In the divine world of working like a dog in kitchens most of your adult life, there come times when fun is dished out like sand in the Sahara.
Well, last month was one of those times and my, it was sandy.
At the James Beard House, I participated in a dinner that honored Bill Telepan and the chefs that had spent time working under him at some point in their career.
Why bring this up here? Because Bill was one of the first chefs to really stress farm-to-table as not only a component in his cuisine, but because it's important to carry this lifestyle with us. It's cool now but as anyone who has ever worked for him knows, it really is about taking working from the ground up seriously.
Of course, no one is less serious about everything else than Bill.
Here's the first photo taken that day:
Please note not just the beer, but the array of pizza boxes in the distance. Of the other chefs that stepped up to do this dinner, I only knew one and I only knew him for five minutes about 14 years ago and he said he didn't remember me. As the night went on, he said he did. But he was scared of me. I'm not naming names but you know who you are, Mitch.
Anyway, my whole point is really that I had so much fun that evening I don't think that there was a time to stop laughing.
My one regret was that I pooped out at the end and didn't make it to the Spotted Pig for the post-hang later on.
Here's the line-up of chefs:
Telepan /NYC
Chris DiMinno
Clyde Common/ Portland, OR
Josh Lawler
The Farm and Fisherman/ Philadelphia
Tory Miller
L’Etoile/ Madison, WI
Mitchell SuDock
Mitch and Toni’s American Bistro/ Albertson, NY
Pastry Chef Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez
PRINT./ NYC
Pastry Chef Larissa Raphael
Telepan/ NYC
And it wasn't just the chefs that were great, every spouse, assistant and hanger-on was great too.
Here's the round-up of really bad photos taken that evening:
Feijoada
Here is the feijioda made by Chris Diminno. I know it's not plated but I love the look of food in that mid-prep abundance.
And of course, what would this blog be without really bad photos? It would probably be really good. So much for that.
Awesome beets
This beet dish was made by Josh Lawler. As I've said in other posts, I have a weakness for vegetable dishes that aren't vegetarian. He roasts the beet and then smashes it as it cooks in hot oil. He finishes it off with beef stock and butter. Amazing. Think twice again, vegetarians.
Tory Plating
I sadly didn't get many other plated photos. But here is Tory Miller plating. The fun part was that he was being followed by a camera and a host of a show called Wisconsin Foodie. Tory is nominated for a James Beard Award this year. I was happy for that just because he's awesome and he's not a New York Chef that we've seen a million times before.
Here's a photo of Tory being followed around:
Here's a photo of Bill and Mitch SuDock. I had as much fun with Mitch as I did with his partner Toni. Gotta get myself out to Long Island.
Extra special mention to Larissa Raphael. I always love to spend time with other pastry chefs and never get a chance to.
Check this out:
Ramp tempura
Ramp tempura. Oh my. Really we should tempura many more things in life. Even those precious little ramps (my fist hits the tabletop).
Those great beets cooking:
Beets
Since the food was getting on in courses, we did our white chocolate mousse with grapefruit granite and praline. It's really Geoff's dessert.
I'm leaving the kitchen at Print and Geoff is taking over. I thought it would be a nice introduction for him into the world of the Beard House....and Bill's sense of humor.
Grapefruit dessert
There are times when I know why I got into this business. Not sure why that is, but I think I stayed because of the people. That night proved it. And as I have to give you some more random photos otherwise Sherwin might feel faint, here's the building of the rooftop garden.
Building the garden
It's in an old pool and we'll have a table of twelve for dining. And may I say BEST VIEW EVER. Right over the Intrepid. Book it now, the space shuttle will be there this summer.
And a beautiful dish of gnocci with blue cheese and apple from the awesome ladies at A Voce.
Gnocchi