This celebrity chef's newest venture? Helping to spotlight Montana's rich culinary landscape

While some may assume the glitzy, high-end food and wine festivals most often take places in large, coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles, this isn't always the case, as shown by one of the newest food and wine festivals, set to debut later this month. The Whitefish Food and Wine Festival is being led by Chef Todd English and aims to spotlight Whitefish, the Flathead Valley and the state of Montana on the whole — a state that isn't often acknowledged enough for its myriad contributions to food, farming, waterways, fishery and more

English — a four-time James Beard award winner and one of the first “big-name” celebrity chefs — has helmed multiple restaurants, penned countless cookbooks and appeared on an endless amount of food television shows and specials.

Now, he’s a founding member of the Whitefish Food and Wine Festival team. 

The inaugural Festival, as per the website, “supports the local culinary scene in the Flathead Valley, from top local chefs to regional farms & ranches, to local culinary programs and beyond.” Salon Food had the opportunity to speak with English about the festival, Montana on the whole, his career, and what’s next for the decorated chef.

The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

The event is meant to highlight the Flathead Valley and the greater Montana — what are some of the aspects of the food, the terroir and the other aspects of Montana fare that make it such a  unique place to spotlight? 

Yes, the event is meant to feature Flathead Valley in the greater Montana and celebrate all the great things that are going on there, which are all 100% unique.

Like many places in America, they are creating amazing food. From sushi, to BBQ to Italian, there is so much talent in the restaurant and chef scene. Between the location’s combination of natural beauty, outdoor recreation and its cozy, small-town feel, Whitefish is the ideal spot for a Wine and Food Festival.

As a hub for outdoor enthusiasts, Whitefish has a quaint, friendly vibe with a charming downtown area featuring boutique shops, local restaurants and art galleries. It’s the perfect place for an intimate gathering to celebrate the local wine and food scene.

For the uninitiated, what is Whitefish known for from a culinary perspective? 

Known as one of the top ski towns in the US, Whitefish’s culinary scene has a very diverse style with a variety of restaurants, so you can try a wide range of cuisines when you visit or stay in the area. However, high-quality restaurants and fine dining options are becoming more and more prevalent, so we want to put Whitefish on the map as a culinary hotspot with this festival by showcasing the local talent.

What is it about the Montana food scene that you think is most misunderstood and/or that most people wouldn't be aware of? 

What I’ve seen is that there’s a crowd that really enjoys food and that people are enthusiastic about it. There’s great product in the area all the things that lead to a great culinary vibe. So really just trying to spread the word about that!

Your background is Italian-American, but your restaurants often veer outside of that theme. Is there a certain element, dish or ingredient within Italian or Italian-American fare that you'd say is your favorite?

That is really true, but an American chef showcases the melting pot that we live in. I lived in New York for some years and it is a culinary melting pot of every ethnic food that comes into the country.

I love working with the availability of ingredients and the fact that you can actually pull from many different styles. It’s a fusion in the sense that you understand the ingredients and how they work together in unique ways to create unique combinations and amazing flavor profiles.

Chef Todd English in Montana (Whitefish Food & Wine)

I’d love to hear a bit about the English hotel? What are the food offerings like there? 

I spend 200 to 220 days a year on the road and I spend a lot of time in hotels, so obviously I have my opinions about food in hotels. It should be a very comfortable place that has all the basic needs in hotel and some great food offerings are a big part of big driving force of our hotel. Pepper Club is a beautiful mix of Japanese Mediterranean fusion.

Do you have a number-one dish you think best encapsulates your career?  

As an Italian-American: Spaghetti Pomodoro!

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What are your top three favorite ingredients to work with?

High quality of the following: Olive oil, sea salt, grated black pepper 

How do you practice sustainability? 

Sustainability is very important to us – one of the ways we practice that is that we work with local farmers. We really try to be very inquisitive about how things are brought to market, how the farmer handles the food and how it gets to us. We try not to involve pesticides and  we also try to keep things in season — those are all things that lead to sustainability. 

What stands out for you as a formative moment that got you into cooking or food at large?

I was about eight years old and I said I was going to make peach ice cream. It was August in Georgia and my mother went out and bought a white ice cream maker and peaches from the local market. It was just spectacular.

In your career, is there a singular moment that stands out as something you’re most proudest of? 

Along with my beautiful children, I think being recognized by my colleagues. That’s how the James Beard award is judged and I think it’s a great, meaningful way to have colleagues judge each other.

I’ve been very very fortunate I got into the industry and was able to do a lot of things. I’m very ambitious and those are all things that kind of played into my amazing career.

What do you hope to see the Whitefish Food and Wine Festival accomplish for Montana? For the restaurant industry? For tourism?

I’ve visited Whitefish over many years and for me, I’m just so excited to be able to utilize the Whitefish Wine and Food festival as a way to really support and celebrate the local restaurant scene, as well as the local Chefs. They are doing an amazing job! I believe that a large part of tourism is where you eat and what kind of food there is. Whitefish, Montana is amazing place to visit, they’ve done a great job with tourism with all of the amazing nature, outdoor and activities to do and we’re using the festival as a way to shine a light on what else they have to offer in terms of their culinary and hospitality scene.

We also are using the festival as a way to bring it back to a little bit more grassroots and create an intimate setting within the food and wine scene. I want people to get to know the Chef so they can understand who is behind the scenes and what’s going on. I think that’s the really special thing that the festival is focused on — for Chefs, as well as the guests!

Whitefish, Montana in fall (Explore Whitefish)

You now have a host of restaurants throughout the world, which started all the way back in 1989 with Olives in Charlestown, MA. How have you seen the industry change since then? How does your most recently opened restaurant differ from Olives? 

I mean, there were no cell phones back then and there was no social media, so that alone changed everything.

With Charlestown, it was very much a grassroots and revolutionary way we brought food to the table. Today, I love the social media aspect of the industry, but I also realize that that’s not what it’s all about. We still have to deliver the incredible food, experience and atmosphere and it’s not just about Instagram moments.

Throughout your career, is there an opening — or a restaurant itself — that you have the most affinity for? 

I’d say that my first restaurant was the one that I loved most in the opening because it was my first foray into the industry.  I was really excited and really young. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but there was that innocence that I loved.  I was just working so hard and was so excited to be able to do my own restaurant.