RHUBARB | ginger | sakura
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Thoughts from @dcberan :
“I hit a turning point a few months back, trying to pursue minimal with my food vs maximizing. For years the thought process was always “what else?”. At some point, likely as a point of maturity, and the encouragement of my chef de cuisine - @casebase21 , I started looking at things from a more reductive standpoint. We pushed toward the rule of 3 flavors, or moments, forcing me to look at the value of the individual ingredient as opposed to masking ingredients with layers.
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This dish, along with its mirrored sibling from the first half of the menu - the crab course - is the simplest and likely the most personally challenging in our current menu. The course required three things- great product, great technique, and a clear purpose. I constantly asked- is this enough? Somehow it’s become a unanimous favorite among diners.
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Put simply, this course is rhubarb, in its best form. Slightly tender, barely cooked in a lightly sweetened green tea and cherry blossom syrup to balance the acid while complimenting the floral and vegetal notes of the rhubarb. To restore the intensity of the rhubarb we dress it in raw juice seasoned with the same tea syrup. I always loved spice with rhubarb so we season with raw ginger and ginger oil, and to push it back to savory, we finish with tosaka seasoned in white soy and Fresno chili.
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An homage to one of my favorite ingredients.”
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Photo: @wonhophoto
Our Guest Chef series continues Tuesday, May 19th with our sold out dinner featuring Casey Palermino of Seline in Los Angeles.
Originally from Metro Detroit, Casey grew up in the kitchen following the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and his career led him across the country to acclaimed concepts like Willows Inn on Lummi Island (WA) and Pasjoli in Los Angeles. At SELINE, he helps develop the ambitious storytelling-driven tasting menu, offering food that is both unique and familiar, striking a delicate balance between intrigue and comfort, but always delicious.
Now he is coming home to Michigan, for one night only.
We can't wait to welcome everyone joining us for this one. Browse our full Guest Chef series calendar at the link in our bio.
RHUBARB | ginger | sakura
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Rhubarb stalks are gently poached in a savory syrup made from green tea and cherry blossoms. Once poached they are sliced into bite sized pieces and dressed with raw ginger, borage flowers, and tosaka seaweed that has been infused with white soy and Fresno chilis. Around the outside, a broth of raw rhubarb juice seasoned with the same tea and cherry blossom syrup as well as ginger oil.
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A bright, refreshing moment pushing the colors and freshness of spring.
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Photos: @wonhophoto
Within the second section of the menu, there are key moments intended to call back to the first section. A prime example of this is the dynamic between the third courses in each section.
. The third course in the first section of the menu is a crab and kohlrabi ravioli paired with a broth of smoked pork - very much intended to focus on the dampness of early spring with darker flavors and aesthetic. The third course in the second section of the menu mirrors this concept by presenting a vegetable in a broth. With the second half focusing on the bloom and explosion of colors, we chose to mimic the crab course with bright crisp flavors and aesthetic.
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This course pairs rhubarb with green tea, cherry blossoms, and ginger. It leans into all of the moments that exemplify the second half of the menu with an explosive and memorable flavor.
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RHUBARB | ginger | sakura
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Photos: @wonhophoto
This post is a little late. I wanted to take some time to wrap my head around it. To say the opening of @selinerestaurant was difficult would be an understatement. Learning to balance life, work, family, all while developing a voice and a vision, all while leading a team.
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I look back at it and wonder how I even made it this far. How fortunate I am to have such an incredible team, and family. People who love and support and believe in me. Without them, I’m lost.
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Our team at seline is amazing. To be nominated for @beardfoundation best chef California is something I’d never really thought was possible. This nomination reflects the magic and support that resides within these walls. The passionate team that comes in every day and believes we are better today than we were yesterday.
I used to take moments like this for granted, not winning was a loss. At this point, in this moment, I couldn’t feel more honored. I had to overcome a lot, and it was in a big part because of the incredible people around me.
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Whatever happens June 15, happens. At this point, we are celebrating how far we’ve come. Thank you to the beard award voters, this incredible team, and my family. A moment that means so much more than a nomination for an award.
The beginning of spring.
Or at least, the beginning of the second half.
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We chose to see spring in two half’s, a progression through time. The menu begins with the first moments after the thaw, the greens breaking through the dead leaves. The second half starts with the bloom, the first flowers.
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This course begins the second half of the menu as it is the final offerings from the damp forest floor and the first flowers of spring, all in a single course.
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MAITAKE | rose
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Photos: @wonhophoto
Chef de cuisine @casebase21 has been with @dcberan since shortly after pandemic. Casey joined the @pasjoli.sm team and grew to sous chef before helping to open Seline in late 2024.
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Being from Michigan, Casey shares a similar perspective to @dcberan when it comes to understanding seasons. His approach to food brings a more natural aesthetic and feeling to our cuisine.
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Photo: @ohpetelee
Nostalgia is a tricky game.
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For autumn we included apple cider donuts as the final course of the menu. The challenge in the donut was defining what the perfect donut was. Nostalgic flavor can often overpower technical perfection. In our case we battled for months before landing on a recipe that felt more true to a donut from an apple orchard than that of a proper patisserie. The goal was to refine the imperfect, the slightly exploded, crispy edged, cake donut that both @casebase21 and @dcberan grew up eating.
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Photos: @ohpetelee
TEXTURES 2 | SELINE
Some various textures at SELINE moving into spring
1. mid-service rose gochujang sauce and elderflower flower
2. frying dehydrated beef tendon
3. DCB admiring his plating for the fried maitake and rose gochujang sauce
4. limequat lacto-ferment
5. mid-service plating of tuna, perilla leaf, poblano gel
6. clean up
7. assam tea scoby grown from zero
8. exploded strawberry lacto-ferment that’s why we use a box
Some scenes from early testing of our roasted calendula.
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A flower that grows locally, we’ve always loved it because of its subtle flavor and beautiful color. For our autumn menu we wanted to find a way to build the flower as more of a star. From a subtle roast, the flower showcased a deep nutty flavor reminiscent of a toasted sunflower seed. This became the perfect compliment to our short rib with burnt onion and prune.
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Photo: @ohpetelee
DUNGENESS CRAB | magic myrna | pine
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Thoughts from @dcberan :
“I wanted this course to offer three focal points. First, as part of the second half of the winter menu, it centers on comfort. Second, it ties back to the idea of storage vegetables while still showcasing products at their local peak. Third, it introduces a visual and tactile element that draws the guest into a specific moment.
The potato became the natural focal point—both a classic storage vegetable and one that reaches its peak at the market this time of year. We approached it in two ways. First, as a vessel for familiar flavor: potato and butter, whether baked or mashed, a combination that always resonates.
The second expression became the potato chip. We wanted a crisp element that felt equally comforting and familiar, but also capable of creating a moment. The chips are made clear, evoking the feeling of looking through a frozen pond—the tactile experience of breaking through ice, and hearing that crack.
And it works. The dish rewards on every level—visual, tactile, and unapologetically delicious.”
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Photo: @wonhophoto
DUNGENESS CRAB | magic myrna | pine
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A course centered on potatoes.
Magic Myrna potatoes, a local variety known for their natural sweetness and buttery texture, are gently cooked in clarified butter, then crushed and folded with more butter until they absorb as much richness as possible.
They are paired with pine nuts—both raw and puréed—alongside Dungeness crab and a classic beurre blanc. Clear potato chips finish the dish, intended to evoke the sensation of breaking through ice in winter.
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Photo: @wonhophoto
