The Drinkery - Local Source for Great Wine & Beer

On Wednesday when we are out with the MYPN crew we met Kristen Vanhorn from Martignetti Companies, a distributor of beer, wine and spirits to New Hampshire businesses. During the conversation I mentioned my challenge of not having (or so I thought) a local shop with a good craft beer selections. Not so, said Kristen. Have you checked out The Drinkery in Londonderry, right next to the Tupelo Music Hall? Nope!

I stopped in at The Drinkery on Friday hoping to find Joan, the owner, and check out the selection. If she was agreeable I was also hoping to get some backstory, photos and write up a post. For me this will be a new favorite destination and I hope I can spread the word, because the selection really is that good. Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Brew Dog, White Birch (NH), Victory, Dogfish, Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, Allagash, Unibroue and the list goes on. Many of the familiar beers from Sams, Smuttynose, Woodstock, Shipyard, etc. are also in stock.

( The welcoming committee is very friendly! )

Joan opened The Drinkery in the current space in April of this year after Bella Vino (a wine shop) moved to Windham. Previously Joan had been working for the Tupelo Music Hall in Salisbury, MA. When things changed there she found she had extra time and asked her husband what he thought about her opening a wine and beer shop. If only everything was that simple!

( A view of the main shop. )

Joan said the key to her steady increase in business is the BYO policy of the Tupelo Music Hall. And the key product is great beer. On show night she has a good deal of traffic and the selection creates return visits and solid word of mouth. She is also advertising in the Hippo Press which does have food & beverage readers and is pretty much the only reason I pick it up every week.

( Gotta love the fact it's called the "Beer Cave"! )

I asked Joan what here vision for the store was and got a fantastic quote. “To keep as much good beer and wine in the smallest space I can!” Spoken like a true New England small business owner. Joan is planning on focusing on as many local producers as she can, especially for food products which as classified as a convenience store she must carry. Gotta love rules!

( A selection of newly arrived products, food and beverages. )

The Drinkery has a web site which lists the brands/producers of the beers they carry. I personally saw the unopened cases of holiday beers including several of the sought after styles. I’ll be going there before you will to get mine. Hands off!!

( One of my mystery beers. A sour rye beer made in Hooksett, NH. )

If you sign up for the newsletter on the web site you will be notified in advance of special events and deals. For example the recent special has been mystery cases of 750ml craft beers for $50. What, twelve large format bottles of really good beer from all over the country at almost 50% off? Joan expects specials to run seasonally, but their form and price is subject to change as the business evolves. She had a few cases left, one of which I liberated, and expected they would be gone in a few days. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss out!

( Another mystery beer. Haven't cracked this one yet. )

The Drinkery is located at 2 Young Road in Londonderry, NH. They are only open Wednesday through Friday from 1 PM into the early evening Wed/Thu and 9 PM on Fri/Sat. They are also open for every Tupelo Music Hall performance.

Cheers!

--Jason

MYPN Presents Liquid Kitchen

The Manchester Young Professionals Network (MYPN) is a Manchester, NH area networking group that been in existence since 2004. I have been an inactive member for a number of years, but we fixed that this week. MYPN hosted an event entitled Liquid Kitchen, part of their Better Living Series, on November 3rd at the restaurant XO on Elm. Kristen Vanhorn from Martignetti was on hand to show us how to make some cocktails from several new products available through the New Hampshire Liquor Stores and Martignetti. XO also whipped up two different appetizers that were definitely not the “same-old-thing”, but I couldn't tell you what they were now! A capacity crowd packed the XO conference center for some networking and drink talk!

Margot doesn’t like networking events. With her very outgoing personality many people wonder why. I on the other hand am very comfortable at these types of events, but my normal mode is much less social. I guess that is why we match, we are both weird.

We checked in, found a placed to sit and struck up a conversation with the first folks we made eye contact with. Stupidly I didn’t get names, our friends Wayne & Meredith are going to be pissed at us, and I should have because one of the ladies we were talking too is friends with them through the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). We laughed that we know Wayne & Meredith through my being a co-worker of his a few years ago but have never hiked with them, something we also do, nor met their AMC friends. Small world.

