The Southern Foodways Alliance is teaming up with Tabasco sauce, Louisiana's culinary native son, to raise awareness of the resurgence of the New Orleans food scene and encourage Americans to come back and support one of America's most unique culinary meccas.
In a series of special events in select cities across 2006, this team of southern culinary institutions will showcase some of the most interesting and unusual foods born of Cajun and Creole cultures at open-to-the public tastings and hands-on demonstrations.
The calendar will be announced in early spring 2006. Soon more information will be available at www.southernfoodways.com and www.tabasco.com.
Wednesday, January 11
Tuesday, January 10
Fixin' to Eat: A Celebration of Southern Chefs
Please join us for an evening of true Southern Hospitality as Garretson Wine Company presents Fixin' to Eat: A Celebration of Southern Chefs. Each of our five-part dinner series features a nationally-acclaimed Southern chef who will prepare a five-course, Southern-inspired menu featuring food products from their native state. To accompany the sumptuous array of foods, guests will not only enjoy select Garretson wines, but also special offerings from Mat Garretson's guest winemaker.
Seating for each Fixin' to Eat dinner is limited to 80 persons, and the cost is $150 per person. Proceeds from each event provides funding for both the Southern Foodways Alliance's Oral History Initiative (details available at www.southernfoodways.com), as well as for Autism services within San Luis Obispo County. Discounted tickets of $130 are available for those patrons who purchase either a table of eight or a seat at each of the five dinners.
Here's our lineup for 2006:
Saturday, February 18, 2005
Hugh Acheson
Five & Ten, Athens, Georgia
Named one of America's Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 2002, Hugh Acheson follows his own creative style merging soul food with Old World Cuisine. With no formal training, Acheson fine-tuned his craft while working with chefs in some of the most prominent restaurants in North America. He trained under Rob MacDonald from the Mobil Four-Star restaurant, Cafe Henri Burger in Ottawa, Mike Fennelly at Mecca in San Francisco and Gary Danko at Restaurant Gary Danko, also in San Francisco. Acheson describes Five & Ten as "unpretentious American food --good food, good wine and that's it."
Guest Winemaker: Larry Turley, TURLEY WINE CELLARS, Napa & Paso Robles, CA
Saturday, April 15, 2006
John and Amy Malik
33 Liberty, Greenville, South Carolina
33 Liberty, the seven table restaurant owned by husband-and-wife chef team John and Amy Malik, offers the Malik's unique brand of global comfort food served with Southern hospitality. The weekly changing menu features stellar, signature dishes created with organic ingredients from local purveyors. The Maliks met at the Culinary Apprenticeship Program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, beginning their joint culinary careers. With over 15 years experience in the restaurant and hospitality industries, John Malik has moved effortlessly from chef/innkeeper, to a much touted restaurant chef to a sought after Food Network personality, to a thriving restaurant owner and chef. The couple's salt-of-the-earth yet elevated style of cooking has gained numerous accolades from magazines such as Bon Appetit, Saveur, Food Arts and Chile Pepper.
Guest Winemaker: Brian Loring, LORING WINE COMPANY, Lompoc, CA
Saturday, June 17, 2006
John Currence
City Grocery, Oxford, Mississippi
In 1992, John Currence opened City Grocery, the first of several successful culinary ventures. Using local and seasonal ingredients as the backbone of his menu, Currance's style of cooking is described, by Food & Wine, as a "playful but elegant take on Deep South cuisine." His culinary career began under the training of Bill Neal at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he learned to blend the techniques of classical French with the traditional Deep Southern American cuisine. From there he headed to New Orleans where he worked at city favorites--Gautreau, Brennans, Mr. B's Bistro and Commander's Palace. Currence and City Grocery have been recognized as on of the top restaurants in Mississippi by publications such as The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, The Los Angeles Times, The London Times, Southern Living, USA Today, Bon Appetit and Food & Wine. In Spring 2005, Currence was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef--Southeast.
Guest Winemaker: Bob and Louisa Lindquist, QUPE WINE CELLARS
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Bret Jennings
Elaine's on Franklin, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Considered one of the Triangle's top chefs, Bret Jennings opened Elaine's on Franklin in November 1999 based on the restaurant's motto: "Fresh ingredients. Seasonal Cuisine." He credits influences such as his grandmother who taught him how to make her angel biscuits and red-eye gravy, the kitchen secrets he learned in Thailand, visits to remote mountain villages in Mexico and his stage at the Taillevent in Paris for his signature culinary style. The influence of training with two of America's top chefs, Ben Barker of Durham's Magnolia Grill, and Bob Kinkead of Kinkead's in Washington, DC, also is apparent in his approach to cooking. Elaine's consistently receives rave reviews from regional and national publications and the restaurant received the coveted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its wine list in 2001.
