Greetings, My name is Shawn M. Cline, I am the Executive Chef at Congress Lake Club, in Hartville, OH. Nick Thiessen is no longer part of my team. When he was, he was a sous chef. I have a substantial amount of past media experience in print, tv and radio and would be happy to answer your inquiry, should you choose to use it within your upcoming article. When building menus for the upcoming season, I rely heavily on past experience and pull from the arsenal of seasonal flavor affinities that I have found to be proven winners. I speak often with purveyors about any expectations for strong or weak markets for various items due to weather, quotas, supply chain disruptions, etc. and take that into account. Seek to understand what your surrounding geography makes readily available to you; start there and build around it. Consider cooking techniques that lend themselves to a particular season, such as braising in the fall/winter vs a lighter, healthier mediterranean approach in the spring/summer. My favorite book to reference when building menus is Culinary Artistry, by Dornenburg and Page, as it lists in great detail, food items by season, as well as affinities and aversions for each. My personal favorite seasonal item is Pacific Wild Salmon. Each spring, I look forward to the opening of the Copper River Salmon Season, followed by Kenai, Yukon, Denali, Columbia and more, through the Summer and into the Fall.
We go the classic tried and true route. We bring back pumpkin, cranberry, pecans and walnuts, and of course chocolate (always chocolate). I think my favorite ingredient would be cranberry because it is around for such a specific time and the flavor is so recognizable.
Incorporating seasonal ingredients into menus enhances flavor, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. Chefs can conduct market research to identify local produce availability, allowing them to plan menus that showcase these ingredients while building connections with local farmers. For instance, in fall, root vegetables like squash, carrots, and beets are at their best, enabling creative dishes such as roasted butternut squash.