Minneapolis, MN, June 21, 2012 — Gather by D’Amico will feature Jamie Malone, Chef de Cuisine at Sea Change, as its guest chef on Thursday, July 5. Malone is the latest addition to the unique chef-driven sampler series at Gather featuring prominent local chefs. August features Doug Flicker of Piccolo.
Guests can sample Malone’s complimentary menu items on Thursday, July 5, with the two featured items being offered for sale on subsequent Thursday evenings throughout July. (Reservations highly recommended.) On the first Thursday of each month, a new featured guest chef serves complimentary samples and is on site to answer questions and meet guests. Gather features a happy hour and full bar with an innovative specialty cocktail menu every Thursday evening.
Created and operated by D’Amico + Partners, Gather serves lunch six days a week (Tuesday–Sunday, 11:30 am–2:30 pm) and a small plates menu on Thursday evenings (5–9 pm), in conjunction with the Walker’s Target Free Thursday Nights. In addition to the events in Gather, Target Free Thursday Nights feature programs throughout the Walker, including performances, artist talks, and gallery exhibitions. For more information, visit http://calendar.walkerart.org/tftn/index.wac
July Chef-in-Residence: Jamie Malone
Thursday, July 5, 5–9 pm
Gather by D’Amico
Jamie Malone is Chef de Cuisine of Sea Change at the Guthrie Theater. Chef Malone has worked with Sea Change’s Executive Chef Tim McKee at La Belle Vie, helped him to open Barrio, worked under Steven Brown at Porter & Frye and with Chef Erik Anderson at Sea Change.
“Jamie has progressed with each move,” said McKee. “After working with most of the chefs leading the culinary movement in the Twin Cities, she is clearly the rising star of our new generation. Very few women command kitchens of this caliber, and I have no doubt that Jamie will be at the forefront of changing that dynamic.”
Before receiving her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu, Malone traveled extensively in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Europe, studying food and immersing herself in the nuances of each region’s cuisine. She developed her passion for cooking in high school as an avid listener of NPR’s The Splendid Table, which continues to inspire her to this day. She also admires and aspires to emulate renowned chef Thomas Keller for his organization and commitment to the craft of
cooking.
Malone says she tends to take a more gestalt approach to cooking than many of her male counterparts. She knows several female chefs who don’t just think about what’s going onto the plate, but they also visualize who will be eating it, whom they might be with and how their entire dining experience will make them feel. “I like working with my hands every day,” said Malone. “My short-term goals and my long-term ambitions are really the same: every day when I finish my work, I want to leave behind a dining room that still resonates with happy people.”
August Chef-in-Residence: Doug Flicker
Thursday, August 2, 5–9 pm
Gather by D’Amico
Blessed with a natural talent and a passion for the craft, Flicker possesses a humble assuredness that comes with years of hard work and dedication.
Beginning cooking at D’Amico Cucina after high school, Flicker rose to head chef at the young age of 26. As Flicker grew as an artist, he became close to other young chefs making their way in the industry. Seeing a niche for a restaurant owned and operated by chefs and being focused almost entirely on the cuisine itself, Flicker, along with three other young colleagues, opened Auriga restaurant in 1997. At only 30 years old,Flicker had become part owner and key chef of an establishment that would be a perennial favorite among critics and diners alike.
After a critically-lauded tenure at Auriga that ended in 2007, Flicker spent several years as head chef of Mission and Porter and Frye in the Hotel Ivy, both located in downtown Minneapolis.
Frustrated with the creative shackles put on chefs by the entrée system, and seeking a creative way to renovate the typical dining experience, Flicker imagined a new restaurant that was focused on quality over quantity. With the help of his former partner at Auriga, Jim Andrus, he opened Piccolo in January 2010 to critical acclaim, receiving four out of four stars in the Star Tribune and “Best Restaurant” in City Pages.
While work is a bit like play (at least to him), Flicker spends his free time with his wife Amy, his dog Phoebe, and the two other loves in his life: his Italian Ducati motorcycles.