Guest Winemaker: Jason Haas, TABLAS CREEK VINEYARD, Paso Robles, California
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Alan Martin
Standard Bistro, Birmingham, Alabama
Contemporary Southern cuisine is the focus of the Standard Bistro, using the highest quality ingredients from local growers, farmers and fisherman with Executive Chef Alan Martin at the helm. Martin graduated from the Culinary Institute of Atlanta honing his skill at Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega, Victoria Inn and Metro Grill, all in Birmingham. His philosophy of cooking is to seek out the highest quality ingredients, prepare them simply, yet creatively, balancing flavors and textures to show the natural beauty and character of the ingredients. Since opening in July 2002, the Standard Bistro has acquired notable attention from several publications such as Southern Living, Wine Spectator, Birmingham Magazine, and Birmingham Weekly and was featured on the Food Network's "Top Five" program.
Guest Winemaker: John Elkins, TORBRECK VINTNERS, Barossa Valley, Australia
To make a reservation, get a copy of the Fixin' to Eat brochure, or for more information, please call 805-239-2074 or email Mat@garretsonwines.com.
Sunday, January 8
O'Neil Broyard 1937-2005 *UPDATED*
O'Neil Broyard, the wonderfully eccentric owner of New Orleans' well-known Saturn Bar, passed away on Thursday, December 22nd. The SFA heard from O'Neil's nephew, Eric Broyard, who said that O'Neil's heart just gave out. Last we knew anything about O'Neil, he made it through Hurricane Katrina and was in the process of cleaning up his beloved Saturn. He will be missed, and our condolences go out to all of his friends and family--at home and at the bar.O'Neil's family is organizing a gathering to be held in his honor at the Saturn Bar on Saturday, January 28th, from 11:00 a.m. until about 2:00 p.m. We'll be sure to post more details as they are available.
Some good news: We also have word that O'Neil's nephew, Eric, is going to be doing all he can to get the Saturn up and running again, with a possible official re-open date in the next couple of months.
You can read our interview with O'Neil Broyard, which is part of our Bartenders of New Orleans oral history project, by clicking the link above.
Friday, January 6
SFA Founders Oral History Project
In the fall of 2004, through generous support from Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q of Birmingham, Alabama, the SFA launched its Founders Oral History Project. This important undertaking will forever preserve the history of the SFA through interviews with the organization's fifty founding members. By recruiting SFA members and friends in locations across the country to conduct the interviews, SFA supporters have had the opportunity to be more actively involved in the SFA's mission--and its history. To date, more than forty interviews have been collected, six of which have just been added here to our online oral history archive (click on the link above to read the interviews). Completed interviews will be added regularly so please check back often.
Thank you to all of our members and friends who made this project possible.
Thank you to all of our members and friends who made this project possible.
Monday, December 19
Taste of the South
January 6-8, 2006
Taste of the South
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
www.blackberryfarm.com
Events include a reception, tasting dinner, cooking demonstration, Maple Cottage Luncheon, Jack Daniel Chef’s Night Out dinner, a regional culinary adventure, a silent auction and reception, and the Gala Dinner benefiting the Southern Foodways Alliance oral history program.
Participating Chefs:
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta, GA
Sean Brock, Capitol Grill, Nashville, TN
John Besh, Restaurant August, New Orleans, LA
Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Sam McGann, Blue Point, Duck, NC
Maggie Davidson, Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Host Chef John Fleer, Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Participating Vintner:
Guest Vintner Mat Garretson,
Garretson Wines Paso Robles, CA
Packages:
High Cotton Package includes exclusive access to all of the weekend events and Saturday evenings Gala Dinner. $800 per person plus lodging, taxes and service charges.
Down Home Package includes the Gala Dinner, Silent Auction and Reception on Saturday evening for Blackberry Farm guests. $100 per person plus lodging, taxes and service charges
Taste of the South Package includes the Gala Dinner, Silent Auction and Reception on Saturday evening for guests not staying at Blackberry Farm. $150 per person plus taxes and service charge.
For reservations and information contact Sarah Elder by calling 1.800.557.8864 or 865.380.2626.
Taste of the South
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
www.blackberryfarm.com
Events include a reception, tasting dinner, cooking demonstration, Maple Cottage Luncheon, Jack Daniel Chef’s Night Out dinner, a regional culinary adventure, a silent auction and reception, and the Gala Dinner benefiting the Southern Foodways Alliance oral history program.
Participating Chefs:
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta, GA
Sean Brock, Capitol Grill, Nashville, TN
John Besh, Restaurant August, New Orleans, LA
Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Sam McGann, Blue Point, Duck, NC
Maggie Davidson, Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Host Chef John Fleer, Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Participating Vintner:
Guest Vintner Mat Garretson,
Garretson Wines Paso Robles, CA
Packages:
High Cotton Package includes exclusive access to all of the weekend events and Saturday evenings Gala Dinner. $800 per person plus lodging, taxes and service charges.
Down Home Package includes the Gala Dinner, Silent Auction and Reception on Saturday evening for Blackberry Farm guests. $100 per person plus lodging, taxes and service charges
Taste of the South Package includes the Gala Dinner, Silent Auction and Reception on Saturday evening for guests not staying at Blackberry Farm. $150 per person plus taxes and service charge.
For reservations and information contact Sarah Elder by calling 1.800.557.8864 or 865.380.2626.
