John Ash is an
internationally recognized chef, educator, and author, who is credited as
one of the creators of Wine Country Cuisine. After rising in popularity
throughout Northern California wine country with his eponymous restaurant,
which opened in 1980, Ash first came to national prominence in 1985 when he
was selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's "hot new
chefs." John Ash & Co. continues to earn outstanding kudos today, and is
regularly recognized as one of America's best by leading critics and
publications.
In 1990, Ash joined Fetzer Vineyards as their Culinary Director and has
gained national prominence as a food and wine educator. He is a passionate
educator for the winery, conducting wine training and cooking classes on the
winery property and throughout the world. He has worked to de-mystify wine
for countless wine professionals and consumers in the last decade. In 1999,
Ash was named Dean of the Brown-Forman Center for Global Wine Education,
overseeing one of the most comprehensive professional educational programs
in the wine industry.
Ash teaches regularly at professional institutions such as The Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone. He also home chefs at cooking
schools all around the world including The Disney Institute, Sur La Table,
cruise lines such as Crystal Cruises, and at important food and wine events
such as Florida Winefest, Taste of the Nation, Telluride and others. Ash is
also a consultant to various restaurant and hotel groups in the development
of new menus and concepts.
He has published two books: American Game Cooking (Addison Wesley) in 1991
and From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine (Dutton) in
1996. The latter was awarded the prestigious Julia Child Award as "Best
American Cookbook" and "Cookbook of the Year" in 1996 by the International
Association of Culinary Professionals. The book was also nominated for "Best
American Regional Cookbook" by the James Beard Foundation. Ash is a frequent
contributor to publications such as Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking,
and was a contributing author to the latest revision of Joy of Cooking.
Additionally, he writes a regular column for the Los Angeles Times
Syndicate and contributes to The New York Times Web site,
Winetoday.com. He was featured for two years on The Television Food Network
with his own show "John Ash" and has had a live radio show in Northern
California for the past 14 years.
In addition to his role with Fetzer Vineyards and Brown-Forman Wine Group,
Ash has been spokesperson for a number of food-related organizations such as
Chilean Fresh Fruit Marketing Association, California Raisin and Prune
Boards, Chinet, Muir Glen Organics and Real California Cheese (part of
California Milk Advisory Board). Ash is a passionate spokesman for ethical
and sustainable food issues.