Jack Wagner, Executive Sous Chef, Brentwood CC
Jack Wagner, Executive Sous Chef of Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles—and among C+RC’s 2025 class of 40 Under 40—says researching and creating his porcini veloute with pate a choux, wild mushroom mousse, summer pea foam, crisp morels, fried sage, and flower variations opened his eyes to the versatility of mushrooms.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What was the inspiration behind this dish?
Jack Wagner (JW): The inspiration behind this dish came from wanting to do something other than using protein for a wine dinner course. I was tasked with doing a couple courses for a Far Niente wine dinner, and my brain always resorts to a protein dish. Once I tried the Pinot Noir “Les Pommiers” 2022, I thought, ‘How could I do this without using protein?’ Mushrooms came to mind quickly, and the wheels started turning—that was my inspiration for this dish. Taking a simple ingredient like a mushroom and transforming it three ways into a mousse, a rich thick veloute and the purest form, lightly fried.
C+RC: How would you describe the flavors and the presentation?
JW: I would describe these flavors as savory, earthy, creamy, and rich. The more you cook the mushroom and develop those rich notes, that creates the depths of flavors you are looking for in a mushroom. I wanted to showcase the true flavor of a mushroom and how it paired so well with the red wine. The presentation is simple but modern, it highlights the simplicity of the mushroom but the advanced placement of each ingredient.
C+RC: What makes this a successful dish, or what about it makes you most proud?
JW: What makes this a successful dish in my opinion is the balance between earthy, savory and the richness of the mushroom. The richness of the mousse balances with the bitterness and earthiness of the pea foam. What makes me the most proud is how I transformed different types of mushroom into a composed dish—highlighting the true notes of a morel, taking multiple types of mushroom and turning into a mousse, and taking all the mushroom scraps and turning that into a rich, clean, and velvety veloute.
C+RC: What was R&D like? What was the member response like?
JW: R&D was the fun part of this dish! Researching and trying different cooking and preparing methods of mushrooms really opened my eyes to the versatility of mushrooms. The member’s response was surprisingly shocking to me, as mushrooms are an acquired taste. The members at the wine dinner absolutely loved and enjoyed this dish, as it was a different interpretation to how mushrooms are used in everyday cooking.
