15 Aug The Spirit of St. Louis
I’m one lucky guy. Not only do I get to do what I love – preparing, serving, writing and talking about food all day – but I really am blessed to be associated with some really great people who do the same. In addition to Jennifer and the wonderful Test Kitchen crew here at the Gilded Fork, I am also a member of the United States Personal Chef Association, a one-of-a-kind organization filled with people who love to nurture and to share of themselves. Every year, we meet for a national conference to share ideas, business strategies, and recipes. And let me tell you, these chefs can party!
This year’s conference took place in St. Louis, the Gateway City, and the theme was “Gateway to Gourmet.” Each day saw numerous sessions, most led by personal chefs offering tips and tricks from their own experience, as well as guest lectures from local restaurateurs and food experts. Some of the classes on offer: Cooking with Unusual Ingredients, Creating Fabulous Vegan Food, Personal Chef Fitness, Pressure Cooking with Grains, Kosher Cooking, Nutrition Therapy and Caribbean Flavors.
Among the demos given by local chefs were a Seafood Demo led by Bob Mepham of Bob’s Seafood, Bernard Pilon, Executive Chef of the Norwood Hills Country Club, and Brian Durnbin, Head Chef of Buck’s Restaurant. The French Cuisine class was taught by Leon Bierbaum and Chef Eric Brenner, Owner and Executive Chef at Chez Leon, St. Louis’s finest French Restaurant. The highlight for me was a class on Cooking with Beer led by Mitch Turner of Schlafly Brewery – I think it had something to do with the fact that he was giving out samples of the many brews they produce (at 10 AM, no less!). I particularly liked the Raspberry Hefeweizen, the American Pale Ale and the Oatmeal Stout, which would make a lovely addition to a batch of chili!
Each day the luncheon was headlined by a guest speaker who had some connection to the culinary heritage of St. Louis. Monsignor Sal Polizzi gave a wonderful history of “The Hill,” the storied Italian neighborhood of St. Louis. A working class neighborhood, The Hill has for more than a century been home to poor immigrant Italians who did their best with what they had, recreating dishes of their hometowns and inventing new dishes, including the toasted ravioli which has become the town’s signature dish. Legend has it that a woman helping out in a restaurant kitchen accidentally dropped a batch of ravioli in the fryer instead of the boiling water; because she was poor and quite frugal, she ate them rather then throwing them out. When she discovered just how good they were, she pointed it out to the chef, who put them on the menu, along with some spicy marinara!
Suzanne Corbett spoke about the history of the Soulard Market, St. Louis’ Nineteenth Century gem of a covered marketplace, which is claimed to be the oldest continually operated food market in the US. Designed after the foundling hospital in Florence built by Brunelleschi, architect of the Duomo, the Soulard market brings together countless farmers from the region, as well as fishmongers, butchers and spice purveyors in the central hall.
The highlight of the Luncheon speakers was Mary Gunderson, who gave an impassioned narrative of the journey undertaken by Lewis and Clark, told through their journals. Her book, The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark: Recipes for an Expedition recreates many of the dishes they describe and adapts them for the home cook. Her unique approach to food history, Paleocuisineology, brings the foods to life for audiences of every type, including children. You can hear Mary’s narrative and her passion on the ReMARKable Palate Podcast #51, and her book is now available in our boutique.
Photo: Mark Tafoya
And as I mentioned, these personal chefs can party! The day before the conference began, a special day for Certified Personal Chefs took us on a tour of the town, hitting the Soulard Market, The Hill, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (complete with samples), finishing up with an Italian meal served 40 stories up just across from the Gateway Arch.
The Canadian delegation hosted their yearly party and bestowing of the “Bloody Thumb Awards,” which honor those of us who have done some pretty stupid things during the course of the year. I’m embarrassed to say that I took fourth place in this contest for my unfortunate tale of serving “Dinner and a Show.” Let’s just say it’s never a good idea to drop water droplets into a pot of boiling fondue oil! The Icewine and the Molson’s sure helped us to nurse our wounds, though.
Of course, the real highlight of every conference is always reconnecting with old friends and making new ones amidst the friendly atmosphere. I have never been associated with a professional organization filled with so many warm and caring people. There’s a pervasive atmosphere of sharing and helping which draws people back year after year. Next year the USPCA National Conference will be held in Philadelphia, an appropriate choice, since we might call the USPCA the organization of brotherly love.
[Editor’s Note: Chef Mark has modestly neglected an important detail from the conference, so we would like to toot his horn and congratulate him for taking home the USPCA’s Marketer of the Year award!]