Flavor Forays 9 th annual Grits, Gullah, and the Three O’clock Dinner, February 3 to 5, 2025

February 15, 2025 by Todd Rensi

Charleston charms with its historical legacy but innovative chefs, farmers, fisherman, distillers, and producers are moving the culinary scene forward. Flavor Forays led and fed an enthusiastic group of chefs on three delicious days in the Holy City. Thanks to surprise special guest legendary chef Frank Lee we learned a bit about the golden age of Charleston cuisine when he was the pioneer on the scene. And we were brought up to date by today’s passionate local culinarians who both inspired and educated us. There was no danger of going hungry!

Thanks to one and all for joining our 9th annual Grits, Gullah and the Three o’clock Dinner in February. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making some new ones. We lucked out with the most glorious sunny weather.

Let’s give a shout out to all the Charlestonians who welcomed us, instructed us, inspired us and fed us.

Our gracious host Jessica Bowman, Spectator Hotel. Tour guide Kay Abrams who brings Charleston history to life. Chef James London who wowed with a gigantic roasted tuna collar. Farmer/rancher Tank Jackson who’s known for his Carolina Iberico hams. Chef Michael Toscana who’s bringing a taste of Italy to Charleston with his amazing porchetta sandwiches. High Wire Distillery’s Scott Blackwell with his distinctive line of small batch spirits. Charleston Tea Garden, the only commercial tea farm in the U.S. Gullah ambassador chef BJ Dennis who made sure we were eating history.

The Goatery at Kiawah River where we were overcome with goat love and Missy’s amazing regenerative farming knowledge. Chef Shaun Brian at CudaCo Seafood who butchered the bloodline from a tuna and turned it into a skewered snack. Bintou Ndaw whose Bintu Atelier was named one of the 50 best new restaurants in the U.S by Esquire magazine. Bintou connects the dots between West African cuisine and Charleston’s Gullah heritage. Isaac Morton’s modern cast iron skillets at Smithey Ironware. Pastry Chef Heather Hutton who worked sweet magic with a purple and gold profiterole. Chef Bob Cook at Edmunds Oast who never fails to please with his crispy fried chicken and curried mac and cheese.

Many, many thanks to all our wonderful sponsors. Arc Cardinal, Bigelow Tea, Bon Chef, Constellation Brands, Idaho Potato Commission, Nestle Premium Waters, Perfect Puree.

Our home away from home was the lovely Spectator Hotel where everybody gets a butler! Nobody could stop talking about that. And bar magician Allen Lancaster whipped up a special tequila cocktail he named Hip Hip Foray ! Thanks to the staff for taking such good care of us.

Barbara and Beverly

Flavor Forays

Flavor Forays Deep in the Heart of Austin, September 9 to 11, 2024

October 14, 2024 by Todd Rensi

We were literally in luck on Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch where we were inspired by regenerative farmers Orion and Tina Weldon of Terra Purezza. We also lucked out with glorious moderate weather as we led and fed a group of chefs and f&b leaders on a three-day culinary immersion in Austin and nearby Hill Country.

Thanks to one and all who joined us Deep in the Heart of Austin. Let’s give a shout out to all the hospitable Texans who welcomed, inspired, and educated us. And made sure we didn’t go hungry.

Click on the image to view the itinerary.

Personable chef Jo Chan who worked her magic with refreshing salads and a memorable pasta Bolognese at Made In, the local cookware company a favorite with chefs. Chef Danny at ATX Cocina who demonstrated the transformation of corn into masa and then into the best tortilla chips you’ve ever had. Troy Geyer who gave us a taste of his Big Hat cocktails and mocktails. Chef/Partner Kevin Taylor who spoiled us at Bulevar with Hamachi and snapper crudo, mixto pibil, papas fritas and esquites accompanied by Margaritas and Palomas. Veracruz au Natural made sure we started a day like true Austinites with breakfast tacos. Chef Taylor Hall at Pizzeria Sorellina in Spicewood makes the best pizza this side of Naples with local Barton Springs flour. A wine tasting from Texas wine pioneers at Fall Creek Vineyards. Sotol, a different kind of spirit made from a cactus, at Desert Door. A tasting of various locally distilled spirits at Treaty Oak. Loro, the smokehouse where Texas meets Asia. Austin Central Library, a leading example of a green building. Boggy Creek Urban farm where chefs are in close proximity to local produce. Distant Relatives where chef Damien Brockway puts an African American touch on BBQ.