Kristen (to the left) fired up the cocktail machine and served us the following drinks. We asked permission to reprint her recipes so that you all could try them or make variations to see what happens.

Her cocktails contained two recent additions to the Martignetti product line including the Cold River Gin and Vodkas produced in Maine, and the Cabin Fever maple flavored whisky made nearby in Chester, NH.

Nor’easter

1 ¼ oz Cold River Gin
4 oz tonic water
¼ simple syrup
2 orange wedges
1 lemon wedge
6 mint leaves

Muddle the mint and orange wedges lightly with gin. Add ice, lemon wedge, tonic water and simple syrup. Mix. Garnish with a mint sprig.

This drink was made in small plastic cups which made the proportions hard to get right. If I made it again in a single serving size I am betting I would have a much better impression of it.

Blueberry Fog Martini

1 oz Cold River Blueberry Vodka
1 oz Cold River Vodka
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lavender simple syrup

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with fresh Maine blueberries.
This drink was the hit. The combination of flavors and the balance between the sour and sweet were fantastic. Getting or making some blueberry vodka is now on my list!

Maple Mint Fever

1 ½ oz Cabin Fever Maple Whisky, warmed

Dollop of fresh mint whipped cream

This one didn’t work for me. The whisky on its own is interesting, but something I would end up wanting to mix a drink with rather than drink straight. I have wanted to try it so this was a great opportunity. I think I am going to get some inexpensive bourbon and good maple syrup and make something similar to explore drink recipes with.

The rest of the evening was solid networking. Our note taking and snapping of pictures garnered us some attention, resulting lots of folks hearing about Ancient Fire Wines and me running out of cards. We talked with Kristen for a few minutes and she shared with us the name of new wine & craft beer shop in Londonderry, The Drinkery. Check back tomorrow for a post on the Drinkery and some info on their incredible selection and prices. All and all we made great new connections that will likely get us exposed to more local events that we participate in and can share with all of you.

( Out enjoying some cocktails! )

( Smiles are a good thing at a networking event. )

If you live in the Manchester area and are looking to get out and network with young professionals working nearby you should definitely check out MYPN.

We'd like to thank Taylor Fetterman for taking some of the pictures. He is a the current Chairman of the MYPN Social Committee and had a camera malfunction before the event. He was very happy that we let him roam with the camera to get some shots for the group. We ended up with excellent photos for both of us!

Cheers!

--Jason

Election Week Beer Pairings

Everyone is drinking this week. Some in sorrow, some in celebration. No matter your politics this week we offer insight on several beers (some new to us) and how we paired them some grub!

First the beer notes.

La Chouffe Golden Ale with Spice

• A beautiful orange color with a sizable head that dissipates quickly.
• Pungent citrus aroma that was enhanced with air
• The body is creamy and the beer has medium carbonation
• I found the spices in the aftertaste whereas the malty and sweet flavors are easily found and were enhanced with a bit of air; a slightly sour aftertaste was identified
• Margot said the thought it smelled like orange/cranberry muffins

I picked the La Chouffe up at Boston Wine Exchange on Devonshire Street in Boston. They have a great craft beer selection. They also have wine and spirits and enough to look at that you might spend more time than you expected!

Ancient Fire 2009 Belgian White (homemade)

• Margot’s first comment was ginger aroma; I found citrus as well
• Very cloudy; by design
• A healthy head, also dissipates quickly
• A lemon/orange color with a creamy body and spice and orange flavors
• Moderate maltiness with a smooth finish 

Dieu du Ciel! Rosee d'Hibiscus

• A wonderful pink/red color with fruit and floral aromas
• Unfiltered; moderately crisp with a smooth finish
• Slightly bitter with flavors or cherry; minimal malt flavor

Our dinner consisted of honey/ginger chicken drumstick and curried baked sweet dumpling squash. We picked the beers specifically for spice or other flavors we thought might match well with the flavors in the food. We also picked lighter styles, wheat or golden ale beers that wouldn’t have massive flavors of their own that could drown out the food. Here’s what we experienced.

With the chicken the spices in La Chouffe were extended and more noticeable and the sweetness was enhanced. The malty flavors in the Ancient Fire Belgian White popped with the chicken and the overall creaminess of this beer created a wonderful smooth combination. The hibiscus beer was interesting because the floral aromas and fruit flavors added complexity to the honey and ginger.