SOS Sharpies -- Pickles for a Purpose
SOS Sharpies are available on Ebay. Bid on jars autographed by John T Edge and John Egerton. Every dollar goes to support the Pickle Relief Fund. Help us help others -- bid today! Click on the title of this post to be directed to the page for bidding.
SFA's Pickle Relief Fund has raised more than $15,000 thus far, and over 90% of that money will be spent on restaurant relief projects. So when you bid on a signed jar of S.O.S Sharpies, you're not only getting some choice hot pickles, you're helping where it hurts, and where it counts. Also, winners will receive a descriptive accounting of all funds raised and spent.
SFA's Pickle Relief Fund has raised more than $15,000 thus far, and over 90% of that money will be spent on restaurant relief projects. So when you bid on a signed jar of S.O.S Sharpies, you're not only getting some choice hot pickles, you're helping where it hurts, and where it counts. Also, winners will receive a descriptive accounting of all funds raised and spent.
Thursday, December 15
Barnwell County Collards
From Jeff Allen, presenter at the 2005 symposium, comes the recipe for the dish that had everyone salivating:
Barnwell County Collards
Serves 8-10
three quarts water
one small ham hock
one medium red onion, halved and finely sliced
half cup cane syrup
one-third cup apple cider vinegar
one teaspoon kosher salt
two teaspoons black pepper
one teaspoon red pepper flakes
one-quarter cup dark brown sugar
one large bunch collard greens
Rinse the ham hock under running water. In a large saucepan or stockpot (big enough to hold all of the ingredients), place the hock in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Drain and return the hock to the pot with three quarts of clean water and the sliced red onion. Bring this mixture to a bare simmer and allow to cook covered for 2 or 3 hours, or until the ham hock is falling from the bone. Remove the hock and allow it to cool. Reserve the remaining liquid as this will become the delicious potlikker.
Clean and prepare the collard greens while the ham hock is cooking. Trim the stems from each stalk of greens where leaves began to form. Take each leaf (consisting of a stem with two wings on either side) and stack them in layers of fifteen to twenty leaves. Roll each stack of greens into a cigar shape and cut them into wide strips, about the width of a thumb. Place the cut greens in a deep sink of water and allow the sand and sediment to settle at the bottom of the sink. Very dirty greens may need two, or even three, rinses.
Add the remaining ingredients (excepting the collards) to the reserved ham hock liquid and bring to a boil. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Add the collard greens to the pot slowly, allowing successive additions to wilt down first if necessary. Slow the cooking to a bare simmer, cover, and cook for approximately two to three more hours until the collars have become reasonably tender.
Remove the meat from the hock, separate it into bite sized pieces with your hands, and return the meat to the pot of greens. Allow the collards to cool somewhat and refrigerate them overnight, if possible (they are much better the next day). Reheat them over a very low flame for one to two hours, until once again at a slow boil and serve.
Barnwell County Collards
Serves 8-10
three quarts water
one small ham hock
one medium red onion, halved and finely sliced
half cup cane syrup
one-third cup apple cider vinegar
one teaspoon kosher salt
two teaspoons black pepper
one teaspoon red pepper flakes
one-quarter cup dark brown sugar
one large bunch collard greens
Rinse the ham hock under running water. In a large saucepan or stockpot (big enough to hold all of the ingredients), place the hock in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Drain and return the hock to the pot with three quarts of clean water and the sliced red onion. Bring this mixture to a bare simmer and allow to cook covered for 2 or 3 hours, or until the ham hock is falling from the bone. Remove the hock and allow it to cool. Reserve the remaining liquid as this will become the delicious potlikker.
Clean and prepare the collard greens while the ham hock is cooking. Trim the stems from each stalk of greens where leaves began to form. Take each leaf (consisting of a stem with two wings on either side) and stack them in layers of fifteen to twenty leaves. Roll each stack of greens into a cigar shape and cut them into wide strips, about the width of a thumb. Place the cut greens in a deep sink of water and allow the sand and sediment to settle at the bottom of the sink. Very dirty greens may need two, or even three, rinses.
Add the remaining ingredients (excepting the collards) to the reserved ham hock liquid and bring to a boil. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Add the collard greens to the pot slowly, allowing successive additions to wilt down first if necessary. Slow the cooking to a bare simmer, cover, and cook for approximately two to three more hours until the collars have become reasonably tender.
Remove the meat from the hock, separate it into bite sized pieces with your hands, and return the meat to the pot of greens. Allow the collards to cool somewhat and refrigerate them overnight, if possible (they are much better the next day). Reheat them over a very low flame for one to two hours, until once again at a slow boil and serve.
Food Focus at Feb 23-26 Natchez Lit and Cinema Fest
The 17th annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, in Natchez, Mississippi, will explore Southern food. Titled Biscuits, Gumbo, Sweet Tea, and Bourbon Balls: Southern Food and Drink in History, Literature, and Film, the event will be Feb. 23-26, 2006, at the Natchez Convention Center.
Speakers include, among others, John Egerton, Jessica Harris, Amy Evans, Robert St. John, Martha Foose, Gayden Metcalfe, and Kenneth Holditch.