Many thanks to the sponsors who made it all possible—Arc Cardinal, Idaho Potato Commission, Nestle Premium Waters, Perfect Puree. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Our home away from home was the Austin Fairmont. Executive Chef Gilberto Ramirez led us on an amazing behind the scenes tour of the hotel’s many kitchens and restaurants where he and his team take it in stride to feed banquets as large as 1,800. And did he ever give us the royal treatment shaving truffles over soft scrambled eggs and topping bite sized croquettes with a dollop of caviar. What a way to begin a day!

Flavor Forays 8th annual Grits, Gullah, and the Three O’clock Dinner, February 5 to 7, 2024

March 18, 2024 by Todd Rensi

Charleston is chockablock with charm and history but innovative chefs, farmers, fisherman and producers are moving the culinary scene forward. Flavor Forays led and fed an enthusiastic group of chefs on three delicious days in the Holy City. Thanks to the passionate local culinarians we were both inspired and educated.

Thanks to one and all for joining our 8th annual Grits, Gullah and the Three o’clock Dinner in February. There was some rain but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making some new ones.

Let’s give a shout out to all the Charlestonians who welcomed us, instructed us and inspired us.

Jessica Bowman, Spectator Hotel. Kay Abrams, Walk It! Charleston. Peter and Cindy Mathias, hosts. Duval Caterers. Bintou Ndaw, Bintu Atelier, West African cuisine. Billy G’s Carolina BBQ. Firefly Distillery. Charleston Tea Garden. Gullah ambassador BJ Dennis who made sure we were eating history. The Goatery at Kiawah River where we witnessed the birth of some baby goats. Chef Shaun Brian at CudaCo Seafood who butchered the bloodline from a tuna and turned it into a skewered snack. Maya Restaurant. Pastry Chef Heather Hutton at Honeysuckle Rose who worked sweet magic with Candy Cap mushrooms. Chef Bob Cook at Edmunds Oast.

Many, many thanks to all our wonderful sponsors. American Quick Foods, Arc Cardinal, Bigelow Tea, Idaho Potato Commission, Nestle Premium Waters, National Watermelon Promotion Board, We couldn’t have done it without you.

We couldn’t have had a better home base than the Spectator Hotel where everybody gets a butler! And nobody could stop talking about that. One gentleman sent his shirt to be cleaned and it came back with cuff links! Thanks to the staff for taking such good care of us.

Barbara and Beverly

Flavor Forays Fourth Annual Portland Potager

October 27, 2023 by Todd Rensi

Innovative chefs; world class wines, brews, and cocktails; enterprising producers and makers—Portland has it all. An enthusiastic group of corporate chefs and food and beverage executives led and fed by Flavor Forays did their best to sample as much as possible in three days. Thanks to an amazing group of chefs, artisans, wine makers, brewers, and producers, we were both educated and inspired.

Thank you one and all for joining our fourth annual Portland Potager October 9th to 11th, 2023. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones and hope you will all come with us on future journeys.

Let’s give a shout out to all the terrific chefs, winemakers, brewers, and producers who fed us, instructed us in their techniques and shared their personal stories: Melissa McMillan of Sammich, Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina, Angel Medina and Jose Camarena of Republica, Straightaway cocktails, Erik Van Kley of Arden, Division Winemaking Company, Pip’s Original Donuts, Oregon Olive Oil Mill at Red Ridge, Will Preisch of Abbey Road Farm and their wines, Drew Voit of Harper Voit Winery, Christian DeBenedetti of Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, Peter Cho of Han Oak, Steelport Knife Company, Elias Cairo of Olympia Provisions, Salt & Straw ice cream, Sara Woods of Nostrana.

Many thanks also to the special guests who joined us for the amazing Korean dinner at Han Oak: Ben Jacobsen of Jacobsen Salt, Kayla Arnold of Domaine Drouhin, Christian DeBenedetti of Wolves & People and to Catie DiGregorio of Caffe Umbria who joined our gnocchi demo and lunch at Nostrana.