With the squash the sour flavor in the finish of the La Chouffe was more prominent and was coupled with more citrus. The Ancient Fire selection presented an odd sharpness up front when paired with the squash, but it retains it flavors throughout. I found that the hibiscus beer was a bit more acidic/bitter with the squash and its flavors were lost. Margot felt that the beer balance the spicy and sweet flavors with the squash well.

I picked the La Chouffe as my best overall beer and pairings and Margot picked the Dieu du Ciel! As her best. The great thing about this type of experience is that unless you find serious contentions or flaws in the beers or food there really aren’t any bad pairings, just better ones!

Earlier in the week I met Cathy Huyghe from RedWhiteBoston at Bukowski’s (downtown Boston) for a couple of beers and to attempt some pairings. I started with the South Hampton Double White, a double strength white ale from NY State, and Cathy had the Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale in hand. We talked about the similarities between beer, wine and cider and how pairing beers requires the same food and beverage knowledge as you need with wine. We looked over the menu and choose a couple of items and two new beers to pair with them. Cathy selected the Peanut Butter & Bacon burger which would be paired with the La Fin du Monde produced by Unibroue in Quebec. I chose the Stuffed Acorn Squash which was stuffed with couscous, candied walnuts, ginger, apple and herbs. To pair with the squash we selected the Founders Red Rye, a rye beer made in Michigan. The burger and La Fin du Monde didn’t end up being a great match, but when you still get to eat a burger and drink a beer does it really matter? The squash and rye beer pairing on the other hand worked really well. The spiciness from the rye matched well with the flavors in the stuffing and the sour flavors opposed the sweetness in the squash nicely. One out of two ain’t bad!

I would definitely recommend Bukowski’s for a beer. With over 100 selection and a rotating specials offering there is plenty to try. The food is good for a small bar, so stop by for a good time!

Cheers!

--Jason

The Myth about Social Media & Wine

OK, so anyone who is connected up with any measure of social media these days and also cares about wine is seeing a lot of chatter. All sorts of virtual events, TweetUps, reviews flying fast & furious, Facebook Like links everywhere, wineries schlepping for followers and the list goes on.

You may also be seeing lots of links being shared about how social media is changing the game and getting on board as a must do for wineries, distributors, stores, event promoters, bloggers, etc. What sense should be made of all of this?

First off, the only new things here are the communications technologies. The concepts around identifying a market, engaging that market, converting the associations into value and retaining the relationships are well heeled and something all B-School grads should be able to go off on a mile a minute. Not new, not game changing. Myth dispelled. Now to the real work.

That said, the advice is simple and clear. Add social media to your overall marketing plan, assuming you have one and if you don't; build one, to both cover the segment of your market that isn't old-school media focused AND to benefit from what the new technologies offer. At the end of the day no matter what method you use, engaging your customer will still be about getting their product or service into their hands. The true strength of any relationship is still going to involve one on one contact. Social media technologies help promote face time at events better than e-mail, the phone and flyers do. These technologies have the viral component as well, which might be a curse if your events have limits on attendance!

Twitter and Facebook have membership, but you still need to understand who you are targeting, why you are targeting them and what the specific message is. Your audience is still going to have stratifications requiring different messages and different methods of contact and relationship management. Social media also lets you watch your competition even more. Do that. See what they are doing well and determine for yourself if you think it would also work for you. Once again, not a new concept, just an old one made easier.

I have a day job, but I'm a food and wine blogger after hours. My marketing plan is fast and loose, but includes social media. I host wine tastings at my house as a way to engage my audience to share my wine-making and food & wine pairing knowledge with them. Where is all of this going? I surely don't know yet, but I can tell you one thing. I have lots of peers doing lots similar things and connecting with them (and keeping an eye on them) is all part of the game.

Cheers!

--Jason

Here are some recent links that came by that reinforce what I have observed and how all of this boils down to core business strategies for marketing and customer relations.

