.
As always, annual Christmas soirée
at Fairmont Château Laurier is stunning
.
DEC 16 12 — 11:35 AM — Daniel Buss, 45, served his last meal at the venerable Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday as he now moves on to California where he joins his fiancée, Jill Jay, and their seven-month-old son Peyton Buss, to be closer to her family in Thousand Oaks, near Los Angeles. Stepping in until a new executive chef is named is executive sous chef Shane Colton.
Daniel’s final major event at the hotel was to oversee food Wednesday (photo, above) at the always-superlative Christmas celebration, hosted for more than 300 well-wishers and hotel friends again this year by general manager Claude Sauvé and his wife, Deborah. It was only the second year Daniel had been executive chef for the Yuletide reception, having arrived at the hotel in November 2011.
“It’s a family commitment,” Daniel says of his decision to move to California. “My other two kids are on the west coast as well.”
L-R above, top, Deborah Sauvé, executive chef Daniel Buss, and general manager Claude Sauvé. Bottom, second cook Amanda Aboukheir with first cook Hong Jiang as they flambé delectable shrimp at the scallop station.
As for job prospects in California: “I’m working on a position there, but nothing is firm yet,” Daniel says.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Château — it’s a great property and I’m sad to leave. This hotel has such a reputation to live up to, and I’m so proud whenever I step outside the building to see such a grand hotel. It’s truly breath-taking.”
Top, second cook Amanda Aboukheir cranks up the heat at the shrimp post. Bottom left, second cook Jimmy Bunnag sautées plump Digby scallops à la minute, while executive sous chef Shane Colton at extreme bottom right prepares rich black trumpet mushroom-crusted rack of lamb on goat cheese rosemary potato gratin, spiced vegetable macédoine.
As in previous years, chefs and kitchen staff set up four “action” food stations, plus a generous dessert table, around the periphery of the Adam Room. And, of course, there was the mandatory decorated bar in the centre, this year with back-lit butterflies (photo, below) cascading from the ceiling as folks quickly reloaded before moving on to other tasty victuals. Music was by pianist and singer-songwriter Natalie Khoriaty.
Among outstanding gustatory treats was the well-received mushroom display decorated with farmed cinnamon caps, among others, from Champignons Le Coprin of Farrelton, Que., and wild hedgehogs and cauliflower varieties flown in from British Columbia. People wolfed down perfectly al dente mushroom risotto (photo, above) — always a challenge to get just right at big events — with its natural earthy tones, embellished with aged Parmesan Reggiano and rich truffle-braised duck, brightened with sweet/crisp Berkley Farm apply syrup gastrique. Oh, my, by many accounts a highlight of the evening.
Also superlative were more than 300 U10 sea scallops brought in from the east coast — U10 means these whoppers counted 10 to the pound. “They were so big I had to cut them in half rather than risk cooking them unevenly,” Daniel explained.
Succulent Digby scallops were braised as plated by second cook Jimmy Bunnag (who always seems to handle live stations at these events with customary good cheer) in butter brandy, served with parsnip purée with a playful strip of crispy sweet-glazed prosciutto “candy” on top (photo, above) for flavour contrast and texture. Also at the same station were the perennial favourites, Sambuca-flambéed shrimp with warm crab artichoke dip.
Salmon with cream and dill, and tuna tartare, were served in interesting finger-friendly savoury cones (above) for easy handling, while seafood ceviche of white fish, scallops and shrimp were attractively presented in martini glasses. And, of course, the well-stocked sushi and sashimi display (below) seemed to attract its fair share of appreciative guests.
But, though it all, I was impressed (as always) by how few lineups there were — those that popped up were very short — and how quickly used plates and cutlery were unobtrusively bussed away to avoid clutter and mess. Really, I’m not kidding when I say, year after year, this must be the best big Christmas event in the nation’s capital — a testament to the skill and expertise of the cheffing and serving crew from top to bottom.
Above, black trumpet mushroom-crusted rack of tender lamb on goat cheese potato gratin topped with spiced vegetable macédoine.
At the dessert station, Christmas cake pops (above) and spiced pear, cranberry and eggnog trifle (below) among the many sweet offerings.
Recall that chef Daniel came to the Château with more than 20 years of culinary experience. A 1987 graduate of George Brown College cooking school in Toronto, Daniel, who was raised in Guelph, started his cooking career in an Italian fine-dining restaurant. At the age of 20 he met his mentor, Swiss chef Hubert Bielmann from La Vielle Auberge in Rockwood, Ont. Through chef Hubert, he discovered the benefits of using fresh ingredients from local producers. After getting his feet wet, Daniel was off to the Big Smoke where he worked as a garde manger assistant chef at the Prince Hotel in Toronto.
In 1991 Daniel headed for Switzerland where he worked in a variety of restaurants, before landing at the prestigious five-star Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel in Interlaken. From the Swiss Alps to the Canadian Rockies, Daniel, at aged 27, moved to Banff. Within five years at the Fairmont Banff Springs, he became the opening executive chef of the Banffshire Club, which just two years later received the prestigious five-diamond award.
From Banff, Daniel sought out new culinary adventures in Miami. In Florida, he worked as the executive sous-chef for the Fairmont Turnberry Isle; shortly after he was promoted to executive chef at the Fairmont in Ottawa in November 2011.
We wish him well in his travels. Certainly he did us proud in the nation’s capital — albeit for a brief time.
Twitter @roneade
.
