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Foodie Event Roundup for the Week

October 4, 2013 by arfoodie

Ooof. Food coma. Lemme see what I can muster.

This is always a busy time for foodies, with all kinds of events and classes going on. Here’s the scoop on just a few of these things, both for those who enjoy cooking good food and those who just want to enjoy eating it.

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Strip steak with exotic mushroom demi-glace and War Eagle grits and braised greens. Fourth course of five at last night’s The Next Course dinner for Youth Home.

  • Last night’s The Next Course event at the Clinton Presidential Center for Youth Home was amazing! Their equally-amazing event coordinator, Larry Betz, is working on getting the instructional videos shown at the event ready to share with you here, so we’ll wait a little while for the event wrap-up. But I will then definitely share some of the recipes with you, and maybe I’ll tackle one myself. They are fancy pants, indeed.
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  • Tomorrow is the Main Street Food Truck Festival in Little Rock. The guys over at Eat Arkansas wrote a fine roundup of all the goings-on this year, with one notable difference: NO TICKETS. Hooray! Hopefully that will help with the line situation. (See my snarky post from last year on that whole sitch.) Also hopefully, we will have better weather this year than last. I helped my friend Travis Meyer with his smoked sausage stand last year and we got totally soaked. But it’s a great event, and I hope you’ll come, even if you have to wait a bit or get a little wet.
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  • I just found out that Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts is not doing their Harvest Festival or annual culinary competition this year, but is instead doing an acoustic music event this weekend. So if you were looking for that secret ingredient to be announced (I know I wasn’t the only one…right?), you’ll have to keep on waiting. But do go to the new event, which looks like a lot of fun!

Other notable upcoming events and classes:

  • “Southern Comfort with Chef Mark Abernathy,” community education class at Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. Spend an evening learning techniques and recipes exploring Chef Abernathy’s Modern Southern cuisine, as served at his restaurants Loca Luna and Red Door. Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6 – 8 p.m., $70. Must pre-register by Oct. 6.
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  • “Pasta Party! For the Love of Pasta — Fresh and Dried Pasta and Assorted Pasta Dishes,” community education class at Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, with Chef Cynthia Malik. Thursday, Oct. 10, 5:30 – 8 p.m., $45. Must pre-register by Oct. 7.
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    Outstanding in the Field’s vintage red bus travels across the nation with supplies for fine dining in the field of your friendly neighborhood farmer, this time in Proctor, Ark.

  • Outstanding in the Field. The OITF vintage big red bus will be making a stop at Delta Sol Farm in Proctor, Ark. next Thursday, Oct. 10. This farm-to-table event — served literally in a field — is one of many the organization has held across the nation, this time highlighting Little Rock’s Chefs Matt Bell of South on Main and Alexis Jones of Natchez, as well as Memphis Chefs Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman of Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Jonathan Magallanes of Las Tortugas, all led by Memphis’ Chef Kelly English of Restaurant Iris. Tickets are $180 and may be purchased at the event website.
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  • “Tasting Like a Pro,” Wine and Spirits community education class at Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. Learn firsthand, without all the pretentious junk, the common techniques used by winemakers, sommeliers, critics, judges and other professionals, as well as the important wine attributes and essential aromas and tastes of the world’s most recognized wines. Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 – 8 p.m., $75. Must pre-register by Oct. 7.

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News, learning, PTC_ACS Tagged With: Delta Sol Farm, Little Rock, Main Street Food Truck Festival, Natchez, Outstanding in the Field, Pulaski Technical College, South on Main, The Next Course, Youth Home

Newest Kitchen Gadgets (Video from Good Morning Arkansas)

September 28, 2013 by arfoodie

I finally have some video (sorry my version of WordPress won’t display it) of my appearance earlier this week on Good Morning Arkansas, demonstrating some of the newest, coolest kitchen gadgets available.

For more information on the products and the recipe shown on the air, see my earlier post.

As stated before, this appearance was sponsored by T-fal, and if I didn’t love these items, I wouldn’t have done the appearance.

Filed Under: Foodie News, Reviews Tagged With: Good Morning Arkansas, OptiGrill, T-fal, video

Food, Structure and EmPOWERment at Youth Home

September 26, 2013 by arfoodie

Fancy Pants Foodie is proud to be the Official Blog Partner for The Next Course, a cooking-themed fundraiser event on October 3 to raise funds for a generator to power the Youth Home, Inc. campus in the event of a power emergency. The event will feature local chefs teaching attendees how to prepare the gourmet courses they will serve at the event. Tickets are available here for purchase. More information on our previous post here.

