Self-taught chef brings Dataw Island Club's menu to life.

From the "School of Hard Knocks" to the Dataw Island Club in Frogmore, SC, Chef David Tolerton brings his wealth of experience and a basic understanding of good quality cuisine.

Born and raised in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Tolerton took advantage at age 17 to train as a chef in London.

"Training for me consisted of just doing it," he said. "There was no school, no formal training--just the School of Hard Knocks."

Tolerton worked at the Forum Intercontinental and Mayfair Intercontinental hotels and then for a friend's uncle at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

"Two weeks after I started working in London, I just knew that the chef in me was here to stay," he said. "I actually thought as a kid that I would be a bricklayer or construction worker, not an executive chef."

At the five-star/five-diamond Windsor Court in New Orleans, Tolerton found his background of growing up in Ireland and working in London provided him the skills to present fine English teas and all styles of English cuisine to guests.

When an executive chef position became available in his hometown, he headed back to Northern Ireland. He also celebrated the birth of his daughter, Arianna.

An executive chef post at Kiawah Island Resort gave him the chance to return stateside. He later spent more than six years at Wexford Plantation on Hilton Head Island. As the island grew, he felt the need to move to a sparsely populated beach area.

The Lodge at Sea Island, home to the 2005 Group of Eight Summit as well as televised national golf tournaments, appealed to Tolerton. He was offered a job over 80 other applicants.

"The interview was stringent," he said. "They had people interviewing from Hawaii, Los Angeles, and all over the East Coast."

The Lodge is the youngest resort in history to receive the prestigious award of five star and five diamond. Once at the Lodge, Tolerton traveled to New York to cook for Bon Appetit magazine's food writers.

When Dataw Island Club needed an executive chef, he saw a chance to be closer to his daughter and to use his passion to develop an outstanding dining experience for the members and guests at Dataw.

"I want Dataw to be a place the members and guests can be proud of," Tolerton explained. "The people here are special, and I want them to have the best in dining and entertaining."

At a food writers' luncheon, Tolerton's enjoyment preparing food comes alive. The menu:

Soup--Duck Consomme, garnished with colossal crab, leek confitti, straw and shiitake mushrooms, red pepper, Asian-style duck with foie-gras won ton, and cilantro/green onion/ginger;

Items on table--House-made bread-and-butter pickles, pickled okra, pickled watermelon rind, green tomato jam, and Georgia peach chutney;

Salad--Argula salad with Andouille and Parmesan-crusted chicken with tomato confit, tomato water vinaigrette;

Fish--Petite potato-crusted grouper "wedge." With vegetables prepared three ways (parsnip, carrot, garlic, shallot confit, steamed asparagus, and roasted baby squash); and

Dessert--Kafiffi-wrapped Morbier cheese with tangerine tarragon sorbet, apple-raisin compote, French bread crostini, garnished with fried celery tops and candied walnuts.

When Tolerton is not creating new culinary masterpieces, he enjoys time with his daughter, golfing and eating fine food, especially Indian cuisine.

Green Tomato Jam

Yield 1   1/2 quarts
18 oz.    granulate sugar
5 lbs.    green tomatoes
12 oz.    white vinegar

Peel, seed, and chop tomatoes.

Add sugar and vinegar, and reduce slightly; stir constantly
until mixture reaches jam consistency. Cool overnight.
Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate when not using.
Will keep for at least six weeks.

Serve with warm bread or as a sauce for crab cakes.

Roasted Red Pepper Basil Dressing

    1 can roasted red pepper, 3 oz.
  1/3 cup roasted garlic
    1 quart salad oil
    2 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
      Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups champagne vinegar
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil

In blender, puree red pepper, garlic, and basil. Add both
vinegars, salt, and pepper; blend. Slowly add oils.

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

   1 -quart jar sun-dried tomatoes

Remove tomatoes from oil; reserve oil. Soak tomatoes
in enough hot water to cover them for one hour.

  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
    2 cups salad oil and reserved tomato oil
    2 Tablespoons each salt and pepper
1 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
    1 cup fresh basil (loosely packed)
    2 cups warm water
  1/4 cup roasted garlic

In blender, add tomato, basil, and garlic; puree. Add vinegars,
salt, and pepper; blend well. Slowly add oil and water;
blend well.

Toasted Homemade Muesli

Servings: 8

    2 cups Quaker oats
    1 cup coconut flakes
    1 lb. sliced almonds
    1 lb. chopped pecans
    2 lb. butter (melted)
    1 lb. brown sugar
1 1/2 cup bran flakes
    1 cup golden raisins
    1 lb. chopped walnuts
    2 Tablespoons cinnamon
    8 oz. molasses

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat the butter, molasses,
and sugar in a large saucepan until completely dissolved. In
a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add dry mixture,
and stir. Cover sheet pans with wax paper. Spread mixture
evenly onto sheet pans. Bake in oven for 20 to 30 minutes
until golden brown.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Break mixture into small pieces with a rolling pin or
other similar kitchen tool. Cover in an airtight container.

Place desired serving into a bowl. Garnish with fresh
berries (any combination of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries,
and/or blueberries) and 1/4 banana (thinly sliced).

Optional: Pour milk on top of serving.


Sugar Cookies

    2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon salt
   16 teaspoons butter, softened but still firm
    1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
    1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
    1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry
ingredients, and set aside. Beat butter
and sugars until fluffy, scraping down
the sides. Add egg and vanilla, and
beat. Mix in dry ingredients until just
combined. Coat bottom of large glass
bowl with soft butter. Scoop one tablespoon
of dough, and roll into a ball;
dip ball of dough into bowl of sugar to
coat, and then flatten top of cookie ball.
Bake until edges are light brown and
cookies are just set, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Ervena Faulkner, a retired home economics teacher living in Port Royal, SC, is a food columnist for the Beaufort Gazette, the local newspaper for Beaufort, SC. Terra Waldron, CCM, is the general manager/COO of the Dataw Island Club.