January 2022, in the midst of the pandemic, Chef Scott Cutaneo took over Uproot, in Warren, New Jersey. Previously Chef/Proprietor at 4-star Le Petit Chateau in Bernardsville he has cooked for the International Olympic Committee and clocked up more than 200 episodes as the television chef/host “Great Scott” on Fox and Friends TV in New York. Sponsored by our own Bailli Honoraire Linda Woo he was one of the youngest James Beard Foundation chefs to cook at the Beard House.

Chef Cutaneo is classically trained, having studied at Hagere Hotel School in Maastricht (Netherlands), further refining his skills at the Royal Windsor Hotel in Brussels (Belgium) and at l’Espadon at the Ritz in Paris (France), then with Michel Guérard at Les Prés de Eugénie (Eugénie-les-Bains, Landes, southwest France) and lastly Daniel in New York.

Organized by Bailli Sharon Rickman, with wine pairings by Vice-Échanson des États Unis Pinto Naravane, highlights of the evening’s menu included:
- a pork belly with pineapple appetizer, paired with 2021 Bohigas Xarello;
- herb salad, with a 2020 Domaine Laroche Chablis 1er Cru ‘Les Vaudevey’;
- an unbelievably tender Duroc pork chop, with 2018 Samsara Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills.

The evening ended with a classic French dessert, Grand Marnier soufflé, paired perfectly with a 2018 Tokaji.

A Q & A session followed with Chef Cutaneo and his staff. In addition to the laudatory comments about the food, many confrères remarked on the attentiveness and helpfulness of the servers.

Chef Cutaneo tells his staff that “everybody is a VIP, and nobody is.” When Chef Cutaneo was asked about his dream dinner guest, he replied “it’s not about who I’m cooking for, it’s about providing an experience that will leave guests feeling euphoric. To me, each guest is just as important as the next, as is each and every plate.”

This philosophy was evident throughout the evening.

Victor Sloan
Vice-Chargé de Presse