Most of the NLCC is free of charge, in part because of funding by the Mississippi Humanities Council and a matching challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Information is available by calling toll-free 866-296-NLCC (6522) or 601-446-1289; emailing nlcctickets@colin.edu or visiting the web site: www.colin.edu/nlcc.
Speakers include, among others, John Egerton, Jessica Harris, Amy Evans, Robert St. John, Martha Foose, Gayden Metcalfe, and Kenneth Holditch.
Most of the NLCC is free of charge, in part because of funding by the Mississippi Humanities Council and a matching challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Information is available by calling toll-free 866-296-NLCC (6522) or 601-446-1289; emailing nlcctickets@colin.edu or visiting the web site: www.colin.edu/nlcc.
Wednesday, December 14
Make Your Voice Heard!
New Orleans is in trouble and we need your help. The New York Times wrote Sunday that the nation is about to lose New Orleans: The moment is upon us when a major American city will die, leaving nothing but a few shells for tourists to visit like a museum.
These are sobering words for those of us who love New Orleans or make our life here. I urge you to take a couple minutes to email Congress and tell them that YOU CARE about the future of New Orleans and that we need their help rebuilding, restoring and repopulating our great city.
To make your voice heard, go here: http://www.ovno.org
Matt Konigsmark
These are sobering words for those of us who love New Orleans or make our life here. I urge you to take a couple minutes to email Congress and tell them that YOU CARE about the future of New Orleans and that we need their help rebuilding, restoring and repopulating our great city.
To make your voice heard, go here: http://www.ovno.org
Matt Konigsmark
Monday, December 5
A Christmas Wish List to Support New Orleans
Gift Ideas compiled by the SFA's New Orleans Field Trip Committee
Pralines
Like those tasty little treats from Creole Delicacies?
http://www.bestneworleanspralines.com
Louisiana Seafood
Support the Louisiana seafood industry by adding Louisiana oysters to Christmas stuffing or boiling a pound or six of Louisiana shrimp.
http://www.louisianaseafood.com/buyseafood.html
Louisiana Satsumas
Recently boarded onto the Slow Food Ark of Taste, Louisiana Satsumas are juicy as all get-out. Lester L'Hoste has some of the few available, the only organic ones. Lester will ship 11 pounds of Satsumas for $30 anywhere in the U.S. (except California-- where, of course, you can't ship citrus). Fruit can be ordered by phone, 504-231-9625, or by mail, L'Hoste Citrus, 6397 Hwy. 39, Braithwaite, LA 70040.
Abita Restoration Ale
$1 from every six-pack goes to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Fund.
http://www.abita.com/
Bird Brining Kits
Want a juicy bird? You'll need some help.
http://www.birdbrine.com
Gift Certificates to New Orleans Restaurants
Our friends and colleagues need your patronage. Buy a certificate now; cash it in when next you head south.
Upperline, http://www.upperline.com/
Restaurant August, http://www.rest-august.com/index1.html
Bayona, http://www.bayona.com/
Cuvee, http://www.restaurantcuvee.com/cuvee/index.htm
Jacques-Imo's, http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/main.htm
Emeril's, http://www.emerils.com/restaurants/neworleans_emerils/
Herbsaint, http://www.herbsaint.com/
Long Branch, (985) 871-8171
Progress Grocery
They have great muffulettas; 'nuff said.
http://progressgrocery.gourmetfoodmall.com/
Community Coffee
Put a little chicory in your pot.
http://www.communitycoffee.com/ccc/
The Roman Candy Company
Get your stocking stuffers here.
http://romancandy.gourmetfoodmall.com/?reffloor=170
Paul Prudhomme's Spices, Gift Baskets, Cookbooks
The man from Opelousas gave away 20,000 meals in the aftermath of the storm.
http://shop.chefpaul.com/
Gourmet Food Mall
A portion of the money made from the merchants on this website will be donated to the Red Cross. Purposely, there are no New Orleans merchants on this list, as they are the ones that need the help in the first place. By the way, this is the company that our own Brooks Hamaker works for.
http://www.gourmetfoodmall.com/MerchantDir.php?FloorId=180
The Crescent City Farmers Market
One of the best markets in the country -- and the focus of an SFA oral history project. Some of these vendors ship.
http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org
Doberge Cake from Gambino's
A butter cake filled with custard, made from a secret family recipe.
http://www.cancansys.com/~gambinos//shop/default.php
Zapp's Chips
That green been casserole? Lay on a blanket of Spicy Crawtators, instead of fusty canned onions.
http://www.zapps.com/
Hubig's Pies
The hardest working little pie shop in New Orleans is selling T-shirts and auctioning pies.
http://www.hubigspies.com/
Savvy Gourmet
Selling cookware, staging classes, they're back and badder than ever.
http://www.savvygourmet.com/index2.php
Southern Food & Beverage Museum
Get your SOFAB gear. Snazzy stuff.
http://www.cafepress.com/sofab
Pralines
Like those tasty little treats from Creole Delicacies?
http://www.bestneworleanspralines.com
Louisiana Seafood
Support the Louisiana seafood industry by adding Louisiana oysters to Christmas stuffing or boiling a pound or six of Louisiana shrimp.
http://www.louisianaseafood.com/buyseafood.html
Louisiana Satsumas
Recently boarded onto the Slow Food Ark of Taste, Louisiana Satsumas are juicy as all get-out. Lester L'Hoste has some of the few available, the only organic ones. Lester will ship 11 pounds of Satsumas for $30 anywhere in the U.S. (except California-- where, of course, you can't ship citrus). Fruit can be ordered by phone, 504-231-9625, or by mail, L'Hoste Citrus, 6397 Hwy. 39, Braithwaite, LA 70040.
