Curry, Fine Wine, Dining at 11,000'

Between stabs with his chopsticks, Barbier pulls out his iPhone. Using a restaurant management software app, Barbier is able to see real-time sales at Snowbird’s eateries — seven sit-down restaurants, four bars, four cafeterias and three windows restaurants, not to mention room service and 50,000 sq. ft. of banquet facilities. Snowbird resort restaurants dish out several thousand meals a day.

Barbier notes that sales at The Summit are through the roof today. Meanwhile, sales at Mid-Gad Restaurant are down. The reason? Mineral Basin opened for the first time of the season so that’s where the skiers and riders are. The Summit, which occupies an important access point at the top of Hidden Peak, is also Utah’s highest elevation restaurant, at 11,000 feet above sea level. Business day to day at each restaurant is dictated by the mountain, the weather and ski conditions.

Barbier completed the equivalent of a master's degree in restaurant, catering and hotel management in France before moving to the United States. And he began his Snowbird career as general manager of The Aerie in 2005. Aside from the excellent cuisine, Snowbird’s flagship restaurant still holds a special place for him: It’s where the wine is. Said another way, here, he built one of Utah’s most impressive wine collections.

When Barbier began work at The Aerie, there were 50 wines available for bottle service or by the glass. Now, there are 1,200 selections on hand. “You might say I have a passion for wine,” he says with a laugh.

With full creative control, Barbier grew the collection by leaps and bounds, covering myriad varietals, countries and regions, and an impressive vintage depth. There are so many choice wines that each one is numbered and the collection sprawls across three wine cellars at The Aerie, plus a master cellar at Snowbird Center. The wine menu must be updated daily to ensure availability.

“In our business, people come to a restaurant to have a good time and to eat good food — that’s a given — so it’s really about trying to offer them something truly special,” Barbier says. “The ambiance, the food, the wine — it all helps them have a remarkable and memorable family experience.”

As patrons settle in for the modern gastropub cuisine tonight, Barbier helps educate them in pairing a libation to drink with the bbq whiskey-braised pork shank, grilled beef tenderloin, pan-seared trout, and the like.

“Wine pairing is an abstract art,” Barbier says, “because there will be lots of wines that can complement a particular dish.”

“So our staff encourages guests to try something new, something different,” Barbier continues. “That’s when our guests will learn, and be delighted. And this is what makes for an amazing experience at the dinner table.”