Tag: food

Must-See Food and Drink Events at Bourbon & Beyond 2019

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Yes, bourbon and great music (and, in our case, bluegrass!) are all givens at Bourbon & Beyond this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, but the culinary and libations programming might be somewhat unexpected to even the most seasoned festival goers. Do yourself a favor and make a point to consume — literally and figuratively — some of the incredible gourmet talent that makes Bourbon & Beyond truly an event that goes above… and beyond. Here are our top picks for must-see food and drink events for B&B 2019:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
1:30 p.m: Jose Salazar & Matt Abdoo

Jose Salazar is a chef and restaurateur based in Cincinnati, Ohio, so it’s a quick jaunt down to Louisville to be a part of Bourbon & Beyond. Originally from Queens, he got his start in restaurants around New York City, most notably working with Chef Thomas Keller for a four-year stint at Per Se and as the Executive Sous-Chef at Bouchon Bakery when it first opened its doors in 2006. 

This will be the third year in a row that Jose hosts a cooking demo at Bourbon & Beyond (we even interviewed him at last year’s festival for an episode of The Shift List), so the B&B veteran will be mixing things up by inviting the award-winning pitmaster Matt Abdoo to join him on stage. Matt’s BBQ joint Pig Beach is a staple in Gowanus, Brooklyn, so it’ll be fun to see how Chef Salazar incorporates Abdoo’s pit techniques into his demo. 

4:30 p.m: Justin Sutherland & Ben Jaffe 

Chef Justin Sutherland hails from St. Paul, Minnesota, where he’s the owner and executive chef of two restaurants, “Handsome Hog” and “Pearl & The Thief” – both contemporary Southern restaurants. He gained national attention by competing on last year’s season of Top Chef, which just so happened to take place in Louisville,  and recently competed and won on Iron Chef America. 

This will be his first appearance at Bourbon & Beyond, and he’ll be joined onstage throughout his demo by Ben Jaffe, the creative director of Preservation Hall in New Orleans, who also plays tuba and double bass with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and will be performing a set of their own earlier in the day at noon over on the Oak Stage.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
2:30 p.m.: Tiffani Thiessen

Yes – this is the same Tiffani Thiessen that spent her teenage years playing Zach Morris’s on-again/off-again high school sweetheart Kelly Kapowski on Saved By The Bell (now sans her middle name ‘Amber’). That said, over the past few years, she has remade herself as a cookbook author and host of the Cooking Channel series ‘Dinner at Tiffani’s’. 

Making her debut appearance at Bourbon and Beyond, her cooking demo is sure to attract die hard SBTB fans and home cooking aficionados alike.

5:30 p.m: Kelsey Barnard Clark and Sara Bradley

Even though Chefs Kelsey Barnard Clark and Sara Bradley made their television debuts on Top Chef: Louisville, the two Southern chefs had worked and known each other around kitchens for over a decade. 

Barnard Clark, an Alabama native who went on to win the competition, and Louisville hometown hero Bradley, who placed second, are taking their longtime friendship to the stage for their Saturday evening cooking demo. After watching them compete against one another for an entire season of television, it will be fun to see them working together. 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
12:05 p.m.: Manhattan Vs. The Old Fashioned

Sunday’s the final day of Bourbon & Beyond, so it might as well be spent in the pursuit of enjoying as much Bourbon as possible. Over at the Kentucky Gold stage, Beth Burrows, a brand ambassador for Jim Beam, and ‘master taster’ for Old Forester Jackie Zakan will be debating which classic bourbon cocktail reigns supreme. The Manhattan and Old Fashioned will face off for cocktail supremacy, although we’re pretty sure it’s just a good excuse to sample both in one sitting. 

 6:15 p.m: Slavery In American Whiskey

Enslaved people helped build the foundation of American whiskey, and a panel of historians and experts will be gathering to tell some of their stories. Led by renowned whiskey connoisseur Fred Minnick, the panel will include Clay Risen, a food editor for the New York Times, and Bourbon Hall of Famer Freddie Johnson.

