New wine and food flavors found at Logan Ridge Winery

Chef William Cornelius wants create a memorable dining experience for you. And you won't have to sit middle of a trout stream in the pouring rain, as some fishermen did on April 1.

Chef William was cooking up -- and in -- a storm as television spots were being taped on the first day of trout fishing last spring. Within weeks he was out of the stream bed, landing a job on much higher ground as the new executive chef at Petioles Restaurant at Logan Ridge Winery in Hector.

In addition to being executive chef at Petioles, he is the media chef for sister winery Glenora Wine Cellars in Dundee. He has cooking shows that air on two television stations, WENY in the Elmira market and WTVH in Syracuse.

At the restaurant, William wanted to know what was needed and what would work.

"I treated it like opening a new restaurant," William says. "I wanted to be able to try things and follow through."

They created a new menu with lots of original offerings that William had not prepared before. One of the new dishes is the Surf and Turf Ravioli. It has veal, pork and lamb for the meat portion of the dish and lobster for the seafood portion of the entree. A chardonnay cream sauce infused with shrimp stock complements the lobster ravioli.

Another item that has been very popular according to William is the Grilled Caesar Salad. Lettuce hearts are drenched in Caesar dressing and then grilled. Beef filet medallions are then served with the seasoned and grilled lettuce hearts.

Although dinner hours will be cut back as fall approaches, lunch is served Monday through Saturday at Petioles. Lunch would be a great time to try the Floyd Sandwich, made with thinly sliced roast beef served on a multigrain roll. A slice of tangy garlic cheddar cheese, crisp coleslaw and creamy horseradish sauce complete the flavorful sandwich.

Before or after lunch, why not stop downstairs and taste some Logan Ridge wines, a sure way to get to sample wines that may not make it to stores. (See the accompanying tasting notes.)

No matter which wines you decide you like the most, the best treat during your visit may be meeting Chef William.

According to John Di Cinti, director of hospitality for Logan Ridge and Glenora, William is enthusiastic, creative, highly visible and funny.

"He is a joy to work with, Di Cinti says. "The hotter it gets, the happier he is, singing in the kitchen."

Jeff Richards' wine column appears each Thursday on the Twin Tiers Life Food Page. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: jrichards@stargazette.com

Tasting notes
- 2002 Chardonnay: fruit-forward with a light oak taste.

- 2002 Reserve Chardonnay: a more oak-and-butter taste.

- 2003 Riesling: semi-dry, lots of fruit flavor and the tastes of pineapple and citrus.

- 2002 Pinot Noir: a soft-tasting wine with plum and cherry flavors.

- 2002 Merlot: clean, fresh-tasting wine with cherry and oak flavors.

- 2003 Rose of Sangiovese: a refreshing, semi-dry blush wine