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As you may know, I have been heavily involved with Cooking Matters over the past couple years, mostly teaching their class for childcare professionals. One of the biggest themes in the class is to encourage routine, especially surrounding mealtimes. This creates a sense of security and structure that translates almost immediately to other areas of a child’s life.

Mealtimes and routines matter.

Seating area of the cafeteria, which was shut down last winter by a power outage.

Seating area of the cafeteria, which was shut down last winter by a power outage.

Now, imagine that you are one of the 70 children living at Youth Home, Inc., a residential and day-treatment center in Little Rock for young people ages 12 to 17 with psychological disorders. It’s the winter of 2012-13, and Christmas brought a couple feet of snow (and a resulting power outage) that Arkansas just wasn’t ready for.

If you’re a boy, you were moved into the one room of the campus’ school building that had a small working generator. If a girl, you were sent to a nearby church which graciously offered its facilities. The usual structure of the day, engineered to the minute by the center’s caring and able staff, was completely disrupted.

Cafeteria service for residential patients halted after last winter's heavy snow. All perishable food in the area was lost.

Cafeteria service for residential patients halted after last winter’s heavy snow. All perishable food in the area was lost.

The Youth Home kitchen, usually a bustling hub of comfort and nourishment, was cold and dark, without power for several days. All the perishable food there was lost, and the emergency food in the center’s houses was soon depleted. The earlier mentioned church saved the day by preparing and delivering daily meals.

Now imagine you have post-traumatic stress disorder or reactive attachment disorder.

The important daily schedule in one of the girls' residences.

The important daily schedule in one of the girls’ residences.

Stephanie Jonasson, development assistant for Youth Home, recalled how the extended power outage affected the children.

“There was no privacy and their regular day structure was completely changed,” Jonasson said. “We also couldn’t have our normal school classes to occupy them. It was a major shakeup and stressor.”

She said that the leadership and routine of the campus helped most of the children continue as normally as possible, but because of the nature of their conditions, some children had a very hard time.

“Some kids are more sensitive than others,” she said. “Once [before the storm], I was driving a girl patient to an appointment. I took a detour that was not the way she was used to, and it really sent her into a panic. It’s just that way with many of our patients; they need structure and predictability. You can imagine how the storm challenged some of them.”

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I had the opportunity to tour Youth Home this week, and I am overwhelmed with the facility, their staff, and the success of their work.

Most impressive is Youth Home’s commitment to lovingly empower these youth to take responsibility for their own lives. Again and again, throughout every element of the program, the child must intentionally make decisions and understand the consequences, good or bad.

Sign on the front door of a girl's residential house.

Sign on the front door of a girls’ residential building.

In the residence halls, where 12 boys or girls live under the care of four direct care staff (as well as medical and psychiatric care staff), rules are clearly posted. Some infractions get smaller punishments, such as staying at a desk to write about your decision. Others are met more severely, with isolation or reduction of “transition level.” Each resident works weekly toward the next transition level, offering more freedom and privileges.

In Youth Home’s Siebert Educational Center, students are empowered to believe they can learn and are expected to do their best. We saw small-ratio classrooms with SMART Boards plowing away at math, language and keyboarding. Honestly, I was amazed to find out that some of the calm, attentive students I saw had been violent and unruly in other environments.

Program Manager Brenda Griffin explains the impact their programs have on troubled teens.

Program Manager Brenda Griffin explains the impact their programs have on troubled teens.

Brenda Griffin, program manager for Youth Home and leader of our tour, explained the system of trust they have with the children to achieve this change.

“That’s one of the main things I love about this place,” Griffin explained. “We have an amazing staff, and an administration who believes in what we’re doing. Our main goal: The kids will take 100 percent responsibility for their actions. I had a child here say to a therapist recently, ‘You don’t play, do you?’

“If you make the environment predictable, with rules and consequences, they will respond,” she added.

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It’s not all rules and hard lines at Youth Home. The staff offers love and hope to the children in their care, many of whom had never received such hope before.

Many of the kids coming into the facility are in crisis. Some may be engaged in self-mutilation (cutting or other physically destructive behavior). A good number are suffering from some form of depression.

