No one would deny it takes passion and dedication to be a chef. Truth be told, it takes passion and dedication to be successful in any field, really. It can be argued that because chefs rely largely on creativity to be successful, then they need constantly stay up on trends, techniques and of course keep a sharp business acumen to move to the front of their field. A few weeks ago I took a short road trip from Savannah to chat with a chef. I’ve taken road trips to chat with chefs and restaurant owners dozens of times but never have I walked away more impressed than from the scene I witnessed after spending 90 minutes with Daven Wardynski, Executive Chef at the Omni Resort at Amelia Island Plantation.
I say this respectfully, because I know how passionate most successful chefs are, but I hear a lot of the same things all of the time. The best chefs are always looking for the best ingredients they can find, not just saying they are. The best chefs are the most creative and the most consistent. The best live, eat and breathe everything about their restaurants. They get home at 1am and read cookbooks. They burn the candle at however many ends they can. Chef Daven does that as well, regularly working from 6am until 11pm or so, 6 days a week. Only a part of that is in a restaurant. How can that be, you ask?
If you aren’t familiar with Ameila Island Plantation, you should know that it is huge. Over 1,300 acres huge. Much like you might see on Hilton Head Island, the property is sprinkled with private residences. The Omni Resort is beachfront and is, ultimately, the plantation’s crown jewel for vacationers. Chef Daven overseas culinary operations there as well as most of the 10 restaurants on the plantation plus the 80,000 square feet of conference space and in room dining. “I touch every menu.” Daven tells me when I ask how in the world he can possibly handle it all. “Of course I have a huge staff of professionals that make it all work as well.”
If those numbers don’t overwhelm you, which they could even the most experienced chef, consider what Chef Daven does in his spare time. Upon our arrival on the Plantation grounds last month, we were whisked off to an inner sanctuary. It’s called The Sprouting Project. What started out as a perhaps more hobby than anything has extended and grown into a massive homegrown operation complete with a greenhouse, a full blown aquaponics system and five bee hives, all aimed at providing the resort with as much locally grown product as they possibly can. Herbs, produce, honey and much more on the way. All of it tended to, maintained and enhanced by Daven himself.
A Michigan native, he admits he had a bit of a background in farming. That certainly helps, but the Aquaponics? Chances are you aren’t familiar with it either. In a nutshell, it is a system where plants are grown using fish waste converted to fertilizer. That is oversimplifying it all, but suffice to say, fish in a tank allow herbs to grow. The herbs are then used in any number of ways on the Plantation property. Where’d he pick up all of this stuff? “Behold the power of You Tube.” he admits “I had experience back in Michigan with sugar beets and soybeans, so I applied some of those techniques here.” he adds. “But I will say farming cycles here in Florida are very different than Michigan. There was a learning curve”
A tour through the greenhouse reveals lettuce growing on one end, basil on another. In one corner is a large barrel like structure that is essentially a fish tank. It’s the fish there that fertilizes the plants for their growth. The basil, for example, is usually made into pesto that is used at one of the restaurants on property. Outside we cross a tiny creek on a foot bridge Daven made with some his assistants “I told them I was going to do it and they laughed. So I did it.” he says with a smile. “There is no reason why we can use that land right over there.”
Right over there is where Daven keeps his bee colony. As he tells me about that entire process he points to wooded areas where he hopes to raise chickens and goats. His green thumb is significant and he is showing no signs of slowing down. “You can’t control passion, if it is innate, it explodes. On a personal side, before I finish one project I am already thinking on how I can improve the guest experience in another area.” Did we mention that he is the Executive Chef at this property? Not the head farmer? “My ultimate goal is to not only to stay relevant as a chef, but be the one pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and current. I strive to be thee one creating “the next, next”. On a more conceptual level, it is my responsibility as a chef to nurture and share everything of my current locale. This area in North Florida, this island and, in particular, this resort are amazing…..no truly amazing. It is one in a million and a place that I am fortunate to have the opportunity to share in. Every opportunity I have to rethink how we approach food, I will.” he says.
That is passion.
He travels around the property on his bicycle. Seriously, on his bike. The office staff likes to joke with him because he will park it in the bushes when he is in the hotel working with his staff. Sometimes they will hide it from him. He laughs, shrugs it off and heads off to help some staff members execute anything from a waterfront luncheon to a corporate dinner. Sometimes there’s breakfast to get out to a couple of hundred people, lunch service maybe at their beachfront restaurant and perhaps a wedding reception for a few hundred more on the property in a single day. Much like the bees he is raising in his little agricultural corner of the world, Chef Daven hops from venue to venue interacting and making sure everything is going off without a hitch. In between, he’s tending to his massive garden. Farm is a better word. But it’s the interaction he says that is the most exciting. Which also gives him an opportunity to teach a whole new generation of culinary talent.
“The ability to interact, share and freely showcase the resort – not be hidden in the kitchens.” Daven tells me. “Our resort is expansive and we operate the culinary division much like what you would find in a culinary school. We have chefs that come here thinking they have a pretty good understanding of food and are then are turned on their head when we introduce new techniques and new ideas in food such as the Sprouting Project. I want all our chefs to grow and be better today than they were yesterday.” he says. Those lessons extend beyond his staff at The Omni.
On Sundays he’s been known to bring his two daughters out to the property to help him with The Sprouting Project. “There is something about showing them that the salads they enjoy so much come from something they can create.” He says. There is no telling if his kids will end up working on a farm or in a kitchen, but he says they enjoy a few hours outdoors getting dirty and learning about where food comes from. Even if it means sometimes he’s learning a little bit about it as well. “Every opportunity I have to re-think food, I will.” Daven tells me.
With that in mind, the Omni Resort a few years ago created the Fish to Fork Weekend on Amelia Island. It is a three day culinary weekend aimed at offering guests the best and freshest foods they can offer. There is lunch at The Sprouting Project, where guests can see this massive facility in person and enjoy some of the fruits it bears. There is a fishing excursion where guests are invited out to fish with chefs. The evenings meals will consist of the fish they caught that morning. There is a Saturday night main event with guest chefs from across the South, all coming together in the name of freshness, sustainability and creativity.
“We have come to a point in our society where food is no longer about just eating. It is about so much more.” Daven says. “It is a vehicle for us to deliver not only great food, but nostalgia and help you as the guest reconnect with memories.” Chef Daven says Fish to Fork Weekend is just the perfect opportunity to do that. To learn more about the 3 day event, click here.
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Jesse
