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Pizza Grand Prix Post Script

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 8, 2009

The Pizza Grand Prix III had a great turnout. During a Saturday of way too many choices (good weather, Gallery Hop, The Fitness Expo and etc), 60 plus people came to dine on a plethora of pizza pies.

This is what we ate or tried to (pizza place and topping) in order of appearance:

Zach and Mary’s Venison is for Lovers Pizza x2
Hounddogs – Meat Lovers
Hounddogs – Veggie Pizza
Portofinos II – Pepperoni
Mellow Mushroom – Bacon
Dewey’s – Southwest BBQ Chicken
Dewey’s – Wild Mushroom
Dewey’s – ?
Dewey’s – ?
Dewey’s – ?
Cafe Daniella – Bianca
Cafe Daniella – Mahgerita
Bono to Gone – San Rolando
Bono to Gone – Pesto, Tomato, Basil
Catfish Biff’s
Gatto’s – Sausage and Onion
Mellow Mushroom – ?
Adriatico’s – Cheese
Yosick’s (yes the German Village Chocolatier) – Vegetarian
Yosicks’s – ?
Rockmaster Mike’s Bacon Baccahanalia 1.0 (Homemade)
Rockmaster Mike’s Bacon Baccahanalia 2.0
Rotolo’s – Tomato and Garlic
Cowtown – Mediterranean
Rotolo’s – Sausage
Massey’s – Pepperoni
Pizza Primo – Supreme
Rubino’s – Pepperoni
Stoned Pizza – Cheese
Stoned Pizza – Pepperoni
Stoned Pizza – Pickles and Pepperoni
Surly Girl Saloon – Surly Girl Pizza x2
Surly Girl Saloon – Chuckwagon (a breakfast pizza) x3
(Delivered by Amy from SGS)
Panzera’s Pizza – Pepperoni, Mushroom, Onions, Sausage, Banana Peppers x2
High Beck Tavern – Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, BBQ sauce x2
Northstar Cafe – High Street Veggie x2
Hounddogs – Olives and Feta, Smokin Joe’s Style (Spicy)
Fabian’s – Chicken Rustica
Mama Mimi’s – BBQ Sauce, Pepperoni, Bacon
Belleria – Sausage, Pepperoni, Green Peppers, Onion
DiCarlos – Pepperoni
Enrico’s – Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom, Peppers
Angie’s Pizza – Pepperoni

A few pizzas may have have been missed coming through the door at the beginning. I am not sure how many Bono Pizzas arrived. Few pizzas lingered around for long. My official count was 50 pizzas from 27 places. My highest headcount of the night was 62 pizza eating souls although many people came and left during the night. We raised $51 for the Haiku Help Fund.

We made a run at voting this year. However, I should mention some disclaimers. Pizza comes in at various times during the night. Few people could have tried all 50 odd pizzas, it all depends on when one arrives and how quickly a pizza gets eaten. In the case of Bono – those pizzas lasted 8 minutes and were sampled by about 10 people at the most. Our inaugural categories:

Best of Grand Prix
Winner: Dewey’s Buffalo Chicken
Runner Up: High Beck Smokehouse Combo

Best Homemade
Winner: Rockmaster Mike’s Bacon Baccahanalia

Best Topping Combo
Winner: Mama Mimi’s BBQ Bacon
Runner Up: Surly Girl Blue Cheese Cranberry

Best Vegetarian
Winner: Northstar High Street Veggie

The best comment in the voting cards – “Hounddogs Feta and Olives Soooo F**king Good!”

A trend I noticed among the winners … bacon. Bacon is still the new black in Columbus. My favorite was the Hi Beck Smokehouse combo – Brisket, Pulled Pork, BBQ sauce – so “fraking” good. It arrived later in the evening, a few more votes and it would have won two categories.

Taking Pizza to the Next Level, Pizza Box Jenga

Thanks to: Everyone that came, Wild Goose Creative for hosting as well as setting up and tearing down, Dewey’s for donating some pizzas, Surly Girl for donating and delivering pizzas, the Hounddogs delivery guy I forgot to tip because I was multi-tasking, Bill from Bono for making pizzas just for us, Walker Evans and anyone I missed.

