William A. Koval Executive Chef of the Adolphus Hotel William A. Koval, who earned international acclaim at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and who became its youngest executive chef at 25, was named executive chef of the Adolphus in February 1994. As executive chef of the venerable Adolphus, he oversees the luxury hotel’s multimillion-dollar kitchen operations, which include three full-service restaurants, catering, and guestroom dining. Among the hotel’s restaurants is the highly regarded French Room.  Under Chef Koval’s guidance, the French Room was recently named “One of America’s Top Tables” by Gourmet Magazine for the third consecutive year, the “Number One Restaurant in Dallas/Fort Worth” by the Zagat Survey, and “One of the Twenty- Five Best Dining Experiences in the World” by Travel & Leisure Magazine. The restaurant’s latest Zagat Survey food score of “29” places it among a select group of nine restaurants nationwide which attained this near-perfect rating and the only dining room in the Southwest including Texas to do so. He is the resident chef of WFAA-TV Channel 8’s Good Morning Texas program and is frequently the star attraction at premier cooking events including those hosted by Bon Appetit and Gourmet. His success with the French Room was featured in the “Best Of” series on the Food Network. Chef Koval, 39, who worked for Ritz-Carlton from 1984 to 1993, started at their flagship property in Atlanta. It was at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead that he met his mentor Franz Mitterer, who at the time was corporate chef of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. On the renowned Austrian chef’s recommendation, Ritz-Carlton sent Chef Koval to Hotel Le Bristol in Paris, where he distinguished himself under the tutelage of French master chefs. On his return to the United States, he became executive sous chef at the new Ritz-Carlton, Naples. In 1987, he was sent to help open the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel and within 12 months was promoted to executive chef of the Ritz- Carlton, Dearborn. He later was sent to the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis and completed his career with Ritz at the Ritz- Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Chef Koval, who graduated in the top five percent of his class at the Culinary Institute of America in 1981, is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut. He and his wife Pamilee restore historic homes in their spare time. The Kovals have three children, Brittany, Austin, and Nathan. Seared Veal Tenderloin and Schnitzel with a Mushroom and Asparagus Ragout and a Red Zinfandel and Shallot Sauce Serves 6 4 chicken breasts 4 egg whites 2 lb. sweetbreads (blanched) 1 egg 1/2 cup flour 1 cup brioche or regular bread crumbs 3 veal tenderloins (which makes 6 medallions) Salt and white pepper to taste Ragout 2 tbsp. bacon (diced) 1/2 lb. mushrooms (diced) Shallots (minced) 1/2 lb. green and white asparagus (blanched) 1/2 lb. tomato concassé 1/2 lb. green beans (blanched) 2 oz. white wine Sauce 8 shallots (sliced) 4 garlic cloves (crushed) 1 tbsp. black peppercorns 3 bottles red Zinfandel 1 quart red wine sauce (from 2 gallons veal stock reduced to 1 quart) 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp. thyme 1 cup shallots (minced) 1 cup red Zinfandel Sweetbreads: Make a chicken mousse by combining egg whites, chicken breasts, and salt and pepper. After sweetbreads are blanched, clean all tough tissue, and break into smaller pieces. Using chicken mousse, put the sweetbreads together and roll into a log shape with plastic wrap. Then cover with foil. Poach the roulade for approximately 8 minutes. Let cool. Slice schnitzel into rounds and bread with egg, flour, and brioche crumbs. Sauté until golden. Top sweetbreads rounds with 1 tsp. of butter after sautéing. Veal: Season veal tenderloin with salt and pepper. Sear tenderloin completely and place in oven at 350º until rare or medium rare. Ragout: Sauté bacon until fat is rendered. Add mushrooms and shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add remaining vegetables, deglaze with white wine, and finish with butter. Sauce: Sauté shallots, garlic, and peppercorns. Deglaze with Zinfandel and reduce au sec (until dry). Add red wine sauce and bay leaf. Reduce by half or until it reaches the desired consistency (enough to coat the back of a spoon). Remove from heat, add thyme, and let steep for approximately 10 minutes. Strain and reserve. Cover minced shallots with wine and reduce until dry. Then add to sauce. Assembly: Place cooked sweetbreads rounds in a circle on serving plate. Top each sweetbreads round with a slice of veal tenderloin. Place vegetable ragout in the middle of the plate and pour mushroom-shallot sauce over each veal tenderloin. Nominate your favorite chef for a profile "Chef Profiles" email: jwdineline@aol.com