Pictured from left to right are a few of the chefs, as well as one judge, that participated in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park - Jose Hernandez and Matt Swickerath (Valenza), Shane Touhy (Dogwood), Allan Benton (Benton's Hams), Stephen Herman and Guillermo Hernandez (Haven)
Twelve chefs from some of Atlanta's best restaurants gathered yesterday at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park to participate in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park, a food industry showcase featuring a pork cookoff. The participating restaurants included Holeman and Finch, 4th and Swift, Haven, Rathbun's, Dogwood, Valenza, JCT kitchen, Serpas True Food, Speakeasy, Parker's on Ponce, Two Urban Licks, and Miltons. The pork cookoff was judged by Allan Benton, David Roberts, and me. Allan is famous throughout the American culinary world for crafting some of the highest quality artisinal country hams in the world at his smokehouse in Tennessee, Benton's Hams. David Roberts is a the chef and partner in Atlanta's most recent barbecue darling, Community Q. Me? I run a little BBQ blog, and I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to be lucky enough to land a seat at the judges table. Chefs, line cooks, service professionals, and restaurant owners all stopped by the Park Tavern to sample all manner of foodstuffs from some of Southern Foods top line vendors, as well as taste dishes from all twelve of the competing restaurants.
The Pig Out in the Park Judging Panel - Allan Benton, David Roberts, and Mike Fincham
Without question, the celebrity du jour at Pig Out in the Park was Allan Benton. Over the course of the last six years or so, Allan's country hams have begun to appear on the menu's of some of the country's best restaurants and have earned him accolades in Gourmet, Esquire, and several other national magazines. Allan still uses his family curing recipe for his hams. Working in small batches, he is able to preserve the high quality associated with his name. For David and I, the real treat of the day was not the dozen delicious pork dishes served to us by Atlanta's best chefs, but the opportunity to spend an hour or so with hanging out with Allan and listening to his stories. Allan is a completely unassuming, humble Southern gentleman who is genuinely grateful for the praise he receives for his product. He is also a proud family man with a great sense of humor. I walked away from my time with Allan feeling that he was a man who took pride in taking time to make sure that he approached every aspect of his life in a thoughtful, attentive manner.
So, let's move on to the pork contest. What follows is a sequential pictorial display of what arrived at the judges table that fine day.
Smoked pork taco in a plantain chip cup with jicama, green onion, sesame seed, green cilantro sauce, and red mole - Parker's on Ponce
Pickle brined Berkshire pork with a baby lima, georgia peanut, and hominy salad with a Carolina mustard and poppy seed sauce - Dogwood Restaurant
Corn whiskey braised pork osso bucco over buttermilk grits topped with vidalia and spring onions, gremolata, and smoked pork belly - Speakeasy Lounge
House made root beer braised pork cheek with rutabaga puree and pickled celery - Holeman and Finch
Hickory smoked pork slider with jalapeno cole slaw and apple cider, sorghum barbecue sauce - Haven
Confit pork belly with smoked collard greens, mashed potatoes, and pickled pepper vinaigrette - Two Urban Licks
Berkshire pork belly taco with citrus, hoisin, red onion, cilantro, and sesame salad and 5 spice pork pork consomme - Rathbun's
Crown roast of pork stuffed with cherries and brioche with a sweet and sour cabbage and hazelnut gremolata - 4th and Swift
Pecan smoked pork with cheddar grits, sun dried tomato and bleu cheese slaw with smoked bacon and green bean salad - Milton's
Porchetta - Pork loin wrapped in pork belly served with crispy pork skin and salsa verde - Valenza
Coppa de testa - Pork head cheese with arugula pesto - Valenza
Crispy pork belly taco with roasted banana, georgia peanuts, serrano peppers, on a fresh tortilla - JCT Kitchen
So, that's eleven of twelve dishes from the Pig Out on the Park. I must extend a sincere apology to Scott Serpas of Serpas True Food who offered up a smoke roasted berkshire pork butt with a spring onion salad and creamed collard greens. After roughly an hour and a half of pork plates, I was completely drunk on pork fat and failed to snap a picture until after I had consumed a few bites and made the plate a little ugly. Please let me vouch for the fact that the dish was entirely tasty and well presented. Sorry, Scott. 12 dishes is a lot to handle.
I'm sure you are wondering who won the Pig Out on the Park grand prize. It was an intensely tight contest. Rathbun's edged out Haven by just a few, slim points, with Dogwood bringing up a very close third place. This is a great shot of Kevin Rathbun accepting his prize from Craig Day of Southern Foods. All of the participating vendors chipped in to offer up the cookoff grand prize. Many thanks to them all.
Rathbun's was the winner of the day, but Southern Foods gathered many of their top shelf vendors to share the spotlight with the pork cookoff . What follows is a simple photolog of the offerings at Pig Out in the Park. It was a truly delicious affair.
And here is a couple shots of the room during the event...
In conclusion, I want to extend a hefty thanks to my friends at Southern Foods, Craig Day and Baylor Keese, for allowing me to be a part of this great event and sharing it with all of you there out there in the Internet world. I hope that Southern Foods will make this an annual tradition and grow and extend this gathering to touch all the food lovers in the Atlanta area. Many thanks.
