Inaugural Slow Food Fall Heat showcases local flavor

A nice crowd gathered at the Orangerie at LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center for Slow Food Fall Heat Sunday evening.

The event showed off local chefs with a small dish competition to see whose flavors would pair best with Tin Roof’s Voodoo Bengal pale ale.

The event was also a fundraiser to benefit Slow Food’s Greauxing Healthy Baton Rouge, which organizes hands-on gardening and nutrition educational programming in local schools.

The weather was just right—not too chilly, not too hot—and the event started right as the sun was hiding beneath the trees. Local pop-rock band Minos the Saint provided the background music.

Among the chefs were Jennifer Cornelius of Nino’s Italian, Benjamin Triola of Portabello’s, Alan Niemand of Oscar’s Pizza Joint, Scott Love of Blend, Brad Andries of Stroubes and Ryan André of Le Creolé.

Andries took home the top prize of judges’ pick for his duck confit-filled Luna pasta with a blood orange reduction. Niemand’s grass-fed beef meatball sliders with caramelized shallots won best pairing. Andre’s Louisiana alligator piquant won the people’s choice award. Each chef took home a special knife with the Slow Food logo on it.

Elton Hyndman, local chef/restaurateur and Slow Food Baton Rouge vice president, also roasted a pig for some pork tacos with a kale and mustard slaw. For dessert, pumpkin pie ice cream was served. These other two courses were made in addition and weren’t for the competition.

Hyndman says he was pleased with the outcome of the event.

“Given that this was the first time the organization or I had done anything like this, it went so smooth,” he says. “You couldn’t have asked for better weather. I’m excited with what the chefs did. All in all, it was a successful day.”

Hyndman and Slow Food Baton Rouge will now be looking towards its annual spring event, Dinner in the Field. For more information on Slow Food Baton Rouge, click here.