**VinTank Social Media Report - Nicely researched paper from May 2009

http://www.vintank.com/VinTank_SocialMediaReport.pdf

**Bakas Media - this guy has the chops and some good data.

The ROI of Social Media in the Wine Industry (pt. 1 of 2) - http://bakasmedia.com/?p=47
The ROI of Social Media in the Wine Industry (pt. 2 of 2) - http://bakasmedia.com/?p=72

**HubSpot - this isn't about wine specifically, but the title says it all!

Why Social Media is BS! - http://ht.ly/33MTb (There is a webinar on Nov. 5th if interested)

** New Yorker Article about Gary V - always gets a conversation going!

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/06/07/100607ta_talk_friend

** Steve Heimoff (Wine Enthusiast write) -  Not a fan of Social Media & wine

http://www.steveheimoff.com/index.php/2010/02/09/backlash-against-social-media-gathers-steam/

**VinTank Report on Wine Apps for the iPhone - big topic these days

http://www.vintank.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/iPhonePulseReport.pdf

The Great Ancient Fire Cider Experiment

( I hope they enjoy what I am going to do with them! )

I first made hard cider in 2005. I had tried to make an apple wine the year before and it came out so badly it was never consumed. There is one bottle of it in my wine cellar though. I keep it there hoping it will be the worst bottle in my collection and everything else we make is better. It's not a very high bar though.

In 2007 I made 10 gallons of hard cider using a cider blend from a local farm-stand. Finding unpasteurized juice for retail sale took some looking, but in the end I found it. The recipe was pretty much thrown together from a few web sites and I was a bit hasty with it, although I was happy with the result. The cider ended up being dry, quite tart but with ample apple flavor. My choice to carbonate resulted in some fun times when some of the bottles really built up pressure. Needless to say the bottles we did get to drink were a hit and the batch didn't last long. I didn't make cider in 2008 which netted me some nasty feedback from the guys. Such is life!

In 2009 I hatched a plan for a bigger and experimental run at cider. I ended up with 7 buckets full of freshly pressed, unpasteurized cider from Lull Farm in Hollis, NH. Dave, one of the owners of Lull, returned my called specifically to tell me how special (and secret I guess) their cider blend was and that he was very excited that I was interested in using it for hard cider. I had a good feeling already! Buying in bulk didn't hurt either, the price was much better.

I also decided I would make the cider still (sans carbonation) to ensure I didn't lose any of it to over charged bottles. I then set about acquiring my yeast. The local homebrew shop, Jasper's in Nashua, carries traditional cider yeast during the fall and I popped in to pick up enough for the project. It turns out that I was coming in a bit late and they only had a couple of packets left. I of course took those and then inquired as to what other styles I could consider using. I ended up with several packets each of Sweet Mead and Rudsheimer yeasts, both of which were explained to have excellent potential for a good cider. What the hell, this project just keeps getting better!

My cider base consisted of 5 gallons of fresh cider, sugar (to a gravity of about 1.080 or 19-20 Brix), wine tannin, acid blend, and pectic enzyme. I also sulfited my cider for 24 hours to ensure any microbes and such that I didn't want in my fermentation are killed off. With a yeast pitch the 7 buckets were off and running. As a matter of course I taste my batches of wines, beers, and ciders at many points through the process. This helps me understand their development. The starting base tasted exceptional and as the yeasts starting doing their work the differences between them were easy to detect. The most prominent difference was the nutty undertones produced in the batches infused with the Rudsheimer yeast. These differences persisted through the fermentation and are still accessible when tasting them side by side, albeit not as distinct or potent as they were early on. This time I was much more patient, letting the batches rest and clear after the stabilization for several months. This paid off. Every batch was a beautiful golden color and crystal clear.

( This is our wine cellar circa October 2009. In the kiddie pool in the foreground are 7 glass carboys

in the outer ring that contain the cider. The rest of what you see are various red, white and fruit

wines that were fermenting or aging during the same time. As you can see, we have wine! )

With so much cider available I decided that I would make several split batches with fruit flavorings made from locally picked, cherries, strawberries and raspberries. For some of the non-fruit flavored batches small additions of sugar and/or apple juice concentrate was needed to balance out the tartness. I expected to do more of this balancing but the different yeasts created varying levels of residual sweetness, making it unnecessary in some cases. Between the yeast differences and the fruit flavors we ended up with 7 distinct styles all with different aromas, flavors and textures.