For those of you that missed it, listen live – Columbus Foodcast Episode 35

Posted in Clintonville, Columbus style pizza, events, pizza | Tagged: Pizza Gran Prix, Pizza Grand Prix | Leave a Comment »

Pizza Grand Prix III, March 7th 6pm – 8pm, Admission is FREE!

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 28, 2009

Scene from PGP II

Who: Everyone
What: Bring a Pizza and/or eat pizza
When: March 7th, 6 PM to 8 PM
Where: Wild Goose Creative – 2491 Summit Street – Baja Clintonville
Why: Expand your Columbus pizza knowledge and sample pizzas you did not know about
How: Buy a pizza or make a pizza. If you can not purloin a pie drop by anyway but make a small donation to the Haiku Help Fund
Web: Here – CMH Gourmand and Columbus Underground

To keep track of what is going on for this Gran Prix – check out the current Columbus Underground post – Columbus Underground PGP III

When I was growing up in Columbus every March there was an event a the fairgrounds called Extravaganza. The commerial always ended with a cheesy announcer voice shrieking “ADMISSION IS FREE”. Well – admission is free to PGP but the only cheese we offer is on the pizza.

And for a taste of past Pizza Grand Prix events – see below.

Pizza Grand Prix Uno

Pizza Grand Prix Dos

Come out and join us. When you know you are coming – post here or on Columbus Underground so we can track a rough headcount.

We will have a few freebies, a lot of pizza, drinks are BYOB and this time we will have voting in place to so everyone can support their favorites of the night.

Here is the drill – we expect to have twenty plus types of pizza – the volume depends on how many people show up and what time people walk through the door.

We have napkins, plates, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and a pizza cutter. Sample to your hearts content and perhaps your stomachs regret. All are welcome to bring tupperware to take some pizza to go when we wind things down after 8 PM.

Voting will be in these categories:
Best of Grand Prix
Best Homemade
Best Topping Combo
Best Vegetarian

There will be a prize for the best homemade pizza as determined by voting.

We do ask that you ask to have your pizza cut in squares – aka – tavern cut – this helps with the process of pizza sharing. If you are bringing a pizza from your favorite pizza place – bring some extra menus with you – so other people can support your favorite dough slinger in the future. If you are stumped on where to get a pizza from (could this be?) check out my slice of CMH link at the top of the blog.

Hope to see you there – PGP has been one of the favorite Columbus Underground events and Wild Goose Creative is a wonderful place to host a community event.

BE THERE, BE THERE, BE THERE!

Note: More info to come during the week – I have been hampered by haphazard wireless connection crowded coffee shop internet access so posts have been delayed and rushed.

Posted in Clintonville, Columbus style pizza, events, kid friendly dining, pizza | Tagged: Pizza Gran Prix | 1 Comment »

NAPICS: Pizza and Ice Cream and Freebies…Oh My!

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 25, 2009

Pictured above is my “swag” from the North American Pizza and Ice Cream Show (NAPICS). This food industry event has called the Columbus Convention Center it’s home since 2004. For a sense of what is offered see the slides in the link below.

Pizza Marketplace slides from the 2008 NAPICS

NAPICS is the only pizza show in the Midwest, it draws over 5000 people each year from Ohio and surrounding states and it attracts companies from around the country.

Here are some interesting pizza points to ponder:

“Ohio has the largest concentration of pizza and ice cream shops per capita of any state in the country”.

“More than one-fourth of the nation’s 63,000 pizzerias are located in Ohio and the five surrounding states”. I believe Columbus has about 450 pizza slingers.

NAPICS also hosts the annual Pizza Pizzazz competition. Winners of this contest receive cash prizes and the opportunity to try out for the US Pizza Team and in turn head to Italy for the World Pizza Championship.

For the last two years I have attended as a member of the “Press” by marking “other” on my ticket application. I could sense the change in the economy based on the types of promotional items offered, the density of the crowd and the topics of the seminars. I scored some good loot last year, this year – not so much. My pass provided admission for two days. Each booth had something to offer including samples of all the pizza, pepperoni, meatballs, sausage, cheeses, sauces, ice cream, desserts and such I could stuff in my stomach. There are also competitions to watch – pizza making, dough tossing, etc.

Here are a few more links of interest.

PMQ – Pizza Magazine: Sporty Slices (about Columbus pizza)

NAPICS

Posted in Columbus, culinary knowledge, events, pizza | Tagged: NAPICS | Leave a Comment »

The Market Report – What You Are Missing.

