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I’m Still Alive (And Eating a Weird Diet)

April 10, 2017 by arfoodie

So, after deciding a while back that I wasn’t as interested in covering food news here anymore, I promptly got wrapped up in my other projects and left this poor old blog to rot. Which is a shame, because I really do still love to write, and I do still cook some nice stuff at home occasionally.

arfoodjobs.com, now three years in, is doing well. If you’re in the “business,” holla. We’ve even done a test run of a workforce training program, kind of a pre-culinary-school sort of thing, with great success. And to get some writing out, I’m also a new “Expert Columnist” (ha!) for Foodable, an online industry publication for foodservice folk. It’s quite the honor.

Meanwhile, all my old health issues continue to come and go. I only bring it up because the original purpose of this blog was to help others who might be in the same boat, encouraging you to cook as much as you can. It really does help.

The latest: Under the direction of a new (functional medicine, actual MD) doctor, I did TWO rounds of a 6-week or so elimination diet, with all kinds of supplements, probiotics, enzymes and the like. I cheated a bit on the first one so I felt that I should do it again.

It’s basically paleo with rice allowed, I guess. I felt pretty darn good while on it, but as I’m tapering off of the supplements and reintroducing things, I’ve felt pretty bad. So I may be on some form of this for the long haul. Sigh. The food is good, but darn it, I want cake and cheese and eggs and all the things. I’m holding out for Easter this time around, then back on the wagon.

Let me know if you’ve tried a special diet (paleo, GAPS, FODMAP, etc.) to combat your health issues, and how successful you were in sticking to it. I’m wondering if I can manage this long-term, especially being in the food business.

I’ll try to write occasionally with a recipe or two from the new “lifestyle.” We’ll see if it’s permanent.

Filed Under: Elimination Diet, Gluten Free, Healing Tagged With: elimination diet, fatigue, health, paleo, special diet

Arkansas Hospitality Conference a Food Lover’s Dream (PHOTOS)

September 15, 2016 by arfoodie

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The Culinary Classic featured dishes with an “outer space” theme, including this lentil, scallop and polenta dish that was served to guests in tiny spheres.

This week, the Arkansas Hospitality Association held its annual Showcase & Convention event, which is a highlight of the year for many involved in all aspects of the hospitality industry.

But even for those outside of the industry, two events shine as a food lover’s dream: the Culinary Classic and the Iron Chef Arkansas competition.

The Culinary Classic, which was held Tuesday evening, is a ticketed event for public sampling. But before guests arrive, participating chefs send dishes anonymously to a panel of judges, who choose the best in appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, and desserts. This year’s winners are listed below. (Read a preview with more details about the Culinary Classic here, and see photos below.)

The next two days, the trade show floor buzzed with vendors of all kinds, but the foodies knew to head to the back of the room for the Iron Chef Arkansas stage. This live competition, much like the popular show Chopped, gives chefs a mystery ingredients basket in each round that must be used in the dishes. The chefs had 40 minutes per heat to create two plates—one for the judges, and another for winners of a silent auction held at the Culinary Classic. (Read more about Iron Chef Arkansas and the winner here on our sister site, arfoodjobs.com.)

Over four heats on Wednesday and two semi-final heats on Thursday, the original panel of eight Arkansas chefs boiled down to the last two: Casey Copeland of SO Restaurant in Little Rock and Justus Moll of River Grille Steakhouse in Bentonville. Moll took the win with his final dish.

Culinary Classic Winners:

Appetizer

1st – Adam Hanry of Camp Mitchell
2nd – Bonner Cameron of Bistro Catering and Gourmet Take-Away
3rd – Casey Copeland of SO Restaurant

Soup and Salad

1st – Javier Salcedo of Riverfront Steakhouse
2nd – Kamiya Merrick of At the Corner
3rd – Josh Marling of Southland Park Gaming & Racing

Entree

1st – Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock
2nd – Brandon Douglas of Green Leaf Grill
3rd – Pratik Mungre of Capital Hotel

Dessert

1st – Adam Hanry of Camp Mitchell
2nd – Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock
3rd – Jan Lewandowski of Pulaski Technical College

Best of Beef Award: Bonner Cameron of Bistro Catering and Gourmet Take-Away

Hiland Dairy Award: Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock

People’s Choice Award: Mario Torres of Marriott Little Rock

CULINARY CLASSIC PHOTOS

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IRON CHEF PHOTOS

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Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: AHA, Arkansas, Arkansas Hospitality Association, Culinary Classic, Iron Chef, Justus Moll

Culinary Classic Offers a Taste From Arkansas’ Best Chefs (GIVEAWAY)

September 7, 2016 by arfoodie

Dessert offering from the 2015 Culinary Classic

Dessert offering from the 2015 Culinary Classic. Image courtesy of Arkansas Hospitality Association.

