ABOVE RIGHT:
Spring Lettuce Salad
with Herb Dressing

LEFT:
Mascarpone Polenta

RIGHT:
Braised Beef Short Ribs
with Red Wine &
Mushrooms

“At work, I am always in the kitchen. When I entertain at home, I like to be with my guests,” says the executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel, Houston, whose
normal day includes overseeing the production of more than a thousand gourmet meals. His responsibilities range from the Italian delights prepared in the highly
acclaimed Quattro restaurant, room service, numerous banquet halls and the employees’ cafeteria.

While work at the luxury Four Seasons requires food and service with depths of formality and complexity, Oldham keeps it simple at home. In both kitchens he
practices the same food philosophy: Fantastic dishes start with fanatically high quality and fresh ingredients.

Oldham uses unique cooking styles to accomplish his goal of casual simplicity. Some evenings he develops a menu centered around a braised main dish, such as the
Braised Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta that he shares here with us. “By choosing a braised dish, with all the preparation done earlier in the day, I am free
to socialize and enjoy myself and my company.”

On the nights he chooses braising, he finds ways to incorporate his guests into the cooking procedure. “I get everyone involved in the cooking process by inviting
them into the kitchen to make the salad,” says Oldham.

His other favored entertaining method is Asian-style cooking, like satays, stir frys and sushi. Before the guests arrive, he’ll have done all the prep work. Then with the guests clustered around, he’ll whip up the sushi, cook the stir frys or grill the satays.

When serving the braised meals, he prefers plain white bowls and dishes. Only one night a year does he get fancy. “The holiday season is a blur for me. I work
nonstop at the hotel. So I’ve made the Oscar night my big blow-out holiday,” confides Oldham, an avid film buff. “All the dishes are gold, and every year I name
the dishes after the movie stars.”

Oldham has worked for the Four Seasons for more than a decade, his postings have included Hawaii, Singapore and San Diego and his Oscar parties have become
legend in the corporation, second only to his reputation for being calm under stress.

However, he gets a bit edgy when asked about desserts. He admits he is not one for producing pastries.

“My desserts are usually marinated berries of some sort,” he says.

He adds, with a quiet smile, that he usually exercises executive privilege and orders dessert from the hotel’s talented pastry chef, Philippe Valladares.

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