Yes, we had some rain but that didn’t dampen the spectacular beauty of the Willamette Valley wine country, where Abbey Road Farm enjoys a 360 degree view. This bucolic venue hosts 65 weddings a year. Don’t you love it that one of our chefs said he would like to get married there just so he could see what chef Will Preisch prepares for breakfast!

Many, many thanks to all our wonderful sponsors: Bigelow Tea, ARC Cardinal, Idaho Potato Commission, Nestle Premium Waters. We couldn’t have done this without you.

Thanks to our Portland Culinary Consultant Judiaann Woo (@judiaanwoo), a former colleague at Food Arts, who introduced us to so many of these wonderful locals.

We couldn’t have enjoyed a better home base than the Dossier Hotel. Thanks to the staff for taking such good care of us.

Barbara Mathias and Beverly Stephen

Flavor Forays

Fifth Annual Grits, Gullah, and the Three O’Clock Dinner

March 07, 2020 by Todd Rensi

Biscuits, pimiento cheese, tomato pie, pulled pork, grits—just the word are enough to make you hungry. True to its reputation, Charleston charmed the group of food and beverage leaders and corporate chefs led and fed by Flavor Forays in February. Thanks to an amazing group of chefs, artisans, fishermen, farmers, and producers, we were both educated and inspired.

Thank you one and all for joining Grits, Gullah and the Three O’Clock Dinner, our fifth annual Flavor Foray to Charleston February 25 to 27. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones and hope you will all come with us on future journeys.

Let’s give a shout out to all the terrific chefs who fed us, instructed us in their techniques and shared their personal stories—James London at Chubby Fish, Jeremiah Bacon at The Macintosh, Greg Johnsman of Geechee Boy Grits at Miller’s All Day, Gullah Geeche authority BJ Dennis. And to Tank Jackson of Holy City Hogs, Jared Hulteen of Barrier Island Oysters, Isaac Morton of Smithy Ironware, shrimper Cindy Tarvin, farmer Pete Ambrose and his wonderful daughter Barbara who oversees all the delicious home cooking at the Tomato Shed. And to master tea taster Bill Hall who makes a visit to Charleston Tea Plantation such a revelation.

And how can we ever thank the amazing chefs Frank Lee (S.N.O.B.) and Philip Bardin (Old Post Office) who came out of retirement to cook the absolutely awesome low country feast at a gracious private waterfront home in Edisto Beach. Thanks too to rising star chef Brandon Rushing who assisted with all that pulled pork and the whole halibut that didn’t get away.

Yes, it rained one day. But rain didn’t deter us or our intrepid Captain Chico from a making a memorable journey by boat, complete with dolphin sightings, from Wadmalaw Island to Edisto Beach.

Many, many thanks to all our wonderful sponsors: Alaska Seafood, IMS/Bigelow Tea, Smithfield Foods, ARC Cardinal, National Pork Board, Idaho Potato Commission, More Than Gourmet. We couldn’t have done this without you.

We couldn’t have enjoyed a better home base than the Spectator Hotel. Thanks to the wonderful staff for taking such good care of us.

Beverly & Barbara

Photography courtesy of Nannette Bedway Studio

5th Annual Grits, Gullah and the 3:00 O'Clock Dinner

February 24, 2020 by Todd Rensi

The video below welcomes our participants to our Flavor Foray starting February 25 in Charleston. See what's in store for them.

Portland Potager

December 04, 2019 by Todd Rensi

Flavor Forays led a group of food and beverage leaders and corporate chefs on a delicious immersion in this Pacific Northwest culinary mecca. Thanks to an amazing group of chefs, artisans, fishermen, farmers, cheesemakers, brewers, and producers we were both educated and inspired.

Thank you one and all for joining Portland Potager, our third annual Flavor Foray in Portland October 14 to 16, 2019. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones and hope you will all come with us on future journeys. Don’t you love it that Julian Alonzo and Vitaly Paley were classmates in culinary school?

Let’s give a shout out to all the terrific chefs who fed us, instructed us in their techniques and shared their personal stories--Peter Cho at Han Oak, Jose Chesa at Atuala, Melissa McMillan at Pastrami Zombie and Sammich, Aaron Adams at Farm Spirit.

Have you ever been to tea in a hotel that rivals the Samovar Russian Tea Service Vitaly Paley created for Headwaters at the Heathman drawing on his Russian heritage? And for that matter have you ever had a Turkish breakfast in an American hotel like the one we enjoyed at Rosa Rosa in the Dossier hotel? Thanks again to Paley.

