Événement

Tastes of the Midwest Dinner

One of the goals of Slow Food is to celebrate food that is not just local but indigenous -- that is, food that's grounded in the history and traditions of a region. Chefs around the world have begun to move in this direction by exploring the food traditions of their regions. Heston Blumenthal's Dinner by Heston Blumenthal looks to English recipes from as far back as the 1400s for inspiration, for example, while Tim Raue's La Soupe Populaire in Berlin creates upscale versions of dishes like Königsberger Klopse and Bienenstich ("bee-sting cake"), which resonate with Germans who remember them fondly from their grandmothers' kitchens.

What would happen, we wondered, if some of our local chefs did the same with Midwestern cuisine?

Now you can find out.

We've challenged five of Columbus' most talented chefs to re-imagine classic Midwestern dishes for a one-night-only menu of Midwestern cuisine. We and they have scoured old Midwestern cookbooks for ideas and inspiration which, when combined with their techniques, ingredients, and imagination, will make for an unforgettable dinner. The chefs are:

Alana Shock of Alana's Food and Wine

Andrew Smith, rogue chef (formerly of The Rossi)

Bill Glover of Gallerie Bar and Bistro

Tom Smith of The Worthington Inn

A. J. Perry of Sassafras Bakery

Each will take an historic Midwestern dish and translate it into an appetizer or a dinner course. Chef Andrew, for example, will translate onion pie, an Indiana dish created by central European immigrants, into a Cipollini galette with brown sugar, rosemary, fresh ricotta, flowers, and lemon. Chef Bill's take on smoked lake trout baked in cream, an old Midwestern frontier dish, will include golden trout roe, smoked rainbow, citrus cured steelhead, ginger panna cotta, shaved fennel, rhubarb fluid gel, and rye crisp. And Chef Tom's version of Johnny Marzetti, made with house-made macaroni, morel duxelles, Ben's ricotta, and short rib-tomato ragu, might bring a tear to the eye of anyone who remembers the original Columbus casserole.

In addition to the five-course dinner, our chefs will bring passed appetizers which guests can enjoy along with a glass of prosecco as they arrive. Expect a riff on City Chicken, the Depression-era pork dish that can still be found in Ohio and Michigan, as well as pheasant sausage and other delightful bites.

If you have Midwestern roots, or even if you're from elsewhere but want to experience these chefs' twists on classic Midwestern cuisine, this is one dinner that you won't want to miss.