Chef de Cuisine Drew Anderson has taken over the kitchen at Kai, the celebrated restaurant honoring Native American cuisine at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. Anderson incorporates “the essence of the Pima and Maricopa tribes” in his cuisine and uses local products and seasonal produce from the Gila River Indian Community whenever possible. The award-winning restaurant has the distinction of being the only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant in Arizona. To learn more about Anderson, we asked him six questions.
What is your culinary background?
I started my culinary venture when I was 19 when I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. From there I worked at restaurants in Minneapolis – fine dining, French restaurants, hotels. It was my goal to work for an idol of mine, chef Gavin Kaysen of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis who won the James Beard award for Best Chef Midwest in 2018. Since my fiancé is from Arizona originally, we moved here and I figured the best place for me to work was with a James Beard Award-winning chef, Charleen Badman of FnB (Best Chef Southwest 2019). Five months later, COVID hit. Then, I got the opportunity to work as a cook with chef Ryan Swanson at Kai. His departure gave me the opportunity to be chef de cuisine at Kai.
How did you learn about Native American cuisine?
I read a lot of books and talked to a lot of people, including Ryan Swanson before he left, about the products and produce. I also talked to local foragers and Native American chefs. I try to learn about and understand the culture. We closed for six weeks over the summer and I did a lot of research and development for the menu for the coming year.
How do you educate your customers about Native American cuisine?
Our entire team, front and back-of-the-house, all spend time learning about new dishes. We also have Rosie Rivera, who is the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa cultural manager on property. She helps us learn the history of the products, and then our servers are able to communicate that to the guests.
What are some of the highlights of the new menu?
I try to use as much local produce as I possibly can. This year, it’s all about Arizona mushrooms. Over the summer, I got in contact with Michael Crowe from Southwest Mushrooms and was able to bring him on. I’m bringing back a lobster panna cotta with caramelized tomatillos and lobster bisque. I’m also doing a mesquite grilled foie gras with mascarpone, Ramona Farms Red Supai corn and smoked cherries. Entrées include Arizona barramundi and seared diver scallops with a green tomato and cactus curry sauce and different applications of tepary beans, corn and tomatoes – in the realm of a succotash. We have three desserts: Arizona date tres leches with a warm spice whipped cream; white and dark chocolate mousse with olive oil basil cake; and hibiscus and lavender pavlovas with crème anglaise, lemon curd and flowers.
What’s the most exciting dish for you?
For me, it’s the “Celebration of Arizona Mushrooms.” That dish represents a lot about who I am. It’s a zero-waste dish with nothing to throw out. (To prepare), I’ll make a mushroom broth and then take all the mushrooms out and (mix them) with black garlic, white wine, soy sauce and brown sugar to make a mushroom puree. I cook the wheatberries in a pressure cooker with mushroom broth and dried chanterelles. Mushroom preparations include searing, grilling, cold compressing, sous vide and confit.
What brings Kai to the level of excellence that it’s known for?
For us, it’s not just a dining experience. We tell the guests about the cultures we represent and the stories behind them. Everything is interwoven with the cultural journey.
