Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington
New Executive Chef Christophe Jalbert
By: Cisco - Jun 25, 2013
Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington, listed as one of America’s best farm-to-table restaurants in Gourmet Magazine, announces new executive chef Christophe Jalbert, who started his post on May 31.
Prior to joining the team at Route 7 Grill, Chef Jalbert served as the executive chef and owner at Après Vous Bistro, in Wilmington, Vt. Immediately preceding his restaurant ownership, he was a private chef for more than eight years and saw such opportunities as cooking for the likes of the Rockefellers and working in Paris, Newport, RI., and Manhattan. His 20-plus years of experience as an executive chef has seen him manage a four-star restaurant, work under James Beard award-winning Chef Sam Hayward at Fore Street in Portland, Maine, and open his own restaurants in Bar Harbor and Seal Harbor, Maine.
Early in his career, Chef Jalbert embraced farm-to-table style cooking, learning to work with locally sourced ingredients in their most natural form. Chef Jalbert's passion and understanding of the importance of natural cooking with local foods is on par with the mission at Route 7 Grill and will make him a vital member of the team as they enter a very busy season.
“Working in a locally focused restaurant in the Berkshire region is an exciting next step for me. I am inspired to work with owner Lester Blumenthal who is a true foodie as well as the rest of the Route 7 crew,” said Chef Jalbert. We are going to change up the menu daily while rotating in Route 7 Grill standards to keep the food at its freshest.”
Adds owner Lester Blumenthal, “Christophe is passionate about ingredients, especially from local farmers and producers and he loves cooking with wood! His demeanor, abilities and know-how mesh perfectly with our philosophies related to Slow Food-style cooking and using Berkshire Grown ingredients. I foresee a solid partnership with great growth and possible expansion into other endeavors together.”
About Route 7 Grill
Route 7 Grill makes the most of what the Berkshires has to offer by serving a wide array of foods from local farmers and producers, as well as their own kitchen garden. Their focus is on preserving local farming traditions and all of their meats are naturally raised from local farms or small family farms. Route 7 Grill also has a wholesale line of barbecue sauces and spice rub.
Route 7 Grill, nestled in the Housatonic river valley of the southern Berkshires, serves a diverse menu appropriate for all ages including soups made in-house from rich stocks and local ingredients, salads with a choice of housemade dressings, fun snacks and appetizers, slow-smoked barbecue and fire-grilled items using hickory and other local hardwoods, house specialties and classic sides as well as a kids’ menu. There is a full bar offering artisanal cocktails, great local and craft beers and a varied wine list. The full-service dining room features an outdoor patio as well as outdoor facilities for pig roasts, special parties and general relaxation. A catering menu and barbecue by the pound for take-out are also available. Catering, cookouts, pig roasts and clam bakes are available onsite and offsite.
Recognized by Saveur Magazine as Number Ten on the Top 100 favorites, praised by Gourmet Magazine as one of the best farm-to-table restaurants and voted Best Barbecue Ribs in New England by Yankee Magazine, Route 7 Grill is a member of Berkshire Grown and Slow Food of Western Mass.
Located on historic Route 7 South in the shadow of June Mountain at 999 Main Street in Great Barrington, Route 7 Grill is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 - 9 p.m., closed Tuesdays in spring. On Friday and Saturday, dinner is served from 5 - 10 p.m. Lunch service is offered on Saturday and Sunday from 12 - 3 p.m.
All major credit cards and BerkShares are accepted. For more information or 24-hour reservations, visit www.route7grill.com or call 413.528.3235. Reservations can also be made on OpenTable at http://tinyurl.com/Rt7OpenTable. To receive more info about Route 7 Grill, send email to <info@route7grill.com>, follow their posts on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/r7g or visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Route-7-Grill/32298840422.