The executive chef at The Country Club at DC Ranch in Scottsdale is in the running for the title of American Culinary Federation’s chef of the year.
Lenard Rubin, a certified master chef, was named the 2016 American Culinary Federation Western Region Chef of the Year on February 6 for his preparation of smoked maple-scented breast of pheasant, cooked sous vide, and roasted pheasant leg roulade served with a medley of chestnuts, wild mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, micro carrots, pearl onions, and lardons. Also accompanying the dish was a celeriac-potato puree, huckleberry agro dolce, micro celery, and sauce Perigueux.
Rubin now moves on to compete for the national title at the Cook. Craft. Create. Convention & Show in Phoenix on July 15-19, where he will represent the state of Arizona and the entire Southwest region. If he wins, he’ll receive the title of 2016 USA’s Chef of the Year and a check for $5,000.
“Being named the regional champion is the honor of a lifetime,” he said in a statement.
He will be preparing for the competition by training with his mentor and friend, Chef Walter Leible, in the remaining months leading up to the competition. He said competing in front of his “hometown crowd in Phoenix” will inspire him to perform at the highest level possible.
Rubin began his career in 1981 with a summer job at the Ritz-Carlton Boston. He immediately knew he wanted to become a chef and worked his way through all of the hotel’s kitchen positions including garde manger, saucier, and chef tournant.
Over the years, he has spent time in kitchens throughout the country and the world. His Arizona resume includes The Boulders Resort, Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, The Inn at McCormick Ranch, Mary Elaine's and Windows on the Green at the Phoenician Resort, Marquesa and La Hacienda at the Scottsdale Princess Resort, Wright’s at the Arizona Biltmore, and the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs and Squaw Peak resorts.
He has also worked as the executive chef at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park and as the executive chef and owner of The Vig and The Vig Uptown. However, he’s probably best known for his restaurant Medizona, which was named one of Esquire’s Top 22 Best New Restaurants in America for 2000. Medizona was also selected as one of the top 10 restaurants for Phoenix/Scottsdale by Zagat in 2002.
Rubin’s achievements don’t end there. In 1998 and 2001, he was invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York, and in 2002, he was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame as Chef Extraordinaire.
Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to sample Rubin’s culinary creations unless you are a member or the guest of a member of the Country Club at DC Ranch. The country club offers two dining venues, the Mixed Grill and the more formal Conservatory Room, plus a poolside café and a bar. For more information on membership in our beautiful community, click here.
We wish the very best of luck to Chef Rubin as he competes on the national stage!