Many, many thanks to all our wonderful sponsors: IMS/Bigelow Tea, Smithfield Foods, ARC Cardinal, National Pork Board. We couldn’t have done this without you.

Thanks to Oregon expert Judiaann Woo (@judiaanwoo), a former colleague at Food Arts, who introduced us to so many of these wonderful locals. And thanks to Nan Devlin who helped arrange the Tillamook adventure on the coast.

We couldn’t have enjoyed a better home base than the Dossier Hotel. Thanks to Stephen Galvan and the wonderful staff for taking such good care of us.

Deep in the Heart of Austin

July 10, 2019 by Todd Rensi

Chefs from Hooters to Harvard joined our second annual Flavor Foray in Austin June 10-12. Plus we had f&b leaders and chefs from Hyatt, Kimpton, Marriott, Google, Bloomin’ Brands, Legends, Blaze Pizza, Nordstrom’s, and Landry’s. We saddled up for a fast-paced journey to meet the creative chefs, makers and bakers, millers and distillers, urban farmers and wine makers who are driving culinary innovation in this live music and tech capital.

Nannette Bedway’s photo album will guide you through our adventure from our opening kick ass lunch at Loro where Asia meets Texas BBQ to our tour of the library of the future where the Cookbook Café even has a bar. Emmer & Rye’s chef Tim Welch, conducted a very scientific class on fermenting. Kevin Taylor, executive chef, ATX Cocina, took us through the process of nixtamalization to make fresh masa. Chef/owner Sonya Cote literally brought farm to table at the magical urban farm Eden East. Chef Brian Moses, Olive & June, shared his secrets for tender octopus. Chef Atticus Garant took us on an amazing behind the scenes kitchen tour at the brand new Fairmont Hotel where we tasted divine scrambled eggs topped with shaved truffles and smoked brisket as good as any that requires waiting in long lines.

A drive out to Texas hill country took us to Treaty Oak Distillery, where we met miller James Brown of Barton Springs Mill and tasted breads made with his freshly milled flours by mesquite missionary Sandeep Gyawali, now the bread czar for Whole Foods. At Apis and Pizzeria Sorellina, chef/owner Taylor Hall expounded on bee keeping and treated us to the best pizzas this side of Italy made from Barton Springs Mill flours. Across the road, we got an up close lesson on regenerative farming. After a short drive to Driftwood, we visited Desert Door Distillers to taste Sotol, a spirit similar to mescal made from Sotol, also known as desert spoon cactus. At the Driftwood tasting room of Fall Creek Vineyards, we were treated to Texas wines and a feral pig butchering demo by chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due followed by an amazing choucroute garni. Kimpton’s George Morrone and Stephen Bonin treated us to a late night dessert tasting at Geraldine’s at the Hotel Kimpton Van Zandt.

The next day it was on to the greener than green Austin Central Library and its Cookbook Café where the recipes come from the library’s cookbook collection. For a grand finale, we tasted award-winning craft beers accompanied by amazing pizzas at Pinthouse Pizza and brewpub.

No one left hungry.

Thanks to the sponsors who made it all possible: Bigelow, Arc-Cardinal, More Than Gourmet, Impossible Foods, Smithfield, Idaho Potato Commission, National Pork Board, Nestle Waters Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino.

For more on Deep in the Heart of Austin and Flavor Forays, check out the video below.

Photos courtesy of Nannette Bedway Studio.

Captivated by Charleston

February 20, 2019 by Todd Rensi

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Visions of Callie’s biscuits, low country oysters, and Tank Jackson’s country ham are still dancing in our heads. Flavor Forays just concluded our 4th annual Grits, Gullah, and the Three o’Clock Dinner culinary immersion with an outstanding group of food and beverage professionals, February 11 to 13th, 2019.

We got right into the spirit of Southern hospitality when local authority cookbook author Matt Lee led us down cobblestone streets to the piazza of a private home for a typical Charleston lunch of finger sandwiches and deviled eggs, plus a spirituous Bigelow tea-based St. Cecilia punch. From there, we were welcomed into the kitchens of some of Charleston’s finest chefs, Jason Stanhope, Michael Toscano, Greg Johnsman, Jeremiah Bacon. They talked and we listened and tasted and tasted and tasted. Who knew that sorghum could be milled and incorporated into a buckwheat pasta dough for the best cacio e pepe this side of Rome? Or that cooking the locally revered Carolina Gold Rice was an art and a science?