Bottling began in the middle of winter and proceeded slowly. In April we had a cider party where we put a bucket with a spigot up on the counter and got out the party cups for guests to enjoy as they wished. We shared two styles this way and got people talking about the differences. It was great fun to explain the process to my friends and share the wonderful outcome.

The cider has been greatly enjoyed all year. We headed off to summer parties with coolers full of it. Making friends was pretty easy that way! I have cooked with it and made a few cocktails with it as well. It really is a delight to be able to go to the basement and pick from one of seven varieties. It won't last forever though!

This year I entered my hard cider in the Northeast Regional Homebrew Competition. I entered bottles from one of the buckets infused with the Rudsheimer yeast. I felt its overall balance was excellent and flavor profile was interesting enough to throw my hat in the ring. That choice paid off big, really big. I took First Place in the Common Cider category for having the best traditional cider in the entire competition. This is my first win for cider and now means I have awards for wine, mead and cider. Beer is next! A great experiment turned into a great reward and some wonderful recognition.

I didn't make hard cider in 2010 on the count of having so much around still, but it is likely that I will make it again in 2011. If I do I am hoping to search out pressed cider from a blend of cider-specific apples or we may even get the apples and press the blend ourselves. The idea would be to recreate an older style of hard cider made from apples traditionally cultivated for just this purpose. Will we be able to find what we need, who knows?

Cheers!

--Jason

Global Champagne Day

Thursday October 28th was Global Champagne Day and the tweets were flying fast & furious. Vintuba was the organizer of the event providing links to meetup.com groups, classic pairings and educational facts about champagne. Sign us up! The Twitter hashtag #champagne was used to tag tweets during the event.

( Getting ready to party! )

One thing that was clear from several of the web sites advertising the event was that we were talking about real champagne, from the Champagne region of France, made in the traditional style. A link for a petition from the Office of Champagne USA was circulating before and during the event. The petition was entitled “Demand Truth-In-Labeling” and was intended to represent the protection of places of origin in the wine world. The Office of Champagne USA is the domestic representative of a champagne focused trade group in France. Reading the list of regions being represented I was a bit suspicious. I held off trying not to mix my politics and fun.

Leading up to the event I learned two things about champagne. First off, grower produced, often considered artisanal champagne, selections can be even more interesting than the mass produced named brands that we all know. And secondly, my local New Hampshire Liquor Store does not have a great selection of real French champagne, and no grower produced bottles that I could see. I went with the Piper-Heidsieck Brut and Moet & Chandon Imperial Nectar instead. We had never had either of them so at least they were new to us!

My plans up front were to pair the champagnes with a several different foods and make two different kinds of cocktails. I gathered smoked salmon pate, smoked oysters, gorgonzola cheese, potato chips, crusty French bread and dark chocolate. We’d be leading off with hot buttered popcorn, a go-to casual pairing for a sommelier friend of ours. We hadn’t tried that or fresh French fries with bubbly yet and I guess we would find we were missing out.

( Did somebody say champagne with potato chips? )

Piper-Heidsieck dates back to 1785 and currently produces over 5 million bottles of champagne each year. They own no vineyards of their own and source grapes from 60 vineyards around the Champagne region, making 6 styles of champagne including vintage offerings in the very best of years. The Remy-Countreau wine and spirits group acquired Piper-Heidsieck in 1990.

The Piper-Heidsieck NV Brut has some grapefruit on the nose, citrus flavors and a long smooth finish. The balance of tart and sweet reminded us of Granny Smith apples.

Moet & Chandon is one of the largest champagne producers with annual output of 26 million bottles. Established in 1743 the house currently owns 2,500 acres of vineyards. Dom Perignon is made by Moet and is the most recognizable champagne label in the world. Moet & Chandon are co-owners of the Moet-Hennessy / Louis Vuitton company, supplier of other fine spirits and luxury goods.

The Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial is a demi-sec (semi-sweet) champagne. The aromas were focused and the flavors of honey and dried fruit were easily detected. It is sweet, but not so much so that the crispness is lost.

Both champagnes were great with the hot buttered popcorn. Something about the warm butter makes this work really well. The pairing with the potato chips didn’t evoke the same feelings but was not terrible. We could see where french fries would come into play here.

