Biz Buzz

     When restauranteur Laurie O'Brien opened Red Sun Fire Roasting Co. in 2010 with her husband, Will, she had a specific vision for their urban-style eatery. It was not until recently, however, that she discovered a chef who truly understood and shared her vision.

     "My vision for the Red Sun was to serve California (Napa Valley-style) cuisine, but I was finding that it was much more difficult to bring this vision to fruition than I had expected," O'Brien admitted.
     California cuisine, she explained, is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine (integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients) and the use of freshly prepared local ingredients.
     O'Brien was already owner and operator of Port City Cafe and Bakery and had been for 14 years before she decided to open a full-service restaurant next door.
     "But running a full-service restaurant is much different than running a quick service cafe," she admitted. "I quickly realized that I could not do everything myself. The chefs I was hiring were talented and had many redeeming qualities. But, ultimately, I never felt that we were reaching our true potential. The food we were serving was good, but still not quite what I wanted for this restaurant. I had a lot of difficulty finding someone to lead the kitchen who shared a common vision and understanding of what California cuisine was."
     Until now.
     Enter Chef Peter Belmonte, former Marine turned award-winning executive chef, who was recently hired to bring the O'Briens' dream to life.
     Hailing from the Berkshires in Massachusetts, Belmonte has been a chef for 19 years and an executive chef since 1999. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, a dedicated anti-terrorism unit. Stationed aboard the USS Eisenhower, a nuclear aircraft carrier, Belmonte was responsible for the ships security.
     "My job was very, very stressful," he said. "When I got out of the Marines (in 1994), I got thinking about what I really wanted to do."
     Careful consideration led him to the New York Restaurant School after which he apprenticed under the same chef for four years in New York City.
     "For most of the time between 1999 and 2010 I worked in fine dining at restaurants attached to boutique hotels and resort inns in New York City and New England," he said.
     While under Belmonte's watch, his food received seven Four-Diamond Awards by AAA and, while working at The Inn at Thorne Hill, that establishment was rated on Conde Nast's Gold List twice.
     Chef Belmonte remarked that even though his career has focused on creating a lot French and Mediterranean cuisine, he explained "I don't like to cook from one specific region any more, I think people are looking for more variety." Focusing on California Cuisine gives him the ability to do just that.
     Belmonte said he left fine dining two years ago to work in the Hudson Valley.
     "I had run my course and was looking to add more of a spark in my life."
     Belmonte found that spark when he walked through the doors of the Red Sun, impressed with the décor and the feel of the restaurant.
     O'Brien said she was impressed not only with Belmonte's knowledge of California Cuisine (he had lived in California for a time and knew it first-hand) but also his appreciation and understanding of rustic cuisine, which is another component of California fare.
     "Rustic cooking is unrefined and simple, but also warm and inviting," she said. "It is typically based on old-fashioned preparation techniques, ingredient availability and a unique set of cultural influences."
     After a phone interview, O'Brien brought Belmonte to Oswego to see what he could do.
     "Pete's dish was visually stunning and delicious and more importantly, it was food that I wanted to serve," she said.
     O'Brien pointed out that Belmonte's stint in the military also influenced her decision to hire him.
     "His years as a Marine brought with him discipline, leadership, management skills, a strong work ethic and most importantly a level of pride in his work that in my mind continually drives him to produce great quality food in an extremely methodical and consistent manner," she said. "Not only could he cook, but he could also lead and manage."
     Along with O'Brien's bakery manager of 16 years, Hedi Sprague, and new sous chef, Tony Kinnie, she feels the has finally assembled a very capable management team and is eager to show her revamped and exciting menu to Oswego and beyond.
     "We did many of the popular dishes on our menu, such as the stretched bread with Guinness cheddar dip, arugula salad and our delicious wood fired chicken wing," she said. "We also brought back a few dishes that people had asked for, like the New Yorker and the tratorria pizza."
     Belmonte said he already feels at home in Oswego, loves living on the lake and is looking forward to fly and salmon fishing this fall.
     As for business, O'Brien said it has been great and Belmonte's food has been extremely well-received.
     "People are literally eating every drop of food on the plates," she said. "That's the best customer comment a restaurant owner can have."
     For more information about the Red Sun Fire Roasting Co., 207 W. First St., and the Port City Cafe and Bakery, 209 W. First St., visit http://www.portcitycafe.com/.