Featured Chef at the Foo Fighters Show

On April 22 the Foo Fighters rolled into Dallas and played a sold out show at Starplex.  I had seen them years before at the same venue with Weezer so it was a great show as expected.  This time was a little different for me, I was there to work.  In a first of it's kind event, Legends (the food service provider for the venue), Live Nation, and The Beef Council teamed up with 4 local chefs to provide food of a bit higher scale than tater tot nachos or hotdogs...not that there's anything wrong with any of that!

I was excited at the opportunity.  All 4 chefs highlighted different cuts of beef provided by The Beef Council.  One did a twist on a  french dip with what I presumed was prime rib, another did a MASSIVE sandwich filled with roasted tri tip, mashed potatoes, fried onions, blue cheese and a dozen other items. The chef nearest me did beef cheek tacos and I did spanish style meatballs in a tomato-saffron sauce over israeli couscous.  The meatballs were are blend of chuck, rib and brisket, it was delicious and even have a few more pounds of it in my freezer!

We had A LOT of interested people coming by and sold a lot of food.  This was the first time this has been done and it was a great success.  I hope to do it on a regular basis and have a few other ideas if we keep the relationship with The Beef Council.  I was able to hear the concert and caught a few songs before I left.  It was a great experience.

Amalfi Coast, Italy July 2015

It was a fortunate situation for me that one of my clients invited me to cook for them on their trip to Positano, Italy.  It's a running joke with them when they tell me they are going out of town to a such  beautiful location I always kid, "you know, I am willing to travel".  Well, this time someone took my joking offer seriously.  Positano (which is one of a few small costal towns included in "the Amalfi Coast" along the lower west facing shin area of the Italy boot.  There were several very small but well stocked markets to choose ingredients from along with equally small meat and seafood shops with literally, the catch of the day.  To shop in Positano you have to go shopping with an open mind and with the idea of well, I'll see what's fresh and available and go with that rather than I'm making this recipe.  The beauty of southern Italian food is the general recipe simplicity and freshness and quality of ingredients and that is exactly what I found.   A culinary trip of a lifetime.