THEIR STORY
Chef Lucas Trombley, a Massachusetts native who grew up in Canada, attended Le Cordon Bleu in New Hampshire and worked under Jesse Newmister before catering for national acts on tour. He serves as Executive Chef of The Mill & Mine. Chef Erin Parrish joined the Tako Taco team in 2018 as a line cook. In late 2023, she took the helm of Newmister’s new concept, Green Room.
The Green Room is an evolving space, with its distressed brick walls and open industrial ceiling and a picture-window front wall overlooking the passers-by on Depot Street. For some time it has been used for concerts and private events.
Owner and Executive Chef Jesse Newmister told Top Chefs diners, “We’re in flux right now,” as to how best to use the space, noting that even the name Green Room is a placeholder, with 50 other names being considered. The morning of the Top Chef dinner, Green Room Executive Chef Erin Parrish woke up with a slipped disc in her neck, so Newminster and Mill & Mine Executive Chef Lucas Trombley carried out her planned menu.
Chef Jesse described the Shrimp Toast appetizer of charred shrimp, savory brioche, sesame crust, chicory, fried parsnip chips, a radish and salad of local lettuces and mustard greens dressed with pickled green tomato vinaigrette. This was paired appropriately with an effervescent Sumarocca Brut Nature Gran Reserva from the Catalonia region of Spain.
Chef Lucas introduced the entrée of a seared duck breast, served with celery root purée, a hearty grilled cabbage/beet bundle, orange-and-five-spiced farro grain, blueberry gastrique, fresh herbs, and micro greens. The subtle taste of the duck paired perfectly with the Charlotte Dalton “What a Ride” blend of Shiraz and Carignan blend from the Adelaide Hills region of Australia. “Named for the emotional rollercoaster of the last few years,” explains the vineyard owner, “this is a wine meant to bring joy.”
“It’s got some cherry and cranberry notes,” said Chef Lucas, who introduced the dessert of a round-domed coconut Falernum liqueur-flavored cheesecake with an almond graham crust, passionfruit glaze, Amarena cherries, and whipped cream. The texture of the cheesecake was light and fluffy. It was paired with an Atilia Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rosé made from the Montepulciano grape in the Abruzzo region of Italy.