GIVEAWAY: Share this post and comment below by noon on Monday, Sept. 12 with why you’d like to attend this year’s Culinary Classic. We’ll choose one comment to receive two complimentary tickets to the event, a $90 value. UPDATE: Kim H. won the tickets and will be attending the Culinary Classic! Congrats and have a great time!

Diners looking for a taste of Arkansas’ best need look no further than this Tuesday’s Culinary Classic, a competition and tasting event hosted by the Arkansas Hospitality Association. Tickets are $45, a bargain for the opportunity to sample the work of Arkansas’ finest established and up-and-coming chefs.

Guests at the Culinary Classic enjoy small plates from each of the participating chefs, beer and wine tastings, and admission to the after party at the lobby bar of the adjacent Little Rock Marriott Hotel. The tasting plates are small portions of the dishes each chef submitted to a panel of judges earlier in the evening, competing for cash prizes in the areas of appetizer, soup/salad, entree and dessert.

During the public event, guests may also vote for their favorite dish; the People’s Choice award is announced later that evening along with the formally judged dishes. The event also includes a silent auction in which guests can bid for hospitality-related items, from food gift cards to vacation stays. All funds raised go toward college scholarships for Arkansas hospitality students.

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Chef Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top honors at the AHA Culinary Classic. More details on awards to come.

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Chef Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top honors at the 2014 AHA Culinary Classic.

I’ve held for years that this is Little Rock’s best food event, showcasing some of the best talent the state has ago offer. And because they are competing for cash prizes (and respect from their professional colleagues), the chefs bring out their best dishes, often researching and practicing them for weeks beforehand.

This year’s competitors include chefs from the Capital Hotel, Little Rock Marriott, Country Club of Little Rock, Green Leaf Grille, Bistro Catering & Gourmet, and Pulaski Technical College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute.

Buy your tickets now at this link and we’ll see you there! Be sure to share this post and comment below for your chance to win two tickets. (If you buy tickets and win, AHA will reimburse you.)

Arkansas Hospitality Association Culinary Classic
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets $45 (Click to purchase)
Statehouse Convention Center, Hall 4
101 E. Markham St., Little Rock
Contact Jill Thiel at (501) 376-2323 or at jill@arhospitality.org

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Want to read more about the Culinary Classic? Check our archives!

2014 Culinary Classic Winners and Photos

Judging the 2013 Culinary Classic 

2013 Culinary Classic Preview 

2012 Culinary Classic Winners and Photos

Filed Under: Contests, Events, Foodie News, PTC_ACS Tagged With: 2016, AHA, Arkansas Hospitality Association, Competition, Culinary Classic

Diamond Chef Arkansas 2016 at Pulaski Tech CAHMI

April 21, 2016 by arfoodie

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UPDATE: Chef Donnie Ferneau of The 1836 Club has won Diamond Chef Arkansas 2016.

Tonight is a celebration of Arkansas’ culinary excellence at the annual Diamond Chef Arkansas competition, a fundraising event for the Pulaski Technical College Foundation, held at the college’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute (CAHMI) in Little Rock.

This year’s competing chefs are CAHMI’s own Philippe Ducrot; Donnie Ferneau of The 1836 Club; Bonner Cameron of Bistro Catering & Gourmet Take Away; Angela Nix of The Quarter; Justin Patterson of Southern Gourmasian; and Jason Knapp of Sysco.

In previous years, the competition preliminaries were held at a separate location (once the Peabody Hotel lobby, and later the new CAHMI facility) and the finals were a formal event at Statehouse Convention Center some months later. This year, the combined event takes place in one night, with activities across the entire CAHMI facility.

While chefs compete in several rounds within the Gold Competition Lab, with its several video-ready cooking galleys, guests wander the facility for student-made hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and even house-brewed beers and root beer. To add some fun, guests are competing in a fitted-sheet folding competition in the hospitality training area, learning knife skills from students in the Community Education Kitchen, and sampling speciality beverages created in honor of each of the six competing chefs.

Eliminated as of 7:50 p.m.:

Bonner Cameron
Justin Patterson
Philippe Ducrot
Angela Nix

Competing in the Finals:

Donnie Ferneau
Jason Knapp

Final round, part 1 dish by Donnie Ferneau
Final round, part 1 dish by Jason Knapp

Final round, part 2 dish by Donnie Ferneau
Final round, part 2 dish by Jason Knapp

After two rounds of final dishes, Donnie Ferneau was declared the winner.

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Filed Under: PTC_ACS

2016 ProStart Arkansas Competition

March 10, 2016 by arfoodie

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Every year, Arkansas’ top culinary and hospitality management high school students come to Pulaski Tech to demonstrate their talents. The winning teams (one in culinary and one in hospitality management) get to attend the national ProStart competition to represent the state.

Today the culinary portion of the competition is taking place at Pulaski Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute.

Want to follow the action? Or do you just like food photos?

We’re taking this over to our sister site at arfoodjobs.com since it pertains to the professional side of culinary arts. Check it out!

