Charlene and Vernon Rollins didn’t install their restaurant in a rundown shack on Highway 99 — without so much as a sign — with the goal of reaping recognition.
But their offbeat Talent eatery, New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro, is getting just that from the prestigious James Beard Foundation. For the third straight year, Charlene was named a semifinalist in the foundation’s Best Northwest Chef category. She has the distinction of being the only Oregon chef outside the Portland metro area nominated for the award since the foundation started announcing semifinalists in 2008.
It’s, of course, the latest in about two decades of accolades for New Sammy’s, which has been written up in nationwide publications, including this month’s Bon Appetit magazine, mentioned in a previous post. The restaurant’s encyclopedic wine list, unheard of in this area, usually is commended with Charlene’s brand of cuisine that celebrates specialities of Southern Oregon and the region’s seasons.
Their popularity is perhaps most puzzling to the Rollinses. Although its exposure may give New Sammy’s the aura of media darling, its owners are hardly self-promoting, skeptical of reporters and loathe to grant interviews. (They don’t even have a Web site.) A rocky past in California’s Anderson Valley may have something to do with their reticence.
But Charlene’s food, an offshoot of Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, has always spoken for itself, and foodies discovered New Sammy’s, making the pilgrimage from the San Francisco Bay Area and then from the opposite coast to dine.
A piece in the newspaper’s Distinctly Northwest magazine and a July Tempo review made the argument for locals to discover this gem in their own backyard. Make reservations, though, and don’t be surprised if the start of Ashland’s tourist season and New Sammy’s most recent kudos put off your visit. It’s worth the wait.
James Beard finalists will be announced March 22.
