Beachwood in Huntington Beach honors the late ‘father of Wine Country cuisine’

Beachwood Pizza & Beer is honoring a late pioneering chef known as the father of Wine Country cuisine by taking inspiration directly from one of his cookbooks to create a temporary menu at its Hunting Beach location.

The award-winning brewery and restaurant will be adding three new dishes to its menu from Oct. 23-Nov. 2 that include a pizza, a chicken pasta dish and a peach dessert, all inspired by the iconic cookbook “From Earth to Table,” which was written 30 years ago by the late Chef John Ash, who passed away at the age of 83 in August.

Ash was known as an early proponent of sustainable cooking using local, seasonal ingredients and the wines of Sonoma County. He also founded the restaurant John Ash & Co.

“He was a man who used items that were in season all the time, and he really honed in on the ingredients he was using,” said Ashley Arias, head chef at Beachwood, who created the new dishes after reading Ash’s book, which is one of many he wrote in his long and celebrated career.

“I looked at the book and what ingredients he was using and was like, OK, this is a good foundation, and I switched up on some of the ingredients to really create a new world cuisine,” she said.

In a statement, Beachwood owner Gabriel Gordon said Ash was an influence and a guiding force since his earliest days as a chef.

“John was the godfather of wine country cuisine and a huge influence on me growing up in Santa Rosa,” Gordon said in a statement. “He was definitely a celebrity chef by all accounts, but to me, he was my best friend’s dad — and the person who first sparked my love for cooking,” he continued.

The limited time menu will include the Earth To Table Sourdough Pizza, made with Bechamel sauce, mozzarella, Dutch brie, Canadian bacon, portabella mushroom and caramelized onions.

“It’s like putting a charcuterie board on a pizza,” Arias said.

Another menu item is a wine-braised chicken Orecchiette. The dish contains a creamy wine-braised chicken, pasta, herbed Shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan.

“It’s super herbie, super savory,” Arias said.

The dessert dish, meanwhile, is the Spiced Wine Poached Pear.

“I used the wine he’s always talking about in his book, and I poached the pairs in the white wine,” Arias said. “It’s tender but still full of texture,” she added.

Earth to Table at Beachwood

Where: Beachwood Pizza & Beer,  5205 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach

When: Oct. 23-Nov. 2

Information: beachwoodbrewing.com/huntingtonbeach