As Executive Chef of Auberge du Soleil, Robert Curry oversees all culinary aspects of the renowned Napa Valley Inn and Michelin-starred restaurant. Chef Curry’s menu reflects his extensive experience in the traditions of both Napa Valley and France. He brings to the Auberge a passion for Wine Country cuisine cultivated at award-winning restaurants in Napa, on both coasts, and in Europe.
Chef Robert Curry’s menus highlight the bounty of Napa Valley with house-made ingredients as well as local produce. “We are fortunate to have not only an understanding of the seasons but also accessibility to all this produce,” he explains. “Food of place is really about being tied to what is seasonal. It is how I grew up eating, and it is the very basis of my cooking style.” Although he was trained mostly by French chefs in French cuisine, Chef Curry’s primary focus is on ingredients: “It’s great to show technique, but it’s also nice to let the product stand for itself.” He is particularly excited about the movement toward cooking local: “In French cuisine you learn about different geographical areas, why things are regional, and what is specific about it, and now this is translating over into what we do in the United States as well.” Curry points to the insight he gets from his farmers as a key component to the produce he uses in each season: “We know our farmers on a first-name basis, which allows us to learn a lot directly from them. For example, they’ll tell us we should use baby greens in the spring, when it is not so hot and takes the shoots a little longer to grow, which means they get more minerality from the earth. In the summer, though, the shoots grow more quickly without developing a strong flavor profile. This is valuable information for our kitchen and helps guide our menus.”
