Jeremy’s on the Hill Food and Wine Pairing

Jeremy’s on the Hill Food and Wine Pairing

An afternoon with Chef de Cuisine, Jeremy Manley

Jeremy's on the Hill

Jeremy Manley is one talented chef. And busy. As the owner of Jeremy’s on the Hill in Wynola, cooking isn’t foreign to him. At the age of ten, Jeremy started working in his mother’s business kitchen at Angels Landing Country Inn, first washing dishes and then around age eleven, he chopped and diced with a family member, Karla Ludtke. Under her tutelage he worked with many different types of food from Italian to African, learned to carve fruits and create beautiful displays. By age thirteen he took over cooking, catering weddings and retreats.

“Sometimes, we would have a wedding in the main area, a retreat going up in the conference room and a rehearsal dinner up in the Lilac Suite.  Very often, days would start at 6:00am and end at 10:00pm. Jeremy has quite the stamina,” says his mother, Teresa Keller.

After graduating from Julian High School, Jeremy headed to San Francisco to study at the world famous Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After an externship at Mill Fleur in Rancho Santa Fe, he was ready to start his own adventure. In March 2008 he opened Jeremy’s on the Hill, a true family affair, with his sister, Brigida, mother Teresa, grandparents and cousin Karla all part of the restaurant.

Jeremy Manley

After the Julian Union High School District was awarded one of Michelle Obama’s Farm-to-Table grants, Jeremy was selected to offer the lunch program for the schools.  Starting this fall, he will make food at his restaurant and distribute it to the schools in the district.

Recently, in spite of his busy schedule, I was lucky enough to enjoy a food and wine pairing that Jeremy prepared for a group of food and wine writers. This memorable meal was paired with local wines making it all the more special.

Flash Fried Brussel Sprouts

The amuse-bouche, offered to tease and cleanse our palates, was crispy flash-fried Brussels sprouts with Jeremy’s tangy ponzu sauce (a soy sauce infused with citrus) and an orange slice to soften the flavors. This made the usually ordinary greens absolutely luscious. The burst of flavor in my mouth was an excellent starter to the meal. I was told that this recipe was a result of a mistake, and what a wonderful mistake it was.

The first course was a Festival of Radish Salad and homemade blistered jalapeno stuffed with hunter sausage. Jeremy makes his sausages with pork from Cook Pigs Ranch in Julian. The medleys of radishes were delightfully light and fresh and served on a bed of spicy radish leaves. Perfectly matched with a Grenache Blanc from Turtle Rock Ridge Winery in Ramona, this surprisingly rich and full white wine had plenty of crisp acid to hold up to the radishes.

In between courses we were introduced to each entrée and regaled with stories of Jeremy’s life, his friends, what he’s up to and all the fun he’s having with his food truck. This summer he has been out at Turtle Rock Ridge Winery offering foods for guests on the patio.

Next up was an heirloom tomato salad with smoked eggplant, Maytag blue cheese, red onions and sage balsamic vinaigrette. This was paired with a Warner Springs Hawk Watch 2010 Syrah. Jeremy smoked the eggplant because he felt that the Syrah was smoky and the two would complement each other. He was right. Summertime and lush tomatoes go hand in hand. This pairing was the group’s favorite.

Heirloom tomato salad with smoked eggplant

The main course was a house made sage fettuccine with a summer vegetable ratatouille, featuring locally grown vegetables and house cured Pancetta (bacon) from Cook Pigs Ranch and sprinkled with a thinly sliced Manchego cheese. Warner Springs was well-represented with a 2008 La Serenissima Cabernet Franc. Tony, the winemaker, has craft this bold and complex wine that held up nicely with all the flavors of the entrée.

We finished with a Strawberry Shortcake Jeremy Style. Peach preserves, oregano and mint garnished with shaved chocolate. Aah! Paired with 2012 Menghini Winery Julian Gold Muscat Canelli, this dessert melted in our mouths.

This fall when you’re headed to Julian for Apple Days or Pumpkin picking, make sure that you stop in Wynola for a spectacular meal. You can thank me later.

Robin Dohrn-Simpson Freelance Writer www.robindohrnsimpson.com