“We start with the physician, who sees every kid at least once a week,” Griffin said. “He gives them a good 15-minute visit, at the least, and stays on top of issues like mutilation and depression.”

The staff not only builds up each child, but they also help the kids to encourage each other. A residence hall director told us about her girls’ “Encouraging Words” time, held after every group session. During this time, the girls take turns saying nice things about each other, whether it’s a compliment about her hair or a shout-out for reaching her personal goals for that day or week.

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So, what does all this have to do with you?

I hope you have a tiny glimpse of what good Youth Home is doing, and how important it is that we help them continue their work free of disruptions. Last winter’s storm revealed an emergent need for a generator large enough to power the entire campus if needed.

On Thursday, October 3, Youth Home will partner with Ben E. Keith and the Clinton Presidential Center for The Next Course, a fundraising event to purchase this generator. Join us and you will enjoy a seated dinner with several courses of seasonal deliciousness, and chefs from the partner organizations will demonstrate to the attendees how to make the food at home. You’ll even get a set of snazzy recipe cards in case you forget anything you learned.

Please click here to buy tickets to this exciting and important event. Help Youth Home continue to empower the children in their care, no matter what the weather brings.

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: fundraiser, generator, The Next Course, Youth Home

“The Next Course” Youth Home Benefit Highlights Chefs and How-Tos

September 23, 2013 by arfoodie

Roasted Fall Salad with Farrow, to be served and demonstrated at The Next Course for Youth Home.

Roasted Root Vegetable and Farro Salad, to be served and demonstrated at The Next Course for Youth Home.

In a delightful new fundraiser format, the upcoming The Next Course gala event for Youth Home will not only feature amazing, seasonal food from local chefs, it will teach attendees how to make each course at home.

Last week, I got a sneak peek at some of the courses and the instructional videos that will be shown during the event. I’m not allowed to spill the details just yet, but I can tell you two things: 1) the food will be fresh, seasonal and stunning, and 2) you WILL learn something, even if you don’t cook.

Okay, maybe that was more than two things. Just trust me, it will be an amazing event.

As guests enjoy each course of the dinner, they will receive video how-tos to recreate the dishes themselves by Chef Shane Henderson of Ben E. Keith and Chef Stephen Burrow of the Clinton Presidential Center, along with his Sous Chef Jackson Bolton and Pastry Chef Anne Woodson. Guests will also take home detailed recipe cards for each dish.

Youth Home is a private, non-profit psychiatric center for emotionally troubled adolescents and their families. With state-of-the-art residential treatment, as well as day and outpatient services, Youth Home serves an important role in the wellness of our community.

During last winter’s snowstorms, the facility went without power for several days, causing a major setback for the facility and its residents. Food went bad. Medicine ruined. And spirits dampened. With funds raised by The Next Course, Youth Home will purchase power generators to avoid a similar situation in the future.

As the Official Blog Partner for the event, Fancy Pants Foodie will bring you more stories about Youth Home and The Next Course. I hope you’ll stay tuned for that.

But more importantly, I hope you’ll buy a ticket or two, or even sponsor a table. Join us at The Next Course, learn a few things, and help improve the lives of young people right here in Little Rock!

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The Next Course
Benefiting Youth Home
Thursday, October 3
7 p.m.
Great Hall of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library
$100 for individual tickets, or $150 to include VIP cocktail hour
Sponsorships available at $1250 (includes 8 VIP tickets)
Click here to purchase tickets

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: Anne Woodson, Jackson Bolton, Shane Henderson, Stephen Burrow, The Next Course, Youth Home

Arkansas Hospitality Association Iron Chef 2013 Results

September 19, 2013 by arfoodie

Chef Marc Guizol of Capitol Hotel in Heat #5 on Thursday.

Chef Marc Guizol of Capitol Hotel in Heat #5 on Thursday. Guizol went on to win the final round of the competition.

The Arkansas Hospitality Association Convention and Trade show is an annual flurry of chefs, hospitality professionals and tourism folk.

It’s kind of my happy place.

Having worked in PR (lots of those folks here), museums and tourism (yep) and now the culinary arts (they’re swarming this place), it’s no surprise.

The highlight of the trade show is the Iron Chef competition, set up right this minute in the very middle of the Statehouse Convention Center floor. Every year, chefs vie for top billing in this highly competitive secret-basket event.

