Winter is here and this calls for family holidays to some snowy, dreamy locations. What is better than California to experience all of that, right? Take your loved ones to Mammoth and you will all be awestruck. Known by the world for its skiing and snowboarding destination, the California ski resort near the mountain is all you need to bring this whole experience together.
The California Ski Resort Experience
Operational since the 1950s, this resort has welcomed millions of guests and given them memories worth a lifetime. Skiers and riders across the world must plan a stay at this resort at least once, and you would never want to go back home. In fact, if you visit here after January 2023, you will be able to enjoy the delicious cuisine at Food Network Stars, James Beard Award finalist Bryan Voltaggio and his brother Michael Voltaggio’s new restaurants.
The Restaurant
This new venture by the two brothers would be their first joint project together where they would be bringing recipes out from their kitchen back home. According to Bryan, as soon as they saw the opportunity they decided to go for it and now they can’t wait for the locals and tourists to try their finger-licking recipes. This restaurant is a homage to the Italian roots of the two men and also takes them back to when they were young and skied together.
The Menu
The brothers are still finalizing their entire menu but they shared some of the thoughtfully reimagined Italian-American classics that patrons can anticipate. The menu includes pizzas, pasta, salads, and their own Rigatoni Arrabbiata, which is served with brown butter sauce and basil. There will also be family-friendly options like VoltaggiOs, their upscale take on SpaghettiOs, which are tiny, handmade noodles served with fresh meatballs. The sauce accompanying the meatballs will be an arrabbiata sauce with emulsified butter to give it the same effect that you would get from canned spaghetti sauce.
Asian-American Chef Jiyeon Lee Creates Southern Palate BBQ Sides Adapting from Korean Banchan
Chef and ex-pop star Jiyeon Lee creates traditional Korean Banchan (light side dishes) inspired southern BBQ sides. At the Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta, Lee prepares authentically flavored and balanced side dishes to play up the meats on the menu.
Who Is Jiyeon Lee?
Jiyeon Lee started her career as a pop singer in Seoul. Long before the BTS phenomenon, Lee had four bestselling albums in Korea under her resume. She retired early from the world of music to attend culinary school and give wings to her other passion. Though still widely recognized by pop fans in South Korea and making appearances in almost her every return, Lee is now much more comfortable in expressing her creativity through the medium of culinary art. She also is an avid supporter of the organizations working for the Asian-American community in Atlanta and works in causes concerning Atlanta restaurants.
The Culinary Inspiration
BBQ and southern meat-and-three are Lee’s favorite American foods. The chef generally prefers meat-centric restaurants, but often gets disappointed by the heavy or hearty sides served there, and misses light and refreshing Korean side dishes (or Banchan) complementing heartier meals. According to Lee, any Korean restaurant or home-cooked meal always serves hearty meats with light digestive sides like daikon or radish banchan, which helps in breaking down the protein and fat contents of the meat.
Developing Signature Style
Drawing inspiration from the traditional Korean dining experience and authentic flavors, Lee and her husband chef Cody Taylor prepare signature Southern-Korean side dishes to pair with the main barbeque served at the Heirloom Market BBQ. She loves the Southern-style collard greens, which brings back the childhood memory of her grandmother’s cooking. Based on such childhood food memories and the blending of two different culinary influences, Lee approaches developing unique fusion recipes like kimchi-slaw, green tomato kimchi, grilled sesame squid, spicy scallion, and onion salad, and customer-favorite pickled cucumber-radish salad and sweet & spicy crispy tofu. The ex-K-pop star’s BBQ fusion is surely in tune with times!