Artisan food aficionado, Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario, (www.thecheeseimpresario.com) sat down with Marriott Executive Chef Brad Nelson to discuss his culinary roots, as well as how he utilizes La Brea Bakery breads on his menu.

Q. I am continually fascinated about how chefs discover their life’s work. What were the inspirations for your career path?

A. I grew up in a great food town, Seattle. The fresh ingredients there are amazing and abundant. Home cooking was an art and my Mom was one of those wonderful cooks. We even used to can everything from the garden, so all winter we had the essence of summer with us on the table. I now have a backyard garden where my kids can grow and eat fresh food…and know the difference.

Q. You were one of the first chefs to use La Brea Bakery’s breads as Executive Chef at the historic La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Desert, CA. What is the history there?

A. Other than a few places, I went to LA to eat back then. La Brea Bakery was just emerging as a result of Nancy Silverton’s desire to make great artisanal breads, fashioned after the crusty loaves of Europe. At the time, she couldn’t find the kind of quality bread she was looking for…so she had to develop it herself. For me, La Brea Bakery was the clear winner.

Q. How do you define artisanal in terms of bread?

A. The passion behind a product…a true artisan who takes pride in their work and will not accept anything less than perfection. “Artisanal” is when there is an authentic story behind the product’s development. Nancy Silverton is a perfect example of a passionate artisan.

Q. What are some of the key benefits of serving La Brea Bakery bread?

A. When you are a chef you need to think of flavors…as well as operations. Bread is one of the toughest ingredients to manage because of the fluctuations in daily volume needs. With La Brea Bakery, you can bake off only what you need and manage your bread inventory.

La Brea Bakery has developed an ingenious technology of par-baking and then flash freezing their artisanal bread so that it actually delivers a totally high quality visual and flavor for our customers. I look good to our financial team with reduced waste, while our customers rave about the taste.

Q. How do you utilize La Brea Bakery breads on your menu?

A. We serve a significant amount of sliced La Brea Bakery breads in our table bread baskets, as well as using their rolls for banquets. And, of course, we use La Brea Bakery breads for sandwiches. We even make bread shards from their baguettes by cutting them into long pieces, and finishing them with herbs, garlic and spices. We then crumble them into salads. Breakfast is also big for us, especially with the end of the Atkins diet fad. We use a lot of La Brea Bakery's breads for this meal.

We serve hamburgers on La Brea Bakery’s White 4 x 4 La Baccia™ rolls and we thinly slice and toast the Pecan Raisin Oval to serve with a cheese plate - another delicious product! We have access to significant variety with La Brea Bakery’s breads. This allows us to be creative with what we are developing, and assures us that there is usually a bread that will fit our needs.

Q. Brad, now you oversee the culinary operations of roughly 2800 hotels in 66 countries. What is the scope of your position?

A. As Corporate Chef I am responsible for identifying and communicating culinary strategy for Marriott's full service, limited service, and extended stay brands. We spend a great deal of time ensuring our hotels have the tools and information they need to be current and innovative, while remaining strategically focused on quality and simplicity.

We have an amazing team of people who strive to deliver exceptional dining experience to our customers. It’s really what’s on the plate that matters and using La Brea Bakery’s bread as an ingredient helps make dining at our hotels a memorable experience.

Marriott’s Bread Shards Recipe