Abita Restoration Ale
$1 from every six-pack goes to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Fund.
http://www.abita.com/
Bird Brining Kits
Want a juicy bird? You'll need some help.
http://www.birdbrine.com
Gift Certificates to New Orleans Restaurants
Our friends and colleagues need your patronage. Buy a certificate now; cash it in when next you head south.
Upperline, http://www.upperline.com/
Restaurant August, http://www.rest-august.com/index1.html
Bayona, http://www.bayona.com/
Cuvee, http://www.restaurantcuvee.com/cuvee/index.htm
Jacques-Imo's, http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/main.htm
Emeril's, http://www.emerils.com/restaurants/neworleans_emerils/
Herbsaint, http://www.herbsaint.com/
Long Branch, (985) 871-8171
Progress Grocery
They have great muffulettas; 'nuff said.
http://progressgrocery.gourmetfoodmall.com/
Community Coffee
Put a little chicory in your pot.
http://www.communitycoffee.com/ccc/
The Roman Candy Company
Get your stocking stuffers here.
http://romancandy.gourmetfoodmall.com/?reffloor=170
Paul Prudhomme's Spices, Gift Baskets, Cookbooks
The man from Opelousas gave away 20,000 meals in the aftermath of the storm.
http://shop.chefpaul.com/
Gourmet Food Mall
A portion of the money made from the merchants on this website will be donated to the Red Cross. Purposely, there are no New Orleans merchants on this list, as they are the ones that need the help in the first place. By the way, this is the company that our own Brooks Hamaker works for.
http://www.gourmetfoodmall.com/MerchantDir.php?FloorId=180
The Crescent City Farmers Market
One of the best markets in the country -- and the focus of an SFA oral history project. Some of these vendors ship.
http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org
Doberge Cake from Gambino's
A butter cake filled with custard, made from a secret family recipe.
http://www.cancansys.com/~gambinos//shop/default.php
Zapp's Chips
That green been casserole? Lay on a blanket of Spicy Crawtators, instead of fusty canned onions.
http://www.zapps.com/
Hubig's Pies
The hardest working little pie shop in New Orleans is selling T-shirts and auctioning pies.
http://www.hubigspies.com/
Savvy Gourmet
Selling cookware, staging classes, they're back and badder than ever.
http://www.savvygourmet.com/index2.php
Southern Food & Beverage Museum
Get your SOFAB gear. Snazzy stuff.
http://www.cafepress.com/sofab
Wednesday, November 30
Volunteer Vacation in New Orleans: Save Willie Mae's Scotch House
Want to make a difference in New Orleans? Want to be a part of reinvigorating the city's culinary culture?
The SFA is partnering with the Heritage Conservation Network, a non-profit that organizes hands-on architectural conservation workshops around the world, to save Willie Mae's Scotch House, a landmark neighborhood restaurant in an historic vernacular building.
You will recall that, during our July 2005 Field Trip to New Orleans, we awarded 89-year-old proprietor and fried chicken wizard Willie Mae Seaton with a Guardian of the Tradition award.
We are asking members to sign up for a series of three-day workshops aimed at preserving and repairing Ms. Seaton's home and attached business, allowing her to return to the work she loves.
Workshop participants will provide free labor for the project while learning building conservation skills from an expert leader and teacher. Not so handy with a hammer? Have no fear. NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY.
A series of 3-day weekends are scheduled during which crews of 8 will work. These weekends begin January 13-15, 2006 and continue through February 10-12.
Volunteers will pay for their own transportation and lodging, although, upon request, the SFA will work with local folks to help secure -- but not guarantee -- the latter.
Expect to work hard during the day and then join your co-workers (and maybe New Orleans locals like Lolis Eric Elie and Pableaux Johnson) for dinner in the evening at one of our member restaurants, say Upperline, Restaurant August, Bayona, Cuvee, Jacques-Imo's, Emeril's, or Herbsaint. And to help you find your way in the city, the SFA will provide a primer of sorts, pointing the way to the city's best midday eats, too.
Here's the pitch: Willie Mae Seaton needs your help. So do the right thing. Lend a hand and join your fellow SFA-ers in the quest to make New Orleans whole.
If you would like to participate, please email the SFA at sfamail@olemiss.edu by December 9. Weekend choices and work team captains will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.
If you have questions about Heritage Conservation Network, email workshops@heritageconservation.net or visit www.heritageconservation.net.
To learn a bit more about Ms. Seaton, read Lolis Elie's Times Picayune piece: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/elie/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1133766217242940.xml
The SFA is partnering with the Heritage Conservation Network, a non-profit that organizes hands-on architectural conservation workshops around the world, to save Willie Mae's Scotch House, a landmark neighborhood restaurant in an historic vernacular building.
