‘The full experience’

Lisa Sereda started experimenting in the kitchen when she was 4 years old.

She’d received an important task from her grandmother, who put her in charge of the salad dressing for family meals. Sereda would pick and choose from an impressive spread of oil, vinegar, lemon juice and spices, creating different concoctions. Then, they’d taste test together.

“Her encouraging me not to be afraid to try different things and see how things work was probably the most valuable culinary lesson,” Sereda said.

She continued that tradition with her grandmother until her passing five years ago. But that adventurous attitude has stuck with Sereda, now the head chef of Wine Time, throughout her career. The Bay Area native has worked in the food industry since she was 17, when she moved to Chico to attend college, and has been at Wine Time for the past seven years.

Her skills in the kitchen have not gone unnoticed. Last year, in the CN&R’s Best of Chico readers’ poll, she placed third in the category of Best Chef. She also was one of three chefs to qualify for a meatless Monday competition hosted by the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York (she placed second with her stuffed Anaheim pepper).

Sereda says she’s thankful she gets to work for a place that encourages her creativity in the kitchen. One thing she focuses on is crafting a menu that is accessible to everyone, no matter their dietary restrictions or preferences. That’s why, when considering which entree represented her idea of the sexiest dish, she picked one that’s not only popular, but also adaptable—she’s created a vegan version of it.

For meat lovers, the entree is made up of two miniature beef Wellingtons—tender petite filets are seared and brushed with dijon mustard, topped with a buttery mushroom Duxelles pâté and then wrapped in a salty prosciutto and plump, golden puff pastry. They’re placed on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and drizzled with a mushroom reduction sauce.

“To me, it’s a sexy dish because it’s rich but it has different layers of flavor,” Sereda said. “And then with the mushroom reduction I put on top, there’s also a sweetness to that, so it kind of balances the salt of the prosciutto.”

For the vegan version, the dish is similar, except the filets are replaced with seared portobello mushrooms, which Sereda wraps in rice paper to preserve the moisture, and she uses vegan milk and butter alternatives.

Both dishes are made to be shared, Sereda said. In fact, Wine Time is a tapas-style restaurant that focuses on shareable dishes—this naturally complements a romantic occasion.

“You can share it and both enjoy it together,” Sereda said.

For dessert, Sereda whipped up a vegan chilled cashew mocha cheesecake, made primarily with cashews and almonds and paired with blueberries. It’s a filling dessert that’s packed with protein and not too sweet, with maple syrup being the only added sugar. The fresh fruit adds a nice pop of color, flavor and texture, and the mint garnish was plucked straight from Wine Time’s garden.

“I just love it because it’s really different,” Sereda said. “It’s actually pretty good for you…. And it’s very rich, just like a cheesecake would be.”

With every dish, Sereda uses seasonal ingredients and aims to offer a variety of well-rounded, flavorful options, so that “there’s a little bit of everything on [the menu] everybody can enjoy.”

“Something that’s really important to me … is making a place where you can come and have a glass of wine, listen to music and not have to modify whatever you want,” she said. “I want you to have the full experience and not have to modify it yourself.”