Our second day found us on the grounds of the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only tea plantation in North America owned by Bigelow and master tea taster Bill Hall who explained the process of growing and processing tea. A cupping lesson allowed us to compare various brands. Lunch time found us feasting on pimiento cheese, she crab soup, and tomato pie at the homespun Tomato Shed. Lucky for us, farmer to the local chef stars Pete Ambrose stopped by his daughter’s restaurant to spin some yarns about his years shrimping and farming.

But nobody could have pictured the awesome sunset oyster roast and dinner awaiting us in Mount Pleasant. Legendary chefs Frank Lee (founder of S.N.O.B.) and Philip Bardin of Old Post House on Edisto fame came out of retirement to cook up a feast of Trigger fish, mustard greens, turnips, clam hash, peanut butter and lemon chess pies. Meanwhile Jackson, Charleston chefs’ preferred pig farmer, was thinly slicing delicious morsels off a magnificent leg of country ham that rivaled any Iberico.

For a grand finale the next day, we took a water tax over to Shem Creek. There on a shrimp dock, chef BJ Dennis brought Gullah culture and cuisine to life with a “bunch” stew (greens flavored with smoked meats), BBQ chicken, cornbread and cane syrup, and rice--Carolina Gold, of course.

No one left hungry.

Thanks to the sponsors who made this inspiring adventure possible: Bigelow Tea, Cardinal, More than Gourmet, Nestle Waters, Smithfield.

Photos by Nannette Bedway are also posted on our @flavorforays Instagram. Follow us!

Doing it up BIG in Texas

June 18, 2018 by Todd Rensi

A remarkable group of food and beverage executives and corporate chefs joined “Deep in the Heart of Austin,” our Flavor Foray May 8 to 10, 2018. It was a whirlwind of inspiration and education meeting creative chefs, makers and bakers, millers and distillers, urban farmers, and wine makers who are catapulting this live music capital into the gourmet stratosphere.

Andrew Reiner’s photo album will guide you through our journey from our opening kick ass lunch at Loro where Asia meets Texas BBQ to our tour of the library of the future where the Cookbook Café even has a bar. Kevin Fink, chef/owner Emmer & Rye, conducted a very scientific class on fermenting. Kevin Taylor, executive chef, ATX Cocina, took us through the process of nixtamalization to make fresh masa. Chef/owner Sonya Cote literally brought farm to table at the magical urban farm Eden East. Executive chef Andre Natera and executive food and beverage director David Garcelon took us on an amazing behind the scenes kitchen tour at the brand new Fairmont Hotel where we tasted divine scramble eggs topped with summer truffles and smoked brisket as good as anything that requires standing in line. A drive out to Texas hill country took us to Barton Springs Mill where we met miller James Brown and mesquite missionary Sandeep Gyawali and sampled Jester King beers made with mesquite and bread. At Apis and Pizzeria Sorellina, chef/owner Taylor Hall expounded on bee keeping and treated us to the best pizzas this side of Italy made from Barton Springs Mill flours. Across the road we got an up close lesson on regenerative farming and saw the most adorable day old piglets. Then on to a tasting at Spicewood Vineyards. After a short drive to Driftwood, we visited Desert Door Distillers to taste Sotol, a spirit similar to mescal made from desert spoon cactus also called Sotol. At the Driftwood tasting room of Fall Creek Vineyards, we were treated to wines, a feral pig butchering demo by chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due followed by an amazing choucroute garni. On our final day we started with a breakfast as big as Texas with the amazing breakfast burger at Hopdoddy, now a leading contender in the better burger wars with 24 locations across the Southwest. Then on to the greener than green library. And finally a leisurely lunch on the front porch at Launderette. No one left hungry.

21st Annual Championship BBQ

April 16, 2018 by Todd Rensi

Charleston: Nobody left hungry

April 15, 2018 by Todd Rensi

Flavor Forays gathered a stellar group of food and beverage executives and corporate chefs for our third annual Grits, Gullah and the Three o'Clock Dinner in Charleston February 12-14, 2018. The food was so amazing and the journey was so educational and inspirational from the Charleston Tea Plantation to BJ Dennis' Gullah lunch, it's hard to know where to begin.