 

Full Food and Bourbon Panel Lineup:

Friday, September 20 

Better In The Bluegrass Stage (Culinary Demos and Presentations) 

  • Noon: Edward Lee
  • 1:30 p.m.: Jose Salazar & Matt Abdoo
  • 3 p.m.: Michael Voltaggio & Adam Sobel
  • 4:30 p.m.: Justin Sutherland & Ben Jaffe (Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

Kentucky Gold Stage (Bourbon Demos and Presentations) 

  • 11:35 a.m.: Welcome
  • 12:40 p.m.: Beer Drinker’s Bourbon
  • 2:05 p.m.: How Highball Can You Go?
  • 3:50 p.m.: Whiskey Women
  • 5:05 p.m.: Bourbon Disrupters 
  • 6:05 p.m.: What Is A Master Distiller

Saturday, September 21 

Better In The Bluegrass Stage (Culinary Demos and Presentations) 

  • 1:05 p.m.: Graham Elliot
  • 2:30 p.m.: Tiffani Thiessen
  • 4 p.m.: Brooke Williamson
  • 5:30 p.m.: Kelsey Barnard Clark & Sara Bradley

Kentucky Gold Stage (Bourbon Demos and Presentations) 

  • 11:25 a.m.: Bourbon Storytime
  • 12:25 p.m.: Barrel Finish Vs. Traditional Bourbon
  • 1:35 p.m.: Whiskey’s Dark Past
  • 3 p.m.: The Barrel
  • 4:45 p.m.: The Van Winkle Family

Sunday, September 22

Better In The Bluegrass Stage (Culinary Demos and Presentations) 

  • 12:45 p.m.: Ouita Michel
  • 2:05 p.m.: Rusty Hamlin & Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band)
  • 3:35 p.m.: Amanda Freitag & Tierinii Jackson (Southern Avenue)
  • 4:15 p.m.: Jamie Bissonnette

Kentucky Gold Stage (Bourbon Demos and Presentations) 

  • 11:15 a.m.: Welcome
  • 12:05 p.m.: Manhattan Vs. The Old Fashioned
  • 1:15 p.m.: Sweet Mash: The Whiskey Revolution
  • 2:35 p.m.: Master Taster: How To Taste Like A Pro
  • 4:15 p.m.: Executive Round Table
  • 6:15 p.m.: Slavery In American Whiskey History

 

The Shift List – AL’s Place, San Francisco

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Jenn Dowdy, Music Director at AL’s Place in San Francisco, tells us how to create the perfect playlist for any kind of shift.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • STITCHER • MP3

This is a special episode, because of all the restaurants featured on this little podcast, AL’s Place is the only one that has a Musical Director. It’s just one reason that this intimate neighborhood restaurant in the Mission District stands out amongst the plethora of dining options and Michelin establishments dotted around the Bay Area.

AL’s place is the vision of Chef / Owner Aaron London – he being the AL that the restaurant is named after (initals A.L), but almost five years in, with a Michelin Star under its belt, and many other accolades to its name — including the title of Bon Appetit’s New Restaurant of the Year in 2015 — AL’s Place is a true team effort.

The space only has 46 seats and finding an empty one is rare, so a shift requires everyone to be on their A-game the entire time.

While Chef Aaron London’s seasonal, ingredient-driven menu highlighting Northern California produce is the foundation, the service, vibe, and music are essential elements to the dining experience.

Jenn Dowdy started as a server at AL’s and after a few months of getting to know the space intimately, she asked AL’s GM Kimberly Litchfield if she could take over the restaurant’s playlist. The role of Musical Director, previously held by a part time staff member, was bestowed upon her.

22 public playlists later, with many more waiting in the wings, Dowdy weaves together 7-8 hour playlists that are highly curated for AL’s, never repeating a song, and compensating for the turns that happen throughout a night’s service.

Jenn Dowdy’s Shift List
BANKS – Bedroom Wall
Cashmere Cat – Miss You
DRAMA – Forever’s Gone
St. Beauty – Holographic Lover
Frank Ocean – Swim Good
ABRA – Pull Up
Erykah Badu – Didn’t Cha Know
Jill Scott – It’s Love
Beyoncé – Partition
Rae Sremmurd – Guatemala
Masego & Tiffany Gouche – Queen Tings
SZA (Feat. Travis Scott) – Love Gallore
Nitty Scott – Pxssy Powah!
Frank Ocean – Nikes
Rihanna – Sex With Me
6LACK – East Atlanta Love Letter
Robyn – Stars 4-Ever
Mobb Deep – Shook Ones, Pt II

A Minute in Boise, Idaho, with Eilen Jewell

Posted on by Editor

Welcome to “A Minute In” — a BGS feature that turns our favorite artists into hometown reporters. In our latest column, Eilen Jewell takes us on a tour of Boise, Idaho. The singer-songwriter just released her newest album, Gypsy.

