Chef’s Corner – Shop Talk with Forest Hamrick

Chef Forest Hamrick with icon Richard Sandoval

In the kitchen with Forest Hamrick, executive chef and master mind behind the dishes at both La Hacienda and Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.

How did you get your start as a chef?

I didn’t set out to become a chef. In fact, I initially went to school for psychology, and then nursing. It wasn’t until I took a part-time job at an oyster bar in San Diego that I found my calling, though you would never guess it from week one. On one of my first days on the job, which happened to be the same week as my wedding, I was eager to show I could shuck an oyster with the best of them. The result – I ran the knife all the way up that oyster, but neglected to stop once I hit my fingers. Thankfully, my kitchen colleagues sprang into action, using coffee grounds and an onion peel of all things to stop the bleeding so I could get to the emergency room. Two days later, with my hand wrapped up and stiches in place, I walked down the aisle to marry the love of my life. It has all been uphill from there, in more ways than one.

Tell us about your journey to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess?

After a few years shucking oysters – which I did master, by the way – I took a chance and moved to Arizona to enroll in culinary school. At the time, you had to complete an externship as part of the program. I got lucky, securing the externship of a lifetime at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn. There, I met my first real mentor in Chef Patrick Poblete. I would stay on with Lon’s well after the graduation – for several years, in fact, eventually becoming their sous chef. From there, I helped open a few spots in Scottsdale before joining the Princess team in 2003. All these years later, I am still here. I love what the Princess has become, and I look forward to what we will offer in the future.

You must have some amazing culinary stories from your decade-plus at the Princess – please share a few!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with master chef, restaurateur and TV personality Richard Sandoval for so many years at both La Hacienda and Toro, so the stories abound. A few years ago, I traveled with him to the James Beard House in New York to cook a Mexican-inspired dinner for some of the biggest and brightest culinary thought leaders across the globe. Perhaps the only thing that topped that was traveling to Mexico to prepare a feast for the Governor of Puebla, who was hosting 300 world leaders in his city.

Share with us a few stand-out items on your current menus?

At La Hacienda, people go nuts for our lobster tacos. And at Toro, try the El Papi, which is an Argentinian sausage wrapped in bacon with homemade Peruvian red chile salsa and chipotle mayonnaise. Or, of course, our signature tableside dessert, “La Bomba,” which is a chocolate sphere filled with coconut, pistachio and ice cream, fresh berries, guava cheesecake, cookie crumbs and more!

What would our readers be surprised to know about you?

I love Mexican culture. I’ve been visiting Mexico for 40-plus years and have both spoken and written the language fluently my entire life – in fact, I speak better than many of my Mexican friends! My wife, who is Hispanic, says I have the “heart of a Mexican the body of an American.” I’ll take it.

Both La Hacienda and Toro Latin Restaurant + Run Bar are located at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. 7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale; 480-585-4848; www.scottsdaleprincess.com