Elements with Reynolds Family Winery and Lambert Bridge Winery

Sponsored by Gene Upchurch and Lisa Piercy

Elements offers simple, yet elegantly composed food in a serene, contemporary setting. Their passion for fine dining will compliment your taste for haute cuisine. From the moment you walk in to the last delicious morsel you will taste, elements promises to deliver a unique and exquisite dining experience. Their cuisine combines classical as well as modern Asian and European cooking techniques to enhance the flavors of loc al and sustainable ingredients. The menu changes often to capitalize on the freshest and most seasonal fare. elements is proud that they select menu items from local farms and food producers such as Coon Rock Farm, Brinkley Farms and Goat Lady Dairy. The seafood at elements is also delivered fresh from North Carolina seafood purveyors and global sustainable vendors.

Although born in Southern Vietnam, Chef Michael Chuong fled at age 15, escaping Communist Vietnam. After arriving in the United States, Chuong learned the English language and the ways of Americans while attending high school in New Orleans, and later at Louisiana State University where he studied for his dream career in architectural design. But what began as a part-time job at the four-star Inter-Continental Hotel of New Orleans soon took hold as his new dream career. Recognized for his advanced palate, finesse in the kitchen like his mother, and curiosity in the culinary arts, Chuong was trained extensively and eventually promoted throughout the kitchen to the position of Chef de Cuisine at the Inter-Continental Hotel’s five-star restaurant, Le Continent. In 1992, when asked by his colleague to join him as his partner and chef in opening Delargo, Chuong seized the opportunity as excellent training for the restaurant of his own he knew he’d one day open. By 1993, Chuong’s reputation as one of New Orleans’s best chefs was no secret. The four-star Fairmont Hotel recruited him to reinvigorate their highest-end dining room, Zazerac. After one year, Chuong succeeded in elevating their status to one of the top 25 restaurants in New Orleans, and again received four stars for his exemplary efforts.

With such accomplishments under his toque, Chuong accepted the role as Executive Chef and Operations Manager at New Orleans’s City Energy Club in 1995. He then accepted the position as Executive Chef at the privately owned Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC, in 1997. After 8 years as the beloved Executive Chef at Prestonwood Country Club, Goodnight bestowed on Chuong his biggest honor yet – to partner with her in opening his own restaurant. ăn, which opened in late Summer 2006, represented the culmination of Chuong’s talent, heritage and culinary experience, introducing a Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant like no other to the region. Here, Chuong’s life story unfolds at the table, through his version of “New World” cuisine. Successfully opening and operating ăn for over 6 years, Chuong has won multiple awards, and made ăn into a Triangle destination dining spot. elements, opening in 2012 will be his next challenge opening and operating his own restaurant concept. elements has been customized to the locals’ palates, and will feature more dishes and flavors the community is looking and craving for. Chef Chuong has already created a large following, goodwill in the community, and captured the attention and love of the Triangle.

www.elementsofchapelhill.com

 

Reynolds Family Winery

The Reynolds family interest in wine started when the youngest boy, Steve Reynolds, was living in Germany as a young teenager. Wine was always part of his daily life and his father often took the whole family on wine tasting trips through Europe. He is grateful to his father for sharing his passion and infecting him with his enthusiasm for wine.  Steve and his father dreamt of building a winery together and their vision became reality when he and his wife, Suzie, traded their dental practice for the life of wine growers in 1994. The winery is Tuscan style, one of Steve’s father’s favorite wine growing regions, and is surrounded by 10 acres Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in 1996. Their first vintage was produced in 1999, and they now create eight wines, including a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, two Pinot Noir's (from the Russian River Valley and Los Carneros), a Merlot, the Estate Cabernet, a Reserve Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon and a red wine Bordeaux blend appropriately called “Persistence” TM.

http://www.reynoldsfamilywinery.com

Lambert Bridge Winery

Lambert Bridge has carved out a niche as a producer of completely hand-crafted, impeccably balanced wines that mix old-world refinement with perfectly ripened grape varietals only available from Sonoma County’s unique and treasured terriors. Established in 1975, Lambert Bridge Winery is one of the oldest in the valley since prohibition – its early days coinciding with the infamous 1976 Parish Tasting which helped cement California’s status as a fine growing region worldwide. Originally a small 5,000 case facility, Lambert Bridge quickly gained a reputation for rich, complex wines. During a visit to Northern Sonoma County, the Chambers family was so captivated by the beauty of the area and the potential for Lambert Bridge Winery to become something truly exceptional that they become the second and current owners of Lambert Bridge in 1993. The wines are complex and expressive, and meant to be enjoyed with friends and family over conversation and cherished meals. They describe their wine style as offering European elegance and refinement, coupled with the intense flavor and bright aromatics that are found only in Sonoma County fruit.

http://www.lambertbridge.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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