Nanette Bedway's amazing photo album, generously sponsored by Bigelow Tea, will guide you through the charming cobblestone streets and into the kitchens of some of Charleston's finest chefs--Michael Toscano, Forrest Parker, Bob Cook, Jeremiah Bacon. We enjoyed libations from Striped Pig Distillery and Jack Rudy syrups and bitters from Brooks Reitz. We visited with farmer Pete Ambrose, Greg Johnsman at Geechie Boys mill, shrimper Cindy Tarvin, and Grow Food Carolina's Sara Clow. We feasted on oysters at Leon's Oyster and tomato pie and pimiento cheese at the Tomato Shed. But the piece de resistance was the oyster roast on Edisto Beach. Legendary Charleston chef Frank Lee came out of retirement to collaborate with chef Philip Bardin on an amazing low country dinner and oyster roast that still has everybody awestruck. Nobody left hungry.

Third Annual Grits, Gullah, and the Three o'Clock Dinner

February 20, 2018 by Todd Rensi

Grits, Gullah, and the Three o'Clock Dinner, the third annual Flavor Foray in Charleston held February 12-14, 2018 was educational, inspirational, and a delicious good time.

Legendary Charleston chef Frank Lee came out of retirement to collaborate with chef Philip Bardin on an amazing low country dinner and oyster roast. We had tasty demos and samples from some of Charleston's finest chefs--Michael Toscano, Forrest Parker, Bob Cook, Jeremiah Bacon, BJ Dennis. And we enjoyed libations from Striped Pig Distillery and the syrups and bitters of Jack Rudy from Brooks Reitz. We visited with master tea taster Bill Hall at the Charleston Tea Plantation, farmer Pete Ambrose, Greg Johnsman at Geechie Boys mill, shrimper Cindy Tarvin, Grow Food Carolina's Sara Clow. How about those oysters at Leon's Oysters? And that tomato pie and pimiento cheese at the Tomato Shed?

This amazing photo and video album from Google's Scott Giambastiani is sure to make you hungry!

Flavor Forays - Charleston
268 new photos · Album by Scott Giambastiani

Thank you, Google!

October 19, 2017 by Todd Rensi

Wow! We've never seen a thank you note quite like this one. Leave it to Google. We just wrapped up our FlavorForays trip in Portland which took place October 16 to 18. It looks like the Google team enjoyed it. Theirs is not unlike a documentary of the whole experience. Thank you Google!

Portland Food Inspiration Tour 2017
362 new photos added to shared album

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Portland Potager

October 15, 2017 by Todd Rensi

Flavor Forays is at it again.

This time we're visiting the burgeoning (and fabulous) food mecca that is beautiful Portland, Oregon.

Thank you to our sponsors and attendees!

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For more information on Portland Portager produced by Flavor Forays, check out the flip book below.

Cooking and Eating Italian Style

October 06, 2017 by Todd Rensi

Training in Italy is the real deal—even for a short time. Studying, living, and working in Italy enables chefs to think about food the way an Italian does.

For five days in late September, a group of food and beverage executives and American chefs, followed an intensive course at Gambero Rosso in Rome to check out the program developed by the May-Mei Culinary Academy founded by American restaurateur Tony May and Italian chefs/educators Sergio Mei and Bruno Libralon. Flavor Forays joined with Tony May to bring this group of hospitality kingpins to Rome.

Each morning we went to Gambero Rosso for Sergio Mei’s instruction in specific areas such as fish cookery, pasta and rice, meat, and desserts. We cooked such traditional dishes as vitello tonnato, veal Milanese, carbonara, risotto with porcini and were encouraged to add our own creative touches. In the afternoon, we visited producers and then in the evening returned to the school for more work in the kitchen.

The condensed program is geared to professionals who wish to learn or refresh their knowledge of Italian cooking techniques and products as well as the traditions and cultures of the Italian table. It promises them taste memories to carry back home.

