At Bright’s Creek, the spirit of the holidays is alive. From Breakfast with Santa on December 14th at our state-of-the-art lifestyle center, The Mill, to festive ugly sweater events and more, ’tis the season for giving, creating lasting memories—and of course, enjoying nostalgic homemade meals that make the holidays the most delicious time of year.
This month, we’re shining the spotlight on Bright’s Creek’s distinguished Executive Chef, Matt Silva, who brings 20 years of experience to every dish he dreams up. Meet the man behind the menu at our on-site restaurant, Water Wheel Grille, which sits perched over the 19th hole of one of Tom Fazio’s best NC golf courses. Discover the chef’s best-kept holiday cooking secrets, learn how our very own Mill Spring restaurant caters to our community’s tastes—and score tasty recipes that are sure to be a hit at your holiday table.
Chef, tell us about your culinary programming approach at Water Wheel Grille.
Our approach is really dynamic because we want to meet the needs of our Bright’s Creek members and golfers, as well as guests.
We plan a lot of themed menus and dinners that really complement the overall community feel here at Bright’s. From planning golf tournament meals to buffets at special events, our goal is to create something for everybody while always keeping a finger on the pulse of our members. Their feedback is invaluable and helps my team and I to shape the dishes we’re designing.
North Carolina is a top agricultural producer and has many indigenous foods native to the region. Tell us more about how you source your ingredients.
We always love sourcing local ingredients because it supports our neighbors and local economy, while also ensuring the freshest farm-to-table flavors. Whenever we can, absolutely try to source locally, and we partner with food vendors to source select products in the area. Our low-lying North Carolina marshlands are actually prime for rice production, so we love sourcing rice from area farms.
Fun fact: Hmong farmers have been growing rice in the North Carolina mountains for nearly five decades.
The holidays are here! Tell us your go-to dish that’s always a hit with members and guests this time of year.
You can’t go wrong with prime rib—it’s always a fan favorite!
Fun fact: The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reports that 70% of all prime rib sold in the US in a year is purchased during Christmastime.
How do you approach dietary restrictions and preferences during your meal planning at Bright’s Creek?
I’m fortunate in that I have a background working with diverse clientele with unique tastes. Whether they’re vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or carnivores, it all starts with the ingredients.
We always make sure our ingredients are fresh, and then it’s just about knowing what to do with them. For example, when you know how to treat tofu, you can really elevate it into something delicious and special. In my kitchen, we love the culinary challenge that comes with feeding a group of people with palates that aren’t all the same.
How do you balance traditional flavors with modern twists in holiday recipes?
Again, it all starts with the ingredients because every great dish needs a good foundation. From there, I always want to understand the cultural significance of ingredients and how that might play into a dish. For example, I love the nostalgic holiday flavor of mashed potatoes, but when paired with something unexpected, like miso perhaps, that’s when you create something extraordinary.
At Water Wheel Grille, we love incorporating an international flair into our food for a special twist. We’ve brought in different global flavors from India, North Africa, Japan, and so many more, which keeps our menus enticing, bold, and delicious.
What’s a holiday dish that you enjoy putting your unique spin on?
Are you ready for this? A turducken! It’s originally a Cajun delicacy out of Louisiana and it involves stuffing a deboned chicken into a deboned duck into a deboned turkey. There are so many incredible things you can do with this dish, between brining it in unique flavors to adding stuffing in between. The sky is really the limit. It’s a time-consuming dish to prepare, but it’s the ultimate holiday meal when done right. I’ve made more than I can count over the course of my career.
What’s your favorite secret ingredient or technique to enhance holiday flavors?
Sous vide is a wonder technique in which foods are vacuum sealed in a bag and cooked in a controlled, low-temperature water bath over a long time. It’s a very precise way to cook that yields consistent results, a great taste, and tons of moisture.
I also love experimenting with molecular gastronomy, which brings a scientific approach to cooking. You can achieve delicious results that are innovative as well as artistic—my last experimentation was pomegranate caviar.
Beyond technique, you can do so much to elevate your meal experience simply by plating purees and sauces in a unique way.
Can you share an easy holiday recipe that still feels festive for gatherings?
Definitely! I’d say bread pudding. It calls for really simple ingredients like eggs, cream, bread, and sugar, but you can really spice it up by adding any flavor profile you’d like—chocolate, caramel, fruits, liqueurs, cinnamon. The possibilities are endless.
What’s a classic holiday recipe that you believe everyone should try making from scratch?
Christmas cookies! There are a million different cookie cutter options and you can make decorating them a family affair. It’s the perfect activity for a holiday party, too. Top them with frosting, sprinkles, cinnamon and sugar—anything you’d like.
What’s a holiday ingredient that you think is underrated but adds great flavor?
I absolutely love using cardamom because it adds a deep, complex flavor to just about anything. You can use it in holiday drinks, sweets, savory dishes, and more. It especially complements the flavors of coffee, tea, fruits, and chocolate.
Fun fact: Cardamom is a spice consisting of the pods and seeds of plants in the ginger family. Pods can be used whole or crushed to release the seeds, which can also be ground into a powder. It’s common in Indian, Nordic, and Middle Eastern cuisine.
What tips do you have for creating impressive holiday desserts that don’t require hours in the kitchen?
Go semi-homemade. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen making pie and pastry dough from scratch. Try pre-made cookie dough and no-bake treats using minimal ingredients to save time. Everyone will still love them!
What’s your favorite holiday food memory and does it influence your recipes today?
To me, it’s all about comfort food around the holidays. I approach curating a menu with the question—will this create a feeling? Especially around this time of year, I’m looking for those nostalgic flavor profiles that create a warm and fuzzy feeling. I want mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing—all the classics that are always a hit.
Hungry yet? Come experience Chef Matt’s magic at our Water Wheel Grille when you book a Discovery Tour today. Contact our real estate team directly at (828) 600-5132 to start making holiday memories in Mill Spring, NC.
Happy holidays from Bright’s Creek!
