michael tuohy's

beyond cochon 555 Napa

the fourth annual cochon 555 napa is one for the record books! while i did not bring home the trophy nor win the bragging rights, i am very pleased with the event. congratulations and a tip of the toque to Lars Kronmark, and his team from the CIA at Greystone. Lars and his team must have really brought it! because i know that we did and came up short. our menu consisted of:chorizo mac n cheese; moroccan spiced pork & chickpea stew; head & tummy with liver & kids/treviso marmellata; smoked ham biscuits/preserves/bourbon barrel sorghum; heart dog/house made condiments; porchetta/house made pickles.whew! it was a full week of intense preparations that began with the breakdown of a 200+ pound berkshire hog. then each day, step by step, preparations were made transorming this beautiful humanely raised hog, into the fantastic menu of dishes presented at the event.  

also, I would like to extend a heart felt congrats and thanks to my supper talented and friendly competitors, Duskie Estes & John Stewart of Zazu Restaurant + Farm, and Black Pig Meat Co (last years national cochon champs), Mark Dommen of One Market, and Chris L' Hommedieu of Michael Mina. thanks goes to all of the great farmers of: Walnut Keep, Grabish Farms, Hudson Ranch, Stone Valley Farm & Devils Gulch Ranch that provided the heritage breed pigs that we all got to work with and continue to work with in our culinary endeavors. thanks to the small family wineries: Elk Cove Vineyards, Scholium Project, Matthiasson, Wind Gap & Bherens Family Winery that provided the delicious drink for everyone's pleasure that I heard, really complimented the food! thanks to all who attended the event to make it a success. afterall, without you it would not be possible. special thanks goes to Brady Lowe & Taste Network, creators of the whole Cochon, you are truly helping to make a better world! thank you for letting me be a part of it!

 

Happy New Year!

i hope this finds you well thus far as we enter the new year. i don't know about you, but i am not one for making a list of new years "resolutions." i will say, when i put thoughts on paper at the beginning of the year about things that i would like to accomplish in the coming year, they tend to happen. maybe they are resolutions in disguise or just simply an outline of goals. without the risk of sounding too philisophical here since this blog is about food and food related topics, lets move in the direction of what to eat this year.

 

i believe in eating "good food." good food to me is not simply food that tastes good, although that is most always a benefit, but food that is real. food that is produced by people who truly care about what they do, whether that is a farmer, a craftsman, an artisan, a chef, a mother or father. it starts with a good source, such as responsibly raised meat such as beef, pork, lamb, goat, duck, chicken. responsibly caught fish, and responsibly grown vegetables. i believe a good diet comes from these places and should be varied and enjoyed, in moderation. i hear so many people say, "i need to go on a diet." what i believe they are really saying is that they need to change the way they are eating with the hopes of gaing some kind of benefit like perhaps losing weight and reducing their waistline. that is certainly an admirable goal for many, but too often that gets confused with, I can't eat real food and I need to eat diet food.

i am not a nutritionist, but am a chef by craft and a dedicated advocate for real food. food that is produced in a good, clean and fair way. i still subscribe to the concept that you can enjoy the things you like if they are not loaded with preservatives, too much sugar & sodium, and saturated fats. don't over eat at every meal and vary your diet to have balance. what is balance? if we vary our diet to include, fruits, vegetables, proteins and yes, some fat, we'll be generally ok. actually, quite good! you'll look good, feel good and won't be stressed out and feeling guilty about what you're supposed to have eaten.

so in 2012, let's all resolve to eat good food!