Hello everyone, this is Chef Peter at Cafe Matisse. On this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I’m sitting in my garden, which I find to be very magical. I come out here sometimes just to relax and to ponder my day and think about menus and cooking. It’s a beautiful garden, something special you wouldn’t expect to be in Rutherford, until you come back here and see for yourself.
The serenity kind of takes me away. Even in the daylight, it’s a beautiful space, and at night, the lights and the fountains and the water sounds are soothing to the soul. It’s open to the air. I never put a roof on it because I wanted everything to grow and be beautiful.
We currently have our summer menu in place. It’s only a couple more weeks for the summer menu. So, just think about the garden at Matisse for dinner. We’re at the end of August now. September’s a beautiful month, because it’s a little cooler at night. It’s a nice time of year. September, beginning of October, then we have to think about, not so much that the garden is ready to shut down, it’s still growing, it’s still fascinating. The quality of the food, though, is impacted by the cooler evenings.
The problem is when it gets too cool at night, it’s not about so much that you could put a sweater or a jacket on. It’s about the food coming out and getting cold too quickly. The food needs to have a certain temperature for the texture and the quality.
This is Chef Peter, creating Artful Cuisine here at Matisse! Hope to see you soon in the garden.