An apprenticeship changed her life
Q&A with Julianne Gutierrez, executive chef at the Williamsburg
Our new monthly chef series will highlight those in the local food industry, in the kitchen and after hours.
Executive Chef Julianne Gutierrez, Williamsburg Inn at Colonial Williamsburg
Gutierrez has enjoyed working in the food industry since her teenage stints at McDonald’s and Applebee’s.
Gutierrez was recently promoted to her role where she’s responsible for running multiple restaurants, banquet events and weddings, handling more budgets and financials, writing specialty menus and developing recipes. She was the chef de cuisine since 2021, overseeing the Rockefeller Room, Terrace Room, The Social Terrace, Gold Course Clubhouse Grill and the Museum Cafe.
“I’m still learning,” she said. The Pennsylvania native continued working in the industry while she attended Millersville University of Pennsylvania. College didn’t bring her joy.
“The job was fun and school was work,” Gutierrez said.
She completed a degree in English with a minor in history but she still wanted a career in the food industry. She found a culinary arts program at Reynolds Community College in Richmond and not long after she learned about the apprenticeship program at Colonial Williamsburg. She spent two years getting an associate degree while training for more than three years in the Williamsburg program. Dedication.
The interview has been edited for brevity.
Q: How did the apprenticeship at the Williamsburg Inn change your life?
A: It showed me a broad range of everything that could be done in this industry. We went through different rotations that ranged from breakfast to banquets — hot and cold — to restaurants on the line, and even a butchery rotation. I felt I knew everything about working in a kitchen and it turned out, I knew nothing. I put my head down for three and a half years and learned everything that I could. I came out of it ready to take on a low-level supervisory position.
Q: What can people expect when they visit Williamsburg Inn? A:
The Rockefeller Room is highend fine dining with a prix fixe menu. You can kind of dress up and have a nice special occasion dinner.
The Terrace Room a little bit more upscale-casual and still great for a special occasion. It’s not like the prefix menu, so you can order a la carte and a wide variety of options such as burger, salmon and salad options.
The Social Terrace is our outdoor venue. It features artisanal pizzas that utilize Red
May Wheat, which is a Colonial heritage wheat that almost went extinct.
I found a farm recently that has a heritage cattle breed called Randall Lineback at Chapel
Hill Farms. This is an actual American breed of cattle that got down to about five to seven and the farm decided to breed them. They’ve been genetically unchanged since the 17th century. We’ve started working with them and utilizing some of their products on the pizzas and charcuterie.
Q: I noticed that the Rockefeller Room has a crispy deviled duck egg on the menu. What’s the difference between cooking with duck eggs vs chicken eggs?
A: You can use them like any other eggs. Duck eggs are larger and the yolks are richer. Harris Teeter sells them in a six-pack if people want to dabble with them.
Q: Why is menu writing your favorite? How do you come up with menu ideas?
A: It challenges me and I like to keep things fresh. I want to keep coming up with new ideas and techniques. The amount of menus that I have to write is significant, probably around 40 to 50 a year, including specialty banquet menus. I research and go through different cookbooks. I look at different recipes and try new things.
Q: What inspired the Titanic Dinner menu for the Culinary Taste of History that was canceled in April?
A: I knew it was something people had done, so I thought it was interesting. I found a book that looked at the last dinners of the Titanic. You could see what everybody was eating in first, second and third class. I thought it would be a fun way to rework old traditional recipes and elevate them with modern techniques. For example, first class was served oysters à la russe, which is a raw oyster that is topped with tomato and vodka relish. In the updated edition, I plan on making a tomato-infused vodka, a horseradish granité and chive oil.
Q: Who are some of your favorite chefs?
A: I had the pleasure of working with brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio — Bravo’s “Top Chef ” Season 6 runner-up and winner — at Estuary, a restaurant in the Conrad Hotel, District of Columbia. I opened the hotel with them in 2019. They were an inspiration for me getting into the industry. I also like Kristen Kish, “Top Chef ” winner of Season 10. I watch the show as a way to see what chefs today are doing from different cities, across the country and what’s going on in the industry. And, it’s entertaining and I get ideas. I also get a lot of inspiration from Thomas Keller.
Q: Where do you dine and why?
A: When I’m off work, I’m not a high-end dining person. One of my favorite spots is YROC Coastal Bar & Grill in Gloucester Point. It’s a nice restaurant where my husband and I like to share some appetizers and enjoy a couple of drinks and sit by the water. I also like to go anywhere that has good Latin Food.
Q: What are three things you always keep in your refrigerator?
A: I always have makeshift charcuterie-type things like meat and cheeses. Texas Pete hot sauce. Yogurt.
Q: What’s your go-to meal you like to prepare at home?
A: I’m a big steak fan; I like preparing that at home. I make different types of baked potatoes such as pommes puree (French mashed potatoes), dauphinoise potatoes and Hasselback
potatoes. My dad is Venezuelan, so I also like making arepas (corn cakes) with braised beef, chicken or sometimes pork.
Q: What’s happening in the fall in the Rockefeller Room?
A: The Rockefeller Room is having another event with Barboursville Vineyards called “Climate, Culture and Cuisine” on Oct. 19. I was able to find a farm in each of Virginia’s five regions to feature their product which is actually how I came across the Chapel Hill, Randall Lineback cattle which will be showcased on the menu.