Recipes for success

He developed each entree, appetizer and dessert from scratch.

But now five of his secret recipes are revealed thanks to a seven-page spread in the August/September issue of Country magazine.

Barbara Sidway, who owns the Geiser with her husband, Dwight, said the magazine contacted her for a feature on the hotel.

“They were interested in Eastern Oregon,” she said.

In the magazine, the article right before the Geiser story highlights the Oregon that lies east of the Cascade Mountains. Photos show a hiker on the East Lostine River Trail in the Wallowas, rafters on the Deschutes River near Bend, Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert in Southeastern Oregon, and the Sumpter Valley Railroad.

“We had a photographer and stylist from Seattle,” she said. “We were ready to have our hair done, but they were here for the food.”

The featured recipes are: Cherries in the Snow; Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Sauce; Northwest Seafood Corn Chowder; Wild Salmon with Hazelnuts over Spinach; and Smoked Shrimp and Wild Mushroom Fettuccine.

That list was narrowed down from many suggestions from Sidway of the restaurant’s most popular meals that reflect the Geiser’s philosophy of using local, handcrafted and organic ingredients.

When Sidway and Torres start talking food, they even surprise themselves at the lengths they go — they searched for years to find the perfect sourdough bread and bacon. Their potatoes come from organic-certified Agri-Star in North Powder, and their beef is from local producers.

“And we work to get huckleberries, we work to get morels,” Sidway said. “The Geiser Grand has a history of fantastic food.”

Once the final five dishes were chosen, Sidway worked with Torres to write down the recipes.

Since he doesn’t actually follow a recipe, Sidway had to watch him create a dish and scribble down the ingredients and amounts he used (converting such measurements of a pinch of this, a dash of that).

“The hardest thing was to get them written down,” she said.

Then she did some mathematical conversions to pare the recipes into serving sizes suitable for the home.

In addition to the prepared recipes, the magazine shows Torres tending at least six saucepans full of pasta creations during the Geiser’s Pasta Night, which happens every Wednesday.

“It was a long day,” Torres said of the photo shoot.

Here’s a little background on this chef: He came to Baker City to work construction when the Geiser was being restored. You know the famous stained-glass ceiling? The artists who arrived to install their work were afraid of heights, so Torres volunteered to climb up and secure the glass.

When construction was finished, Torres decided to stay and apprentice with the chef. He’s been head chef for nine years.

To celebrate Torres and the magazine article, Sidway is planning an open house from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Torres and his team will prepare the featured recipes, and visitors can sample the results.

The Geiser’s menu is pretty vast, and the most popular items didn’t make the magazine article.

Of course, Sidway and Torres don’t quite agree on what those dishes are.

She says prime rib.

He says the baby back ribs.

“It’s not just barbecue sauce — it’s our recipe,” he said.

Neither is what Torres prefers.

He’s happy with an order of clams and bread.

Most all the recipes, though, are made to reflect the tastes of Baker City.

“It’s all driven by the customer experience,” Sidway said. “If we produce food the locals love, the tourists will love it.”

The Geiser has food-centered special events year-round. For the latest news, check out the Web site at www.geisergrand.com/events