My hometown of Boise, Idaho, is a cheerful little place. In fact, visitors to our fair city, or those who have recently relocated, often find the friendliness a bit off-putting at first. Queues tend to move more slowly than in most places, often due to the simple fact that people like to chat and exchange pleasantries. In this regard, there’s an innocence to my hometown, elements of bygone days still intact

But there’s a lot more to Boise than friendliness and a slow pace. We also have nearly boundless outdoor space within arm’s reach. We have great parks and libraries and historic buildings (including one the oldest synagogues west of the Mississippi). We have delicious, award-winning food, two thriving farmers markets, more amazing breweries than you can shake a stick at, and local wine that rivals California’s, in my humble opinion.

This is not the cornfields of similar-sounding Iowa or Ohio, though they are lovely places in their own right. This is Idaho, as in the Rockies, as in mountain lakes and whitewater rivers. This is where I keep returning to, especially when I’m in dire need of some elbow room, and always when I need to write.

Here are some places and activities that I recommend to anyone lucky enough to visit my hometown:

Rediscovered Books (180 N 8th St.) is a sweet bookstore in the heart of downtown, offering new and used titles of all kinds, but very well-curated. If it’s not quality they don’t sell it, and everyone in there really knows their books. They have fun events on a regular basis, including book signings and story time for kids. It’s where I do nearly all of my Christmas shopping every year.

Boiseans almost always use cardinal directions. The mountains are north, so as long as you can see them you can’t get lost. And you can almost always see them. So, moving slightly east from downtown we encounter the historic Basque District. For those unfamiliar, the Basque Country is that mountainous region of northern Spain and southern France. Many folks of Basque descent made their way to southern Idaho over the generations, mainly to herd sheep.

They stayed and thrived, and now Boiseans are very proud of their Basque heritage. We even boast of being the only town in America with a mayor who is fluent in Basque, Mayor Dave Bieter. You can learn about all of this at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center (611 W. Grove St.). For an authentic Boise Basque culinary experience, go to Bar Gernika (202 S. Capitol Blvd.) and order croquetas with a kalimotxo to wash them down.

Head just a bit south from there and catch a movie at The Flicks (646 W. Fulton St.). I love this place. They specialize in indie, foreign, and art films and often screen great documentaries. I like to enjoy a glass of wine while I watch. And their cookies are delicious too.

Next take a walk through nearby Julia Davis Park, and maybe check out one of our lovely museums there, like the Boise Art Museum (670 E. Julia Davis Dr), or perhaps the Idaho Black History Museum (508 Julia Davis Dr.). Then be sure to connect with the Boise River Greenbelt, just on the other side of the park from there. You’ll have over 30 miles along the river to bike or walk or birdwatch or whatever floats your boat. (You can even boat.) I always see wildlife along the river, even bald eagles once in a blue moon.

Head west along the Greenbelt and you’ll be able to quench your well-earned thirst at Lost Grove Brewing (1026 S. La Pointe St.), a fun neighborhood brewery my friends started a few years ago. They always have a solid variety of fresh brews on tap and a cheerful bartender or two to guide you through the selection process. By the way, Idaho is 10th in the nation in breweries per capita. Yeah, we like our beer.

Scoot a bit north of there, to what is known as the Linen District, and check yourself into The Modern Hotel (1314 W. Grove St.). Not only do they have one of the best restaurants in town, a killer cocktail menu, original artwork in each unique room, and a campfire out front on most nights, they also have gnome statues in the restrooms that hold up little turntables for your musical enjoyment while you powder your nose.

Just west of there is the Record Exchange (1105 W. Idaho St.). How do I sufficiently describe my love for this place? It has been the pulse of Boise’s music scene and all things good since 1977, and it’s one of the best indie record stores in the country. It’s also a really fun spot to catch an in-store performance by both local and touring acts.

Last but not least, no trip to Boise would be complete without a visit to our beautiful foothills and historic Hyde Park (1413 to 1620 N. 13th St.). This is a charming little neighborhood in Boise’s quaint north end, where I grew up. Nearby Camels Back Park (1200 Heron St.) never fails to deliver. Hike all around those gorgeous trails, then up the big hill and enjoy a sunset with the best view in town.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A hike a day keeps the blues away ☀️

A post shared by Boise Parks and Recreation (@boiseparksandrecreation) on

Because we’re on the western edge of the Mountain Time Zone, the sun sets very late in Boise in the summertime. On a clear day, and most days are clear in Boise, you can still see a bit of light around 10:30 p.m. As you watch that sun sink down over the horizon, congratulate yourself on a day well spent in one of the prettiest little cities on earth. And come back soon. Just promise not to tell too many people.

