Newspaper Page Text
Nick Bowman Features Editor | 770-718-3426 | life@gainesvilletimes.com
S'hc Srtnes
gainesvilletimes.com
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Photos by NICK BOWMAN I The Times
Four local downtown Gainesville chefs will this month compete in a cook-off featuring Left Nut Brewing beer, including a chef at Recess Southern Gastro Pub.
Downtown Drafts hosting cook-off event with Left Nut Brewing
Four local downtown Gainesville chefs compete in a cook-off featuring Left Nut Brewing beer. Eric Baehr, Austin Calvert,
Josh Hogan, and Jeremy Wilkson will each be assigned an LNB beer to cook a dish with.
BY LAYNE SALIBA
lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com
You may have heard about
some unexpected things hap
pening over at Downtown
Drafts on the Gainesville
square recently and one
more is on the horizon: Battle
of the Chefs.
You’ve probably heard
of the bacon and wine pair
ing Downtown Drafts hosted
in June, or the Halloween
candy and wine pairing in
October. They were all fan
favorites, so now, Downtown
Drafts is stepping it up.
“We’ve done several wine
pairings and beer pairings
lately with local chefs and
we were just getting interest
from so many, so I figured
it’d be neat to bring multiple
chefs in on one night,” said
Aimee Hoecker, co-owner of
Downtown Drafts.
The event runs from 7 to
10 p.m. Dec. 18 at Downtown
Drafts. There will be 65 tick
ets available for $20 apiece
on the day of the event.
Four chefs from the down
town area will compete off
site, each creating a different
bite-size meal using a beer
from Left Nut Brewing Co.
The beer will be provided to
the chefs in growlers and the
rules are “wide open.”
“They can do whatever
they want,” Hoecker said.
“We’ll just have to wait and
see what they come up with
with their creative minds.
It could be four desserts, it
could be four appetizers. And
whatever it is, we’ll just roll
with it. But I think it’s going to
Battle of
the Chefs
Where: Downtown
Drafts, 115 Bradford St.
NE, Gainesville
When: 7 -10 p.m. Dec. 18
Tickets: $20 at the door
be delicious.”
The chefs will be using
Left Nut’s Mighty Banyan,
The Prime Minister Porter,
Shade Tail Nutty and Leap
ing Lena. Each is a different
type of beer, creating a dif
ferent challenge and unique
flavor for each bite.
The chefs, from Recess
Southern Gastro-pub, Scott’s
Downtown, Mule Camp Tav
ern and K&E’s Catering, will
have the chance to earn a gift
basket — along with brag
ging rights — if they win. But
the real prize is the beer. The
winning chef will get to cre
ate his own cask of beer at
Left Nut Brewing Co.
Hoecker said she’s never
been to an event like this
before, but it’s something she
wanted to try out because it
falls in line with everything
else they do.
“It basically just popped
into my head,” Hoecker said.
“I thought it would be a fun
event to do. I mean we come
up with some pretty off-the-
wall stuff sometimes, and this
is just another one of them. ”
For Downtown Drafts, and
many other businesses on the
square, keeping things local
is the goal of events like Bat
tle of the Chefs. That’s why
the chefs will be using beer
from a brewery just down the
road. And that’s why they’re
all chefs who currently work
at or have worked at restau
rants on the square.
“We try to keep every
thing local for the most
part,” Hoecker said. “We
figured bringing in local
chefs, they would bring their
friends. Everyone knows
them and wants to see them
and we’re just always look
ing for fun, new ideas. And if
this goes well, we can always
do it again with more of the
local chefs.”
Austin Calvert is a chef
at Recess, one of the go-to
lunch spots in Gainesville.
The restaurant, which turns
into more of a bar atmo
sphere at night, serves up
classic pub fare, including
fried pickles, flatbreads,
burgers, steaks and even
meatloaf. And it has what
you look for in a Southern
restaurant, too, with sides
like grits, collard greens and
fried green tomatoes.
Josh Hogan takes care of
things at Mule Camp Tav
ern, which recently updated
its menu, to offer more to
its customers looking for a
place to stop in for a quick
bite. Mule Camp has some
thing for everyone — you
name it, it’s probably on the
menu. The tavern is open
until 2 a.m.
Scott’s Downtown, where
Jeremy Wilkson used to be
a chef, is your upscale, fine-
dining option on the square.
