Josh Krohn vividly recalls his first taste. In 2012, Krohn had just been hired as clubhouse manager at Minnehaha Country Club. His first day on the job, one of the chefs tested him.
Try these two sauces. Which will go better with tonight's chicken?
Krohn took his time, savored each, then delivered a quick verdict.
"Oh, it's this one," he told the chef. "It's not close. There's so many different layers of flavor in there."
It was NOT the answer his presenter was looking for.
"He had some choice words for me," Krohn said, "because I picked Matt's sauce and not his."
That was Krohn's introduction to Matt Muntefering's cooking. Krohn has praised Muntefering's craft and showmanship ever since. This is a man who discovered blended Takis — the spicy red chips — as an ideal crust for salmon. A man who makes purple Mother's Day pancakes from Japanese potatoes. A man who once conquered a prestigious chef challenge by presenting goose. (More on that later).
"The No. 1 thing about Matt is the guy is just so fricking creative," Krohn said. "He belongs at a place that wants to raise the bar."
Mapletøn Golf Club is that place. And Muntefering will lead the club's sparking new kitchen starting this summer. He's a veteran of the Sioux Falls food scene with devoted followers. But his biggest fans may be his colleagues in the kitchen.
"I've never worked with anybody who was as calm, cool and collected," Krohn said.
Muntefering's poise and showmanship come naturally. He hails from a car racing family in Mitchell. Before he held a drivers license, Muntefering was an RC-racing phenom who earned the nickname "Mr. Smooth." He tasted victory over and over, dominating the dirt tracks of South Dakota.
Of course, racing isn't cheap. So Muntefering supplemented his hobby with part-time jobs. His love of cooking originated from one of his first gigs at Chef Louie's steakhouse. That inspired Muntefering to pursue culinary school.
"I didn't see this on my horizon" Muntefering said. "Turned out, I was really good at it."
His family still races dragsters, but 41-year-old Matt hasn't competed in more than a decade. The restaurant business doesn't leave much freedom. Muntefering, however, sees a connection between racing and cooking. Attention to detail. Problem solving. Performing under pressure.
The adrenaline rush on race day reminds him of the jolt he feels before a big Saturday night at a restaurant. Success depends on preparation. And maybe a little risk-taking.
Which brings us back to the goose.
Years ago, Cleavers hosted its annual chef challenge in Sioux Falls. A showdown of the area's top culinary wizards. Bring your best dish. No holds barred.
Muntefering chose goose.
"It was a high-risk, high-reward kind of thing" he said. "People definitely looked the other way when I told them what I was doing."
To be specific, Chef Matt made "crispy goose confit over roasted corn and mascarpone polenta topped with zesty lemon kohlrabi slaw finished with popcorn shoot."
(Just what you'd expect from a dirt-track racer in Mitchell, South Dakota, right?).
When it came time for the big awards, Muntefering held his breath. They announced 3rd place — nope. They announced 2nd place — nope. Chef Matt figured his hopes were cooked. Then … drumroll … 1st place. … Matt Muntefering.
"When they called my name, oh my god, I couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. I won with goose."
Victory never tasted so sweet.