Here’s a list of songs I’ve written that were directly inspired by Boise or the surrounding area:

“My Hometown”
“Always Coming Home”
“Kalimotxo”
“Boundary County”
“Half-Broke Horse”

 

BGS Podcast ‘The Shift List’ Joins Osiris Network

Posted on by Editor

The Bluegrass Situation is proud to announce that season 2 of The Shift List is now hosted on the Osiris podcast network.

The Shift List goes inside the kitchens of leading chefs to find out what kind of music fuels their shifts in the kitchen, influences their food and touches their lives. Partnering with BGS, the leading online source for roots culture, The Shift List offers a unique perspective on music through the eyes of the culinary world’s driving forces.

Host Chris Jacobs has talked to innovative chefs from around the world about the music that plays in their kitchens during a shift, including Copenhagen’s Rosio Sanchez (NOMA, Netflix’s Ugly Delicious), Kentucky’s Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, Top Chef), and Oklahoma City’s Colin Stiringer and Jeremy Wolfe (Nonesuch, Bon Appetit’s #1 Best New Restaurant 2018).

“The Shift List is a unique look into music through the culinary world, providing an intimate and authentic view of music from some of the world’s leading chefs,” said RJ Bee, CEO of Osiris. “The launch of The Shift List, in partnership with BGS, represents our expansion into more musical and cultural genres. Look for much more roots music and culture content from BGS and Osiris.”

Season 2 will include innovative chefs sharing the music they love from places like Hawaii, San Francisco, Austin, Montreal and more. Catch up on every episode of Season 1.

Subscribe to The Shift List wherever you get your podcasts — Apple Music, Spotify, and Stitcher.

The Shift List – Phil Bracey (P. Franco, Bright) – London

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Phil Bracey is not a chef, but rather the manager of P. Franco, a neighborhood wine shop, bar, and makeshift restaurant in Northeast London’s Clapton neighborhood. Along with Bright, a new restaurant that opened nearby last May, Phil was instrumental in P. Franco being named Restaurant of the Year by Eater London in 2017.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • MP3 

It’s important to note that ‘manager’ is a broad term, as Bracey admits that even he doesn’t know what his actual title would be. Granted, he helps to procure and looks after the wines, but more important, and less easy to recognize, is that his approach to hospitality is passionately personal.

Fed up with the pretentiousness that often accompanies drinking wine, Bracey set out to make P. Franco a welcoming space that encourages experimentation by customers, allowing them to discover natural wines in an environment that’s relaxed yet lively, a space that you can pop into for one glass and ultimately end up staying for the rest of the night.

Music is paramount to the customer experience at both P. Franco and Bright, and like a good DJ, Bracey is constantly dialing in the playlists during each night’s service, doing his best to follow the flow of the evening.

Theme Song: Jamie Drake – “Wonder”

The Shift List – Ramael Scully (Scully, Ottolenghi) – London

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

A veteran of chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s venerable Ottolenghi and Nopi restaurants, Ramael Scully opened his first restaurant, Scully, back in March 2018 with the backing and support of Ottolenghi himself.

Listen: APPLE MUSIC • MP3

Given that Ramael Scully was born in Malaysia to a mother of Chinese and Indian descent and an Irish-Balinese-Malay father, his palate was destined to be informed by mixed influences. Add a move to Australia as a young child, where he was ultimately raised in a multi-ethnic neighborhood, and you start to get a sense of how he eventually found his culinary voice.

Utilizing a range of ingredients from homemade spices, pickles, preserves, oils, animal fats, dairy, and sprouts, his food can only be described as his own, like the arepa stuffed with eggplant sambal and bergamot labneh. It’s neither Middle Eastern nor Colombian — it’s just Scully’s.

Theme Song: Jamie Drake – “Wonder”

The Shift List – Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack – Nashville

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

André Prince Jeffries is the owner and matriarch of Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville, Tennessee, the original and gold standard for Nashville hot chicken.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • MP3

Opened in 1945 by Thornton Prince, André inherited the restaurant and original hot chicken recipe in 1980, and has seen it grow into a culinary trend that’s caught on like wildfire in the past few years throughout the US.

Growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, young André witnessed the origins of her great uncle Thornton’s restaurant, and it turns out that music has been an important part of their success from day one. Just wait until you hear about the typical late night guests that would stop by back in the day.

Theme Song – “Wonder” by Jamie Drake

Presented by Nomad Goods. Head to hellonomad.com/bgs and use code “BGS” at checkout to receive 15% off any full priced items through the end of January.