Fried calamari, New Zea
land lamb lollipops, braised
beef and butter-poached
lobster tail bring the menu
to the top of the list when
you’re looking to go out with
a date or knock out a busi
ness lunch.
K&E’s Catering Com
pany, owned by Eric Baehr,
recently started serving
Gainesville offering lots of
options. Baehr likes to keep
it interesting with offer
ings like dijon horseradish
crusted short ribs.
Each chef’s experience
will bring a different option
for guests to taste, a mix
Hoecker is happy to have.
“We know everyone in the
downtown area for the most
part, so we just reached out
to a few we thought would be
interested and they jumped
in on it,” Hoecker said.
Show neighbors some love from your kitchen
We are in the midst of the hus
tle and bustle of the season, aren’t
we? At this point in the month,
we have made our lists and are
checking them twice, hoping
we haven’t forgotten anything.
I encourage you to truly ponder
on the ones you will be gifting,
whether it is a loved one or per
haps a Secret Santa gift chosen
for someone you’ve never met.
The season is certainly not all
about our gift giving. This sea
son is one of hope, peace and
love because of the great gift
of Christ’s birth. The best way
to honor the season is with love
in action. Love in action can be
dropping some change in the red
bucket; being kind to the cashier
who has been standing on his or
her feet all day; paying for the
order behind you in the drive-
thru; or taking an elderly person
to look at Christmas lights.
Of course, you know I’m going
to say to show love in action with
food. So I have some ideas. Let’s
leave a bag of Christmas Crunch
for the Mailman; gift a tin of Pea-
CREV0LYN WILEY
crevolyn.wiley@jandjfoods.com
nut Clusters for the neighbors;
and take this wonderful Brie
and Puff Pastry as a hostess gift
served in a pretty pie plate for
them to keep. Love in action —
let’s do it this season!
From my kitchen to yours with
love, Merry Christmas!
Christmas Crunch
Ingredients:
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Cheerios cereal
116-ounce M&Ms
2 cups peanuts
2 cups pretzels twists or sticks
16 ounce white chocolate bark
Directions:
Mix first six ingredients together
in a large bowl. Melt chocolate
bark in the microwave and pour
over mixture. Working quickly, stir
to coat. Spread on wax paper to
let cool. Break into small pieces.
Package in festive tins or bags.
Peanut Cluster Candy in the
Slow Cooker
Ingredients:
112-ounce package semi-sweet
chocolate chips
1 4-ounce package German
chocolate bars
32 ounces white chocolate bark,
broken into small squares
116-ounce package dry roasted
salted peanuts
116-ounce package dry roasted
unsalted peanuts
Directions:
Spray slow cooker lightly with non
stick cooking spray. Add chocolate
chips, German chocolate and
white chocolate bark. Place a
clean, dry kitchen towel over the
top of the slow cooker then place
lid on top of that. This keeps water
condensation from developing
inside the lid. Cook on high for
1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat and cook for
another hour, or until chocolate is
fully melted, stirring every 15-20
minutes. Remove the lid and towel
and add the peanuts, stirring well
to combine. Line several baking
sheets with wax paper. Drop candy
mixture by spoonfuls onto wax
paper. Let stand on counter at
room temperature until set. Store in
a cool place in an airtight container.
Package in festive tin or bags.
Baked Brie in Puffed Pastry
with Honey and Almonds
Ingredients:
12-ounce wheel of brie cheese
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
overnight in refrigerator
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Apricot or Blackberry jam, if desired
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Trim rind of brie, if desired. Roll
out defrosted puff pastry into an
approximate 11 inch square. Be
sure the pastry is large enough to
fold over the cheese and seal. If not,
roll your pastry out wider. Place brie
in center of the pastry and top with
two tablespoons of honey and half
the almonds. Mix together the egg
and water to create an egg wash.
Fold up the corners of pastry one at
a time, brushing the dough with the
egg wash using like glue to hold it
together. Continue to brush the egg
wash over the top and sides of the
pastry after formed. Put the brie in
a pie plate and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the brie from oven and
quickly drizzle with remaining
honey and almonds. Slide it back in
the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Serve with jam if desired.
Crevolyn Wiley is a Gainesville
resident with her first published
cookbook “Cooking with Crevolyn”
available at J&J Foods. She can be
contacted at cookingwithcrevolyn@
gmail.com
