FoodieLife- Iowa Taste of Elegance

One of my foodie resolutions for 2016 was to attend more foodie events this year, and thanks to the awesome people at Iowa Pork I am kicking the year off with a foodie event in January- the Iowa Taste of Elegance culinary competition. Every year the Iowa Pork Producers hold this competition where chefs from all over Iowa battle it out for prize money and bragging rights in this invite-only event focusing on pork and some of the most fantastic dishes imaginable. This event not only give the chefs a chance to show their culinary skills, but highlights the hard work and dedication of Iowa's pork farmers, and their commitment to safe, wholesome and budget-friendly fresh pork. Held on January 25, 2016 at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott, this is some serious competition with some serious recognition-

• Chef Par Excellance wins a trip to the National Pork Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California and a $1,000 cash prize.
• Plaque and cash prizes for Top Three Chefs and Peoples' Choice
• Evening reception to celebrate the dishes, present awards and select the Peoples' Choice

This event is also a very important fundraiser for the Food Bank of Iowa's Back Pack Program. Matt Unger,  program manager for the Food Bank of Iowa shared the story of Iowa's hungry children and how important the Back Pack Program is. The statistics he shared about hunger in my home state were truly shocking, and the Back Pack Program helps fight childhood hunger by sending needy kids home over the weekends with a back pack filled with nutritious food. Listening to him talk about how some kids literally survive on the weekly school lunch program broke my heart.

The Chefs- photo courtesy of Jenny Unternahrer
from In the Kitchen With Jenny

This is not the first time I have sat in the comfort of the Marriott's elegant banquet hall, enjoying food the likes of which some people will never experience. The story of the Food Bank of Iowa's program reminded me of the previous year's Culinary Fight Night, which benefited Des Moines' homeless and also brought a lot of awareness to the suffering around us.

For this 30th year of the event, the folks at Iowa Pork invited a group of Iowa bloggers to attend. Many of us were invited to attend the Iowa Pork Tour last July- you might remember the two day event that featured a tour of a modern pork producing farm, an exclusive multi-course pork dinner with wine pairing, and a day of cooking and food styling classes. I made some great new friends over those two days, and I am so looking forward to seeing them again at this event! I asked my very good friend Vivian to go along. She and I went to the Cooking With George class a year ago and had a wonderful time, and we share so many things in common, not the least of which is our appreciation for good food, good conversation and good wine and beer. We had a great time sampling all the goods and chatting with Shawnee, from the Iowa Pork Board, other Iowa bloggers Jenny Unternahrer, Cristen Clark, Jenni Ward and Erin Brenneman from Brenneman Pork.

Who is competing? Let's run down the chefs for 2016-

Brian Pomerenk from the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant prepared his pork dish, Country Harvest, a tender juicy roast pork with a homestyle sage stuffing and two sauces. 

Chad Myers, Dubuque Golf and Country Club's dish was Wickham Farms Red Wattle Pork Shoulder with Sausage and Pork Tenderloin Roulade. This dish was stunningly beautiful and surprisingly, served cold. It made me think of a a French style picnic.

Daniel Dennis, from Lion Bridge Brewing Company also used Red Wattle pork in his Red Wattle Torchon in Four Seasons. The torchon was a headcheese type sausage, thickly sliced and garnished to celebrate each season, with flavors ranging from bring green arugula puree to pickled Hubbard squash. Another beautifully prepared dish, but one that just didn't do it for me.

The Wood Fire Grille in the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa sent Chef Jon Nelson to share his Ad Porc de Trois. This was one of my favorites. Handcrafted pork sausage, grilled and sliced, along with a hunk of roasted pork and a jerky-like thick cut cured pork served on a white bean puree with greens, presented in a paper thin wooden canoe.

Chef Carina Fleetwood from the Calypso Isle Casino prepared a beautiful Latin dish- Citrus Barbacoa Sopa with Smoky Tomatillo Salsa and Pickled Relish. Served on a thick masa cracker the pork was spicy and tender, the spiralized veggies made a gorgeous accompaniment. This was a favorite too.

