Guest Chef Dinner with Lou Rossi of Castle Hill Inn

For the second installment of our Guest Chef Dinner Series, Lou Rossi from Castle Hill Inn in Rhode Island, traveled to Aspen to take over element 47 for a special, one-night only dinner on Jan. 12.

Executive Chef Matt Zubrod looked to Castle Hill Inn, a fellow Relais & Châteaux property, to invite their esteemed chef for the dinner.

Growing up in a predominately Italian household, Lou learned at an early age to appreciate food as a centerpiece of daily life. Lou began his culinary career at eight years old ­ standing on milk crates, peeling carrots and onions at his parent’s restaurant. Coming from two generations of restaurateurs, Lou had no doubts about his future when he applied to the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, VT. During his schooling, Lou worked as a culinary intern at Castle Hill. After graduating with his degree in Culinary Arts, Lou moved to Manhattan to work at Thomas Keller’s 3 Michelin Star restaurant, Per Se. Although it was an incredible and humbling experience, Lou missed his time in Newport and he eventually returned to Castle Hill in 2009 to work with Chef Hart where he plays an integral part of the property’s culinary ethos, and can usually be found in Castle Hill’s own gardens, gathering items for that evening’s meal.

The five-course dinner at element 47 featured the following dishes, each presented with an optional wine pairing from Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, and all met with rave reviews from guests.

hamachi crudo
roasted beets, lemon-poppy seed dressing
gremolata, horseradish

parsnip mezzaluna
braised lamb neck, pear, hazelnut, whey

herb roasted duck breast
black trumpet mushrooms, sweet potato, coffee

cabot clothbound cheddar cheese
cider doughnuts, black pepper caramel

caramelized cocoa brioche
milk jam, pretzel ice cream

Please see below for a gallery of images from the kitchen and join us for our next Guest Chef Dinner with Kerry Heffernan on Feb. 10.