Filed Under: learning, PTC_ACS Tagged With: Arkansas, ProStart

Amazing Homemade Gluten Free Bread, Finally

March 10, 2016 by arfoodie

AmazingHomemadeGluten-FreeBREAD(Finally)

A few weeks ago, my 13-year-old daughter started having pretty serious stomach pain. The first time it happened, we thought it was a virus, kept her home a day, and carried on.

The next time it happened, she was home for three days with severe pain. Something was off…. 

Read More »

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Reviews Tagged With: artisan, baking, bread, Gluten-free, loaf

Iron Chef 2015 at the Arkansas Hospitality Association Convention

September 17, 2015 by arfoodie

Final plate by Chef Casey Copeland

Final winning plate by Chef Casey Copeland of SO Restaurant & Bar in Little Rock.

Iron Chef Arkansas! One of the coolest competitions all year. It’s time for some food photos and feats of culinary strength. If you’re unfamiliar, this competition takes place on the floor of the annual  Arkansas Hospitality Association Vendor Showcase and Convention. Eight chefs of AHA member restaurants, clubs or catering operations from across the state are invited to compete. Through 40-minute heats over two days, the chefs must use the ingredients of a mystery basket and show their skills and creativity…. 

Read More »

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: #AWBU, 2015, AHA, Arkansas Hospitality Association, Iron Chef

Diamond Chef Arkansas 2015

June 2, 2015 by arfoodie

Chef Justin Patterson (right) and sous chef Daniel Rogers plating during the competition. The team won the preliminaries and will compete against Marc Guizol in the final on June 2.

Chef Justin Patterson (right) and sous chef Daniel Rogers will battle reigning Diamond Chef Marc Guizol tonight at the Statehouse Convention Center.

At somewhat the last moment, I have decided that I’d rather not slog my laptop into the formal venue tonight at Statehouse Convention Center during the Diamond Chef Arkansas competition benefiting Pulaski Technical College.

However! I hope you will follow along on Twitter, as I will be furiously tweeting each round of action on the stage and each course of the lovely meal I’m sure they have in store for us.

In case you missed it, tonight’s event is the final battle between last year’s champion, Marc Guizol of the Capital Hotel, and this year’s winner of the preliminary competition, Justin Patterson of the Southern Gourmasian. Oh, how I wish I could be a judge tonight and taste the dishes they put out!

I do plan on taking copious photos of those dishes, so check on Twitter and later tonight on the blog for all the goods.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Gluten Free Options at the Greek Food Festival

May 13, 2015 by arfoodie

When I think of the Greek Food Festival, I think of my wedding day.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of attending the festival that year, which began the day before our nuptials. A girl can’t be bothered when she’s got to rest up, get her hair done and spend the rest of the day at the church-house getting ready to marry her best bud. Then, we’d be off to our honeymoon; no time for a stop-off…. 

Read More »

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News, Gluten Free Tagged With: festival, food, Gluten-free, Greek

#ArkansasGives: Give Some, Eat Some for Charity

April 2, 2015 by arfoodie

ArkansasgivesToday the Arkansas Community Foundation is rallying Arkansans, who are traditionally pretty charitable anyways, to commit the day to giving extra to nonprofits who do good work right here in our state.

ArkansasGives is a 12-hour online fundraising event happening today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Arkansas Community Foundation is challenging all Arkansans to make a donation to their favorite charity on a single day, and they are adding bonus dollars and prizes on top of the money that comes in from the public. More than 350 nonprofits are participating, and they’re all driving their donors to give via ArkansasGives.org, where the ACF will be tallying the donations in real-time and posting them on leaderboards.

So, what does this have to do with food? Well, for one, many food-related charities are benefiting. My favorite, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, manages all the No Kid Hungry / Cooking Matters programs in the state, of which I have taught more than a few. Whichever food-related charity you’re drawn to, today is a great day to ensure their operations.

Need more motivation? How about food trucks?

The ArkansasGives event headquarters are at AT&T’s building at 1111 W. Capital, and they have given permission to have four food trucks set up out front during lunch (11 – 1:30). Each of the trucks has chosen a participating ArkansasGives charity they will support with 10% of their proceeds from the day.

Participating trucks will include Southern Salt, Loblolly Ice Cream, Hot Rod Wieners and Katmandu Momo.

So, donate, rally supporters of your favorite charity, and come on out for a lunch that gives!

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: #ArkansasGives, Arkansas Community Foundation, non-profits, nonprofits

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Recent Posts

  • I’m Still Alive (And Eating a Weird Diet)
  • Arkansas Hospitality Conference a Food Lover’s Dream (PHOTOS)
  • Culinary Classic Offers a Taste From Arkansas’ Best Chefs (GIVEAWAY)
  • Diamond Chef Arkansas 2016 at Pulaski Tech CAHMI
  • 2016 ProStart Arkansas Competition

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