Food-O-File
Six jars of lard don't just grow on trees, you know
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., June 28, 2013
Congratulations to the Austin chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier on their successful fundraising over the past year which has allowed them to award $2,000 scholarships to each of the four following culinary students: Gabby Roberts, who attends the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, and Emily Smallwood, Caitlin Welch, and Jennifer Moen, all of whom attend Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Les Dames also just completed a successful campaign that raised almost $16,000 for the medical expenses of a respected deceased member, Jill Lewis. Great work all around, ladies!
Last week's Citywide 86'ed competition drew a standing-room-only crowd to the Tejas Room at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center. John Hajash of Congress Austin emerged victorious in the Chopped-style local contest, winning an engraved stock pot trophy, a $100 gift card from Mission Restaurant Supply, and two one-week stages at prestigious New York City restaurants, with travel expenses covered by a $2,250 stipend from the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. In what turned out to be a great surprise for contestants Joaquin Ceballos and Chase Gintner, both of Sway, and Brandon Martin of Foreign & Domestic, they each received three-day stages at prominent Texas restaurants with travel stipends, as well as merchandise and gift certificates. Not a bad night's work.
With the city's rewriting of the Urban Farm Code regulations on the horizon, the four existing urban farms are seeking community support for their endeavors. Austinites who are interested in being public supporters of the local urban farms can sign up at www.austinurbanfarms.org and find information about contacting members of the City Council and the Planning Commission, as well as the dates and procedures for attending upcoming meetings and speaking on behalf of the urban farmers.
It's Dai Due pie contest time again, which means piemakers can drop off a slice of their homemade Texas peach pie made with Dai Due lard crust at the booth at the Downtown Farmers' Market on Saturday morning, June 29, between 9am and 1pm. Results will be announced on Tuesday, July 2, and the winner receives a $50 gift bag of Dai Due sausages and condiments, six jars of lard, and bragging rights for the coming year.
Regarding last week's item that stated a new restaurant going in at 2406 Manor would be designed by A Parallel Architecture, development team member Shalou Barth advises us that the unnamed restaurant going into that building "has their own marketing strategy and has not chosen an architect for their project as yet." We regret the error.
