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05/18/13Danish National BBQ Team Showcases Literary "Gold" at World Championship Barbecue Cooking ContestBefore the Danish National BBQ Team served dinner at barbecue fest family night, they treated guests to an unusual appetizer: a sneak peak at the team’s award winning cookbook titled “Gold.” The book, a 400-page celebration of grilling, won a prestigious Gourmand Award earlier this year in Paris, and the unveiling in Memphis introduced the book’s English translation. While "Gold" pays homage to the team’s annual participation in the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the recipes are the book’s winsome page-turners, offering delectable enticements such as salt-baked pork shank, pulled pork ravioli, buttermilk tenderloin, duck breast with parsnips cooked in tea, elderflower scallops... Posted at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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05/14/13"Farm Fresh Tennessee" Book Signing at Hog & Hominy Showcases Local Food and Agri-tourismTruth be told, I’ve never been clear on how to pronounce sorghum or what to do with the syrup until I attended a book signing for “Farm Fresh Tennessee,” a treasure trove of information on food, farmers, and agri-tourism from authors Paul and Angela Knipple. At the book signing, the Knipples shared a bowl of caramel popcorn balls made with sorghum and country ham, a tribute to two of Tennessee’s iconic flavors. The popcorn balls were sticky, delicious, and not too-sweet. Most people swooped in for second tastings. The recipe for the popcorn balls is included in “Farm Fresh Tennessee” and inspired from the couple’s wanderings across the state. The Knipples traveled about 30,000 miles over the course of a year,... |
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05/06/13Help Chef Denis Martig Find His Photo of Elvis and Priscilla Presley's Wedding Cake PresentationIn a city like Memphis where connections to Elvis are commonplace, Chef Denis Martig’s story still stands out. I learned about Martig’s relationship with Elvis in an email with the subject tag “Researching a Very Special Picture.” Now an internationally recognized pastry chef consultant living in his home country of Switzerland, Martig’s Elvis story dates back to 1967 when he worked at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Here is some of what he wrote to me in his email: “I was employed by the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas in the capacity of pastry chef when I was called on to make the wedding cake for Elvis and Priscilla Presley. During the event, the bridal couple was presented to a large group... Posted at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments: 3 |
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05/04/13Burgers, Cold Beer and Your Favorite LP's On Tap at Hog & Hominy's New Back Porch Dive BarCreating a perfect burger takes time, especially for the chefs at Hog & Hominy, who like to deconstruct food and then shape it into something more delicious. For the upcoming John T. Edge burger, a signature dish for the restaurant’s new back porch dive bar, the H & H team spent two months experimenting with combinations of meat and toppings. “We finally settled on an all-beef burger that we grind ourselves,” explained chef/owner Michael Hudman. The meat comes from nearby Claybrook Farms in Covington, and the burger’s toppings include caramelized onions, mustard, and pickled iceberg lettuce. The burger’s name pays homage to Edge, who is the director of Oxford’s Southern Foodways Alliance... |
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04/21/13Ready for Lunch? Here's a List of Top-10 Sandwiches in MemphisMost folks slap ham and cheese on bread for lunch and call it a day. Not so for Midtown foodie Joe Hayden, who thinks the sandwich, no matter how humble, deserves respect. A journalism professor at the University of Memphis, Hayden grew up in a big family with an Italian mother who loved to cook. “She didn’t like a lot of kids in her kitchen,” Hayden says. “Sandwiches were something I could make and not get in her way.” So what makes an ideal sandwich for a man who eats one every day? Construction is important, Hayden says. A good sandwich doesn’t fall apart: “If you have to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, it’s a disappointing sandwich.” Flavorful fillings matter too, something Hayden showcases with The Joe, a... Posted at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments: 4 |
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04/13/13Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe & Honky Tonk: Here's a Peek at its Memphis-Centric MenuMove over Beale Street. Jerry Lee Lewis is coming back to Memphis with a parade and a restaurant set to open (softly) on April 23. The official opening will be April 27 following a 4 p.m. welcoming parade down Beale Street to move the Killer's piano, motorcycle, and memorabilia into Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe & Honky Tonk, located on the first floor of Dancing Jimmy's. The cafe, the first in the country to carry Jerry Lee's endorsement, will appeal to visitors and locals alike with a Southern menu of home cooking and Memphis barbecue. A sneak peek at the menu finds a house-smoked pulled pork sandwich with slaw on a potato bun, along with rib and shoulder platters, barbecue salad, and house-made sides such as picnic potato salad,... |
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04/11/13Lavoro's Italian Restaurant Will Call it Quits June 22When I opened my email Wednesday night, I reluctantly read my weekly letter from Lavoro's announcing the restaurant's closing on June 22. This wonderful Italian restaurant on the corner of Summer Avenue and Sycamore View has been serving heartfelt and delicious pizza and pasta for almost five years. In fact, I was so impressed with the restaurant that I wrote a review of Lavoro's published in Memphis magazine last September. I am very sorry to see owner Mike Working calling it quits. Here is an excerpt from Lavoro's email explaining the upcoming closing: "Five years ago, we signed a five year, two month lease. What a five years it has been. We've shared birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, and so many nice moments with so... Posted at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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04/04/13Food & Wine Names Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman Best New Chefs of 2013Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, the energetic and innovative chefs behind two popular Memphis restaurants, have been named Best New Chefs for 2013 by Food & Wine magazine. Food & Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin announced the awards Tuesday in New York City, where Ticer and Hudman gathered with nine other winners, including Michael Voltaggio from Ink in Los Angeles, Danny Bowien from Mission Chinese in New York City, and Chris Shepherd from Underbelly in Houston. In June, Ticer and Hudman, who own and operate Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Hog & Hominy in East Memphis, will be feted again at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, one of the most auspicious events on the national culinary calendar. Marketing manager... |
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03/30/13Listen Up Barbecue Lovers: Now You Can Judge World Championship Barbecue at Memphis in MayThe Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, scheduled May 16 to 18 in downtown’s Tom Lee Park, is getting user-friendly. For the first time, visitors will be able to judge barbecue prepared on-site in a program called the Kingsford Tour of Champions. Their scores will determine the winning team, which will receive a $2,500 prize. Before judging teams, visitors will attend a short training in the judges’ tent for instructions and scorecards. They also must pay a $10 fee and pre-register online by May 14. Judging sessions will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on May 16 and 17. Each judge will evaluate the chopped Boston butt prepared by four of the event's 16 participating teams. “We... Posted at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments: 3 |
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03/28/13"On the Road" Premieres at Ridgeway Four with Wine, Swag, and Finger FoodIf the idea of Jack Kerouac attending a wine tasting makes you giggle just a little, Friday night’s event at Malco Ridgeway Four might be a fun way to kick off the weekend. Titled “A Timeless Rhyme & Endless Wine,” the $10 tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. also will feature open mic poetry readings before the local premiere of “On the Road,” a film adaptation based of Kerouac’s 1957 novel by the same name. The film, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles, opened nationally with a limited release before Christmas. In addition, Friday night’s event before the film's screening will include surprise swag bags (look for gift certificates!) along with fruit, pasta salad, cheeses, bread, desserts and... |
Memphis Stew is a food blog that celebrates our city’s community table and the people who grow, cook, and eat Memphis food. It is written by Pamela Denney, food editor of Memphis magazine, who sees food as a delicious way to build families, friendships, and a more healthy and sustainable future.
