The Lodge at Glendorn has announced the hiring of new executive chef Katelyn Steffan.
Steffan has put in about 18 months of strong culinary contributions at Glendorn to date, according to owner Cliff Forrest.
Officials said her philosophy of “cooking with the seasons” is well-aligned with taking advantage of the bounty available on the Glendorn property — the harvest from the carefully-tended Glendorn garden pays it forward on the menu for most of the year — as well as that from the area’s local foragers and purveyors.
“Katelyn has proven she is able to meet and exceed the award-winning culinary standards we have at Glendorn, as is synonymous with our Relais & Châteaux association,” said Forrest. “Truly born into her culinary curiosity, she brings her love of food from her childhood experiences, and that translates to her understanding that food holds central relevance within gatherings among friends and family, a key element to the Glendorn experience. With her fresh perspectives, our guests can expect some new menu items over the coming seasons, with an emphasis on the locavore movement and seasonality; it’s all part of our commitment to the very best in culinary, nature and adventure, centered around family.”
While preparing to study Culinary Arts at Paul Smith’s College in New York, Steffan accepted what she thought would be a summer job before her senior year of high school working as a line cook at The Point, a Relais & Chateaux property, on Upper Saranac Lake, N.Y. Under the direction of a visionary chef deeply committed to the burgeoning farm-to-table movement, her love for the culinary arts and hospitality truly blossomed. She later joined Lake Placid Lodge as an assistant pastry chef and mastered each station in the kitchen before being promoted to sous chef, where she deepened her relationships with local farmers and purveyors to source the freshest seasonal ingredients for the lodge’s two restaurants.
In 2014, Steffan set out to learn the secrets of artisan bread making at The Old School Bakery in Colorado Springs, Colo., before returning to Pennsylvania to join Glendorn’s culinary team. She is deeply committed to forging relationships with regional farmers and producers, complements each menu with the freshest ingredients of the season, sharing her passion for exquisite locavore cuisine with the guests of Glendorn.
Steffan is one of 35 females among the 565 at the executive chef level within the Relais & Châteaux association.
“My culinary curiosity really was first sparked at home, and all my experiences since then, from my travels to my classical French training and the opportunity to work with some great chef mentors, have afforded me the privilege to bring it all home here at Glendorn,” said Steffan. “I am committed to respecting seasonality, as well as to allowing the true flavors of ingredients to shine through, and it’s a delight to be able to translate this to the ever-evolving menu for our guests.”
Steffan is available to offer insights on all things culinary at Glendorn, and is happy to provide recipes and chef expertise on a range of food-related topics.
Damien Kreckel supports Katelyn as sous-chef, moving from his recent role as pastry chef.