The Shift List – Philip Krajeck (Rolf & Daughters, Folk) – Nashville

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Philip Krajeck is the chef and owner of Rolf & Daughters in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood. Distinguished in music city for bringing global cooking techniques to Tennessee’s Southern ingredients, he opened Rolf & Daughters in 2012 and it’s still full every night.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • STITCHER • MP3

His follow up, Folk, opened a few months ago in the Spring, and he describes the menu as loosely Italian-influenced food that he’d essentially like to eat himself on any given day.

Krajeck’s musical influences run far and wide, in no small part due to the fact that he moved to Belgium with his family at the age of 10 and soaked up the vast array of genres he was exposed to, most notably by listening to Engligh DJ Giles Peterson and learning about Dance Music, Hip Hop, Spiritual Jazz, Funk, Soul, World Music and everything in between, tapping him into an entirely new universe of artists that he otherwise may have never have discovered.

He contributes this passionate and eclectic spirit to the vibe at Folk, creating a seamless and relaxed dining experience that’s comforting but constantly engaging.

rolfanddaughters.com
goodasfolk.com

Theme Song – “Wonder” by Jamie Drake

The Shift List – Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, MilkWood) Louisville

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Edward Lee is the chef and owner of three restaurants with unique identities in Louisville, Kentucky – 610 Magnolia, MilkWood, and Whiskey Dry – and is the author of two books. Smoke & Pickles – his first – is a cookbook that chronicles the story of how he was raised in Brooklyn in a family of Korean immigrants to his arrival in Louisville, and Buttermilk Graffiti, a uniquely inspiring read that is part food essay, part travel book, part memoir and part cookbook.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • STITCHER • MP3

Released in the Spring of 2018, Buttermilk Graffiti finds Lee traveling across America to learn how immigrants arrive, thrive, and influence the cuisine of communities all over the country, from the Cambodian community of Lowell Massachusetts to the predominantly Muslim neighborhoods of Dearborn Michigan.

In addition to his appearances on award winning shows like Mind of a Chef and writing and producing the Feature Documentary Fermented, Lee participates in the annual Bourbon and Beyond festival held in Louisville at the end of each September for the past two years.

Equal parts bourbon, music, and food, the festival shines a spotlight on the things that make Kentucky and Louisville a great place to visit and live.

chefedwardlee.com

The Shift List – Miles Thompson (Michael’s Santa Monica) – Los Angeles

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

When Chef Miles Thompson describes food, it can sound like jazz – “salt, umami, acid, SUGAR, spice, crunch!” His Shift List includes the trippy guitar stylings of Bill Frisell, the rootsy wanderings of Jason Isbell, and classical suites from the likes of Debussy and Isaac Albéniz.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • STITCHER • MP3

Miles Thompson is the Executive Chef of Michael’s Restaurant in Santa Monica, a mainstay in the modern Californian cuisine movement for almost 40 years, having acted as a springboard for the likes of Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman, Brooke Williamson, Sang Yoon, and more.

Originally from New York state, Thompson moved to LA over a decade ago to work in the kitchens of NOBU, Animal, and Sonofagun, respectively, before venturing out on his own to start the wonderfully-received pop-up series called The Vagrancy Project, a supper club that he ran out of his tiny Hollywood apartment for about 8 months.

The Vagrancy Project ultimately led to Thompson opening his first restaurant as head chef at the now closed Allumette restaurant in Echo Park, which was selected by Bon Appétit as one of the Best New Restaurants in 2013.

After a brief stint away from Southern California, Thompson returned in 2016 to take the helm at Michael’s, after founder Michael McCarty’s son Chas convinced his father to bring on the young chef, telling him they needed to “take things to the next step” at the venerable restaurant.

Two years in, Thompson continues to push forward the restaurant’s legacy as an icon of Southern California’s restaurant scene, coming up with many of his most innovative recipes while listening to music during his sometimes 90-minute commute from East LA to Santa Monica on the 10 freeway.

Photo by @rjacobsonphoto

Chef Miles’s Shift List
Agustín Barrios Mangoré – Julia Florida
Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
Bill Frisell – Telstar
Bill Frisell – Del Close
Nob Sugino – Cloud In Rose
Al Green – I’m Still In Love With You
The Beatles – Savoy Truffle
Jason Isbell – Goddamn Lonely Love
Kurt Rosenwinkel – Minor Blues
Albert Nieto and Isaac Albéniz – Mallorca
Iron & Wine – Boy With a Coin
Derek & The Dominos – Layla
LCD Soundsystem – Home
Claude Debussy – Preludes, Book 1: No. 10 La cathedrale engloutie