When Laurent Pillard showcased a tasting menu while interviewing for the role of executive chef at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in spring 2018, he knew the meal must impress more than just the palate. So he prepared hand-rolled mushroom tortellini, served with savory mushroom consomm\u00e9 poured tableside.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get the smell, the smoke,\u201d says French-born Pillard, attuned to the power of dining room theatrics having spent 15 years in Las Vegas as a corporate chef for the inimitable Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys.<\/p>\n
Pillard got the job, of course, and now he offers a similar sensory experience using superfood ingredients purported to boost energy, immunity and cognition: adaptogen-rich mushrooms.<\/p>\n
In August, Pillard unveiled a \u201cFood as Medicine\u201d menu served in the Velvet Buck restaurant featuring Four Sigmatic mushroom elixirs. The three-course prix-fixe is available Oct. 15 in honor of National Mushroom Day, until the property closes for offseason beginning Oct. 21 (through Nov. 14), and then again for winter through April.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time of year it will be more popular,\u201d Pillard promises. \u201cWinter you can have more fun with the menu at Velvet Buck. In the summer people want breakfast, then they spend the whole day outside. In winter people get breakfast, ski all day, then come back for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, the St. Regis caters specifically to health-conscious clientele, evidenced by a year-round \u201cspa menu\u201d of lighter bites, Pillard adds.<\/p>\n
Launched in 2012 by 13th-generation Finnish farmer-turned California entrepreneur Tero Isokauppila, Four Sigmatic first wowed the mainstream wellness market with its signature \u201cmushroom coffee mix.\u201d The instant drink is made using powdered chaga and lion\u2019s mane mushrooms, thought to support productivity, focus and creativity. Like all Four Sigmatic beverages that followed\u2014other iterations of mushroom coffee, single-source mushroom tea in varieties including reishi and cordyceps, chai and hot chocolate\u2014a key attribute is a lack of mushroom flavor. Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee tastes like\u2026coffee, if a bit earthy. Finland, after all, is known for the world\u2019s highest coffee consumption, estimated at more than 2 pounds per person each month.<\/p>\n
A superfood expert and author of two bestselling books (see sidebar, opposite page), Isokauppila visited the St. Regis Aspen Resort in June, where he introduced Pillard to Four Sigmatic and hosted a special private dinner for about 20 guests. Seeking to bolster healthful dining offerings, the resort found a perfect fit with Four Sigmatic\u2019s adaptogenic mushroom blends\u2014a collaboration, so far, unique to Aspen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI eat really healthy,\u201d Pillard maintains. \u201cPeople think French chefs use lot of butter and cream; I don\u2019t. That\u2019s why I like this product: I use lots of broth and vegetable stock (anyway).\u201d<\/p>\n
Pillard\u2019s Food as Medicine first course reprises that first dish he made for the St. Regis Aspen in the form of wild mushroom ravioli.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a broth with shiitake, porcini and water; let infuse as if making a tea,\u201d the chef shares. \u201cAdd one pack of (Four Sigmatic Chaga Mushroom Elixir) and let infuse to a light broth.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Four Sigmatic, \u201cour Chaga Elixir (is) overflowing with antioxidant properties that support your daily wellness, energy levels and immune system.\u201d Currently, Pillard accents the dish with pickled ramp and tiny, bunched hon-shimeji mushrooms, though winter ingredients will evolve depending on seasonal availability.<\/p>\n
Pillard\u2019s second course, currently, is pan-seared Alaskan halibut with sweety drop peppers, green asparagus, and fiddlehead ferns in a broth of Four Sigmatic\u2019s mushroom golden latte mix. Here he emulsifies the steeped orange beverage with olive oil to create an unctuous sauce, which will pair just as well with sea scallops as halibut swims out of season.<\/p>\n
Four Sigmatic\u2019s creamy, lightly sweet, coconut-milk golden latte mix boasts 500 mg of shiitake extract and 900 mg of turmeric, accented with a hint of ginger and tulsi (holy basil). Shiitake has long been regarded in Chinese medicine as a fountain of youth fungus, and studies show that the species enhances immunity, eases and prevents iron deficiency, and may have anti-cancerous properties. Turmeric has blown up the beauty and wellness world in recent years for its inflammation-busting antioxidant, curcumin.<\/p>\n
While effective doses of these ingredients are substantial, Four Sigmatic values strength in adopting a conscious, holistic lifestyle. As a fan of Four Sigmatic\u2019s slightly bitter mushroom coffee (and calming hot cacao) since mid-2017, I do feel invigorated both mentally and physically when I consume it consistently. And I trust the brand: every batch of mushroom mix is third-party tested for contaminants including yeasts, molds, mycotoxins, pesticides and irradiation.<\/p>\n
Pillard\u2019s third course dessert, panna cotta with chaga mushroom and matcha powder, is decorated with meringue mushrooms and miniature meringue batons in a natural effect inspired by the chef\u2019s cycling and foraging adventures in the Roaring Fork Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make the meringue look like aspen trees, and we sprinkle edible charcoal on top of it\u201d to create a bark-like effect, he explains.<\/p>\n
Our corner of Colorado reminds Pillard of his childhood stomping grounds: the Loire Valley. \u201cWhere I\u2019m from in France is a big hunting and mushroom region,\u201d says the chef, who plans to source venison, quail, bison, squab and pheasant for his winter menu revamp at Velvet Buck.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing here reminds me of my childhood because I taste lots of plums, peaches, apples, from when I was going on vacation to my grandparents (in France),\u201d he continues. Palisade and Paonia stone fruit, he adds, far surpasses any he ate in Georgia during his first U.S. job at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Whether choosing the light, bright mushroom-highlighting Four Sigmatic menu or indulging in Pillard\u2019s new elk corndog or melting escargot butter \u201ccandle\u201d this winter, interactive elements abound. His staple is bison tataki, seared lightly and then served alongside river rocks plucked from a 500-degree oven, for searing, with a duck egg, at the table. As a final touch, Pillard places dried rosemary and thyme onto the hot rocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the table people are really curious,\u201d Pillard says, adding that the dish inspires a chain reaction of orders from neighboring tables. Sensory experience wins.<\/p>\n