El Dorado County_Foothills_Style Magazine - November 2018

John Sanders
Old Town Grill, 444 Main Street, Placerville, 530-622-
2631, otgplacerville.com
Nick Dedier
Milestone, 4359 Town Center Boulevard, Suite 116, El
Dorado Hills, 916-934-0790, milestonerestaurantedh.com
Nick Dedier has traveled
leaps and bounds from his
college days of working as a
casual server and even as a
dishwasher at Strings Italian
Café. From attending the
Culinary Institute of America in
New York and holding varying
positions at numerous Michelin
star restaurants—Daniel Boulud
Brasserie, Gary Danko, Thomas
Keller Restaurant Group—to
working with Auberge Resorts,
it’s safe to say this superstar
has an impressive résumé—and
some serious culinary chops.
Decorative background aside,
however, his true joy lies in
supporting small businesses
by cooking solid, locally
sourced, seasonal food for the
community.
First memory of food: Making
scrambled eggs with my mom
and Aunt Jan. I learned on my
own that the more cream I
added the better they were.
Food philosophy: Always cook
like you're cooking for family
and friends, not customers or
the bottom line. Keep it classic,
not trendy; rich and valuable,
not precious and pricey.
If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be: A
fishing guide.
Top cooking tip: Chefs only
become better by using
better quality ingredients with
diligently practiced techniques.
The best thing I ever ate:
Oysters and Pearls at The
French Laundry in Yountville.
One food I'll never get
behind: Vegan food made to
look like meat.
Guilty pleasure food: Any hot
dog from Ruffhaus Hot Dog Co.
Favorite ingredient to work
with: Great food is loaded with
love; considering I’m my own
boss working with my fiancé in
a New American restaurant, I
get to work with that ingredient
every day and am proud to say
it shows. Also, salt. Developing
a method and a madness
to salt usage really makes
food sing. The famous chef
Jean-Louis Palladin made the
inference that people don't go
to restaurants because [chefs]
know how to cook, they go out
because [they] know how to
use salt.
For dinner last night I ate:
Leftover Chinese food in the
only fashion acceptable—the
dregs from every box, in a bowl,
with white rice heated up and
devoured.
Favorite food pairing:
Sparkling wine and anything; or
pork and fruit.
Favorite restaurant and dish:
“Chip and Dip” at State Bird
Provisions in San Francisco.
You'd never know it, but: I
grew up absolutely loathing
onions.
John Sanders always knew he wanted his own restaurant.
He’s clocked 41 years as a chef (18 at the grill) and while
food will always be his first passion, his other passion is
helping folks develop a solid work foundation right in his
own kitchen.
First memory of food: Coming from a family of nine
children—yes, nine—my dear mother would prepare a
meal for the family and we’d all share the day and enjoy it
together.
Food philosophy: Take advantage of the local resources
and bounty that our area has to offer.
If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be: I’m living my dream job.
Top cooking tip: The three “T”s ensure a finished product—
time, temperature, and taste.
The best thing I ever ate: A perfectly seared and
seasoned chuck-end, bone-in ribeye.
One food I’ll never get behind: Mushrooms—I like the
earthy profile, but I can’t handle the texture.
Guilty pleasure food: My 10 p.m. snack!
Favorite ingredient to work with: Walking through our
farmers’ markets and utilizing whatever came out of the
farms that day.
For dinner last night, I ate: Shrimp fajitas in a cast iron
skillet cooked on an open fire alongside zucchini stuffed
with crab, salmon, scallops, and lobster.
Favorite food pairing: Wild game with a deep, earthy
sauce and fresh herbs.
Favorite restaurant and dish: Cioppino with sourdough
bread at Scoma’s in San Francisco.
You’d never know it, but: I have more than 30 years being
clean and sober, and my passion through food is to help
others who just need a break or a chance.
NOVEMBER 2018 // styleedc.com 31