Celebrity chef treats festival VIPs to exotic meal

PARK CITY — Food plays the starring role at Chefdance, one of the traditions that has evolved with the Sundance Film Festival. Last Friday night, celebrity chef Gerry Garvin took over the kitchen at Harry O's club on Park City's Main Street.

Chefdance, the brainchild of Harry O's owner Kenny Griswold, is a series of "invitation-only" nightly dinners that take place during Sundance. A different high-profile chef is brought in to cook each night. The result is an exclusive four-course meal for about 250 of the film industry's movers, shakers, friends and a few tag-alongs, like this Deseret Morning News food editor.

Cooking for Hollywood's A-list is nothing new to Garvin, who oversaw the Vanity Fair Oscar fete when he was executive chef at Morton's in Los Angeles.

In 2001, he opened his own restaurant, G. Garvin's. He also hosts a TV cooking show, "Turn Up the Heat," on TV One, and he wrote a cookbook, "Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin" (Meredith Books). Like Emeril's "kick it up a notch," Garvin has his own catch phrase, "Keep it super simple."

On Friday night, he and his team of chefs produced a silky-smooth potato bisque; ravioli filled with roasted shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese and chicken; pan-roasted Chilean sea bass with sweet pea risotto and basil gnocchi; and a home-style mini-peach cobbler topped with vanilla bean ice cream.

And just 45 minutes before dinner was served, Garvin had no complaints — "The kitchen is perfect. The staff — everything is perfect," he said.

Sponsors, such as Nicholas Foods in Salt Lake City, donate the food and beverages for the event.

Culinary students from the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles play supporting roles, spending 18-hour days prepping and cooking with the various chefs.

Although the students were donating their time, it's a great opportunity for them, said Garvin.

"The education in the culinary world comes in the moment you use what you learn," he said. "This will be one of those moments that will be very important on their resume. It's a huge event, the clientele is five-star, and the experience is really important."

Garvin was tapped for the gig because of his talent and also because he has the same agent as Bethenny Frankel, who is co-hosting Chefdance this year. Frankel said instead of choosing "star" chefs that have come in the past, such as Tyler Florence of the Food Network and Rocco DiSpirito of "The Restaurant" television series, she wanted chefs better known for their great food.