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Posts Tagged ‘Founding Farmers’

Taste Talks Come to DC

June 20th, 2014 • No Comments

June 17th, 2014 – Enjoyed a fun evening with a group that is promoting Food Entrepreneurship throughout the U.S. – Spoon University. Taste Talks came to DC after a successful visit to New York, but they were totally shocked by the large crowd that came out – my estimate is close to 200 people, but whatever the number, it was pretty packed! Food Samples from various local vendors/restaurants including Luke’s Lobster and Founding Farmer (see list below) and actually 2 Panel Discussions (speakers below) made it an interesting event. I would say that most of the audience were Millenials – many still in college – but that is primarily Spoon University’s audience. Food businesses, like food trucks, are the kinda hip “thing” for 20-somethings looking for direction in their life.

And what did I learn? Nothing seriously new – food businesses tend to be passion businesses – margins normally are slim and hours are long – and hard work separates those who succeed from those who fail – but what I found the most interesting is the high interest level in a city like Washington, D.C. which frankly has quite a few jobs available with decent pay – why would someone just out of college want such a tough career, when most likely they could take a pretty cushy desk job at 50% higher pay? I think many younger people are looking to feel good about themselves – not just a Big Paycheck – and food businesses seem to satisfy the need for adventure, a little risk-taking, and maybe a sense of belonging/community.

Here are some photos from the event via Facebook: TasteDC Calendar of Food and Drink Events.

Tuesday, June 17 from 6:30 to 8:30pm

On the heels of our wildly successful Taste Talks NYC event, we’re once again partnering with our friends at General Assembly to cover all things food and entrepreneurship. Join us on June 17 to nosh on delicious free food, hear from professionals and die-hard foodies in the DC culinary scene and network with speakers and attendees. Register for the event here, or use the ticketing buttons below.

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When: Tuesday, June 17 from 6:30 to 8:30pm
Where: 1776, 1133 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Speakers include:
Luke Holden, founder of Luke’s Lobster
Susan Able, editor-in-chief and publisher of Edible DC
Jennifer Motruk, VP marketing for Founding Farmers
Jonas Singer, founder of Union Kitchen and Blind Dog Cafe
Chris Vigilante, founder of Vigilante Coffee
Greg Menna, partner, District Doughnut
Summer Whitford, founder of The Food & Wine Diva
Jimmy Edgerton, 2Armadillos

Come hungry to feast on:
District Doughnut
Vigilante Coffee
Thunder Beast Root Beer
sweetgreen salad
Luke’s Lobster bites
Founding Farmers grub
Blind Dog Cafe chocolate chip cookies
Capitol Kombucha drinks
Baba’s Pickles
& more!

TasteTalks

 

Chefs For Equality – a Cause Worth Eating For!

October 25th, 2012 • No Comments

I have really great news for DC Fundraisers and Foodies in our Nation’s Capital – DC has reached Foodie Destination! OK, so maybe there are still quite a few events with poor food and bad drinks, but after recently attending the Capital Food Fight, the Washingtonian Brunch & Bloody’s event and Wednesday, October 24th’s Chef’s For Equality event, I noticed many of the same restaurants and chefs showcasing different sides of their culinary ability. The bad news is I didn’t get a list of dishes from last night’s event – I was spending too much time tasting, drinking and a bit of hobnobbing – but let’s just say there wasn’t a bad dish! What made this event extra Foodie was that there was also a Cocktail focus and some of the top Mixologists in our region like Todd Thrasher and Adam Bernbach went all out to impress the crowd.

The Evening’s cause was to raise awareness and votes for Same-Sex Marriage Rights in Maryland – since I support same-sex marriage but I’m really focused on Food and Drink Events, here are the details on the politics of the event from the Human Right’s Coalition. Also, Washingtonian had a nice article with some Chef gossip and the details on the political cause. Other Articles include the Washington Blade which mentions MD Gov. O’Malley’s speech at the event, Tim Gunn from Project Runway was a speaker at the event as well, you can read more at MyFoxDC’s Coverage. I’m all for political causes and fundraisers, but I feel it’s my duty to stay focused DC’s culinary experiences.

Below is a list of participating chefs and Mixologists as well – I was able to copy the links to most of the restaurants so it’s also a nifty way to find out more about each establishment. I’ll try to update the dishes if I can get a list of them, but alas, this is mostly a Publicity post right now – I REALLY like to include more food information – Cheers!

Participating Chefs

Find out more about DC’s top culinary chefs participating in this special event.

Featured Mixologists

Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler

Washingtonian Brunch and Bloodys – a Spicy Affair

October 24th, 2012 • No Comments

Washingtonian Brunch & Bloodys – Spicy!

The Winning Bloody Mary by Chef Scott Drewno, The Source

I attended the Washingtonian Brunch and Bloody’s event on Saturday, October 20th, 2012 at the lovely Long View Gallery on a perfect day in Shaw, Washington, D.C. This was a very well-laid out event and although it was sold out, there was plenty of room to get to the tables and taste unabated..and the mimosas flowed like, uhh, wine! Let’s put it to you this way – if you left this event hungry, then you were probably just drinking, and with over 10 medium-sized Bloody Mary’s to try, you probably would have rolled out! Having said that, I’ve noticed that the restaurants and chefs at these events are getting extremely good at preparing slightly exotic dishes and pushing the envelope on how to serve 250+ people without a regular kitchen behind them.

