Joe West Looks Forward to Second Summer
For the last year, Fine Dining Group’s new Culinary Director Joe West has been learning the ins and outs of the well-established organization that runs six restaurants and a foodtruck. Founded in 2001 by Gavin Fine and Roger Freedman, the group is the umbrella for The Bistro, Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, Il Villaggio Osteria, Bar Enoteca, The Kitchen, Bin22 and Bodega, as well as multiple retail ventures such as Bovine & Swine and Cream + Sugar.
As a child, West grew up spending afternoons at the French restaurant where his mom worked as a server in Kansas City. He became familiar with the sounds and smells of the kitchen, and looked forward to his mom bringing home food at the end of the night. He went from writing down Julia Childs’ recipes from the television, to participating in a vocational school’s culinary program, to attending Johnson & Wales University in Denver, to creating dishes in prestigious kitchens around the country.
No matter the accolades that West has accumulated in his time as a chef, he’s more interested in praising his executive chefs and the work they do in their kitchens. Getting to know the chefs, and watching them improve their skill sets and management is a rewarding process to him.
“Everyone is so unique and different, their approach to food is different, their relationship to food is different,” said West.
West said that this summer, the menus will be lighter and brighter than ever before. And the restaurants will be more focused on their individual concept even more.
“Osteria will be more Italian than it ever has been. Bistro will be more French, Bin22 more Spanish.”
Joe West, culinary director of fine dining group
With people traveling the world again, guests are looking for the clean and bright flavors of the countries they visit. More citrus, more vinegar, more pickling. And since West doesn’t want Bistro’s menu to have the same dishes as The Kitchen, he needs to find the balance.
“That’s my job, to find a way to make everything different but also be more efficient and streamlined so we can afford to have good prices on the menu and afford to pay our employees high wages.
This summer, get ready to try a banh mi fried chicken sandwich from the foodtruck at Bodega in Teton Village, or the gyro flatbread at Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, and many more fun spins on recognizable dishes.