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 24, 2009

Hills Market – Pistacia Vera Dessert Pairing with 5 wines and 1 beer (Cherry Lambic), February 12th

It was a wonderful night. Pistacia Vera now sells select items at the Hills. They make a multitude of memorable macaroons, some of which you can savor at Hills. Several of my usual suspects finally joined me for a night at the Hills, including Hungry Woolf so I will defer to her excellent post.

Hungry Woolf at the Hills

New eventful evenings are on the horizon at the Hills Market including a cooking class with the Restaurant Widow – Lisa Dillman. Sign up – you will not be disappointed. Sometime before Spring passes by I plan to have Hill’s Cheesemonger, Kent Rand on Columbus Foodcast.

The North Market – 4th Annual Fiery Foods Festival (February 21st)

I found myself at the North Market on official business as judge for the Professional and Amateur chili contests. There were eleven samples ladled by the professionals then a taste off between two at the end to decide second place. This was the chili contest cast of characters.

Kevin Bertschsi – Alana’s Food + Wine
Jerry Bullock – North Market Poultry and Game
Stephani Janel Hedgepath – Barley’s Brewing Company
Rocco Valentino – Pasteria
John Dornbeck – Basi Italia
Justin Shoults – Handke’s Cuisine
Matt Prokopchak – Trattoria Roma
John Skaggs – MyCateredTable.com (formerly of Northstar and L’Antibes)
Anthony Frazier – Urban Chefs
Ken Smith – Catering Consultant
and I apologize – another really good chili maker disappeared from my notes, done in by a kidney bean

Update:
Under the kidney bean, the name was (Thanks MM) Tom Hoover from Happy Trails.

Chef Chili Challenge – Prize: (see photo a little farther down) and $200 in North Market gift certificates.

Chef John Dornbeck and wife Trish Gentile serving chili

Each chili blended different ingredients and styles to create very unique flavors – savory and sweet; mild and wild: hot and really hot. My favorites were crafted by Jerry Bullock, John Dornbeck and a name smudged out with chili sauce that was a spicy southwestern chili with corn and zucchini. John Dornbeck always has a wild card up his culinary sleeve for North Market contests (he would make a great Iron Chef contestant). His version of chili included chorizo and espresso. If it had a fried egg on top (known as Estilo de Colleen) it would be the perfect breakfast dish. (By the way, Basi now has an incredible 1/2 price deal Monday to Thursday early evenings, check it out – but don’t steal my seat.)

The chili champion (in a very tight race) was Jerry Bullock from North Market Poultry and Game. If you have not sampled the cuisine at his side counter, try it next time you visit – his crew always have several slow cooked surprises to serve.

Customer Chili Cook Off – Prizes: first place winner $100 and the runner up $50 in North Market gift certificates.

This was another competition with narrow margins between victory and defeat. There were 15 chili recipes to sample, including chili from The Restaurant Widow (Lisa is everywhere).

My kudos and respect go to Robin Davis, Food Editor for the Dispatch. She and I were the only judges to sample all chili concoctions in both contests. We both survived. I plan to sit next to her at any future competition because she always packs an epinephrine pen with her for unforseen ingredients. As a judge with a fish allergy unsure if he was allergic to shark chili last year, Robin is a handy person to have within arms reach.

Other events at the Fiery Foods Festival:

Wings of Fire Wing Eating Contest; Two divisions: “Hot and Extremely, Insanely Hot”

Cajohn’s took over the upper level kitchen all day for their Fiery contests and for cooking. Chef Steve Lawrence and I go back to Kindergarten so it is a personal and professional pleasure to sample his culinary creativity.

There were also free fiery foods galore to sample while exploring the market festivities.
Mary Martineau knows how to make the North Market fiesta like it is 2099. Thank goodness she does not make it Macarena like it was 1989.

Cheeses sampled by Curds and Whey - including Satanic Goat - no joke

Stop missing the good stuff. Both the Hills and The North Market have plenty more in store for March and beyond. Take a reusable bag, support local business, meet the people that keep Columbus on the culinary radar, take a cooking class and enjoy.

