Tuesday, April 28, 2009

For the Love of the pig!!!!


Ok- So pigs are getting a really bad wrap, and have for some time now. These poor guys have had to endure all kinds of character assassinations. For years now, The pig or "Swine" As some people like to use, have been said to be a filthy discusting animal that people should not partake or nor should they want to. This whole "Swine Flu" situation certainly isnt helping the cause either. Pigs are animals. They are no less clean or dirty than any other animal. They are a great source of protein, and when eating in moderation, can add to a healthy diet.




I enjoy working with Pork. Here are just a few Ideas that I came up, check them out and see what you think. Would love to hear how you work with pork. Gotta Favorite recipie? Tell us all about it.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Just cause they "look like" they can do it, doesnt mean they can. Check out the Article Taken from "Grub Street".

Being a Chef can sometimes be a tedious and very labor intensive undertaking. I have been filming an online food show for sometime now (don't ask me about the release date) But i can tell you first hand, that its not easy. Doing it for real takes alot of dedication and hard work. Those food shows where everything looks fabulous and the food looks remarkable, just remember that most of the time its been staged for television. So don't take those shows too seriously. Real chefs are the ones that are still out there in the "field" cooking and slaving even where there are no cameras.

At some point, I know that i will be one of those folks hosting my own food show on one of those big networks. That's just where I'm headed. I pray that I'm still cooking my own food, and keeping it real in the kitchen, I think people still appreciate seeing real people, cooking real food, for real!

Check out the link below:



http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/04/bittman_uncovers_food_tv_as_a.html?mid=grub-street--20090415

Friday, April 10, 2009

Village Voice Choice Eats!!!!!!























































Village Voice's Second Annual Choice Eats Event kicked into full swing, and let me tell ya folks it was out of this world!! Yours truly had the pleasure of being the to witness this phenomenal Event, and dare I say there was almost too much amazing food to chose from? I almost didn't know where to begin, But started I could not stop myself.





The Event took place on March 31,2009 at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. There were over 50 Restaurant's and over 25 Nations represented at this splendid event. Events like this are always a good idea for my fellow foodies who may not have a chance otherwise to get out to these establishments.
The Annual Event Benefited "Slow Food NYC", Which is a Non-Profit , member supported Organization that is dedicated to counteracting the industrialization of our food supply. A portion of the proceeds will go the their new program "Harvest Time", which promotes programs of good food and nutritional education, Including hands-on preparation and communal dinning, edible school gardens, and student operated farm stand offering local farm-fresh produce at three schools in East Harlem, and Williamsburg, Neighborhoods identified as food desserts by the City' s Health Department high rates of food related diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Official Sponsors for the Event were "Whole Foods" who had an awesome storefront setup serving local mini brownies, fruit, and Ice cream, that was out of this world! Also Sponsoring the event were Southern Wines, Union Beer, New York Bartending School, Volvic Natural Spring Water, Likeme.net, The Brooklyn Kitchen, SmartCar, Extremely Hungary, and Action Carting.

This large gathering of fellow foodies was one of the largest that I have been to so far. I am sure that they will get bigger as years go by, and as more and more people discover the joys of cooking, and eating, hopefully these events will get larger and larger.






There seemed to be an unlimitless supply of food options, thanks in part to the generosity of spirit from the vendors themselves, who worked very hard to keep the food fresh and looking good, which can be challenging at an event like this. Some restaurant participants that deserve honorable mentions were:






Jimmys-The pulled pork sandwiches were simply exquisite. The meat was moist and tender, and the sauce was an excellent balance of spicy, and savory. Nice job Jimmys!





Sheepstation-Which pulled off one of the most amazing Lamb Sandwiches that I have ever had in my life! As many of my fellow foodies might be well aware of you really have to know what your doing to work with lamb. It can be a bit strong, and certain flavors don't always mesh with lamb. The folks over at sheepstation appear to not have that issue however with their version of an Australian Lamb Sandwich, all the flavors seem to come together beautifully.





The New French Restaurant - Slow Roasted pulled pork pizza. By the time I made it threw the crowd to try the pizza it was cold. However i did enjoy what i tried and i am making a special trip back to the restuarant to taste the dish again. Will keep you posted on what i really think.





Tortilla Nixtamale- Coming from California I take my Mexican Food very seriously. So you have to know that I was a bit skeptical about trying The Enchilada with mole sauce, that They were presenting. But when i saw the old man in the back cooking up the food, It put my mind at ease, because i knew it was going to be done right. Tortilla Nixtamale did not disappoint. The traditional mole sauce was out of this world. To the old guy in the back, I salute you!





Bella Napoli- Simple Bruchetta on toast and pizza, very nice job.





Kuma Inn-Presented Tofu & Mushroom With Basil. I Personally am not crazy about Tofu, I'm Def a meat eater however, Kuma Inn could probably get me to come back and try some more of their tofu. It was really good. Nice and light. The flavoring for the tofu was not overpowering. I felt healthy after I ate it.





Mortorino- That all changed however, when i tried the fried Doughnuts with rhubarb and vanilla, and chocolate. MMMMM!! Folks believe me when i tell ya, you will get fat eating these things! But they are so good, I don't think your going to care honestly. Go and check them out and get some of these wonderful food bytes. Cant wait to see what happens and who shows up to next years event!!