In addition to our hands-on cooking, some of the most poignant taste memories were created by the passionate producers visited. Mauro Secondi held us enthralled at his Pastificio Secondi with his impassioned descriptions of the fresh artisanal pasta he produces. He literally had us eating raw samples of filled ravioli out of his hand and marveling at the bright orange yolks of the in-shell eggs he uses. Hint: the chickens are fed carrots and corn. He charmed us with stories about the origin of pasta; names such as “navel of Venus” and “priest stranglers.” He concluded with bear hugs for all. We had similar experiences with the producer of Le Pile olive oil and Vincenzo Mancino a dedicated local cheese monger. More taste memories were created in local restaurants where we were treated to variations on the theme of Rome’s classic trinity of pastas: cacio e pepe, carbonara, and bucatini all’amatriciana as well as roasted veal, fried squash blossoms, the freshest mozzarella, tomatoes and porchetta. And prosciutto di Parma aplenty. All washed down by vino red and white and the group’s favorite discovery limoncello. At Assunta Madre, which Tony May believes to be the best fish restaurant in Rome, we were greeted by a stunning display of freshly caught fish which in short order would be on our plates in a staggering variety of crudo of tuna, sea bass, shrimp, and transparent thinly sliced prawns as silky as butter. Cooked preparations followed and naturally, there were a couple of pasta courses. We were stuffed to the point of begging for mercy which arrived in the form of, what else?, limoncello.

Marisa May, Tony’s daughter, made sure we saw the sights of Rome as well and led us on late night crawls through Trastevere, Piazza Navona and Fiori di Campo where it was not out of the question to sample some pizza or gelato and, it goes without saying, limoncello.

For info about the Gambero Rosso program, visit https://www.may-mei.org/en/schools/#rosso. For more information and a 2017-2018 schedule of courses in various regions throughout Italy, visit www.maymei.org or www.may-meiitalianculinaryacademy.com. Tony May is also available for a personal phone appointment to provide more information

Flavor Forays

Barbara Mathias

Beverly Stephen

Happy Birthday BBQ

June 08, 2017 by Todd Rensi

The Annual Championship BBQ & Cookout celebrated its 20th and it was bigger and better than ever.

Fourteen of Chicago’s top chefs faced off over grills on Sunday, May 21 at the Chicago Illuminating Company during the NRA show in Chicago. They fed close to a thousand of the industry’s leading chefs and operators. And it was all for a good cause-- World Central Kitchen, an international organization led by chef José Andrés, which uses its network of world-renowned chefs to find sustainable solutions to end world hunger and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, which distributes the equivalent of 160,000 meals daily.

Barbara Mathias, former Food Arts publisher, founded the event two decades ago and continues to produce it along with her colleague Beverly Stephen, former executive editor of Food Arts. We were excited to welcome Food News Media, publisher of FSR and QSR magazines, as our media partner. You will be reading much deserved coverage for our amazing chefs both in their print publications and online.

Hats off to the roster of champion chefs who donated their time and talents: Tony Priolo, Stephen “Smokey” Schwartz, Jimmy Bannos, Marcos Ascencio, Marcos Flores, David Chapman and Joe Frillman, Christine Ciwoski and Josh Kulp, Aaron Lirette, James Lintleman, John Manion, John Coletta, Cory Morris, Martial Nougier, Derek Campbell.

And a big vote of thanks to all our sponsors: Ajinomoto Windsor, Beam Suntory, Bigelow Tea, Chefwear, Constellation Brands, Easy Ice, Fever-Tree, Frost 321, Hewlett Packard, Jade Range, Johnsonville, The Perfect Purée, Smithfield, Sterno Products, Sweet Street, Taylor Shellfish, Unilever Food Solutions, VerTerra.

Check out our latest e-book

June 07, 2017 by Todd Rensi

Want to learn more about our extraordinary culinary adventures? Check out our latest e-book on Blurb.

Blurb Books | Blurb Books
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Eating Louisiana

May 08, 2017 by Todd Rensi

Culture and cuisine--we sampled it all

What if you could time travel, all in one day, from a pre-Civil War sugar planter’s breakfast, to an authentic Cajun crawfish boil, to trendsetting seafood dishes from talented New Orleans chefs moving a traditional cuisine forward?

That’s exactly what a group of Marriott’s culinary, F&B, and event planning leaders did on our Flavor Foray “On the Bayou” April 20, 2017. No region takes their history and culture as seriously as Louisiana and we got a taste of it all.

