Chef Highlight: Gretchen Menser, Executive Chef of Fresno

Gretchen Menser, who joined Fresno Restaurant in 2006, has been cooking on the East End since 1992. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Menser has worked at several popular East Hampton restaurants, including Nick & Toni’s, Rowdy Hall and The 1770 House, where she did a three-year stint as chef de cuisine.

The Bolivian-born Menser, having grown up in Europe and Asia, has traveled and eaten extensively all over the world. Menser cooks with a European sensibility, keeping flavors exciting and clean and working with as local a product as possible. This philosophy aligns with Fresno’s tradition of offering the gamut of new American fare and local bounty emphasizing simple yet sophisticated preparation.

Recent Menser additions to the Fresno menu include warm roasted wild mushrooms with creamy polenta and a gorgonzola dolce plus salmon tartare with scallion, lime, jalapeño and house-made chips. Entrées include Indian red lentil dal with bamboo rice, papadum and fresh coriander along with cazuela-roasted striped bass with dashi broth, wild mushrooms, baby bok choy and Asian slaw.

To learn more about Fresno, visit fresnorestaurant.com.