It’s a great learning experience for any cook, seeing how one might take a random basket of ingredients (say, what you might already have in your house on a given day) and make something otherworldly.

Below, I have listed the competitors, the baskets and the single eliminated chef from each round. I will update today as the winners are revealed.

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Wednesday, Sept. 18

Heat #1:

Chef Jackson Bolton of Clinton Presidential Center
Chef Matthew Cooper of Cache
Chef Michael Brown of Simply the Best
Chef Shane Curley of Packet House Grille

Basket: Whole snapper, fresh ginger, English cucumbers, Rock Town Gin

Chef Jackson Bolton was eliminated.

Heat #2:

Chef Jeff Stephens of Simply the Best
Chef Jon Lamb of Verizon Arena
Chef Marc Guizol of Capital Hotel
Chef Justus Moll of River Grille Steakhouse

Basket: Grouper, sea beans, Ritz crackers, Diamond Bear Beer, War Eagle grits

Chef Jeff Stephens was eliminated.

Heat #3:

Chef Michael Brown of Simply the Best
Chef Matthew Cooper of Cache Restaurant
Chef Marc Guizol of Capital Hotel

Basket: Chicken thighs, green lentils, tri-color baby carrots, apple.

Chef Michael Brown was eliminated.

Heat #4:

Chef Shane Curley of Packet House Grille
Chef Jon Lamb of Verizon Arena
Chef Justus Moll of River Grille

Basket: Ribeye steak, orange, fingerling potatoes, A-1 sauce.

Chef Jon Lamb was eliminated.

Thursday, Sept. 19

Heat #5:

Chef Matthew Cooper of Cache
Chef Marc Guizol of Capital Hotel

Basket: Shrimp, linguine, watermelon, watermelon cucumber, dragonfruit.

Chef Matthew Cooper was eliminated.

Heat #6:

Chef Justus Moll of River Grille
Chef Shane Curley of Packet House Grille

Basket: Pork tenderloin, apple, balsamic vinegar, dried fig, sweet potatoes, heirloom carrots

Chef Shane Curley was eliminated.
Final will be Chef Marc Guizol of Capitol Hotel vs. Chef Justus Moll of River Grille. 

Celebrity Heat:

Chef Jamie McAfee, PIne Bluff Country Club and Christina Munoz, KATV Ch. 7
Stephen Burrow, Clinton Presidential Center and Scott Inman, KATV Ch. 7

Basket: Catfish, heirloom tomato, butternut squash, honey, Rock Town bourbon

Winner: Chef Jamie McAfee, PIne Bluff Country Club and Christina Munoz, KATV Ch. 7

FINAL ROUND

Chef Marc Guizol of Capital Hotel
Chef Justus Moll of River Grille

Basket: Trout, arborio rice, cashew, tahini, avocado, red pimento pepper

FINAL WINNER: Marc Guizol of Capital Hotel

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: 2013, AHA, Arkansas Hospitality Association, Iron Chef

Judging the Arkansas Hospitality Association Culinary Classic (And Mildly Freaking Out)

September 18, 2013 by arfoodie

Smoked, pan-seared beef tenderloin with fondant potatoes and baby vegetables by Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA.

Smoked, pan-seared beef tenderloin with fondant potatoes and baby vegetables by Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA.

Looking for the winners? Jump alllll the way down.

Yesterday, I had the amazing privilege of being on the panel of judges at the Arkansas Hospitality Association‘s annual Culinary Classic competition.

It kind of freaked me out.

I’ve had several opportunities to judge food competitions in recent years, and I’ve turned them down since going gluten-free. I didn’t want to risk bloating and bleh. But when the amazing Holly Heer of AHA offered, I was NOT going to say no. I’d figure it out.

The panel of 12 included excellent chefs such as Jason Godwin (now at Alltel) and Donnie Ferneau (formerly of Ferneau/Rocket 21, now consulting and preparing for his own new place), esteemed writers such as Kelley Bass (formerly of the Arkansas Gazette, Dem-Gaz and Arkansas Times), and industry giants such as Bob Coleman (retired from Coleman, now Hiland Dairy). What the heck was I doing here?

That's me in the silly hot pink chef coat, waiting with the other judges before the event.

