Bambara is tucked on the ground floor of Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City. With a prime location on Main Street and right across from the Capitol Theater, it has been the dining spot for theatergoers and financiers alike. And then came a loss of identity and a revolving door of leadership, and the storied restaurant lost its way. While the service was always top-notch, a remodel and refresh were needed. I’m here to tell you that Bambara is back with veteran Chef JV Hernandez at the helm. Chef Hernandez brings classically trained culinary chops, creativity and a desire to put down roots and grow his team. The entirely overhauled menu reflects his precision and a fresh take on our local food scene. With Puerto Rican roots, a fine dining pedigree, global experience and a mentorship philosophy, Chef JV and his team have put Bambara back on the map.
From the Mountains of Puerto Rico to the Mountains of Utah: A culinary calling shaped by family, land and tradition
Chef JV has a generational culinary tradition in his blood. His great-grandma owned land in the mountains in Puerto Rico. “We had our own cows,” he remembers fondly. “We had our own chickens, our pork. She had her vegetables, so everything was as fresh as possible.” Both his grandmothers were chefs, one a pastry chef and the other a caterer. His dad was a chef for 40-plus years. It was almost a family joke that he tried to avoid the family business. He says he studied business management and worked as an air traffic controller. None of it felt right. And then came the (perhaps inevitable) epiphany: “Let’s see how I would fare in the culinary world.”
His culinary journey eventually landed him in the Wasatch Mountains. He was determined to put down his roots, with an underlying philosophy. “My great grandma always told me, ‘food is love and love is meant to be shared.’”
Bambara’s Prime Fillet is all dressed up for a garden party. Photo by Adam Finkle
French foundations, Japanese precision, Utah local heart
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Chef JV has been mentored by James Beard and Michelin-winning chefs. His foundational skills are solidly French, and his menu is firmly ensconced in classic techniques. However, he is also a traveler, so his menu is sprinkled with ingredients and methods from Japan and Italy.
“The organization, the cleanliness, the high touches. Everything has to look, taste, and build in consistency,” he says.
Finally, he has spent time building relationships with local food producers and vendors and building up and mentoring his local team. When he hires a new chef, he cooks alongside them, providing the same training he received. “Through much of the mentorship, I’m now passing the skills to my cooks,” he says. I get to step back and show them, ‘I trust you.’”
The New Bambara: Reclaiming Identity and Culinary Creativity
As a tastemaker and scene-setter, Bambara has been lost in recent years. But Chef JV isn’t backing off from building on history while creating something new and exciting. “I like having the opportunity to build something from the ground up again,” he says. “To bring something new to the Salt Lake City market. Yes, we have been here for 20-plus years, but we’re still innovative. We’re still doing good food. We’re still up on trends. We’re still offering technique. We’re still doing specialty stuff.” He adds, “It’s reestablishing that relationship with the actual local market of Salt Lake City. I’m not just another chef coming in to move on. I’m a chef who’s here to stay. Who wants to bond and create a good dining experience to innovate, create good dishes and have local relationships with our local vendors.”
It shows that Chef JV is committed. He’s built relationships with Whistling Springs Trout Farm, Intermountain Gourmet, Utah-pastured Elk, and local and regional ranchers. The menu changes seasonally but is sprinkled with unique touches of culinary brilliance. His plating is playful and bright and layered with nuance and flavor.
The Puffy Potatoes, for example, are worth the trip alone. They are tater tot-esque, some stacked like Lincoln logs, powdered with salty cheese, and topped with shaved truffle and caviar (if you want to splurge). But the standout of spectacular dishes is Chef JV’s fried egg aioli. Instead of your basic eggy mayo, the eggs are fried and blended into a magical emulsion that puts all other aiolis to shame with richness and depth. They even packed extra sauce to go when I asked. It is that good.
The Prime Beef Tartare arrives tableside dressed for a garden party, with dots of house-made ricotta, a Calabrian kumquat marmalade, pickled mustard seeds and shaved cured egg yolk. Edible flowers and green chives bring a hint of summer and lightness, while the fresh-from-the-fryer potato chips are a perfect complementary crunch for delivering meat to mouth. While the garnishes may change seasonally, the balance and flavors showcase Chef JV’s skill, from making ricotta, curing egg yolks, making a jam and pickling mustard seeds—a lot goes into what has traditionally been a simple dish.
Bambara’s Kohlrabi Caesar. Photo by Adam Finkle
Bambara’s Beef Tartare. Photo by Adam Finkle
Chef JV has been working on a new presentation of the prime filet. “It’s a koji black garlic aged ribeye with an aged balsamic demi,” he explains. Koji, in Japanese application, is used to ferment everything from sake to miso and brings a subtle umami quality that a diner might not be able to pinpoint but that will make the tastebuds light up. The enzymes in koji break down proteins into amino acids, making the ribeye extra tender and upping the depth of flavor.
Lest you fear that everything at Bambara is changing, one menu item is staying just the same, lest the population rise up in arms. The signature Blue Cheese Potato Chips, with a blue and jack cheese blend and harissa spices for a BBQ potato chip vibe, are staying the same. A long-time favorite, every chef who’s come to Bambara knows not to touch this local favorite.
Bambara is included in this year’s Salt Lake magazine Dining Awards as a “Restaurant to Watch.”
Finally, the pièce de résistance is a collaboration with the pastry chef, a parmesan ice cream topped with caviar. “The idea came on a whim,” Chef JV says. “I was literally making ice cream with my pastry chef and thought, ‘We go through a lot of Parmesan cheese, and I keep seeing rinds and rinds and rinds.’ So I thought, ‘let’s infuse the ice cream with the rinds.’ And it was just a perfect savory and sweet dessert.” Waste not. And then, to be extra, why not top it with caviar for a burst of salty pops of flavor, like adding sea salt to caramel.
Exciting things Chef JV and Co. are working on this year include wine dinners and a local take on an omakase-style tasting at The Vault (Bambara’s speakeasy-style lounge). Expect special menus for the holidays, but most of all, expect a solid entry into our Salt Lake culinary pantheon.
“I’m excited to help build food culture in Salt Lake City. My goal is to innovate and push culinary boundaries. I don’t want to be another chef who stays stagnant. I’m always striving to be the best and do better things for our clientele. I want to have fun. I want to make good food. I want to be surrounded by good people who want to learn and grow. I want to be a role model for my cooks so they can eventually be in my position. My biggest goal is to provide them with opportunities I didn’t have when I was a line cook.”
See more stories like this and all of our Food and Drink coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best life in Utah?
