Chef Dean James Max

Dean James Max Named Chef at 3030 Ocean at Marriott’s Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (January 29, 2001) – Dean James Max has been named Chef at 3030 Ocean, Fort Lauderdale’s newest prestigious seafood bistro in Harbor Beach. Chef Max joins 3030 Ocean from the Woodside in Brentwood, California, where, as Executive Chef, he was responsible for all aspects of operations from products to presentation. While at Woodside, Chef Max was profiled by Sunset Magazine and The Los Angeles Times among others. His modern American cuisine has been noted as “stylish” and “tongue- tingling” by Gourmet Magazine. Prior to his position at the Woodside, Chef Max was Executive Chef and part owner of Mumbo Jumbo Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Chef Max’s resume also includes positions with Brasserie Savoy located in the Savoy Hotel in San Francisco, Gerard’s Place in Washington D.C. and the Ritz Carlton Dining Room in Pentagon City, Virginia and The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta, Georgia. A Stuart, Florida native, Chef Max grew up in the food business. As a young child, he received hands-on experience from his father, a produce broker. Soon, the family moved to Virginia and lived on a farm. “Growing up in an organic environment gave me an early insight about what freshness really is and how foods work together,” said Max. “We’d harvest the crops, pick only the finest and test our creative cooking quotients at home. I even had my own jalapeño patch when I was eight,” he continued. Chef Max holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Florida State University with a Hotel and Restaurant Minor. He has also attended the Florence Study Center in Florence, Italy. He has appeared on the Home & Garden Television’s “Smart Solutions” series and on “The Organic Farmer.” 3030 Ocean is located at 3030 Holiday Drive inside Marriott’s Harbor Beach Resort. It is open for dinner daily from … to … Valet and self-parking are available. For reservations, please call (954) 525-4000. Dean James Max Chef 3030 Ocean “My love of food comes from living in Florence, Italy, my technique from working with French chefs and my understanding of what freshness is all about from growing up on a farm in Virginia.” -- Chef Dean James Max This is how Stuart, Florida native Chef Dean James Max describes his culinary method for preparing the most delectable modern American cuisine. With a father who was in the produce business for years, Chef Max grew-up smack-dab in the middle of the food industry. Tending to his own jalapeño garden when he was eight, Chef Max learned the value of growing and cultivating his own fresh ingredients. This combined with a quest for culinary creativity and excellence has elevated his dishes to the finest gourmet standards. Most recently, as Executive Chef of the trendy Woodside in Brentwood, California, Chef Max has received quite a culinary acclaim. Gourmet Magazine describes Max’s creations as “stylish, first rate and tongue-tingling” (April 1999). Los Angeles Magazine (November 1998) named the Woodside one of the area’s top 10 new restaurants and refers to Chef Max’s “artful cooking.” The Los Angeles Times (November 1998) says, “Max’s caprese (salad) is one of the best in town made with heirloom tomatoes, good milky mozzarella and a chiffonade of fragrant, sweet basil.” Bringing with him a wealth of experience and years of honing his craft at Mumbo Jumbo’s in Atlanta, The Brasserie Savoy in San Francisco and The Ritz-Carlton, Chef Max returns to Florida to helm the award-winning staff at 3030 Ocean, a unique seafood bistro located inside Marriott’s Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale. Chef Max holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a Hotel and Restaurant Minor from Florida State University. He has also studied at the Florence Study Center in Florence, Italy. He has appeared on the Home & Garden Television’s “Smart Solutions” series and on “The Organic Farmer.”

Recipes by Chef Dean James Max

 

 

 

6-7oz. Fillets of American Sturgeon

4 Tbs. Olive oil

2 lbs. C size baby roasting potatoes

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of thyme

1 cup of crème fraiche (sub sour cream)

1 lemon

2 shallots

2 oz. American Sturgeon Caviar

2 Tbs. chopped Parsley

 

Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover them with cold water. Season the water with a strong pinch of salt, the bay leaves, and thyme sprig. Bring the water to a boil and remove it from the heat. Let the potatoes cool in the liquid. If you are using a larger potato you might have to bring the water to a boil one more time. When the potatoes have completely cooled in the water, remove them and keep refrigerated until needed. Discard the water.

 

Mix the Crème Fraiche with the juice of the lemon and the shallots which you will need to nicely mince. Season the cream with salt and fresh ground white pepper. Keep refrigerated until needed.

 

Heat a Cold steel or cast iron fish skillet over a medium high flame. Season the Sturgeon with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the hot pan and carefully place the fish in the pan. Do not overcrowd your frying pan. If there is not an inch of space on each side of the fish, you might have to cook it in two pans. Cook the fish for one minute on the stove top. Place the cooked potatoes around the skillet with the fish and without turning the fish place the whole skillet in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan and serve it with the brown seared side facing up. Sturgeon is a fish I like to cook completely through.

 

To serve: Place a piece of fish on each plate. Spoon some of your crème fraiche on the plate and arrange the potatoes on top. Spoon an equal portion of caviar over the potatoes. Sprinkle some of the parsley around.

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