You will recall that, during our July 2005 Field Trip to New Orleans, we awarded 89-year-old proprietor and fried chicken wizard Willie Mae Seaton with a Guardian of the Tradition award.
We are asking members to sign up for a series of three-day workshops aimed at preserving and repairing Ms. Seaton's home and attached business, allowing her to return to the work she loves.
Workshop participants will provide free labor for the project while learning building conservation skills from an expert leader and teacher. Not so handy with a hammer? Have no fear. NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY.
A series of 3-day weekends are scheduled during which crews of 8 will work. These weekends begin January 13-15, 2006 and continue through February 10-12.
Volunteers will pay for their own transportation and lodging, although, upon request, the SFA will work with local folks to help secure -- but not guarantee -- the latter.
Expect to work hard during the day and then join your co-workers (and maybe New Orleans locals like Lolis Eric Elie and Pableaux Johnson) for dinner in the evening at one of our member restaurants, say Upperline, Restaurant August, Bayona, Cuvee, Jacques-Imo's, Emeril's, or Herbsaint. And to help you find your way in the city, the SFA will provide a primer of sorts, pointing the way to the city's best midday eats, too.
Here's the pitch: Willie Mae Seaton needs your help. So do the right thing. Lend a hand and join your fellow SFA-ers in the quest to make New Orleans whole.
If you would like to participate, please email the SFA at sfamail@olemiss.edu by December 9. Weekend choices and work team captains will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.
If you have questions about Heritage Conservation Network, email workshops@heritageconservation.net or visit www.heritageconservation.net.
To learn a bit more about Ms. Seaton, read Lolis Elie's Times Picayune piece: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/elie/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1133766217242940.xml
Tuesday, November 29
SFA Members Contribute Oral History Work
While the SFA's Oral History Initiative is gathering the stories behind the food, many of our members are doing the same. Whether as journalists, historians or curious consumers, SFA members are out in the field documenting the people of our region. We have just added an area to the Oral History section of this site, featuring the work of our colleagues who are dedicated to telling the stories behind the food through oral history. Click on the link above to view recent contributions.If you are an SFA member and have an interview you would like to share, please contact Amy Evans at acevans@olemiss.edu.
Monday, November 28
SOS Sharpies Going Fast!
SOS Sharpies are featured in the holiday shopping foldout section of Newsweek's November 28 edition. Scroll down this blog for details on how to order your case today.
Sunday, November 27
Memories of Triple Crown Brownie Cupcakes
Those that took part in the October symposium will no doubt remember the delicious Triple Crown Brownie Cupcakes prepared by Sara Gibbs. In response to a number of inquiries, Sara has passed along the recipe to us. You'll find it below.
If you'd like to sample some of Sara's other recipes, including the Cheerwine barbecue chicken, check out Sara's book, Southern Thighways: Thigh Recipes with a Southern Accent. It is available through Border Spring Press: http://www.borderspringspress.com/
And now, here's that Triple Crown Brownie Cupcake Recipe:
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
Dash salt
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Brownie Batter:
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Woodford Reserve bourbon (or bourbon of your choice)
For the cream cheese filling:
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and salt in a small mixing bowl on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl and beaters and mix again briefly, then reduce the speed to low and stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
For the brownies:
Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl on medium speed until well combined. Scrape bowl and beaters, then reduce the speed to low and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat at low speed for about two minutes, scraping the bowl and beaters halfway through.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans and spray lightly with non-stick pan spray. Divide the batter in half. Portion half of the batter (about 2 tablespoons) in each cupcake liner, then top with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Portion the remaining batter (about a tablespoon) over the top of each cupcake. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Cool completely on racks.
While the brownies are cooling, prepare the ganache:
Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it begins to simmer. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk until smooth, then temper in the cream, stirring until smooth. Add the butter, vanilla and bourbon, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally, until the ganache is thick enough to spread.
Using a small spatula, spread a thin layer of ganache across the top of each cupcake.
Yield: 24 brownie cupcakes
Sara Gibbs
Lynn's Paradise Cafe
Louisville, KY
If you'd like to sample some of Sara's other recipes, including the Cheerwine barbecue chicken, check out Sara's book, Southern Thighways: Thigh Recipes with a Southern Accent. It is available through Border Spring Press: http://www.borderspringspress.com/
And now, here's that Triple Crown Brownie Cupcake Recipe:
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
Dash salt
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Brownie Batter:
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Woodford Reserve bourbon (or bourbon of your choice)
For the cream cheese filling:
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and salt in a small mixing bowl on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl and beaters and mix again briefly, then reduce the speed to low and stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
For the brownies:
Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl on medium speed until well combined. Scrape bowl and beaters, then reduce the speed to low and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat at low speed for about two minutes, scraping the bowl and beaters halfway through.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans and spray lightly with non-stick pan spray. Divide the batter in half. Portion half of the batter (about 2 tablespoons) in each cupcake liner, then top with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Portion the remaining batter (about a tablespoon) over the top of each cupcake. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Cool completely on racks.
