Archive for Culinary Events
A Darker Shade of Green, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
Posted by: | CommentsAfter reading that the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen has an active green initiative, and “Green Team” volunteers, I became curious. How green really can events like this be? Is it truly even possible?
I was lucky to have the opportunity to interview Devin Padgett, the Producer of Special Projects for Food & Wine, and master of all things green. Here’s the scoop:
“Heidi: We are here with Devin Padgett of Food & Wine Magazine, Devin, can you tell us about your role in the event?
Devin: I am the Producer of Special Projects, and this is my 21st Classic. I direct the Aspen side of the event and work in tandem year round with the New York office team to make this all happen.
Heidi: I’ve read about your green program in the brochure, and I see the recycle bins everywhere, but can you tell me more about it? What’s new for 2009?
Devin: It’s a really important initiative for us. It’s something that we’re really proud to have started. Probably 14 or 15 years ago we began with recycling glass. Of course there’s 10′s of thousands of wine bottles that roll through the event. A successful Classic has lots of empty bottles, right? We’re pround to be a founding business partner of Wally’s Recycling Service. So we’ve been recycling for quite a long time now. About three years ago, we partnered directly with the city of Aspen and the Canary Initiative to really ramp it up and take the next step. An that was not because it was the popular, politically correct thing to do, but because living here in the Roaring Fork Valley, we live in a community that is charged with doing things the right way. And we want to be a part of that. With the Classic, it’s really important for us to try to lead the way in the green event field. Now with our partnerships, we compost, we recycle, we have our three tier (recycling) stations at all of our venues. We have 18-20 recycling stations here in the Wagner Park Grand Tasting area, and not only are they manned by an amazing volunteer green team, but we’ve taken all of this event wide, including our programming venues. Three years in, and we’ve go a lot of good data working with the Canary Initiative. One of the things that we’ve put a lot of energy in over the last couple of years is with our registration bag, the gift bag that our audience get when they check in to to get their passes. We’ve had a lot of heat and pressure over this, because it’s a marketing engine. We’ve made an active change, and developed a set of criteria to try to fix that. I’m very proud to say that this year, we’ve lost 10 pounds with our reg bags. We went from 17.1 lbs in 2008 (last year) to a little under 7 lbs this year. Last year the Classic pulled a 67.9% diversion rate. What that means is that 67.9% of all of our waste generated from the Classic was diverted from the landfill. To give you a little perspective on that, the city of Aspen annually has a diversion rate of in the mid teens. So we’re really really proud of that quadruple percentage rate for a 3 day event here in Aspen, and hope to do even better this year. We have some measureables and really great data that support our efforts.
Heidi: Great work and your team deserves to be proud! Thank you Devin for your time!”
So, absolutely a stellar project led by Devin and the numbers prove it. It would be great to see other culinary and musical events in Colorado, and nationwide, follow this impressive example.
Aspen Highlights: Chef Michael Chiarello and Peter Jacobsen “From Farm to Fork”
Posted by: | CommentsOn day 2 of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen I attended the Lexus talk “The Farm to Fork Connection: Creating a Sustainable World at Your Table” featuring Top Chef Master Michael Chiarello and master organic gardener Peter Jacobsen.
Peter Jacobsen, who calls his work “tantric farming” began the talk discussing food as an agricultural act. He requested that everyone become a farmer of sorts, and suggested planting basil, in order to understand and become involved in the agricultural process. He also suggested “voting with your fork”, making your economic decisions on which restaurant to dine in, ask questions, and find out if your venue is using local and sustainable food.
Chef Michael Chiarello, cheerfully admitting to having a slight red wine hangover, took the stage next. He talked about the process of taking over a piece of land that had previously been a non organic chemical farm, and transforming the land into organic, and watching the process over 7-8 years as the plot developed a new life and an entirely new ecosystem. He now has several new quail on the previously barren land, as well as cattails, frogs and ducks.
Michael discussed how grocery store produce, and even organic produce from places such as Trader Joe’s , create a huge carbon footprint with gas and transportation, with the added insult of bringing in goods from hundreds of miles away. He stated that his goal with his restaurants is to have every food item come from within a 100 mile radius.
