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New Columns appear each Tuesday. 25APR06 Doral Chenoweth writes about the business of restaurants and the food industry in the Columbus, Ohio, Metro area. Reader comments are welcome by telephone. 614-538-1822. Email the Grump: thegrumpygourmet@wowway.com Send food stuff here: iPLATE@grumpygourmetusa.com Send weird stuff here: alferd_e_packer@wowway.com E-mail messages must include name and telephone for a reply. |
 CHEF THOMAS SMITH will be preparing his Cargill chop come Monday in Orlando for judges selecting the national winner for the title of Chef Par Excellence. He won the Ohio title in February. 
AND THE WINNER IS: Chef Smith's grilled
chop with a dried cherry Marsala sauce as
it appears on his menu at Seven Stars in
the Worthington Inn.
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25APR06 Pork Show in Columbus Should Be Hottest Food Ticket in City What a pity the general public cannot attend one of the best run, professionally judged commodity cook offs in Ohio. But, when the state's top chefs bid for the title of Chef Par Excellence, the hog trade sponsors have to operate with a limited guest list. Ohio Pork Producers annually have their namesake product prepared in a major hotel banquet room, sans a box office for a dinner treat that could lure crowds. The 2006 competition was held in the Renaissance Hotel, recently renovated. In a measure, the hotel's executive chef, Matthew Linebrink, opened his kitchen to outside chefs selected by the pork council. This year six departed their restaurants, moved in with their own knives, recipes, table settings, wines, and put together dinners using Cargill's White Maple Farms pork chops. Professional culinary judges ranged through six offerings.  The 2006 winner is Thomas Smith, executive chef of the Worthington Inn. His first place win: $1,000. Come the weekend, chef Smith will be in Orlando's Universal Studios bidding for national honors. He will stick to his winner - a grilled chop with a dried cherry-Marsala sauce. That gave him the pork title of Chef Par Excellence. Second place with the title Superior Chef went to Eric Pfaff of the Medallion Club in Westerville. His prep: Bacon wrapped pork loin with apple-braised pork belly. Third with the title Premier Chef went to Terrence Webb of Ashland University for his center cut loin, oven roasted with a grain mustard.crust. Now, pause a moment. Think about those three preps of one of Ohio major product - pork. Their servings were judged. They had their pictures taken. End of the evening. There was an audience, several hundred people with interests in pork popularity. Legislators. Farmers. Soybean growers. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. Oh, the Ohio Restaurant Association. All the while judging was in progress, attendees were being served one-pound bone-in Cargill chops. Now that this show has moved to Columbus, it should remain here. Jennifer Keller, ramrod for the porkers, wants a dozen top pork restaurants to take part in February, 2007. Columbuschefs.com has a suggestion: Between the state judging next year and the nationals, bring back the three winners into one central kitchen. Let them reprise their winning dishes for paying customers. After expenses, use the public money to establish a pork scholarship for culinary students at Columbus State. Promote it under the dual banner of Heartland Cuisine and Cargill. How important is the pig in Ohio? Believe this: Franklin County has 3,900 pigs in the last pork census, December, 2004. The pork industry in Ohio provides 12,000 jobs. In dollars, pork is a $400 million business in Ohio. Chefs and restaurants interested for 2007, call Keller, 614-882-5887. Pork Leftovers… When only invited guests entered the Renaissance banquet room ready to sup, they were handed a white glove. When one eats a chop - lamb or pork - it has always been proper to use finger utensils. While not found in many tony eateries, one excellent southern bit appeared. Pork belly. Medallion Club chef Pfaff may have copped a second place overall, but he was the winner with all judges for his braised pork belly. Will the first chef to offer such on a regular menu, please inform Columbuschefs.com. |
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Start With Aardvark, Preferably Fried A caller from OSU, a journalism major, asked about college level courses for people seeking careers as food writers. She said she "knows food." Without prompting, she added that "Italian is my favorite…is that a problem?" Yes, that could be a limiting problem. She was told to expand her cuisine interests. For starters, log into this website - www.grumpygourmetusa.com - and call back in a month. |
 Corporate Chef Phil Yandolino, Bravo Development, Inc. Restaurants (left), and Regional Chef Brian Hinshaw, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (right) |
A Post-Grad Cooking Lesson Two of the city's top corporate chefs, Brian Hinshaw and Phil Yandolino, both exec chefs with major restaurant corporations, face off at 6:30 p. m, Friday, in a chef showdown. Tix may be tight at this late date, but a website visit to www.columbusmuseum.org may wedge you in. Tab: $150 includes food stations provided by Bravo (the Doody Brothers) and Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Dessert stations will be set up by Spencer Budros, Pistachio. The spread will be in Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Arena District, 405 Neil Ave. But the real show will be between Hinshaw, for Cameron Mitchell, and Yandolino, for the 50 Bravos. by Doral Chenoweth 614-538-1822 |
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