ONAMIA--Turns out that great fishing, good golf, giant jackpots and stellar state parks aren't the only draws for visitors to Mille Lacs Lake these days.
You can now add: award-winning chef's cuisine.
Meet Kevin Aho, executive chef, at Izatys Resort – winner of the 2011 Certified Hereford Beef's Distinguished Chef award Thursday.
In an eclectic version of chef "show and tell", Aho celebrated his win by dishing out Beef Carpaccio, Steak and Blue Salad, Filet Veloute, Sirloin Duxelle and Steaks and Eggs Oscar for key people who had a hand in selecting him for the award.
"It's an honor. It's a personal honor," said Aho , sporting the ‘Hereford Distinguished Chef' patch, just above the right breast pocket of his starched, white chef coat. He wins a weekend, all-expense paid trip to Chicago, a much-needed vacation from work and feature billing in Certified Hereford Beef LLC's Distinguished Chef literature and website.
"It puts Mille Lacs on the map for good chefs," Aho said, grinning. "Maybe it means more people coming up to our area, too."
Aho is the second winner of the award, according to Michael Welch, vice president of food services of Certified Hereford Beef LLC. Headquartered in Kansas City, Certified Hereford Beef is featured in more than 10,000 restaurants nationwide. Welch said Aho was nominated by Izatys and Sysco Foods. His nomination, coupled with letters of recommendation, his resume, the Izatys menu and his entrees won him the Hereford Award.
Aho's endorsement already graces a Hereford company brochure: "… I would never go back to any other beef, including any of the Angus brands. It's all about the customer and quality in my establishment and Certified Hereford Beef rates #1 in my culinary book. Certified Hereford Beef has made my ratings for food at Izatys 5-star."As photographers snapped shots of his entrees Thursday afternoon and onlookers began to sample the entrees, you could tell Aho was in his element. "They're almost too beautiful to eat, so they take pictures. They think food like that only comes from the Twin Cities."
For several years now, Aho's skills have been on display locally. He's in his third season as Izatys executive chef – his second stint overall at the resort. Golfers, fishing enthusiasts and owners of the 184 townhomes and timeshares at Izatys have had the regular fortune of dining on Aho's delights.
Until now, word of mouth has been his biggest boost. He will get national exposure in several food service and travel magazines and websites along with the Hereford Distinguished Chef designation.
"There's Manny's, Seven and places like Crave," said Aho, citing benchmark s for great steak in the Twin Cities. "And there's Izatys. It means Izatys will be a home for me. Our food is right up there with the (Twin Cities') best."So what's with Hereford vs Angus anyway? It's the young heifer or steers with the "white face", that are the 'mark' of the Herefords. They have taste-proven genetics, making the meat juicier, more tender and tastier than the more than 30 Angus beefs offered at fast-food franchises and some steakhouses, according to a Hereford brochure. Even a local Hereford Beef farmer from Princeton was on hand for the award.
But you be the judge. Give Aho and his cousine a try at Izatys. We're pretty sure you'll be delighted, back for more and talking about Hereford. Izatys is open weekends all winter. For hours and the Izatys menu go to Izatys.com.