A Gourmand disclaimer:

(Pardon the lack of advance notice for these events, my wireless connectivity has been frequently foiled this winter. I love living in Clintonville – (although Victorian Village has been calling my name for months) however the ancient electrical grid in my neighborhood and the bone numbing cold has not been friendly to my high speed connectivity. It has encouraged some hefty weight gain but I guess polishing off pancakes, sampling 20+ chilis, scouting 4 taco trucks and hosting a Mardi Gras party in a 12 hour period will facilitate fatty tissue).

Posted in culinary knowledge, events, markets | Tagged: Hills Market, North Market | 2 Comments »

Pancake Postscript

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 22, 2009

A few notes on the Pancake Breakfast for Zoe.

The turnout was incredible, inspiring and maybe a bit intimidating. Organizers were thinking / hoping for 150 pancake eaters. At one point, early in the week as more and more offers of food were coming in, I privately wondered what would happen to the leftovers – could there be room at the Clintonville Community Resource Center for them? Um, well, that was not a concern. When I arrived at 9:15 with some sausage (thanks Cedar Cress) and the Pleiades Maple Products Maple Gift (Sap) Bucket, the 150 goal was already hit. Oh, my!

Breakfast is not my favorite meal and pancakes are not my preferred morning entree – but I loved these pancakes.

wheat pancakes

standard pancakes a la Pattycake

gluten free, not flavor free pancakes

Jenni and Sarah from Pattycake Bakery along with many volunteers created batch after batch of pancakes. It is estimated about 500 people came for breakfast, that is a lot of mixing, pouring and flapjack flipping. Pancakes were served with apple topping, chocolate chips and real maple syrup. Added to that – sausage, waffles, fruit, orange juice, tea and coffee.

sausage links from Cedar Cress and sausage patties courtesy of Betty's

As I stood in line I listened to good music and about 15 minutes later, I sat down to eat my feast.

breakfast gourmand

This was an impressive example of a community of people coming together. I had to leave early to judge at the Fiery Food Festival. As I left, the parking lot as well as the neighboring street was full of cars. Friends of mine arriving at 10:45 reported they waited in line for 45 minutes due to the number of people queued for pancakes. I thank them all for sticking it out. Later arrivals did get to listen to local musician Megan Palmer, a local performer that fate continues to deny me opportunities to see live.

Congratulations to all of the volunteers, pancake makers, milk pourers, the clean up crew and others on a memorable morning.

Snowville Creamery Milk

Jenni from Pattycake and Amy a breakfast organizer

I became attached to the Pleiades Gift Bucket during my drive from the Worthington Winter Farmers Market to drop it off at the Maple Grove Church, so I bid and won it in the silent auction. Now I can make my own pancakes unless I can talk Jenni into coming out of retirement for a smaller order.

For those of you skeptical about a gluten free panacake – it was my favorite. This is exhibit 43 that Vegan baking makes tasty treats.

Posted in Clintonville, events | 2 Comments »

Saturday February 21st: Eat Pattycake Pancakes, Help Zoe

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 15, 2009

Who: Pancake eaters, Pattycake fans
What: Eat Pattycake Pancakes, waffles, sausage, fruit and more; listen to local music
When: Saturday February 21st – 9 AM to Noon
Where: Maple Grove United Methodist Church
*7 West Henderson Road (High and Henderson – Clintonville)*
Why: Help Zoe, Fight Cancer, Thank local businesses for stepping up
How: $5 buys food, music and an opportunity to bid on some great items
Web: Check this post for updates (and maybe corrections) during the week

maple syrup from Bonhomie Acres

Food (the menu so far!)
Pattycake Bakery Pancakes including:
*Whole Wheat Pancakes
*Rachel’s Apple-Sauce Flapjack’s with sauteed goldrush apples from Charlie’s Apples
*(Probably) gluten-free pancakes
Homemade Waffles (mix donated by Polaris Grill)
Cedar Cress Sausage
Fruit (from Weilands Gourmet Market)
Coffee and a special pink ribbon herbal ten blend tea (from Clintonville Community Market)
Maple Syrup ( from Bonhomie Acres courtesy of the Greener Grocer at North Market)
More Maple Syrup – Trader Joes
Milk – Snowville Creamery
Various sundries (Orange Juice, sugar, etc.), more sausage – Betty’s / Liz Lessner and Crew

Fun
Three Musical Acts:
Megan Palmer
Eric Nassau
Keenan Wade & Friends

(Bring)
Funds for a Silent Auction featuring:

Jeni’s Ice Cream Gift Certificates
Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails Gift Certificates
Pleiades Maple Products (from Mt. Gilead, a Worthington Farmers Market standby)
– an antique sap bucket with maple syrup, maple sugar, maple tea and more
More items to come….

