Page 13 - Leisure Living Holiday 2015

Chef in the Spotlight Chef Brian Miller of
the Wine Vault, Vermilion
By JD Noll, Feature Writer
Colleagues and friends for over a decade, Josh Frey and Brian Miller and their wives, Maggie and Jennifer were drawn together again by a former bank building in the heart of historic Vermilion. Ater viewing the vacant location and imagining the exciting possibilities of the old money vault being transformed into an impressive wine vault, the two collaborated on a menu and opened the doors in July 2013 to the casually, upscale the Wine Vault.
Repurposed wood from structural changes was transformed into wine racks and a large menu board, beneath a beautiful pressed tin ceiling. Baby boomers will recognize photos on canvas of
familiar sites of downtown hung throughout the restaurant.
A native of Harrisburg, PA and a graduate of the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute, Chef Brian, 37, skillfully manages the kitchen while Josh handles front of house responsibilities. heir wives are integral, serving at times as hostess, bartender and server. Brian and Josh both underscore the importance of their successful team relationship. “Every success is a group success,” Brian says. Having mentored at Vermilion’s Chez Francois for 15 years, Chef Brian considers himself blessed and fortunate.
Chef Brian always enjoyed cooking, deciding during community college that cu- linary school would be his next step. Classi- cally trained, Brian tries to incorporate the freshest ingredients, staying in touch with the seasons. He prefers to prepare lighter and healthier fare, to extend the life of the product and respect it. He was taught to waste little and make something from noth- ing. Buying directly from local farms and purveyors, he and Josh also have herb gar- dens at their Vermilion homes that enhance weekly deliveries.
Adapting to modern cooking trends, Chef Brian says, “I like to embrace the trends by familiarizing myself with the products
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Josh Frey, Chef Brian Miller and Jeremy Crawford are part of the team that pleases the palates of diners at the Wine Vault in Vermilion. Photos by Barb Clemons
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