Announcing Chef Tom Prescott at Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Adding a new star to its culinary team, Seasons Restaurant at Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara is singing the arrival of Chef Tom Prescott to lead the kitchen. With a background as an actor, director and a classically trained musician, this multi-talented chef brings a musical influence to all his culinary creations.

“I often think of the flavours of a dish in terms of music,” Chef Tom explains. “Bass notes, harmonic progressions, echoes, discordancy – those are terms I use in describing a dish to myself and others. It’s like I’m ‘hearing’ the flavours. For example, acidity translates to high notes in terms of music. When tasting the first version of a recipe, I might say something like, ‘It’s a great start, but it needs a little more cello’ or ‘There are way too many high notes. It needs more bass.’ I view each dish as its own movement within the symphony of a meal. Each can be distinct with highs, lows and different sounds, but everything needs to be in harmony.”

A native of Chesapeake, Virginia – where the beach was a major part of his childhood – Chef Tom is thrilled to be living by the ocean in North San Diego. Cooking since the age of 10, he went to school on both an academic and music performance scholarship, pursuing theatre and music, and developing his skills in piano, flute, clarinet and trumpet. He then turned his focus to gastronomy. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked at numerous notable restaurants across the country, including BOURBON STEAK at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, and EDGE Restaurant and Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Denver. Most recently, Chef Tom was an educator at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado – one of the top culinary schools in the United States.

Chef Tom is excited that his introductory menu for Seasons Restaurant will be ushered in for autumn. “Fall flavours should feel like a cosy sweater, without being too heavy. On our fall menu, diners will find a variety of root vegetables, mushrooms, nuts and game. I like to add layers of natural sweetness, with ingredients such as maple and apple.” Among this fall’s must-try signature dishes:

• The pork belly “eggs and bacon” makes an intriguing appetiser, featuring miso egg yolk jam, cured egg yolk, sour cherries and pickled onion petals. Inspired by Chef Tom’s English background, this is his signature dish – the one that he takes with him everywhere and adjusts according to the location.
• Chef’s definition of fall, the rye gnudi is a marvellous savoury dish featuring house-made goat’s milk ricotta, kabocha squash, black garlic, walnuts and brown butter.
• Vegetarians will love the whole roasted cauliflower, enhanced by walnuts, mushrooms, baby kale and celeriac purée. This dish really exemplifies Chef Tom’s culinary vision – taking a quality ingredient that is fresh in season and applying different techniques that allow the diner to experience it in a way they haven’t before.

To enhance the fall dining experience, live music plays on Friday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. To celebrate Oktoberfest, every Sunday through Thursday in October 2021 features a three-course, prix-fixe menu alongside a local San Diego draft German lager. Also, watch for special fall wine dinners with live music, featuring songs personally selected by Chef Tom.

Located in Carlsbad, just a half-hour north of San Diego, Seasons Restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, as well as weekday Happy Hours and Saturday and Sunday brunch.

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