Zoe’s Story:

Zoe Buyalos is a 31 year old Clintonville resident and owner of a green cleaning service. She was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. She is fighting through chemotherapy which has limited her ability to work and to cover medical expenses.

Article (2006) featuring Zoe

Say thanks to these and other sponsors:

Pattycake Bakery

The Greener Grocer &
Local Matters

Clintonville Community Market

Weilands Gourmet Market

Clintonville Community Resource Center

Betty’s

Snowville Creamery

Support your community and check out some of these local products:

Article featuring Bonhomie Acres Maple Syrup

Charlies Apples

Copy this for your calendar
Saturday February 21st
9 AM to NOON
Maple Grove United Methodist Church
7 West Henderson Road
(Corner of High and Henderson)

Posted in breakfast, Clintonville, events, kid friendly dining | Tagged: Pattycake Bakery, Pattycake Pancakes, Zoe Buyalos | 3 Comments »

The Details on Details

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 9, 2009

Details sign

My report on Details has been lingering around on my MacBook for a month. I keep getting bogged down in the details and stumped about what to expand on or what to cut out. However, the time has come to go with what I have after 5 trips and let the pictures serve their worth at a thousand words or more apiece. For a small space, I find Details has a lot to offer. The Cliff Notes on Details read: it is the perfect hangout if you take food in any form seriously and you want to enjoy the journey to your plate as much as the arrival to your palate.

Details had a quiet opening in December. The lounge is the offshoot of Rosendales. However, this is no culinary step-child or a waiting area for patrons pining for a table in Rich Rosendale’s restaurant. Details has an identity and style of it’s own. The first story features a well adorned and fully stocked bar. I walked the length of the bar many times but I never sat on a stool long enough to appreciate the first floor. The second level seats about 20. The core of Details is upstairs at a six seater minibar facing the kitchen/alchemist’s lair/culinary workshop.

The heart of Details is Chef de Cuisine Drew Garms. This minibar is a showcase for how fine food may come in small packages as well as proof that little details do make the difference in a great experience.

Some of the gadgets

Chef Garms knows his craft. He is a CIA graduate. Like several staff at Rosendales, he perfected the art and science of cooking at The Greenbrier an acclaimed restaurant and hotel not far from where my parents grew up in West Virginia. At the Greenbrier, he earned ten ACF (American Culinary Federation) medals and was Chef Richard Rosendale’s apprentice on the 2004 national culinary team in Erfurt, Germany. Upon completing his apprenticeship in 2005, Chef Garms was promoted to Saucier at the Greenbrier. In 2007 Chef Garms became Sous Chef and helped Chef Rosendale and his culinary team with the opening of Rosendales (info in italics courtesy of the Details website). In October 2008 Garms returned to Erfurt, as a member of the United States Regional Culinary Olympic Team.

A quick glance at the menu might make one think bar food. Such is not the case. Take a long look behind the bar at the small workspace and molecular gastromy gadets; you may wonder what you are in for. When two cooks are working this space, their motions mirror an olympic synchronized swim team but with flamebursts, cocktail crafting, negative eighty degree flash-freezing, anti-griddling and other Iron Chef activity going on.

Here is a sampling from the regular menu. The complete menu is online at the Details web site.

Details Burgers Miniature Angus Beef Sliders, Black Sesame Brioche, Plum Tomato, Lettuce, House Made Ketchup and Mayonnaise

Details Burgers: Three Miniature Angus Beef Sliders, Black Sesame Brioche, Plum Tomato, Lettuce, House Made Ketchup and Mayonnaise

Steak Fries with a trio of sauces

Tuna Tar Tar Tacos with Avocado, Pickled Scallions and Ginger

House Made Charcuterie (meats), Bread & Butter Pickles, Dijon Mustard with Crusty Bread

House Made Charcuterie Specialties, Bread & Butter Pickles, Dijon Mustard, Crusty Bread

Smoked Paprika Potato Chips

I do not have a photo of the Spanish Chorizo Chili (Black Beans, Scallions, Avocado Butter, and Fried Plantains Chips – I have found a garbanzo bean or two in here as well – and yes – there is Chorizo – Spanish style sausage). It is the perfect dish to kill the cold of winter.