That’s me in the silly hot pink chef coat, waiting with the other judges before the event.

We chose what category we would judge. I figured, rightly, that entrees would be the least glutenous. Good call. But would I know enough to properly judge the hard work these chefs had put in? I knew they were sweating behind those black curtains, wondering if we would taste and appreciate everything they had done. This was a big deal for them, I knew.

Judges at the appetizer course table.

Judges at the appetizer course table.

As the entrees started to come out, I slowly started to realize that I may know a thing or two after all. My fellow judges and I discussed some of the hits and misses of each dish. Because of my excellent education at Pulaski Tech (and probably a good bit from Good Eats and my own experience), I was able to describe the tiny “just off” things the other judges and I noticed in these otherwise spectacular dishes:  A dish that was smoked but maybe should have been braised. A piece of beef that would have benefited from a different cutting method. An overcooked fond that created a slightly bitter pan sauce.

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I should clarify that these were minor errors of technique, mere landing hops in the culinary olympiad that separated the winners from the others. I want all the participants in the Culinary Classic to know that this was a very hard job, one that we all took seriously. Each dish was stellar and a joyous representation of the culinary talent in our state.

But I came away more confident, knowing that I knew good technique when I saw it. Some kind words from Chef Ferneau also bolstered my confidence, as he encouraged me to enter the contest myself one day. We’ll see.

I was so full. And then I attended the public event and tasted all the other categories’ offerings. (In a few days, I’ll review three of my favorite plates that were not among those I judged.)

Yum.

JUDGING AND ENTREE PHOTOS
NOTE: I did not know who made each dish until after judging.

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Congrats to all the winners!

Appetizer:

1st — Chili encrusted hanger steak by Chef Matthew Cooper, Cache
2nd — Charred raw shrimp by Chef Arturo Solis, Capital Hotel
3rd — Pork slider by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell

Soup/Salad:

1st — Cream of roasted poblano pepper by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA
2nd — Corn bread salad by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell
3rd — Baked beef and brie soup with caramelized apple crisps by Chef Brandon Douglas, Ark. Children’s Hospital

Entree:

1st — War Eagle farms cheese grits with braised beef short rib by Chef Gilbert Alaquinez, Governor’s Mansion
2nd — Lightly smoked porcini crusted halibut by Chef John Greenwald, Southland Park
3rd — Smoked pan seared tenderloin by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA

Dessert:

1st — “Fall”en chocolate torte by Chef Jan Lewandowski, Pulaski Technical College
2nd — S’mores by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell
3rd — Raspberry chocolate pistachio macaroon by Chef Heidi Eppling, Cache

Best of Beef Award:
Chili encrusted hanger steak by Chef Matthew Cooper, Cache

Best of Dairy Award:
Cream of roasted poblano pepper by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA

Filed Under: Events, Foodie News Tagged With: AHA, Arkansas Hospitality Association, Bob Coleman, Culinary Classic, Donnie Ferneau

Arkansas Hospitality Association’s Culinary Classic Tonight

September 17, 2013 by arfoodie

Filet of beef with mushroom gratin, red wine demi glace by Chef Andre Poirot of the Peabody Hotel.

Filet of beef with mushroom gratin, red wine demi glace by Chef Andre Poirot, then of the Peabody Hotel, at last year’s Culinary Classic.

I’ve said it for several years now: The Arkansas Hospitality Association Convention and Trade Show, which starts today, is pretty much my favorite food event all year.

The big week features samples and resources for food professionals, professional development opportunities, housekeeping and bartending competitions, and two (count ’em, TWO) major cooking competitions: Iron Chef (on the trade show floor, later this week) and the Culinary Classic (a separately ticketed, pre-conference event).

The Culinary Classic offers guests a taste of every entrant’s competition dish, and these tastes are pretty generous. The chefs enter their wares in the categories of Soup/Salad, Dessert, Entree, or Appetizer. Meanwhile, attendees browse a silent auction of mostly hospitality items (meals, hotel stays and the like), the benefits of which help Arkansas culinary students with their education. You know I’m down with that.