Barry Greenwood, Executive Chef at the University of Iowa had MY vote, and my friend Vivian's vote too! His skewer of smoked pork shoulder, handmade chorizo, and hominy fritter draped with green chile sauce was my absolute favorite dish of all. The hominy fritter nailed it for me- creamy, crunchy, spicy and sweet all in one perfect bite. The pork was tender and perfectly smoked and the chorizo was so delicious. The sprinkle of pepitas brought some salty crunch. Perfection!

Anthony Valvoda of Bata's Restaurant in Cedar Rapids crafted the Duo of Pork Shoulder. Roasted pork shoulder and handmade mortadella spiked with pistachios and aronia berry reduction was an interesting and creative combination.

Des Moines' chef Aaron Holt, of RoCA, brought his Root Beer Braised Pork Shoulder Sliders with Crispy Sriracha Onions and Aioli in a root beer reduction is the restaurant's top selling pork entree, and I could see why. Homey, delicious, just the right amount of "messy" this sandwich would be equally at home in a trendy restaurant and a Super Bowl party. Definitely a crowd favorite.

The West Des Moines Marriott's Donald Garrett had another one of my very favorites. It was hard to decide who to vote for....... and when the chef offers up Mulled Apple Butter Bacon Wrapped Barbeque Pork with a crunchy slaw and corn muffin on the side, the stakes get raised significantly. This was comfort food hands down but a LOT more upscale than grandma's country kitchen.

Pam Oldes, from Eat on the Green in Oskaloosa created an Asian Pulled Pork Taco with Kimchi Slaw and spicy mayo. Yum yum YUM!!! The wonton shell was super crispy,light and not greasy AT ALL, the filling had the perfect kick of spicy heat. This one almost had my vote.....if not for that hominy fritter.

The chefs are judged on their entree recipe, but not the sides and accompaniments. Points are awarded on taste, appearance and originality with a total of 100 points possible. After the judging each chef will have a booth so they can meet the guests, share info about their restaurant and offer samples of their dishes. Guests vote on the samples and select the Peoples' Choice at the end of the reception. The evening's entries were judged by Chef Brad Scott, culinary instructor and head chef of Scott Community College; Chef Jonathan Cook, Executive Sous Chef of the Iowa Events Center, and Matt Unger. And the evening's results were.......

Peoples' Choice- Aaron Holt from RoCA

Premier Chef- Daniel Dennis from Lion Bridge Brewing Company

with the 2015 Iowa Pork Queen Christy Calderwood

Superior Chef- Anthony Valvoda from Bata's Restaurant

with 2015 Iowa Pork Princess Emily Cook

Chef Par Excellence- Jon Nelson from Wood Fire Grille

Several Iowa wineries and breweries were represented at the event as well..........which meant lots of fantastic beers and wines, from many new wineries I have never visited. I have several new favorites to hunt down, so look for some Happy Hour features in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received passes to attend the event with no expectation of providing a written post- my post is entirely voluntary. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Foodie Field Trip- Culinary Fight Night

It's all about who you know!! Seriously! I thought this year I would have to scale back on my Foodie Field Trips and spend more time poring over the cookbook stash and cooking at home for entertainment, but when you have a child in the culinary industry you sometimes have a bit of an edge! My lovely daughter Laura graciously invited me to go with her to the 2015 Culinary Fight Night in Des Moines and of course, I said yes!

I'd heard about this event a while back and really wished I could go. As a charity event, the chefs will be raising money to help support the Central Iowa Shelter Services as well as winning some cash for themselves and a black boxing glove as the trophy. As a food event, there will be some amazing dishes to experience. 

Along the line of a Chopped meets Iron Chef type competition, the chefs battle face to face in a Vegas-style boxing ring and each of the chefs will create an appetizer, entree and dessert, and guests vote for their favorite. Besides the exciting menu, guests get to meet and greet with the judges, chefs and other guests, enjoy appetizers and cocktails before the event and take home some swag as well.

The swag was not your typical bag of goodies. Intended to bring home the importance of helping people in need, it was a stark contrast to the typical "goodie bag" at events. While we were dining on filet mignon, lobster, uni, truffles, and enjoying cocktails in a beautiful ballroom, there are people living in shelters, in cars, without even the basic needs. 

Who are the chefs?

