Chef Challenge

Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, Iron Chef: America and even Chopped, all are devoted, in part or in full, to chef-on-chef cooking competition.  Well, you knew it was only a matter of time before I threw my toque into the ring.  I have been invited to compete in a preliminary cook-off to benefit the Bay Area Food Bank.

The Bay Area Food Bank is a wonderful charity that is essential to life here on the Gulf Coast.  The BAFB provides food for people on the Mississippi and Alabama coast as well as the panhandle of Florida who have ungergone great tragedy.  The supplies of this organization are all that stood between many Katrina/Ivan victims and starvation.

The main competition will be held in September and is a five-course traditional Italian meal.  Since I live on the coast I chose recipes from the coastal areas of Italy, specifically Sicily.  For the prelim I only have to prepare my entrée which I think will get the judges attention because it includes neither tomatoes nor cheese.  Pisci ‘Nfurnatu is a baked fish dish on a bed of roasted fennel with garlic, chili flakes and parsley.

I will be competing against two other chefs, Will Hughes of Will Hughes Catering and Ronald Menyfield from the local Romano’s Macaroni Grill.  Chef Will is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University (the same school that produced Emeril LeGasse and Tyler Florence) and is well respected in the area.  Chef Menyfield I am not familiar with but I used to work at Mac Grill so I’m sure we’ll have some stories to swap.

The prelim is June 18th at the multi-million dollar BAFB kitchens at 6:30PM.  For more information you can contact Meridith Simmerman at 251-653-1617.

Orleans Poboys vs. Orleans Café

Originally posted at Azalea City Food Blog on May 31, 2009.

Orleans Poboys on Airport at University has been producing some of Mobile’s best sandwiches, especially Poboys, for over ten years with a dedication to quality and flavor in a casual neighborhood haunt setting.

Orleans Café is the Johnny-come-lately on Schillenger’s Road with the similar name, duplicate logo colors and near identical menu.  Unfortunately, all similarities ended there.

Why so much disparity between two satellites of presumably the same franchise?  Well, because there were no connections between the two eateries.  Different owners, different recipes and most notably different quality.

How bad was the food at Orleans Café?  So bad that it was hurting the business at Orleans Poboys, a completely unrelated company.  That is why Orleans Poboys has purchased Orleans Café thus saving two businesses at one time.

Recently, sous chef Jay and I dined at the newly rehabilitated Orleans Café and are happy to report, “Wowzers!”

What a difference a little attention to quality of ingredients can make.  The Poboys were great.  The rémoulade was amazing but the hot wings were the show stealer.  Jay and I surmised that the wings were dunked into the wing sauce before frying.  The result was a buttery rust-colored skin packed with flavor but oddly enough no heat.  The heat came on the side in the form of traditional Buffalo wing sauce.  The app was also served with blue cheese and ranch dressing and the aforementioned rémoulade.  We’ll be back.