Executive Chef Brandon Cunningham from Social Haus at The Green O at the Paws Up Resort in Greenough just recently moved up as one of the finalists for Best Chef: Mountain from the James Beard Foundation.
Stella Fong: Chef Brandon Cunningham is one of the top five nominees for Best Chef: Mountain. This is the farthest any chef from Montana has ever made.
Brandon Cunningham: It’s still a shock to me when I made the long list. I thought that man, that’s all. And that’s truly all I ever wanted and dreamed of because even that recognition really holds its weight. Being the first one to go from that long list to the short list here in the state of Montana, I’m more proud of that than anything else.
Stella Fong: The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists on January 24 when Cunningham was vacationing in Hawaii. When the announcement of the finalists on April 3rd took place.
Brandon Cunningham: I was laying in bed before work, early in the morning. I just kept refreshing INSTAGRAM and seeing if James Beard had posted anything and my wife and my son were in there in bed with me as well and when they finally released the Mountain region I was on that list and it was jubilation.
Stella Fong: Cunningham returned to being closer to the childhood home where his wife grew up in Hamilton. He worked at the neighboring Paws Up Resort to later help open Social Haus.
Brandon Cunningham: I am not a native Montanan but I have been here for over half a decade and my wife’s a native, so I got grandfathered in that way I guess. I have definitely found my second home over here and so to help bring more culinary awareness to the state of Montana is probably where I find the most pride in.
Stella Fong: At Social Haus no more than 24 guests dine in the modern rustic dining room. The space brings together the outside surrounds of pine trees and the cooking action from the open kitchen within. While the evening meal offers a nine-course tasting menu, breakfast and lunch includes dishes with global inspirations. Cunningham’s food is multidimensional in execution and taste but there is a core to his culinary magic.
Brandon Cunningham: I think the overarching theme is I think number one a pretty heavy handed approach with playfulness and keeping things light and fun, engaging, stripping any pretense down and then just focusing on interaction with the guests and the ingredients that we are playing with and so we weave that in in many ways lot of those being nostalgic or low brow sort of ideas and concepts and then giving it little bit of a twist and elevation to it.
Stella Fong: Cunningham’s signature is his use of powders, magic dust that is created from concentrating savory and sweet components.
Brandon Cunningham: Since we focus on the dinner menu with just two ingredients, typically a protein and some sort of vegetable, that powder is just another way and avenue for us to utilize that same ingredient in multiple ways. I found that it definitely helps enhance, not only the presentation but also the flavor.
Stella Fong: So what new culinary magic is being brewed up in the Social Haus kitchen?
Brandon Cunningham: My sous chef Phillip and I have really been getting into some different sort of things that we haven’t had quite the time or the resources to do until recently but we’re now making our own vinegars in house. We’ve got black garlic vinegar going, rhubarb vinegar, jalapeño vinegar, anything that is not going to waste but something we might have an abundance of.
Stella Fong: Cunningham is also considering bringing to life a sourdough starter for bread but he’s also
Brandon Cunningham: Looking into doing some cheese making as well just further progress what we are able to offer and try to be as self-sustainable as possible.
Stella Fong: The James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony will take place on June 10 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
Brandon Cunningham: I am very much looking forward to it. My wife and I are going to be going. We’re going to drop our kiddo off with the grandparents and if nothing else just go and enjoy ourselves for a little bit and celebrate what already is a rather momentous achievement
Stella Fong: The best of luck to Chef Brandon Cunningham. This is Stella Fong for YPRradio news.
