The Chalet
Offering Somerset a taste of gourmet quality
By Christopher Harris
Nestled among the rolling green fields just off of Thurman Road sits one of Pulaski County ’ s most picturesque man-made locations — and one of its best restaurants .
The Chalet , a Gourmet Experience , opened for business earlier this year , the creation of local chefs Eduardo Nazario and Michael Wells . With a cozy atmosphere that evokes the feeling of European fine dining and a menu that ’ s among the most ambitious ever seen in this area , the Chalet offers Somerset ’ s taste buds something new and exciting .
“( We ’ re ) curious to see what our customers think about it ,” said Nazario . “ We ’ re classically French trained . We ’ re fans of European cuisine , we ’ ve traveled to some of those places over there and experienced the food there . ... It ’ s classical stuff we ’ ve done throughout our whole careers , and yeah , maybe we want to expose our customers and our clientele to that sort of cuisine .”
Just take a look at the menu : Crab gateau . Beef Wellington . Duck breast , seared with a spiced apple glaze , cranberries , and spiced pecans . Salmon , pan-seared and oven-roasted with a tomato leek beurre blanc sauce . Grilled Lion ’ s Mane — a type of mushroom .
“ We search for that top quality product to use , which obviously makes our job a little easier with the quality of the product , but also classic preparations that we enjoy , that we ’ ve experienced through the years ,” said Nazario . “ So we got to flex a little bit here .”
Wells and Nazario stay busy — The Chalet is not their only restaurant . They also operate Mulligan ’ s at Woodson Bend Resort in southern Pulaski , and serve as instructors for Somerset Community College ’ s Culinary Arts program .
Mulligan ’ s is a different type of dining experience however — a little “ more casual ,” as Nazario put it .
“ Mulligan ’ s is more of a laid-back environment ,” said Wells . “ The food is nice , but it ’ s not quite as upscale as what we have ( at The Chalet ). It ’ s more of a resort community , so our business platform is really based on giving the owners the best service possible .”
But as Nazario noted , the two chefs wanted to “ flex ” their culinary muscles a bit and found the perfect spot for a gourmet dining experience at 100 Chapel Drive .
“ This used to be an event center , so we ’ ve done some catering here before ,” said Nazario . “ It ’ s a very interesting building , so we always kind of noticed that and how nice it was , and it just came up for sale last year .
“ We always talked about having a restaurant in town , expanding and are always looking to grow professionally ,” he added . “ So the opportunity came and we took it .”
Nazario and Wells are aware that what they ’ re doing is different for this community — and in the age of the Food Network and culinary celebrities , a lot of people embrace that .
26 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky September 2022