FOOD
featured chef
You ever go to a restaurant and order something so good you think for second that if this was your last meal that would be just fine by you? “I could never make this at home,” you say out loud. “Never.” Your dining partner agrees. You start planning how you might rob a bank and hire a personal chef. Or, heck, why not just kidnap this one…
Being the do-gooders we are, we thought maybe we should save you from time in the bighouse. “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime,” they say. So, relax. Put away the rope. We're bringing them to you.
Jason Berthold
Executive Chef, RN74
It is apparent that everything Jason Berthold does, he does exceedingly well. Chef, winemaker, and entrepreneur are just a few words to describe him. Berthold’s style of cuisine is equal parts modern and disciplined. It is cleanly rooted in classic training, while not constrained by predisposed limitations or boundaries. Berthold thrives on delivering pure, vibrant flavors that showcase each ingredient with equal enthusiasm and respect. He revels in the process, the transformation of the raw ingredient to its final destination – akin to the journey of grape to glass in winemaking. As winemaker for his own label, Courier, Berthold strives for a balanced dance between the plate and the glass. It was his awareness, determination and culinary creativity that eventually led him to RN74, the perfect complement to RN74 partner, vintner and Wine Director, Rajat Parr.
Given the creative freedom to develop his own menu for RN74, Berthold took a modern, yet simple approach to regional French fare, while positioning wine pairing as a vital slice of the dining experience. What Berthold’s two menus have in common is an emphasis on allowing each ingredient to shine, while also ensuring that those unique flavors and textures mingle with the beauty and complexity of RN74’s featured wines. Determined to provide guests with his own interpretation of culinary harmony, he has designed servings to perfectly complement the pour sizes of each wine glass – a calculated sweet spot, according to Berthold.
In tandem with his entre into culinary fortitude at French Laundry, Berthold was magnetized by Napa Valley and the rhythms of winemaking. The physical, hands-on worlds of kitchen and cellar became surprisingly similar to him. “In both worlds,” said Berthold, “decisions are based on the senses – taste, sight, smell and the memory of those senses are what fuel winemakers and chefs alike.” Berthold found his winemaking chops working hands-on with iconoclast Abe Schoener, producer of the Scholium Project Wines, and now produces wine under his own label, Courier. Groomed by masters in their own fields, Berthold emerged with a uniquely intense, balanced perspective – one that he will use as a lens for creating an unforgettable experience for San Francisco diners.