Epcot chef serves it up

Published in Central Florida Lifestyle, By Sarah Sekula

Just listening to Jens Dahlmann of Dr. Phillips for a few minutes is a surefire way to make anyone’s stomach growl. He’ll tell you, in his distinct German accent, about how his mother used to prepare delectable cakes with fresh apples from the family’s organic fruit garden; his grandfather, who was an excellent pastry chef; and his father, who would braise meat every Saturday and prepare goulash or Sauerbraten, a German pot roast usually served with red cabbage or potato dumplings.

“I can still smell those aromas,” he says. “I grew up in the kitchen, cutting bags of onions by age 8.”

So, it comes as no surprise that he has turned his culinary know-how into an über successful career. After completing an apprenticeship in a small town near Düsseldorf, Germany, where he grew up, he was classically trained in some of the finest hotels and restaurants in Switzerland and Germany, including the Widder Hotel in Zurich and the Park Hotel in Bremen. Then, he spent his mid-20s as a chef on cruise ships that took him to ports all over Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean Sea.

After moving to America in 1998, Dahlmann shared the kitchen with Sottha Khunn at Le Cirque 2000, a popular New York City restaurant, and manned the stoves at Café L’Europe, a four-star, five-diamond eatery in Palm Beach, for three years as executive chef. These days, however, he is proud to call Orlando home.

As executive chef at Epcot, he oversees a talented team of 350 and also takes part in year-round preparations for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

And he’s just as proud to serve the community. Four times a year, Dahlmann, along with other Epcot employees, volunteers to prepare and serve a nutritious, delicious meal at the Family Center and Men’s Center at the Coalition for the Homeless. The chefs make up a menu, prepare the food and serve the meals with a smile.

Dahlmann particularly enjoys his volunteer time at Bay Meadows Elementary School. Along with his wife, Gina, who is also a chef, they auction themselves off to benefit the school. In other words, they come to the purchaser’s home and cook them a delectable a meal. The proceeds all go to the school.

Not a bad prize when you think about it. Not many area schools can claim to have a prestigious chef as a volunteer. Lucky winners not only get to eat something fantastic, but get to learn great kitchen tips from the chef.

So after managing the world-renowned Epcot Food & Wine Festival or cooking at a Bay Meadows Elementary fundraiser, how exactly does a world-class chef relax? Cooking, of course. “It’s a mood thing with me,” he says. According to Dahlmann, cooking always puts him in a good mood.

There is still time to take a trip to Epcot and enjoy the 2010 International Food & Wine Festival! In 2010, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, presented by Vanity Fair, makes its grand return, transforming the theme park into a destination filled with the world’s tastiest regional foods and drinks, rockin’ concerts, and unforgettable sensory experiences. Guests will delight in tantalizing new additions — from the robust and exotic flavors of Belgium and South Korea to world-class performers who will take the stage at the festival for the very first time. Epcot theme park admission is required ans some Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events require ticket fees in addition to admission to Epcot.