The really fun thing about the event is that it’s not the standard cache of chefs you see at all the other food events in town. For example, one of the most medaled chefs in past years, Adam Hanry, works at the sleeper (ha) Camp Mitchell Retreat Center, although his food could pass for that at a trendy restaurant downtown. I’ve even heard him mention that he always looks for freezer trailers for hire when he goes from event to event. Apparently, it’s because he never knows when he might need certain ingredients that have been kept at a specific temperature. He likes to have them on hand at all times. It’s genius really. Another surprise last year was Bistro 1600, a private dining operation open exclusively to Dillard’s employees.

This year’s Culinary Classic offers a weird twist for me: I’m on the judging panel. I’ve had several event judging opportunities in recent years that I eschewed because of my gluten intolerance. Tonight, imma suck it up. I may be all bloated and sickly tomorrow, but by golly, this is an opportunity that I won’t pass up.

See winners and photos from previous years here and here. Also, check out AHA’s video promotion of the event.

Want to join me? Here are the deets:

Arkansas Hospitality Association
Culinary Classic (Click to order tickets)
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Statehouse Convention Center
6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $45 and include beer and wine tasting by Glazer’s

Filed Under: Foodie News Tagged With: Arkansas Hospitality Association, convention, Culinary Classic, Trade Show

Yeah, Chipotle’s a Chain, But You Really Should Watch This Video

September 15, 2013 by arfoodie

The PR person in me is super proud of Chipotle restaurants right now.

I’ve never eaten at a Chipotle. I may not ever. I mostly cook at home (you know, that’s kinda my thing) and there are few places I can do so safely, anyways. Most of my serious foodie friends would probably not set foot in the chain, just because it’s a chain.

But I have to give them props for this flipping beautiful (ugh, BEAUTIFUL) video they just released, “The Scarecrow.” It’s kinda a rage-gently-against-the-machine sort of thing, implying that the restaurant shuns products that are unethically produced or genetically or chemically modified.

From a marketing perspective, it’s brilliant because it’s not a traditional ad. Their target market, millenials, cannot stand traditional advertising and respond well to viral video. Anyone in professional food with that target market, take note.

It also doesn’t hurt that it’s set to a haunting remix of “Pure Imagination” from the best kid movie ever, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the 1970s original, mind you).

I have to say I don’t stress as much as maybe I should about all these concepts, but MAN. I’ve got to give them some serious props.

BONUS: Check out the scarecrow’s knife skills at the end! See? Knife skills save the world!

Update 9/20: Okay, a few days later we’ve all come off of the beauty of the piece and started to pull at its flaps of mild hypocrisy. Particularly notable is this parody video by Funny or Die: 

Honest Scarecrow – watch more funny videos

Filed Under: Foodie News Tagged With: agribusiness, Big Farm, chipotle, GMO, Monsanto, The Scarecrow, video

#AWBU Foodie Friday: Donnie Ferneau’s 500 Degrees of Foodie

September 10, 2013 by arfoodie

Chef Donnie Ferneau speaks at a Foodie Friday session of Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged.

Chef Donnie Ferneau speaks at a Foodie Friday session of Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged.

Hey, friends.

I’m coming at you on the heels of the awesome Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged 2013 conference at the lovely Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, right here in Little Rock. As usual, it was tremendously inspiring and the community was great (despite my tendency toward introversion). Even more so, everything was very timely, as I’m wrapping up some big changes here at Fancy Pants Foodie.

I’ll esplain that soon enough. For now, I’ll tell you about Foodie Friday, the early-bird section of the conference just for us foodies.

The first speaker was Little Rock chef Donnie Ferneau.

Ah, Donnie. He’s so pretty. (You know, in a manly sort of way.) Talented, too. Known to be a bit of a renegade in the pro community, he brought some edgy authority to the Foodie Friday portion of the conference.

The home cooks in the crowd (as well as Benton area chef Liz Bray) gasped when he suggested cooking most everything in the oven at 500 degrees. “I bake brownies at 350,” he said. “Everything else gets blasted at 500.”

He offered these additional tips to home cooks:

  • Save money by buying produce in season. Take notice of when certain things are cheap because they are plentiful, especially things like cherries that have a very short harvest.
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  • Make accommodation friendly. If you’re serving a group of people who have a mix of special dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.), prepare a single dish that will accommodate everyone when possible. It makes everyone feel special and well-served without singling anyone out.
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  • Let meat rest after cooking. He said this is the biggest mistake people make in cooking meats, cutting into them too soon. Resting allows juices to redistribute and settle into the meat.
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  • Save money on cuts like ribeyes by buying a rib roast and cutting it yourself. Which leads to the most important thing…
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  • Work on your knife skills. He mentioned the food blogger movie Julie and Julia, in which both title characters mercilessly practiced knife skills with bags of produce.  And to do this, you need to…
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  • Find a proper chef’s knife that feels good to you, and use it. This doesn’t have to be expensive. He said he often reaches for a $20 safety knife over his more costly models.

