The Art of the Plate: April 2009

Monday, April 13, 2009

ACF Competition Students Practice at The Ocean Room and The Frances Marion

Chef de Cuisine Nathan Thurston of the Ocean Room at the Sanctuary at Kiawah wrote on his blog:
"Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting the ACF student team for one of their practices. This passionate team led by Chef Ward Morgan has 2 weeks to go before they battle other ACF teams at the ACF (American Culinary Federation) Southeast Regional Conference in Charlotte, SC. We felt a great energy from the team, composed of students from the The Culinary Institute of Charleston and The Art Institute of Charleston, as they hustled to put forth their menu. After the plate up we critiqued their cuisine and assisted them in revamping some of their dishes.

"At the end of the practice the team was very optimistic of their potential at the competition. Let's wish them luck as they represent Charleston at the conference. "
http://www.nathanthurston.com/

Thursday, April 2, 2009

More Pics from 2009 Charleston Food + Wine Festival

Snaps of CIC student culinary assistants at the 2009 Charleston Food + Wine Festival keep coming in. Both Sandra Allsion (left) and Kim Harrigal (see older Festival post) worked with Festival star Bobby Flay and seven of his chefs. See Sandra and Elizabeth Roka below with pastry chef extraordinaire Johnny Iuzzini of Jean-Georges and Sandra with Chef Brian O'Donohoe of Primehouse New York, below right.

What We're Reading

“Eating from the Ground Up”

Out just in time for the vegetables appearing at our farmers markets, Alana Chernila’s cookbook focuses on creatively using every root and leaf. While some of the recipes may be familiar concepts – think stuffed tomatoes – hers are packed with millet, basil, and parsley. Fried rice stars salmon, fennel, and Swiss chard stems. Roasted asparagus are sauced with a combo of butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, and tamari. Stone fruit, raw corn kernels, scallions, basil, and jalapeño make a cool salad for hot weather. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

"Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes"

“This book is my homage to the cuisine of my family,” Chef Todd Richards writes in his autobiographical collection of essays and recipes. “These are the ingredients of my people. This is my sermon about my Soul food.”

Bringing accolades for his stints at Atlanta’s Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons, James Beard nominations, and, of course, his prowess at Southern cooking, Richards seasons the pot with a powerful bouquet of flavors as he pays his heritage forward. Collards cooked with ham hocks are accented with piquant pickled collard stems. Blueberries are found in fried pies; strawberries are plated with champagne aspic, whipped cream, and honey. Grilled peaches pair with radishes on toast spread with pimiento cheese. Sweet potatoes are layered with cauliflower and crab in a lush gratin.

"Soul food," Richards tells us, "is the original cuisine of the South, born from an involuntary collision of cultures."
Published by Southern Living. $35.