While the brownies are cooling, prepare the ganache:
Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it begins to simmer. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk until smooth, then temper in the cream, stirring until smooth. Add the butter, vanilla and bourbon, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally, until the ganache is thick enough to spread.
Using a small spatula, spread a thin layer of ganache across the top of each cupcake.
Yield: 24 brownie cupcakes
Sara Gibbs
Lynn's Paradise Cafe
Louisville, KY
Tuesday, November 22
THE PICKLE BANK
In the wake of the worst natural disaster in our history, the SFA has endorsed an independent member effort to create a PICKLE BANK. More than 90 percent of all funds received from the sale of hot and spicy pickles known as SOS SHARPIES goes to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Relief Fund, which is solely for the benefit of unemployed Gulf Coast food workers. The PICKLE BANK is a way to rally the broad community of Southern food lovers to the aid of those whose labors have given so much pleasure.
At an SFA event in Louisville on Sept. 16, the 12-jar cases of "S.O.S. Sharpies"-short for "Spicy Old Southern-Style Hot Pickles"-were offered for sale at $120 per case, with 90 percent of the amount going directly to a worker relief fund. Half the cases were sold that weekend. The other half were spoken for the following week.
Orders are now being taken: your check should be made out to Pickle Relief Fund in the amount of $135 ($15 of that is for shipping) and mailed to PICKLES, 425 East Burnett St., Louisville, KY 40217. Allow two weeks for delivery.
Egerton's uncle and namesake, Nashville author John Egerton, a founder and former board member of SFA, says the pickles are "a perfect symbol" of the organization's commitment to helping others through food. "We first came together in 1999 out of a belief in the unifying power of Southern food," he explained. "Along with music and a few other things, food casts a very positive light on the region's past."It's deeply engrained in the Southern psyche to respond to tragedy with gifts of food. This time, we're selling a tasty, non-perishable food item to raise moneyfor people caught up in a disaster."
The funds generated will be disbursed through the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, which has been set up within the Greater Houston Community Foundation exclusively for the benefit of displaced food and restaurant workersin the Gulf Coast areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas.
If you still have questions, please call 502-523-6154 or email sossharpies@yahoo.com.
At an SFA event in Louisville on Sept. 16, the 12-jar cases of "S.O.S. Sharpies"-short for "Spicy Old Southern-Style Hot Pickles"-were offered for sale at $120 per case, with 90 percent of the amount going directly to a worker relief fund. Half the cases were sold that weekend. The other half were spoken for the following week.
Orders are now being taken: your check should be made out to Pickle Relief Fund in the amount of $135 ($15 of that is for shipping) and mailed to PICKLES, 425 East Burnett St., Louisville, KY 40217. Allow two weeks for delivery.
Egerton's uncle and namesake, Nashville author John Egerton, a founder and former board member of SFA, says the pickles are "a perfect symbol" of the organization's commitment to helping others through food. "We first came together in 1999 out of a belief in the unifying power of Southern food," he explained. "Along with music and a few other things, food casts a very positive light on the region's past."It's deeply engrained in the Southern psyche to respond to tragedy with gifts of food. This time, we're selling a tasty, non-perishable food item to raise moneyfor people caught up in a disaster."
The funds generated will be disbursed through the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, which has been set up within the Greater Houston Community Foundation exclusively for the benefit of displaced food and restaurant workersin the Gulf Coast areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas.
If you still have questions, please call 502-523-6154 or email sossharpies@yahoo.com.
Lens on the Larder: The Foodways of Southern Appalachia in Focus
Carroll Reece Museum
Johnson City, TN
Through 12/21/2005
Information: (423)439-4392
An exhibition of photographs and oral histories by Larry Smith and Fred Sauceman of East Tennessee State University that documents traditional and emerging foodways of Southern Appalachia.
Says Fred Sauceman, We focus on the first sorghum of fall as it enrobes a pan of country biscuits made from soft, red, winter wheat, sit at the side of a famous chow-chow cook, get elbow deep in cheese curd...
Carroll Reece Museum
Johnson City, TN
Through 12/21/2005
Information: (423)439-4392
An exhibition of photographs and oral histories by Larry Smith and Fred Sauceman of East Tennessee State University that documents traditional and emerging foodways of Southern Appalachia.
Says Fred Sauceman, We focus on the first sorghum of fall as it enrobes a pan of country biscuits made from soft, red, winter wheat, sit at the side of a famous chow-chow cook, get elbow deep in cheese curd...
Monday, November 21
Cornbread Nation 3 HOT OUT OF THE SKILLET!
Pick up your copy today. Heck, buy three.
For those who missed Fred Sauceman's remarks on Cornbread Nation 3 at the Southern Foodways Symposium, you may enjoy the edited version here:
Editor Ronni Lundy and Mary Beth Lasseter deserve our highest praise and congratulations for creating this book. As we say in the mountains, they did right by us. They did us proud. Book editors and national television producers haven't always accomplished that.
