Shot taken at the Lysakov Gallery in Pacific Grove - 65° Magazine

innovative approaches to cooking regularly. “We
collaborate back and forth a great deal,” Keene says.
“I’m quite fortunate to be associated with a man of his
expertise and wisdom.”
As you enter the main lodge at Carmel Valley Ranch and
stroll past the lobby area, you encounter Citronelle in a
series of pieces tied together by décor. After you move
through the 35-seat lounge area, you find yourself passing
the 17-seat bar before angling past a 12-seat chef’s table
and passing into the light and airy 54-seat dining room.
There is also a private dining room which seats up to 24.
CHASING SEASONS, FOLLOwING TRENDS
Like most professional chefs, Keene says his primary
interest in his profession is the creativity it allows him to
express. “That and I really like the instant gratification of
seeing the results of my creativity every day,” he says with
a wry chuckle.
Part of the fun for him at Citronelle is what he calls
“chasing the seasons” in the lush Northern California
countryside. “In the spring, you get to think about new
ways to incorporate morels, asparagus, fresh peas, and
peaches, into the menu. Then comes summer and you
turn your attention to tomatoes and melons. In the fall,
you focus on things like apples and mushrooms. It’s just a
never-ending range of variety of choices.”
Keene also tries to keep abreast of trends in his profession,
particularly when it comes to different cooking
techniques. “We are evolving into a whole new way of
DINE 53
Citronelle features a 35–seat
lounge area, a 17–seat bar, a
12–seat Chef’s table, and a
54–seat dining room.
cooking right now,” he says with enthusiasm. “We’re
looking at using liquid nitrogen in some fascinating ways.
There’s an intriguing trend toward sous-vide cooking.
That’s a style that uses cooking in a bag in which a
vacuum is created.” He enjoys experimenting with
cooking approaches that are variations CONTINUED ON PG 89