During a question and answer session, I asked him a tricky question which I have always been perplexed by. When given the choice to choose between local (non certified organic) and non local certified organic, what should we do? Chef Chiarello said to always choose local. He touched base on the fact that some farmers do not use chemicals however do not have the resources to become “certified organic”. He went on to say when you know the farmer that you are buying from, (and used a tomato as an example) you will respect the tomato and will not let it go to waste. He stressed that having a connection with the local people your food comes from will ultimately affect the flavor and the overall tasting experience as a result of the connectivity. “Having a relationship with your food is one of the most important things you can do”. I truly love this concept, and have been musing over it ever since.
(At this point I immediately had a flashback to the Thursday night Tapas party. The roasted lamb was prepared, seasoned, and nurtured by Jacques Pepin and Jose Andres, and sliced with master skill by Jose Andres. Sliced morsels were fed by hand, from Jose, directly into several Top Chef winner’s mouths. I apologize for not capturing this on film! The sight was slightly sensual to say the least, and while not completely spot on with Michael’s points, still a delicious example of connectivity and food).
During the talk Michael made a basil infused olive oil (recipe here), and added a touch of it to an amazing pureed and strained tomato water martini (sans alcohol, recipe below) with homemade mozzarella boccacini and cherry tomatoes. Jen from the Daily Blender, Sara from Average Betty, Chef John from Foodwishes and I have been craving more of it all day long. Cheers and thank you so much Peter and Michael for enlightening us with your knowledge!
©foodwishes.com
Chef Michael Chiarello’s Tomato Martini
* 3 cups clear tomato water, set aside from Tomato Puree, recipe follows, refrigerated
* 1 green zebra tomato, thinly sliced
* 4 fresh mozzarella boccacini, each 1-inch in diameter
* 4 cherry tomatoes
* Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 large fresh basil leaves
* Basil oil, optional (recipe link above martini photo)
Directions
You will need enough tomato water to fill your martini glasses, so measure their capacity, probably something between 5 and 9 ounces. Chill the martini glasses in the freezer, if there is room, or refrigerate 1 hour ahead of serving. (A freezer gives a heavy frost.)
Place 1 slice of green tomato in each glass. Halve or quarter the bocconcini if they are larger than 1 inch in diameter. Thread a bocconccini, and a cherry tomato onto each of 4 wooden skewers 4 to 5 inches long. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with basil oil, if desired. Working quickly, divide the tomato liquid among the chilled martini glasses. Balance the skewers on top of the glasses, then take a leaf of basil per glass, and rub it around the glass rim, before placing on top of each glass, near skewer. Serve immediately.
*Cook’s Note: It is impossible to give a specific amount for the tomatoes because how much “water” a tomato releases depends on many factors, including the growing season and the variety. Do not let the tomato pulp go to waste. Use this recipe as an excuse to start your quick tomato sauce season. You can freeze or can your sauce and then have it on hand for quick meals.
Tomato Puree:
20 tomatoes, core removed
Bring 2 large pots of water to a boil. Lower the tomatoes into the water, blanch for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Place blanched tomatoes on a baking sheet, and peel the loosened skins. With a colander over a bowl, squeeze the seeds and innards out of each tomato. Set aside and refrigerate the clear strained liquid for other uses. Slice the peeled tomatoes into 1-inch chunks, and place chunks into blender. Puree thoroughly. Pour into bowl.
Recipe makes 10 to 12 cups.
Aspen Photos: First Up, Top Chef Fabio Viviani!
Posted by: | CommentsAnd I’m back from the 2009 Food and Wine Classic in Aspen! The experience was amazing to say the least, and I feel so thankful to have been a part of the premier culinary event of the year along with Average Betty. Thank you once again to Plum Tv and Food and Wine Magazine! We’ve so many savory stories, delicious photos and interviews to share, and here is the first palate pleaser: Tasty Top Chef Fabio Viviani photos!
The Italian Top chef charmer showed up on our radar Saturday, and in true Fabio form was spotted chatting, hugging, and story telling with chef comrades throughout the afternoon. Feast on this:
Fabio reunites with former competitor and Top Chef New York winner Hosea Rosenberg under the tasting tent. Wouldn’t you like to know what sweet nothings he’s whispering into Hosea’s ears?
Fabio sharing smiles with Chef Bobby Flay!
Italy and France unite! Top Chef Fabio Viviani continues sharing his love with the legendary chef Jacques Pépin.
Coming Soon: Chef interviews on dealing with the pinches of today’s economy, musings on Michael Chiarello and his farm to fork philosophy, off the grid after hours fun with food writers, and several top 10 lists. And of course, we will be returning to the chef recipe videos soon with some fresh talent that may surprise you. Stay tuned!
