are capable of doing so they can surpass their customer’s experience. As a lifelong student of his craft, expanding over twenty professional years, Powell’s greatest accomplishment is the ability to make people happy by sharing what he loves in the kitchen, dining room and community. “Every day is a gift to me,” said Powell. “I share the joy in what I do.”
NVLife_MarApr_2013
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