Scott Turbee is an energetic and passionate individual who has dedicated the past 10+ years to honing his craft, focusing on both the sweet and savory realms of the culinary industry.  His experience, coupled with two degrees from The Culinary Institute of America, has produced an individual who is able to execute a variety of different tasks.  These tasks range from bread baking, confectionery work, wedding cakes, menu development, food cost analysis, high-volume food production, catering, education, and front-of-house duties.

In conjunction with a never-faltering desire to learn and master new skills, he is confident about what he knows, but humble when amongst those who can teach him something new.  Those teachers may be from anywhere between the executive chef and the dishwasher.  Scott started his career at a handful of restaurants around the Syracuse, NY area, which is where he is originally from, and has expanded his horizons to places such as New York City, Napa, Petaluma, and Santa Barbara.  He currently resides in the Santa Barbara area and works at Birnam Wood Golf Club and Piatti Restaurant in Montecito, CA.

Knives, Pans and Fire

There is nothing more energizing than a high-volume, fast-paced kitchen for Scott.  He can function efficiently in an environment that requires quick decision making and multi-tasking to prepare food that remains at the highest level of quality and consistency of the establishment he is in.  He has always striven for perfection, even with the knowledge that perfection is an unobtainable destination simply due to the fact that there is always room to improve.  In the kitchen, Scott is charismatic and energetic, which creates an environment amongst his co-workers that make working in the kitchen enjoyable.  At the same time, he is focused on the tasks at hand and is able to complete them all in a timely manner.  Teamwork, for Scott, is one of the most important aspects to working in a kitchen simply because a crew is like a chain; it is only as strong as its weakest link.

Bread, Chocolate and Migniardises

Scott has worked with many extremely talented chefs and cooks.  While earning his culinary arts degree, he came to the realization that most chefs, while excelling in one area of the kitchen, more often than not, possess a deficit in another area.  So he decided to pursue an additional focus in the baking and pastry area of the industry.  This makes him more versatile and an additional resource no matter what environment he is currently working in.  If a bakery needs some savory baked goods, he has the knowledge to prepare such items; likewise, if a restaurant kitchen needs fresh dinner rolls, he will be able to execute the tasks with ease.

Scott’s main focus in the baking world has been predominantly bread baking and chocolate production, but is well versed in other areas as well.  He currently produces chocolates for a Carneros, CA based winery called Ardiri, creating pinot noir-based ganache filled bon-bons.  If you are interested in having hand-made chocolates for your business or an event, feel free to contact him to discuss what he can create for you.

Scott Turbee strides to work, from the CIA annual report 2007