Chef Dominic Iannarelli is a graduate of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, with a degree in hotel restaurant management. After cooking around Ames and Des Moines for a while, he became the Executive Chef at Splash Seafood. Working with Bruce Gerleman, Chef Iannarelli opened Jethro's BBQ, and we all know how successful Jethro's has been! Besides having numerous locations around the Des Moines area, they have been featured on many television shows including Man vs. Food on The Travel Channel.

Chef Mike Holman is one BUSY guy! He is the Executive Chef for Dos Rios, Big City Burgers & Greens and Catering DSM. Also a former Ames resident he began his cooking career at the Iowa Culinary Institute and after, headed to France where he practiced in the St. Etienne region. A passionate advocate of local sources and products, and a supporter of various charities in the area, Mike sounds like a fierce competitor and a peek at the menu he has created for this event demonstrates his skill and vision.

Students from the Iowa Culinary Institute assist the chefs

The scene. The Iowa Ballroom at the Des Moines Marriott was transformed into a boxing arena, surrounded by tables for the guests to watch the action. The pre-fight Meet and Greet gave everyone a chance to visit with the judges, chefs and other locals, and enjoy a cocktail or two and appetizers.

The secret ingredients. All the guests were able to vote ahead of time for a secret ingredient they would like to see the chefs use, and the top three voted were jelly beans, marshmallows and root beer. The chefs could use one ingredient per course OR all three in one course.

The menu. Can I just say WOW? Two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts, and are they are exciting. Chef I used jelly beans to create a gastrique for his shrimp appetizer and Chef H used marshmallows in his white chocolate sauce. The food fight starts with-

Crispy sugar cane shrimp, raspberries, rocket salad and Manchego dressing (Chef I) AND 

Tabasco-seared scallop, gingered sweet potato puree, warm white chocolate sauce and crispy bacon (Chef H). I am dying and headed to the Pearly Swinging Kitchen Doors! So much delicious and we have barely started. The shrimp was speared on a sugar cane stick and placed atop a fresh and crispy salad, with this amazing and light dressing. The scallop was delicious, tender and perfectly cooked, nestled onto a bed of the most delicious sweet potato puree I have ever tasted. Little bits of ginger lingered in the puree. The scallop was my favorite appetizer.

Then we move on to entrees. The entrees had to use the secret ingredient of root beer. Both chefs incorporated it into a sauce-

Honey glazed BBQ duck, sesame seared baby bok choy, garlic and leek fried rice (Chef H) AND 

Szechuan peppercorn crusted filet medallions, lobster XO sauce, uni risotto (Chef I). I am officially in culinary heaven. I have never had uni before so this is an amazing and rare treat for me. Duck......one of my lifetime favorites. I wish I could describe the duck- it was perfectly cooked, rare, juicy with perfectly cooked skin, nestled onto an Asian-inspired fried rice. Lobster and  filet are always perfect, but paired with a lovely risotto and topped with a shaving of black truffle, it was truly elevated. 

No room for dessert? Well here are two anyway. Chef I used his last secret ingredient, marshmallow, in the tiramisu, and Chef H created a jelly bean sauce to top his ice cream dish-

Hot Chocolate Tiramisu with peppermint Schnapps (Chef I) AND 

Brown sugar glazed bananas, Orange coconut cardamom ice cream, toasted walnuts and salted caramel whipped cream (Chef H). There just are no words. The ice cream was very light, the banana was caramelized beautifully and not too sweet, and the drizzle of jelly bean sauce brought that touch of sweet. The tiramisu brought the sweet in a big way. Soft ladyfingers, creamy mascarpone, drizzled with the hot chocolate sauce, it reminded me of cannoli.

The judges. Five dignitaries/personalities were on hand for the official judging, and they were KCCI Reporter Emmy Victor; Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie; Miss Iowa 2014 Aly Olson; cookbook author, writer and TV Host Wini Moranville and Juice Magazine's Rebecca Sidles. As guests we also had a say in the competition after trying all the courses by casting our vote for the best chef.

The competition was incredibly close. By a score of 379 to 377.......the winner of the 2015 Culinary Fight Night Des Moines is...........Chef Mike Holman of Dos Rios! This event was so much fun, I want to visit some other cities and experience what their chefs bring to the ring!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

http://www.culinaryfightnight.com/des-moines/