Executive Chef Senthil Krishnamurthy brings experimentation and passion for local produce to The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant

Park Record

The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant has appointed a new executive chef, Senthil Krishnamurthy, to carry on their commitment to “exceptional mountain fare.”

Born and raised in Pondicherry, India, one of the country’s only French colonies and where French is the primary language, Krishnamurthy was familiar with European culture from an early age. And his Indian heritage infused him with a love for food.

“Growing up, every festival, every special day, they all involve food and everything is made from scratch,” he said. “Growing up in the French town, I had this huge exposure for French food as well.”

“My mom just taught me how to taste for things, and what to look for. That’s where it all started. And I fell in love with food and have always been in love with food,” said Krishnamurthy.

This gift for language — he is fluent in eight languages — became useful for the chef, opening doors without the barriers of communication.

After working a few jobs in hotels and on cruises, Krishnamurthy moved to Park City in 2010 to help open the kitchen at High West Distillery.

“They gave me whiskey to use in anything and everything,” he said. Vegetables were sauteed with whiskey, ice cream crafted with the spirit, and even barbeque sauce and salad dressings featured the High West whiskey.

“That was the time I became a mad scientist, you can say. I just went nuts and did a lot of things,” he said. “I made everything from scratch, and today they still use a lot of my recipes in the restaurant itself.”

After a season of burn out, Krishnamurthy re-entered the culinary world as a teacher of classic French cuisine and Indian cuisine at the Salt Lake Community College for culinary majors.

“In terms of culinary program, (SLCC) are No. 17 in the country and No. 1 in Utah because, except for me, all of my professors, my dean, they all came from (teaching at) Le Cordon Bleu,” Krishnamurthy said.

He began getting involved in restaurants again, helping rework menus and launch food programs at places in Salt Lake City like The Front Climbing Club, One-O-Eight Bistro and Ashoka Cuisines.

After a short contract job working under Chef Nicolas Lebas at The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant, Krishnamurthy fell in love again with the fine dining world.

“(Lebas) was new to Utah at that point, but working here, seeing his work, I fell in love with the entire space (and thought), ‘I want to work for this guy.’ He was on a very different level, meaning we both helped each other in many parts,” he said.

While he was wary of the hotel scene, Krishnamurthy noticed something different about The Goldener Hirsch and Auberge Resorts Collection.

“At Goldener, I know the Auberge Resorts Collections are (a) chef-based company, meaning they give a lot of importance to our food and the restaurant scene itself. And I saw the value in it. And I felt like, ‘This is my next adventure. This is where I want to be,’” he said.

When the executive chef role opened up at the end of November, Krishnamurthy was a natural fit, and he quickly got to work implementing his personal touches. The main goal was to make the restaurant more approachable for guests, and he drew on his wealth of experience designing menus.

Before, the Goldener Hirsch Restaurant would deliver high-end, traditional French dishes, but the menus weren’t translated much for guests. The chefs knew what these dishes were, but it was intimidating for most diners, he said.

A menu, said Krishnamurthy, should be three-fourths obvious, one-fourth mystery.

“Maybe just one part where you’re like, ‘Wait, what is that?’ … and that gives our service an opportunity to engage with our guests,” he said.

While continuing the Alpine-centric menu, which is iconic to The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant, Krishnamurthy is bringing on his own personal touches and values, increasing the use of local purveyors and experimenting with seven-course prix fixe dining experiences.

Since taking the helm at the restaurant, Krishnamurthy has committed to sourcing 70% of ingredients locally, drawing on his long-cultivated network of Utah farmers and growers. For him, growing up in India where farmers markets are year-round, using as much fresh foods as possible is natural. There are other benefits, too, he said.

“One is, they’re fresh, local, and I’m supporting them, and I can get those products faster, which is an advantage. And then the second thing is environmentally speaking … it’s unnecessary (to import),” he said.

Also committed to eliminating waste, Krishnamurthy works to ensure the products are used whenever possible, pushing him and his chefs to be creative in the kitchen. One way of doing this, he said, is by having “chef’s choice” meals for the staff, in which he can use up food that might otherwise go bad.

Another goal for Krishnamurthy was experimenting with prix fixed courses.

“This is something they have never done in this restaurant in the 30 years it’s existed. They’ve never done a seven course meal,” said Krishnamurthy.

New Year’s dinner was the kitchen’s first try, and it was a great success, he said. So he’ll do more.

Next up is Valentine’s Day, and the restaurant will offer a candle-lit seven course meal on Feb. 14 from 5-9 p.m., starting at $225/person. In creating this menu, Krishnamurthy not only looked for taste but also function in the food, using seafood like oysters, known to increase libido. The full menu is at aubergeresorts.com/goldenerhirsch/goldener-hirsch-restaurant/valentines-day.

Krishnamurthy hopes to expand these seven-course meals beyond the holidays.

“I want to do a tasting menu,” he said. “It’s a lot more value for our guests, meaning they come for one meal and they’re basically having so much to try and when they’re done, they feel like they’ve had the best parts of the menu.”

The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant is open 7-10:30 a.m. daily for breakfast, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for  brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday for lunch, 2-4:30 p.m. daily for après-ski, and 5-9 p.m. daily for dinner. Call 435-655-2563 for reservations or questions.

By Katie Hatzfeld

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