A Look Back at Chef Rashida Holmes’ Residency
August 29 – September 1
Having kicked off our third year of Shifting the Lens, Chef Rashida Holmes brought her personal take on Afro-Caribbean cuisine to the Bubble Room, presenting a fully curated five-course tasting menu paired with small-lot sparkling and still wines created by Winemaker Nicole Hitchcock.
©JAMES BEARD AWARDS is a registered trademark and property of the James Beard Foundation and is not affiliated with J Vineyards & Winery.
©EATER is a registered trademark and property of Eater and is not affiliated with J Vineyards & Winery.
©ESQUIRE is a registered trademark and property of Esquire and is not affiliated with J Vineyards & Winery.
I wanted guests to feel like everything they tried
during Shifting the Lens was unlike anything
they’ve had before, but also reminds them of home,
of family, of grandma in the kitchen…I wanted to
inspire guests to be adventurous eaters and seekers.
– Chef Rashida Holmes
Enjoy Chef Holmes’ Wine Selections at Home
Mix and match any five of the wines featured on Chef Holmes’ menu, and enjoy 15% off with the purchase of 5+ bottles. Club J members receive an extra 5% off on top of their Club discount. Offer ends September 30.
2017 Blanc de BLANCS
A bright and crisp wine with notes of Meyer lemon, dried green apple and apricot.
Paired with: Amuse-Bouche of Fried Codfish Cake, Garlic Aioli and Chives
2009 VINTAGE BRUT MAGNUM
Aromas of red berries, golden apples and Meyer lemon lead into notes of apple blossom, peach purée and almond.
Paired with: Baby Potato Salad, Cajun Black-Eyed Peas, Curry Leaf Chili Oil and Mint
2022 ESTATE PINOT GRIS
Aromas of ripe nectarine and jasmine with notes of white peach, kiwi and green apple blend seamlessly on the smooth palate.
Paired with: Shrimp Escabeche, Plantain Tostones, Mango Chow, Green Seasoning and Turmeric Curry Spice
2013 Blanc de NOIRS
With a light, creamy mousse, this wine settles into flavors of alpine strawberry, lemon curd and apple blossom on the crisp palate.
Paired with: Bara Bread, Curried Chickpeas, Cucumber Chutney, Tamarind Vinaigrette and Onion Flowers
2017 EDITION NO. 2 PINOT NOIR
Opening with dominant fruit notes, this wine’s concentration and bright acidity evolves into distinctive forest floor and savory notes.
Paired with: Red Pepper Goat, West African Peanut Sauce, Callaloo Greens, Young Coconut Chutney, Cabbage Slaw and Paratha Roti
GET TO KNOW CHEF RASHIDA
I’ve spent the last three years in a casual food space and actively rejecting fine dining. But I am really excited to jump back into a fine dining service, and bring everything about Caribbean cuisine I have learned over the last three years. I think the entire Sonoma Valley can benefit from expansion of what a fine dining meal looks like, smells like, tastes like, and how wine can be the perfect complement. I loved meeting the kitchen team and winemakers on our initial visit and adding them to my network of food friends. Their passion for the process of wine is palpable, and the amount I learned and will learn about wine and the Russian River Valley has already had an impact on my creativity.
It wasn’t until about three years after culinary school. I was living in Pittsburgh working for my first female head chef. For the first five years, cooking for me was a job, even though I went to school and had made the financial commitment to the profession — I hadn’t made the mental commitment. The combination of family expectations, self-doubt, and a couple of rough years had stifled any ambitions I had for a future in food. Then I worked at place that challenged all that (part of a JBF nominated restaurant group). I saw a future path. I saw a woman command the respect of a bunch of messed up misfit cooks, and got the best out of us every day. I was a part of a close-knit kitchen team, half of us lived together or around the corner, we cooked, we cleaned, we drank, we slept, and repeat. And the food was great, and innovative, and simple, inspiring. That place and those people inspired me to take my career seriously, motivated me to re-recreate that world with my own vision, and I’ve been working toward that ever since.
The Blanc de Blancs sparkling had stuck in my brain since the tasting in February. I’ve never been a fan of chardonnay as a varietal and this wine has changed my opinion of it completely, although I think this might be a singular occurrence. The creamy texture (didn’t know sparkling wine could have that kind of mouth feel) simultaneously rich and minerally, with acid and fruity notes. It blew my mind and gave me many ideas. I also want many bottles of it forever.
My mission to serve more goat to the masses will continue at J this summer. Can’t bring the goat without the curry as well. I am excited to incorporate local oysters, and the wonderful summer produce with a pairing of something like stone fruit, scotch bonnet, cilantro oil and lime mignonette. I think the Blanc de Blancs would be a great pairing. Summer is BBQ season and I have been working on the perfect potato salad, the unsung hero of BBQ sides and a staple at any proper Bajan fish grill. I think it would work well with the Annapolis Ridge Pinot Noir, but I can’t wait to see what Nicole and her team think.
I want guests to feel like everything they tried was unlike anything they have had before, but also reminds them of home, of family, of grandma in the kitchen, if they were lucky enough to have one. I want guests to feel the food in their soul, and know the love that went into it. I want to inspire guests to be adventurous eaters and seekers, bringing J wine to their local Jamaican restaurant with rice and peas and oxtail piled on a Styrofoam plate. I hope everyone has a really good time, that and we all have a Carib party together.
MORE ON SHIFTING THE LENS
Now in its third year, Shifting the Lens has made its mark on the wine culinary industry by spotlighting award-winning guest chefs, delivering unforgettable pairing experiences and amplifying the conversation around representation in wine and food space. Click below to take a look back at our previous years and learn more about this year’s program.
FIND MORE TOP-RATED SONOMA COUNTy EVENTS
There’s so much more to taste, see and experience at J.