The Bloody Marys featured Belvedere Vodka and the bar served champagne, mimosas, and bellinis featuring Chandon. Like I said – no one went home hungry, but not thirsty either..there was plenty to drink and I was most impressed that they served the mimosas in glass Champagne flutes..and of course, there was the lovely smashing of glass at the beginning of the event- sort of like a Greek wedding.. or maybe it’s a Jewish wedding, but back to the event..

The “Bloody” Judges including Cori Sue Morris of the Bitches Who Brunch and Jeff Faile, Mixologist of Fiola Restaurant

This event was based on the Washingtonian’s list of the 50 Great Breakfast and Brunch Spots from Washingtonian – and it was double smart of them to invite the infamous bloggers the Bitches who Brunch to the event to judge the Bloody Mary’s.

More Bloody Mary’s in one afternoon than I can remember..

Here’s their own marketing pitch from the CVent Website (interesting that they used such a high-powered registration system for this event – maybe a touch overkill for a 1-time event, but they sold out, so it worked!) Introducing The Washingtonian’s premier “Brunch & Bloodys” event! Enjoy delicious brunch bites from restaurants featured in The Washingtonian’s October cover story “50 Favorite Brunch Places.” Participating restaurants will also compete in the Bloody Mary challenge, in which guests and a panel of judges (including Washingtonian editors, the Bitches Who Brunch, and Jeff Faile from Fiola) will vote for the best.

Here’s the List of Restaurants that participated and the dishes they served (I put my own comments after the dishes):

“Chawanmushi” from Maple Ave. Restaurant

Art and Soul –    ?
Black Market Bistro / BlackSalt –    Black Market’s pancakes and BlackSalt’s Bloody Mary
Brasserie Beck –    Mini quiche Lorraine with Micro Herb Salad & Bloody Mary & Jumbo Lump Crab Meat Shooters
Busboys and Poets –    Coffee, Sweet Potato Pancakes with 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup from Coombs Family Farms, Vegan Tuna & crackers – they served a Vegan yellow tomato Bloody Mary which I remember because they were the only restaurant to use non-red tomatoes. The Sweet Potato pancakes were very good with the maple syrup – they didn’t even ad pads of butter because this restaurant is promoting their Vegan/vegetarian dishes.
Chef Geoff’s/ LIA’S –    Mini Vegetarian Quiches and Brunch Bread
Eatonville  –   Gumbo (crab, rock shrimp, andouille sausage, fried okra, white rice) and mini pulled beef short ribs sandwich – I only had the short ribs sandwich, but I have to admit – simple comfort foods seem to show the best at these kind of events.
Founding Farmers –    Mini Yogurt Parfaits with Housemade Granola; Corn Muffins; Bacon Lollis – The Bacon Lollipops were alot of fun – essentially a sugar-coated piece of bacon that reminded me of putting bacon on my pancakes with maple syrup – a real winner!
Howard Theatre –   Shrimp and Grits, Breakfast berry parfaits – I didn’t know the Howard Theatre was serious about food, but these were some flavorful Grits with a bit of Jerk seasoning to give them a kick.

Donuts with the fixings!

Jackie’s –   Maple-Chai Doughnuts – They served these donuts glazed and you could put your own toppings on like cocoa and sprinkles – Yummy!
Maple Ave Restaurant  –  Chawanmushi  – Chinese Steam Egg with carmelized kimchi
Mintwood Place   – “Croque Madames”” featuring veal tongue” – This sounds exotic, but it tasted like really good ham and melted cheese together – fancified comfort food, this was very good.
Poste  –  Smoked Trout Rillette with citrus crème fraiche and trout roe on a waffle chip – One of the more “Foodie” dishes with layers of flavor – I liked this alot, but I’m always a big fan of caviar/fish roe – I love when the little eggs pop in your mouth!
The Greenhouse at the Jefferson  –  Quiche with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, & Gruyere and Quiche with Broccoli & Cheddar
The Hamilton  –   Steak and Eggs Burr-naise and Bloody Alexander
The Source  –  “Sambal Goreng” Spicy Hangover Eggs, Braised Short Ribs, Chesapeake Mary, Jumbo Lump Crab, Gordy’s Pickle

Overall, this event was very well run and had plenty of food, drinks and space to make it enjoyable. Since everyone could taste every dish and drink relatively quickly, the event was full and mostly empty within two hours of the start – it was a Saturday, and everyone nowadays likes to make multiple plans on the weekend, so that was another plus. The key to these events is to give the chefs/restaurants space and let them do their magic – the organizers understood this and even the Bloody Mary judging took backseat to the food. Hopefully this becomes a regular Foodie Event on the DC Food and Drink Event Calendar, and if so, I’d like to see how trends in Brunch change over time – Cheers!

Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler

P.S. Here’s a Recap of the Bloody Mary Competition by the Judges from the Bitches Who Brunch.

Washingtonian Took Some Great Pics too – and Yep, I’m in one of the photos!