For Michael Chiarello, chef-owner of the glorious Napa Valley restaurant Tra Vigne, there are meals that challenge, and then there are meals that go way beyond that.
That was the case recently when Chiarello had the task of creating what he called a dinner of a lifetime:
Hosted by Steve Jobs, head honcho of Apple Computer Inc., and his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, at their Woodside home.
Honoring first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
And featuring an all-vegan menu.
No eggs, no butter, no meat products whatsoever. And on top of that, any vegetables had to be left as uncooked as possible.
Let's just say Chiarello, a descendant of a long line of southern Italian ranchers and butchers, felt a bit hampered.
"It's like trying to make love with your clothes on," he says. "You have to get creative."
The key, he says, was to play up texture and freshness at the lavish March 29 fundraising dinner so the gusto of meat and the richness of cream and butter wouldn't be missed.
The dishes had to pay homage to Clinton. They had to be healthful, in deference to dinner co-host Dr. Dean Ornish, the Sausalito low-fat-diet guru. And they had to be vegetarian; the Jobses are long-time vegans.
Talk about pressure.
But Chiarello, who had been recommended for the event to Laurene Powell Jobs through mutual acquaintances, was more than up to the task. Even though he's not a vegetarian, he likes to say that his new book, "The Tra Vigne Cookbook, Seasons in the California Wine Country" (Chronicle Books, $35), has a "high fiber content." The book is arranged by the seasons, with each vegetable -- from artichokes to winter squashes -- spotlighted.
To pump up the flavor at the vegan dinner, Chiarello came packing gray fleur de sel, a robust French sea salt so vibrant he substitutes it for julienned prosciutto in a salad. He came toting just-pressed olive oil, so peppery it can stand on its own as a dressing. And he came with tricks for roasting porcini and tiny rice beans in a wood-fired oven to get them so smoky and caramelized they taste as if they've been braised in meat stock instead.
The 38-year-old chef also was given a few allowances. But only a few.
With the pasta entree, he received permission to pass ricotta separately on the side. With the salad, a lacy Parmesan tuile was allowed to garnish the plate. And the balsamic-marinated fresh strawberries got the nod to team with silky yogurt for dessert.
"The food was spectacular," says Ornish, a vegetarian who has been a diet adviser to the Clintons since they moved into the White House. "It shows you don't have to choose between good food and good health."
And it shows one need not feel deprived on a no-meat, no-dairy diet. "Everything was fresh and flavorful, leaving one feeling satisfied and yet light," says Laurene Powell Jobs, who, along with her husband, has followed a vegan diet for the past 15 years.
The evening started on a whimsical note with deep-dish pizzette with oven-dried tomatoes, oil-cured olives and basil oil pesto — served in an altar-like offering basket to play up the "fundraising" theme.
That was followed by a "New Vegetable Haven" antipasto plate, honoring the first lady's days in New Haven, where she attended Yale Law School.
The entree of no-egg, organic-semolina penne, tossed with a barely cooked asparagus pesto and served on a pool of fresh carrot juice broth, took on the theme of "Eating Italian" as in Clinton's bid to defeat rival New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the New York Senate race.
"Mrs. Clinton loved the pasta," says Chiarello, who, with the entire kitchen staff, had a chance to meet with her. "And she loved the meal. She was very appreciative of the effort."
Just how much did the non-vegan Clinton enjoy it all?
When the evening ended, the first lady, who had a slew of Secret Service agents at her beckoning, walked to her car, clutching tightly in her own arms the menus, a bottle of olive oil and Chiarello's cookbook.