After his departure from his namesake Ferneau (later Rocket 21), Donnie has focused on freelancing with a vengeance while he waited for the next big thing. He’s spent quite a bit of time volunteering for my favorite food nonprofit, Share Our Strength, and he’s taught cooking classes in partnership with fellow blogger Thanh Raisco of Red Kitchen Recipes. Lately, he’s been busy as a consultant for Cellar 220, which used to be Italian Kitchen, which used to be Lulav, while his own new restaurant comes together.

Repeating his well-reported disdain for adult macaroni and cheese, he said his upcoming restaurant will be “only the kind of stuff that I like.” He described creating elaborate, creative dishes at Ferneau, only to get order after order of macaroni and cheese with fried chicken, what he called “kids’ plates.” The new place will just be what he wants to make, all the time.

Oh, and tilapia. There will be NO tilapia, ever.

“I’m gonna cook with my palate and only make the food I want to eat,” he said.

He also described the upcoming restaurant as nothing like anything Little Rock currently has or has even thought about, calling it “the restaurant we don’t know we need yet.”

All that said, Donnie’s a good friend to the food community. If your palate doesn’t match his (and, by golly, that’s all he’s gonna have at the new place), he’ll be glad to teach you how to cook for yourself at home.

I’m totally down with that.

Filed Under: Foodie News Tagged With: #AWBU, Arkansas Women Bloggers, Chef, Donnie Ferneau, Ferneau, Foodie Friday

Preview: Amazing New Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts Facility Opens Monday

August 13, 2013 by arfoodie

Pulaski Tech's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute begins classes in its new (sq ft) facility on Monday, August 19.

Pulaski Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute begins classes in its new facility on Monday, August 19.

Last month, amid a flurry of work-related travel, I got to sneak a peek at the new Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock. This Monday, August 19, the facility will open its doors to its first group of students.

Director of Programs Todd Gold took me on a tour on what happened to be my birthday. Although I have already graduated from the program, previously held just across the parking lot at PTC’s South Campus, I felt like I was getting a present.

Suffice it to say, I am extremely jealous of the students who get to attend here. At least I’ll have the opportunity to teach a food writing course here and possibly some gluten-free community classes soon! I’ll let you know when we have dates and details.

I’ve already written extensively about this new facility and what it will offer, but I found out a couple new details during this tour.

First, the institute is pioneering a new program, called Pulaski Tech 3D, to enable young adults with developmental and learning disabilities to train for jobs in foodservice and hospitality. According to coordinator Linda Ducrot, this innovative program will begin with just a few students but will grow with demand and capacity. It will feature an 18-month structured daytime program covering the basics of professional conduct, food preparation, safety and hospitality, also offering these students the opportunity to continue to degree programs if they choose. Those interested in attending the program can find more information on Pulaski Tech’s website.

Also, the institute plans on a new marketing approach, aiming to draw regional and international students in addition to those from Arkansas. Gold said this is a natural evolution, being the only major accredited culinary/hospitality program in the state and one of few in the region, with the added advantage of being a lower-cost option to private institutions such as the Culinary Institute of America, using much of the same curriculum. Gold doesn’t aim to grow the program substantially in numbers anytime soon, though, taking a quality-over-quantity approach as the program grows into its new facility over the next few years.

On the down-low, there’s talk of a big grand opening ceremony later on this year, possibly with a chef or two of national reputation. I haven’t heard a lot of confirmation about all that, as they’re just doing what’s needed to get school started on Monday for now. If you just can’t wait to see the facility, I hear you can stop by at 7:15 Monday morning for the first official walk-through before classes start.

************

First-Look Walkthrough
7:15 a.m.

Pulaski Technical College
Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute
13000 Interstate 30
Little Rock, AR 72210

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Filed Under: Destinations, Foodie News, learning, PTC_ACS Tagged With: culinary, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, Pulaski Tech, Pulaski Tech 3D, Pulaski Technical College; PTC

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