The menu satisfies. Several small details make this minibar menu a fine dining meal. Let’s begin with maple syrup. A basic ingredient. Drew smokes his maple syrup which serves as the coating for his house made pastrami. He gave me a small syrup sample that ensured perfection in a slice of French Toast at Chateau Gourmand as a day after long night meal of atonement.

Now let’s move on to ketchup. Who cares about that? Chef Garms does. I am a convert as well. The tomatoes in the base are smoked and then mixed with other ingredients to create the finest condiment on the face of our planet. Few places make their own ketchup which makes sense, who has the time for a condiment? Well when the chef cares about his ketchup – imagine the effort he puts into everything else. I would order a 20 ounce glass of the house ketchup and drink it straight. I now ask for three servings of ketchup instead of a trio of sauces with my steak fries.

Ketchup...smoked Ketchup

Speaking of drinking. The absolute awesomeness of the cocktail menu finely complements the cuisine. These are old school cocktails which have no better in Columbus, perhaps no peers this side of NYC (with the exception of Highland Estates).

The description of the martini demonstrates the Details approach to cocktails.

Martini

We are unabashed purists.
Your choice of Gin and a healthy pour of dry vermouth.
On the rocks if you must. Optional Olive or Twist.
Not available in Vodka

The quality of the alcohol selections demonstrate the respect Details cocktails deserve. The Aviation includes Creme de Violette and Maraschino Liqueur. My new found friend St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur finds a home in the Wry Smile. There is a respectable selection of high-end bourbons and cognacs. My current favorite is Amaro Mio: Raisin-infused Grappa shaken with Amaretto, Cointreau and Espresso.

cocktail menu

Old Mule

Wry Smile

Mojito

Champagne Cocktail

If there are 5 people you want to share a great evening with, set up a Detailed Experience. There are two seatings each evening, at 6:00 and 9:00, for up to six people. Reservations should be at least twenty-four hours in advance. Chef Garms will greet you at the mini-bar with a cocktail then serve a series of tasting plates, blending elements from the menu, his own inspirations and feedback from your party. The price is $55.

Some of the usual suspects and I reserved a tasting menu on New Years Eve. I did not take any notes and this post is getting really long so I will defer to the photos.

reserved

Chef Garms on the right

nye cocktail

Red Hot Pork Rinds and Wasabi Peas

mixed fried

Mixed Fried: Plaintains, Wontons, Potato Chips, Sweet Potato Fries

burger and fries

fries

during

after

cocktail and meatball

meatball

Caesar with a twist on pate

toast and cheese

the lineup

dessert 1

dessert 2

fin

At Details (and some other kitchens in town), there is a movement afoot to redefine, refine, and promote a Columbus food culture that is not fast food but fabulous food.

Details
791 North High Street
Short North
614.298.1301

Details Lounge

Posted in CLOSED | Tagged: Details Lounge, Drew B. Garms | 12 Comments »

Art Imitates My Life

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 3, 2009

Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan would be very disappointed in me. My lifestyle since Thanksgiving should have rebranded this blog to – CMH Glutton (hold your comments Hungry Woolf). On the plus side, my food spending has held back the fine line between recession and depression. As I transition back to my early 2008 life of exercising 5-6 days per week, drinking a glass of wine instead of a bottle and extreme eating once a month vs. once a day, I find I am surrounded by some not so subliminal messages.

A billboard caught my eye, the Red Gold ad downtown. I contacted their public relations group for information and they sent behind the scenes photos to supplement mine. The billboard made it’s national debut in Columbus, next stop Milwaukee in March or later.

Courtesy of Red Gold

Here are some interesting factoids on the billboard.

5 tomatoes: 5 feet tall by 13 feet around, each weighs about 150 lbs.
140 feet of tomato vines
The leaves are 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide
The Red Gold cans are 16 1/2 feet tall by 12 1/2 feet wide

“If the two giant cans were filled with Red Gold petite diced tomatoes, that would make enough salsa to serve over 400,000 people.”

Red Gold is donating 10,000 pounds of tomatoes to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank in February.