The day began with a historical sugar planter’s breakfast on the grounds of White Oak Plantation & Farm, Chef John Folse’s catering facility housed in a majestic white columned mansion. Back in the day, folks went into the fields before the sun came up and then came in mid-day to eat their main meal.

In the early morning sunshine, we could smell bacon cooking every which way on a live fire station. If there’s a heaven, it’s that station full of bacon--Acadian bacon, cane syrup-candied bacon, whole smoked, brown-sugar cured ham, Cajun bacon, boudin, and creole sausages. Pain perdu, grillades and blue corn stone-ground grits, fluffy cathead biscuits, calas cakes, and eggs a la crème completed the feast.

From there, we ventured into the swamp on the Atchafalaya Princess led by Henderson mayor Sherbin Collette on his boat, the Crawfish King. We glided past majestic moss-draped cypress trees through mysterious waters where graceful egrets perch just out of reach of lurking alligators. There are plenty of crawfish in there too.

Just a stone’s throw down the road sits Crawfish Town USA, a restaurant and fresh market housed in an authentic barn from the 1900s. Here in the heart of Cajun country, it’s crawfish season and Chef Dustie Latiolais threw down a traditional crawfish boil on newspaper-covered tables under the trees. His restaurant peels about 10,000 pounds of crawfish every year. No crawfish boil would be complete without some beer and Bayou Teche Brewery obliged.

The past met the future in a grand finale celebrating Louisiana Seafood in Jackson Square’s historic Cabildo, an elegant baroque museum the was the seat of the Spanish colonial government in New Orleans.

Six of the Crescent city’s best chefs showcased the state’s seafood bounty from oysters, to blue crabs, to shrimp, to fin fish, and even gator. And we dined like royalty on their creations in the magnificent halls where Spanish grandees once ruled.

Nathan Richard (Cavan) invented Alligator “Turtle” Soup, that is to say, alligator soup cooked in the style of traditional New Orleans turtle soup. Chris Montero (Napoleon House) used both Gulf shrimp and jumbo lump crabmeat in his refreshing Louisiana Seafood Salad with local heirloom grape tomatoes, confit garlic and baby arugula. Aaron Burgau (Patois) put his own spin on oysters and dumplings with Louisiana Oyster Stew and Gnocchi chock full of fennel and leeks.

Tableau’s John Martin put a twist on traditional Oysters Bienville with his Crawfish Bienville which included shrimp, oysters, ham and bacon and served it on slices of French bread topped with shrimp and oyster mousse and fresh crawfish and finished with blue crab butter sauce. Cody and Samantha Carroll (Sac-a-Lait) gave their deviled crab a contemporary touch of drama with a house made saltine dyed black with squid ink. Carrollton Market’s Jason Goodenough turned to the fin fish category with his Yellowfin Tuna Hot Oil. “The sushi-grade tuna was sliced sashimi-style, dressed with soy and lemon juice and then splashed with screaming hot sesame oil to flash cook the outside of the slices while simultaneously making a vinaigrette on the plate a la minute,” Goodenough explains.

Louisiana is the nation’s second largest producer of seafood generating more than 856 million pounds each year and is the largest commercial fishery in the contiguous United States. No wonder there’s crab piled on top of so many entrees or iconic dishes overflowing with crab, shrimp, and oysters all at once.

Beam Suntory showcased some special libations that have not yet been released to the market including Makers 46 Private Select, Tyrconnell 16-year-old Irish Whiskey, Basil Hayden Rye, and Knob Creek 25th anniversary.

Post Script. It took another half a day to see a couple more things. No trip to New Orleans would be complete without a visit to an oyster house so why not stop in to visit with Sal Sunseri at P&J Oysters. NOLA Brewing Company stopped in too. And then cap the morning off with a Bloody Mary and cracklins (now that’s a pairing!) in the shaded courtyard of Lucullus, the venerable culinary antique store on Chartres Street filled with copper pots and endless other tabletop temptations.

And a vote of thanks to all our generous sponsors: Bigelow, Cardinal, Dannon, Jade, Juicero, Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

Beverly Stephen

For more information, check out our video below.

Flavor Foray on the Bayou

April 30, 2017 by Todd Rensi

We just finished a custom one and a half day Flavor Foray for Marriott culinary, f&b, and event leaders in the Bayou and New Orleans. Take a look at the flavor packed program here: