Sierra Vista Herald Published on Sunday, September 17, 2006
"Dinner Is Served"

SIERRA VISTA — The door leading into the kitchen was just the start of the culinary journey. The first step through was greeted with the sweet aroma of roasted chile peppers.
Chopped, juicy tomatoes were waiting to be combined with a fresh bunch of coriander for a zesty salsa.

And a tray of pecans, in their pre-toasted stage, sit next to a bowl of lightly beaten beer batter.

It’s a Friday afternoon and the kitchen of Adobe Southwestern Cuisine restaurant is gearing up for a busy weekend of entertaining the taste buds of its customers.

Above all else, executive chef Donnie Libasci prides himself on the freshness of his ingredients, many of which are sourced in Southeast Arizona.

He has become a familiar face at the weekly Sierra Vista Farmers’ Market, where he likes to meet and talk with the people who actually grow the produce they are selling.

“I try to go to the farmers’ market when I can,” Libasci said. “I like it because the produce is fresh and you can find things you wouldn’t get in the grocery store. I know that I’m buying items that have been picked from the ground, maybe less than a day or two before.

“Sometimes you pay a little more for that, but you can almost see and feel the difference. You know it has freshness, quality and taste.”

Libasci admits when he first opened his restaurant with his business partner and father, Alan Libasci, he thought all of his ingredients would be bought in Tucson.

“But then I did some research because I knew, from working in Tucson, that you could get a lot of stuff in Willcox. I didn’t know about the Sierra Vista Farmers’ Market though,” he said. “But it’s good to go out to places like the markets, because you get to build up a good relationship with the suppliers.

“I also try to get out to the farms and pick stuff up myself. And sometimes I’ll see something I don’t recognize, but I have the chance to talk directly to the grower.”

Lying on a long wooden table in Adobe’s kitchen is a plate of prickly pears, handpicked by Libasci the night before.

They will later be transformed into a salad dressing, a sorbet and garnish.

Next to them is a bowl of vegetables, including tomatoes from the University of Arizona greenhouse in Tucson and locally grown squash.

In the same bowl are two large, green poblano chiles.

“It’s really hard to get these from a local source,” said Libasci. “So I usually get them from a supplier in Tucson.”

The restaurant specializes in Southwestern and Latin fine dining — Libasci describes his style as “regional food using regional ingredients” — and every dish is made to order, virtually from scratch. This kitchen does not have a microwave.

At Lifestyle’s request, Libasci demonstrates how he transforms an ordinary poblano chile into a culinary masterpiece, and tonight’s special, Chile Relleno Two Ways.

The chiles are roasted and peeled, before being stuffed — one with roasted pork, corn and cheese, the other with herbed goat’s cheese.

Libasci then mixes a light batter, using regular flour and blue cornmeal, locally brewed beer and egg whites.

The stuffed chiles are then dipped in the batter and cooked in hot oil until they turn golden brown, before being placed on a plate of roasted tomato sauce and topped with fresh salsa.

The finishing touch is crema, a blend of sour cream and heavy cream created by Libasci, who makes the whole process look so easy.

“It’s the special tonight and when they’re gone, they’re gone,” he said. “They used to be on our original menu, but they are proving to be so popular, I’m thinking of putting them back on the menu.”

Growing up in Tucson, Libasci said he remembers his grandfather and mother being avid cooks, but it was not until he turned 20 that his own interest in food really began.

“I was working at a spa as a pantry cook, preparing the cold stuff, and worked my way up to the hot line,” he said. “Then I found out about a place called The Ventana Room at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. It’s a fine dining restaurant and I made it my goal to work there.”

After starting at the hotel as a breakfast and lunch cook, Libasci progressed up the culinary chain.

He then started hanging out at the restaurant on his days off, letting the head chef know he was keen to work for him.

His patience and commitment paid off and eventually Libasci landed his dream job at The Ventana Room.

A move to San Diego then gave Libasci the chance to really test his skills in the kitchen and work with some of the best chefs in the business, before he came back to Tucson to work in some of the most exclusive resorts in the city.

It was then that he started to seriously think about the possibility of owning his own restaurant.

“I had hit a wall,” he said. “When you’re the head chef of a restaurant no one can teach you that much more. You have to start teaching yourself. You’re also limited by corporations in what you can do, even with changing the menu. I thought it would be good to be able to do my own thing and make the things I want to make.”

With a lifelong love of Latin food, it was always obvious what kind of restaurant Libasci would open.

Although his first choice of location was Tucson, his Sierra Vista-based father persuaded him the growing city was ripe for a fine dining establishment.

Nearly nine months after opening Adobe, Libasci is still reveling in his new-found freedom.

“I love coming up with ideas, that whole thing of making something from a raw product and to watch it evolve into a dish that someone can enjoy. It’s the creativity,” he said.

“But the most satisfying part is to see the look on someone’s face when they’ve taken that first bite of their meal. Then I know I must be doing something right.”