Northwest Bounty

Andrew Turner - Host

orthwest Bounty is the culmination of Andrew Turner's passion and experience in both the food and wine industries. A classically trained chef, Andrew studied with some of the finest chefs in the world, including a one-year apprenticeship with the man heralded by Time Magazine as "The World's Best Chef," Alain Ducasse, at his flagship restaurant Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

From each of his culinary experiences, Andrew derived a different skill set and focus that has made up his own philosophy. Each chef has a different talent that stands out as being one of their biggest strengths. Chef Joachim Splichal of Patina in Los Angeles is the ultimate business man, emphasizing the utilization of humble ingredients in innovative ways. From Hubert Keller, owner/chef of the acclaimed Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, Andrew learned the organizational skill necessary to run a highly efficient kitchen. And from Alain Ducasse, at his, then, only Michelin 3-Star restaurant, Le Louis XV in The Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Andrew learned first hand how simplicity and the purity of the ingredient can be extravagant on its own.

Andrew was also the winery chef at Robert Sinskey Vineyards in the Napa Valley, and it was here that he continued his education into using the bounty of the land, from cooking directly from the on-site culinary garden he planted, to using the wild yeast from the vineyard's grapes to craft his own artisan bread baked in a wood fired oven right in the winery tasting room.

From the West Coast Andrew felt called to the East to share his seasonal cuisine with gourmands in Vermont, where he was the Executive Chef at the critically acclaimed Jackson House Inn (named "The finest dining experience to be had in Vermont" by Vermont Magazine). Said the Frommer's Guide of Andrew's Cuisine: [At the Jackson House Inn] "You'll experience some of the most exquisite meals in New England, ingeniously conceived, deftly prepared and artfully arranged."

But Andrew considers himself "a West Coast boy at heart" and it was time to come home. He says: "Being back in the West just feels right. The appreciation for farm products seems to be second to none here. People get it!" Wanting to recharge his culinary juices and to further explore a life long love of wine, Andrew settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley. For over five years Andrew has been managing the premier wine tasting destination in the Willamette Valley, the Ponzi Wine Bar. The Ponzi wine family, pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, have entrusted Andrew to helm this one-of-a-kind tasting room that highlights not just Ponzi Vineyards wines, but acts as the local tasting room and retail outlet to premium Northwest wine producers. From more well known brands, such as Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Adelsheim Vineyard, to tiny producers making less than 200 cases per year, Andrew has very close relationships with nearly every single wine producer in the Willamette Valley and beyond. It is his passion and knowledge, and his belief in wine and food as a married couple, as well as his sincere commitment to sharing his knowledge with others, that makes him the ideal host for Northwest Bounty.