STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Jeff Gundy loves summer menus—even if it means taking the popular Pork ‘n Mac off his menu for a few months.

“I love summer menus because, after the heavier foods we eat during winter, the summer dishes are so refreshing,” said Gundy, the chef at Ketchum’s new Limelight Hotel. “I love going lighter, more fun, more summery.”

Gundy and Limelight’s food and beverage director Denis Cote have spent the past few months concocting new summer dishes and drinks for the Limelight Hotel. And they unveiled a few of them this past week.

Both the dishes and the drinks were colorful, flavorful and full of fresh ingredients.

Among the appetizers: Shrimp Lettuce Wraps that boasted shrimp stuffed in little endive boats and  seasoned with sweet chili, kimchi and radish pickled ginger.

Spicy, yes! But oh so tasty.

Cote’s favorite new dish is the Crab Cakes flavored with a charred lime aioli boasting hints of garlic and cilantro with a grilled corn succotash.

And Gundy’s personal favorite—one he came up with a little help from sous chef Taylor Rumble-- is the Crispy Pork Belly.

Pork cubes are strung together like beads with watermelon and seasoned with basil, olive oil powder, aged balsamic oil and hoisin sauce.

It looks simple. But the process that it goes through to get to the plate is not.

Gundy sears the meat, then cures it for 48 hours with salt, soy sauce, ginger, garlic seasoning and sesame oil. He then seals the pork in a vacuum bag with orange juice, soy sauce and ginger and cooks it for 18 hours.

Finally, he deep fries it to make it crispy and dips it in the hoisin sauce.

“I cook with love!” he said.

Gundy grew up in Kansas City—the Missouri side, he proudly notes. But he developed a passion for skiing and the mountain lifestyle early on as his parents took him on yearly vacations to Breckinridge and other ski resorts.

“So I’m living the dream here in Sun Valley. And I loved this past winter with all the snow. I’d kill for another winter like this,” he said.

Gundy is just 32 but has a wealth of culinary experience under his chef’s hat. Rather than spend his time at culinary school, he worked with some of the great chefs of Kansas City at revered restaurants like YaYa’s EuroBistro, which boasts eclectic menus items, such as Filet Mignon in Chianti and Gorgonzola Sauce. He also learned his craft at the National Golf Club of Kansas City, with its Georgian Revival clubhouse and course designed by Tom Watson.

“The No. 1 thing chefs taught me was about working clean and organized. If you’re organized, you’re prepared to do anything,” he said.

Organization came in handy during the rush to open up the Limelight Hotel smack dab in the middle of the Christmas holidays several months ago.

Now that he’s had time to catch his breath and look around, Gundy likes what he sees. And that includes the local restaurant scene.

“There are some great restaurants here—Rickshaw, Il Naso, Enoteca…” he said.

Gundy stays away from anything pre-made, preferring to build his dishes from scratch right down the flatbread he crafts and flavors with fennel and other seasoning.

He’s found getting local ingredients here more challenging than in other places. But he says the wild Alaskan salmon he’s able to get from Mountain Pride is the best he’s ever found anywhere.

And, he notes, the Limelight Hotel’s Beer Dinners are conveniently scheduled on Wednesdays so he can plan the dinner around what’s fresh and available at the Farmer’s Market the day before.

Upcoming beer and specialty dinners include a Beer Dinner featuring brews from Odell Brewery on July 12, a Rose Farm to Table Dinner July 26, a Beer Dinner featuring brews from New Belgium Brewery on Aug. 9 and a Beer Dinner featuring brews from Mother Earth Brewing on Sept. 6

A Tequila Farm to Table Dinner will be held Sept. 20 and a Beer Dinner featuring brews from Sun Valley Brewery will be held Oct. 4, followed by a Grand Slam Dinner featuring 44 North Vodka Distillery and Sawtooth Brewery on Oct. 18.

Gundy is especially looking forward to the Beer Dinner on Aug. 23.

“That’s my birthday. And we’re going to go big with beers from Boulevard Brewing Co. in my hometown of Kansas City, which has become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest,” he said. “We’ll have that along with a Kansas City BBQ dinner.  I may even come up with a smoked dessert.”

One need not need a special evening to enjoy Cote’s summer cocktails. They don’t come any more refreshing than his Mountain Bliss, an invigorating summer blend of Flor de Cana Rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, Orgeat syrup and Angostura bitters.

If you like that, perhaps you’d like to try his pink sangria.

“Coming up with new drinks is like going into a chemistry lab, marrying flavors together and seeing what you can come up with that’s unique and tasty,” said Cote, who hails from French Quebec.

Gundy, a hobbyist graffiti artist of cartoonish characters, agrees.

“Creating new food dishes, new drinks, is like art,” he said, presenting an Earl Grey Pot de Crème and Blueberry Compote Cheesecake on the table for emphasis. “I love the creativity. I love art. And I feel like my cooking is my art.”

ASPEN SKIING COMPANY NAMES NEW COO OF HOSPITALITY

Alinio Azevedo has been named the new Chief Operating Officer for Aspen Skiing Company’s hospitality division.

Azevedo will oversee the Limelight Hotel Ketchum, Limelight Hotel Aspen, The Little Nell in Aspen and the Limelight Hotel Snowmass, which is scheduled to open in November 2018.

Azevedo has served as vice president for Loews Hotels and Resorts and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. His passion for the occupation started at a young age, as his parents owned and operated a hotel in his home country of Brazil, which allowed him to learn all aspects of the business early on.