Ronni writes in the introduction to Cornbread Nation 3 that she came to understand, in a book written by our bean man, one of our Ruth Fertel Keepers of the Flame, Bill Best, why mountain ways have persistently been translated in pejorative terms in the larger American culture. To quote Ronni directly:
For the last century and then some, the culture of America at large has been a culture of things. From its onset, the culture of the Southern mountains has been one of connection. Being intangible, the treasures of the latter are virtually invisible to the citizens of the former. Consequently, a life focused on fostering connection, as opposed to acquisition, might seem to the dominant culture, at best, quaint and anachronistic, at worst, ridiculous and perverse.
In other words, if you value a person most in terms of the number of things he or she has-cars, Cuisinarts, face lifts, cell phones-you will not value a person who has few things but is, instead, rich only in connection. If you see time as well spent only when it is spent in pursuit of things, you will see time as wasted when it is spent instead nurturing connection.
In the mountain South, the green bean is the center of a network of amazingly complex connections. Beans are grown for nourishment, so the favored varieties have plump pods that are allowed to fill out with protein-rich seeds. The time it takes to simmer these, slow and low on a back burner, can be spent outside by cooks who are as connected to the earth and their garden as they are to the stove.
These beans are bred for flavors and textures so idiosyncratic that Bill Best has acquired some 200 seeds of distinctly different characteristics. Mountain people name their homegrown varieties of green beans; some are linked to specific families, some belong to communities, some have names that suggest poetry or stories: Lazy Wife, Roan Mountain, Tobacco Worm.
This is not humdrum food writing. This, friends, is the real stuff. Cornbread Nation 3, it's what your friends want to find in their stockings.
Wednesday, November 2
Joe Dabney Honored with 2005 Jack Daniel Lifetime Achievement Award
Joseph E. "Joe" Dabney of Atlanta, Georgia, is the winner of the 2005 Jack Daniel Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
The award, underwritten by Jack Daniels' Distillery of Lynchburg, Tennessee, recognizes the region's leading culinary lights, men and women whose lifework has proved a beacon for us all.
Lynne Tolley, great-grand niece of Jack Daniel himself, presented the award -- a custom portrait by Mississippi artist Blair Hobbs -- to Dabney at a ceremony on the University of Mississippi campus.
Dabney, a native of Kershaw, South Carolina, born in 1929, is the author of a number of books about the American South including Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine and Mountain Spirits: A Chronicle of Corn Whiskey from King James' Ulster Plantation to America's Appalachians.
Mountain Spirits, first published more than 30 years ago, defined the modern understanding of American moonshine. Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine, a chronicle of mountain life told by way of oral histories and recipes, won the Cookbook of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation.
The award, underwritten by Jack Daniels' Distillery of Lynchburg, Tennessee, recognizes the region's leading culinary lights, men and women whose lifework has proved a beacon for us all.
Lynne Tolley, great-grand niece of Jack Daniel himself, presented the award -- a custom portrait by Mississippi artist Blair Hobbs -- to Dabney at a ceremony on the University of Mississippi campus.
Dabney, a native of Kershaw, South Carolina, born in 1929, is the author of a number of books about the American South including Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine and Mountain Spirits: A Chronicle of Corn Whiskey from King James' Ulster Plantation to America's Appalachians.
Mountain Spirits, first published more than 30 years ago, defined the modern understanding of American moonshine. Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine, a chronicle of mountain life told by way of oral histories and recipes, won the Cookbook of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation.
Monday, October 31
Brown Sugar Pie
SFA is on a recipe hunt. An SFA-er is trying to recreate a grandmother's recipe that she remembers from childhood. Here's what we're looking for: a dessert baked in a regular pie shell with the consistency of a sweet potato pie; smooth, not grainy; referred to as brown sugar pie. If anybody happens to know what this is or how to make it, please e-mail sfamail@olemiss.edu.
UPDATE: Thanks to all who e-mailed us. We found the recipe!
Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Meringue:
4 reserved egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Prepare pastry shell, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
3. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and salt; mix well. Sprinkle it evenly into the egg/milk mixture.
4. Bake for one hour or until custard filling tests done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. To make the meringue, beat with an electric mix the reserved egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.
6. Spread meringue over hot pie, sealing to the edges and return to oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden. Let cool before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
UPDATE: Thanks to all who e-mailed us. We found the recipe!
Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Meringue:
4 reserved egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Prepare pastry shell, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
3. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and salt; mix well. Sprinkle it evenly into the egg/milk mixture.
4. Bake for one hour or until custard filling tests done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. To make the meringue, beat with an electric mix the reserved egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.
6. Spread meringue over hot pie, sealing to the edges and return to oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden. Let cool before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Monday, October 24
Doe's Eat Place Oral History Project
Produced in anticipation of the third-annual Delta Divertissement, which takes place this week, the SFA announces the Doe's Eat Place Oral History Project. Located in Greenville, this family-owned and operated restaurant has been in business for more that sixty years and is a cultural and culinary icon of the Mississippi Delta. The Doe's Oral History Project is a portrait of a place, painted by generations of family, loyal employees, and devoted customers. Together, their stories celebrate the uniqueness and significance of Doe's Eat Place. Click on the link above to go directly to the interviews.[Above, Doe Signa, Jr. tends to a pot of hot tamales.]
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