October 2008
by Emily L. Foley
Montaluce Winery and Estates in Dahlonega, GA, is a truly unique concept that offers everything from private homes to a boutique hotel, wine tastings and cooking classes at the winery and restaurant, and a full-service spa. In a perfect pairing, Chef Steve Hewins, Executive Chef of the winery’s Le Vigne Ristorante, has a culinary background as equally diverse as the offerings on Montaluce’s 400-acre grounds.
Chef Hewins grew up in the North Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody and discovered a passion for cooking while in college. He took his first major restaurant position at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead under Chef Gunther Seeger. His time there motivated him to pursue a formal culinary education, and he chose to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Upon graduating, Chef Hewins pursued his passion and took a position at the famed Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. For four years, Chef Hewins worked under the tutelage of Chef Jeremiah Tower (James Beard award winner and one of the credited innovators of “California cuisine”), to whom he credits much of his culinary foundation. During those four years, Chef Hewins helped Chef Tower open four restaurants, giving him a skill set that proved invaluable as his career continued.
EUROPE CALLS
On a flight back to San Francisco after visiting his family in Atlanta, Chef Hewins met a young Italian lady sitting in the seat next to him, and despite the fact that she spoke no English, and he in turn spoke no Italian, the two hit it off. Their wordless chemistry was enough to prompt the pair to learn the other’s language and keep in touch over the phone. A year later, Chef Hewins went to Italy, and they were wed. Chef Hewins stayed in Italy with his new bride, but was unable to find a paying restaurant job. However, he used the time to his advantage, working several self-created “internships” where he learned the ins and outs of the Italian way of cooking and dining. Soon, Chef Hewins heard about an executive chef position at Belgium’s Hotel Stephanie Bristol in Brussels. Unable to speak any French, Chef Hewins hired a tutor with whom he sat for several hours a day for three weeks in hopes of acing an interview. And ace it he did. With the novelty of being an American working in his favor, Chef Hewins quickly gained a reputation for himself in Belgium, being named one of the city’s 25 best chefs by Paris Match magazine, and he often had the honor of cooking for the country’s Queen Paola.
Soon, he was courted by a hotel group in Munich, Germany, to work as their corporate executive chef, and Chef Hewins jumped at the unique opportunity. Although a major company, it had never seen a profit in its history until Chef Hewins joined the team. He shares, “Once I started, I began building them a culinary kingdom. We partnered with U.S. culinary schools and began tapping into those resources and creating a relationship that would be mutually beneficial: students were given a chance of a lifetime to come to Europe expense free and work in a kitchen for thirteen months, and I basically replaced our team with them. I took the students on all sorts of local excursions. We went to local slaughterhouses and on mushroom hunts. It was an incomparable experience for them, and wonderful for me as well.”
A PLACE OF HIS OWN
During his four years in Germany, Chef Hewins and his wife casually talked about owning their own restaurant in Italy. Much to their surprise, they discovered they could make this dream a reality. “Once we inquired, we found out we had the means to buy our own restaurant,” shares Chef Hewins. “It was a real option, not just a romantic idea.” The couple found the perfect place in Formia, a sea town of 40,000 on the Mediterranean coast, halfway between Rome and Naples. Although no one had set a foot in the door for years, Chef Hewins worked diligently to turn the space around, and La Piazza was open before the busy summer season began.
As is customary in Italy, the 55-seat restaurant operated with no fixed menu; everything was served prix fixe style, and the cuisine changed daily. Chef Hewins recalls the experience thus: “The fact that I was an American was initially a negative, but I turned it into a positive. The people in the town began calling me ‘la Mericano,’ which is ‘the American’ in Italian. After a while, I became ‘nostra Mericano’ which is ‘Our American.’ The restaurant had two doors: one opened onto the Mediterranean and the other opened up to the main market of the town. Everything worked out so well.” Soon, the couple expanded their enterprise and bought a thriving Pizzeria Des Porta, or a “pizza-to-go” business, from its aging owner. “I put everything I had into my business,” Chef Hewins says. “I worked from 7 a.m. to 4 a.m., but never saw my wife and brand-new baby. I had to make a decision, but it was easy because quality of life has always been most important for my wife and me.”
So Chef Hewins decided to sell his Italian eateries and pursue his next culinary opportunity, one that took him to yet another country: Puerto Rico. Here, Chef Hewins was once again called to utilize his “startup” skills as the culinary development designer, and then executive chef of restaurant Acqua Pazza, the flagship Italian restaurant of the Costa Caribe Golf and Country Club opened by the owner of Reebok. Within only one year of the restaurant’s opening, it was rated as the No. 1 new restaurant in the entire country, and Chef Hewins was featured in “Great Chefs of Puerto Rico.”
HOMEWARD BOUND
After two years at Costa Caribe, Chef Hewins decided it was time to move closer to his family in Georgia, but was torn by his love for his new home (Puerto Rico) and his wife’s native Italy. While visiting his father in Dahlonega, GA, Chef Hewins learned about the new Tuscan-inspired winery being built there. He met with the owners and was struck by the authenticity of the project and the fact that it was family owned and operated. They, in turn, were thrilled with Chef Hewins’ vast experience and genuine understanding of Italian cuisine and operations. Chef Hewins was hired for the concept design and the Executive Chef position at Montaluce’s Le Vigne Ristorante, which officially opened in April 2008.
“Montaluce really reminds me of Italy,” shares Chef Hewins. “And everything I missed about Italy, I have again here. The idea of using local farmers and producers and eating by the calendar – it’s all here. I have developed a concept of seasonality and regionality for our kitchen; we don’t eat raspberries in December, because it’s just not right. I get delicious heirloom tomatoes from a nearby farm, and I actually have the best rosemary I’ve ever tasted growing right here on the property.” Chef Hewins has also plotted a 2-acre organic garden at the end of the property, which will be planted in the fall. “I love that we will become more and more self sufficient as we continue,” he shares. Chef Hewins also loves simplicity in his kitchen. “If it’s outside the box to keep things simple, then so be it,” he says. “I don’t complicate things; I use the best ingredients available and serve delicious cuisine.” He’s also developed a method of taking Southern foods, such as fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits, and adapting them into a more Italian dish through his ingredients and cooking methods. And in Montaluce, Chef Hewins has found himself “home” again on two counts. He laughs, “I’m back in Georgia, but I feel like I’m in Italy!”