Another series of ads has been around downtown for a while – Pabst Blue Ribbon. There are many new districts springing up to supplement the Brewery District and the Arena District. Among the new areas are the Red Brick District and the Discovery District. There is a rumor the area with the PBR ads will be named the Lauren District…not sure what the significance may be.

Here is some background on the fan created art from Pabst Blue Ribbon.

PBR ART

Posted in Columbus | Tagged: Red Gold Billboard | 4 Comments »

Clintonville Chili Bowl Post Script

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 1, 2009

The second annual Clintonville Chili Bowl was a huge success! The initial count was one hundred and fifty paid admissions (plus judges, chili makers, chili maker groupies,…) grossing over $600 for the Clintonville Community Resource Center. Twenty plus interpretations of chili were ladled out including a house chili. Cornbread and a bake sale balanced out the meals.

my core chili ingredients

I had mentioned I was coming to win. I decided Friday morning to go with a populist approach – using my two sided crock pot I made mild and wild versions of a buffalo, steak and (last minute addition) Italian sausage chili. The bases of both were the same – Mild had corn while Wild mixed in Giardinera, some ancho chili sauce and a few other spicing variations.

I spent the evening sandwiched between Jenni and Sarah from Pattycake Bakery with their killer vegan chili (I asked – there will not be chili or cornbread at Pattycake) and Pam from Food for Thought, Food for the Soul with her family friendly chili (and samples of her mom’s perfect Pineapple Upside Down Cake and pies).

The winning chili was from Weilands with a score of 64. Tim from Weiland’s tells me that we can not expect this CCB chili to be on their lineup since the price point per serving would be out of most people’s pocketbooks. There was a tie for second place with two scores of 63 (Wild). There was a score of 62.5 (Mild). It was a tight race, every chili I sampled was superior. Next year I plan on goat chili.

Expect another chili bowl next year. Keep your eyes peeled for Clintonville’s second run at the World’s Record for the biggest potluck in 2009.

Some interviews were obtained at the event and may be on Columbus Foodcast in February or early March.

Posted in Clintonville, events | Tagged: Clintonville Chili Bowl | 5 Comments »

Hills Market – 2009 Wine and Cheese Tasting Line Up

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 24, 2009

I wrote and raved about Hills Wine and Cheese tastings in 2007 and 2008. Each month, the market presents an evening of wine, cheese, and appetizers (featuring the cheeses) inspired by a country, region or theme. Constance (wine director) and Kent (cheesemonger) pair up to create the wine and cheese pairings. They guide us through each wine we drink and each chunk of cheese we devour to fill our minds with knowledge while we fill out stomachs. It is a great night of good conversation with interesting and diverse people.

A taste of a tasting is offered in Columbus Foodcast, episode 15.

Here is the line up for 2009:

Seating is limited, reservations can be made at 614.846.3220. The cost is $35. Take your seats at 6:30 PM or I will steal your cheese.

January 29 – Ohio

(Post Post – 01/30/09)
This is what we had:

Wine
Firelands Winery Sparkling, NV
Ferrante Winery Vidal Blanc
Harpersfield Pinot Gris
Markko Vineyards Chardonnay
South River Winery Trinity
Kinkead Ridge ‘River Village Cellars’ Cabernet Franc

Hors D’oeuvres...

Ratatouille Bruschetta (Served with Ohio Goat Cheese)
Mini Cheese Artichoke Hearts (Served with Ohio Monterey Jack)
Stuffed Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cheese and Bacon (Served with Ohio Smoked Cheddar)
Savory Spinach Cheese Squares (Served with Ohio Farmers’ Cheese)
Sour Kraut Gouda Balls (Served with Ohio Caraway Gouda)
Feta-stuffed Mediterranean Pocket Pitas (Served with Ohio Feta)

February 26 – Germany and Switzerland

March 26 – East Coast U.S. and Canada

April 30 – France

May 28 – Greece

June 25 – West Coast

July 30 – Spain and Portugal

August 27 – South America

September 24 – Italy

October 29 – Australia and New Zealand

November 19 – Autumn Cheeses and Wine

December 10 – Sparkling Wines and Cheeses

Posted in cheese, culinary knowledge, events, markets, wine | Tagged: Hills Market | 1 Comment »

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CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

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Archives: August 2006 to Now