Printer-friendly version

Darrell began cooking at his best friend's family restaurant in Arcadia, California, a suburb of Los Angeles when he was sixteen. After several years of working there, he enrolled in a small cooking school and within a week, he knew he had found his calling in life. The head chef saw something in him and sent him to the Century Plaza Hotel and Tower to do a formal ACF apprenticeship. He thrived during the three years of training under Master Chef Raimund Hofmeister, CMC. The training was hard but his love of cooking grew and the passion has been with him ever since. He was named one of the top apprentices in the country in the final year of his apprenticeship and he sat on the board as the junior member representative to the local ACF chapter.

After graduation, he worked at several top restaurants and clubs including the Los Angeles Country Club and Michel Richard's Citrus. Darrell then had the opportunity to help open the Snake River Grill in Jackson Hole where he quickly fell in love with the mountains. He worked in Jackson Hole and Breckenridge for the next ten years before coming to the Vail Valley and opening Falling Creek as Executive Chef with Chris Randall. He then took over the Game Creek Restaurant for Vail Resorts and continued his success. During his first winter, he took the top prize in the Lamb Cook Off and was named the Lamb Guru of Vail. He then hosted a dinner with celebrity chef Michael Chiarello. He also received a grant from the Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation that sent him to Maine to work at Browne Trading, one of the top seafood suppliers in the country. While there, he also staged at Hugo's Restaurant with James Beard nominated Chef Rob Evans. He plans on continuing to learn and cook food that will match the beauty and splendor of The Game Creek Restaurant.

Recipes:
Coleman All Natural Filet w/ Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Arugula
Scallops with Caviar Vinaigrette