( A TV time snack goes on a date with champagne! )

The gorgonzola cheese was overpowering for the Piper, but was an average match for the Moet. Not a big player in the pairings, but we sure enjoyed eating it!

Neither of us actually liked the smoked oysters and the champagne didn’t help with that based on our experience. The smoked salmon pate however was fantastic with the Piper and a of touch of creamy dill mustard brought out a bit of the sweetness in the champagne.

The Imperial Nectar found a good pairing with some homemade raspberry jam on crusty French bread. So simple. The crispness of the champagne stood up to the combined sweetness and the jam was along for the finish. Neither champagne was a stellar match for the dark chocolate covered caramels, but the Imperial Nectar stood up to the sugar the best. No surprise.

I made two cocktails, both of which came out great. The second is one of my best tasting cocktails ever.

Ginger Lemon Bubbles
1 oz sweetened ginger-infused vodka
2 healthy dashes of Angostura bitters
Moet Nectar Imperial
Lemon twist & lemon on the rim of the coupe style glass.

Mix and serve.

Off To The Islands

1 oz St. Germain
4 dashes Scrappy’s Grapefruit bitters
Piper-Heidsieck Brut
Lemon twist

Mix and serve.

The “Off To The Islands” has an incredible balance of crisp and sweet with flavors of island fruit and citrus. The "Ginger Lemon Bubbles" has a warmth from the spicy ginger with nice vibrant flavors from the citrus and bitters. The sweetness from the champagne was a nice foundation. We'll be making both of this again soon!

We very much enjoyed learning a little bit more about champagne and trying a few new to us bottles for Global Champagne Day. These online wine events seem to be quite popular and clearly give folks in disparate locations a way to share what they are drinking, where they are drinking and a bit of their lives with each other in celebration of beverages we all love!

Cheers!

--Jason

Victory Tastes like Blackberry Cabernet!

I have always been a huge supporter of Jay and his wine and food ventures. Nothing makes me happier than to watch his hard work pay off; whether the payoff is a delicious meal, amazing wine or accolades from others for both. You could not have found a wife more proud of her husband than me as he walked to the podium over and over to receive his medals at the WineMaker Magazine awards dinner in May. But from that pride for him plans were hatched to get one of those sweet medals for myself!

I am humbled to say that those plans have paid off. As I posted a few months back I had worked under the tutelage of my husband (or as we Star Wars nerds say: the Padawan Learner to his Master Jedi) developing a Blackberry Cabernet. This idea came about when Jay had some Cabernet juice left over and I eyed a few large bags of blackberries (look at them above just waiting to be turned into award winning wine!) picked at our house in Vermont. The resulting wine was wonderful, the blackberry enhancing the berry flavors from the Cabernet juice without overpowering it. Both red and fruit wine drinkers alike gave me good feedback. Still, you never know with the judges.

This past weekend we found out that my wine had taken a Silver Medal in the Amenti del Vino 2010 Competition. To say that we were thrilled with this news is an understatement. Though I deeply appreciate being recognized by the judges it does not compare with allowing Jay to feel a little bit of the pride that he has given me the opportunity to feel over the years.

Now….only 26 more medals and we will be tied with Jay. I may not get there but it will be fun trying!

Cheers,

Margot

Don’t Know Until You Try

Anyone that is married to a creative Chef has had those moments. The one where said creative Chef throws out a recipe idea and all you can think is: you’re making what, and I have to eat it? But then, every person married to a GOOD creative Chef knows that those moments are often followed with amazing, delicious experiences. This is a story of one of those moments…

My only request for dinner was that it be pizza, most likely due to the Travel Channel show I had just watched devoted to the subject. Jay has come up with some wonderful pizza ideas in the past when issued this challenge. (Pulled Pork Pizza and Hoisin Chicken Pizza being two of my favorites.) As always when faced with a dinner challenge he went to the kitchen and pondered the ingredients we had on hand.

Two items caught his eye: first the home made dill pickles, second the package of bacon. When he came back with the idea of Bacon Pickle Pizza I was a little skeptical. As always I should have known better!

The resulting pizza was better than I ever could have imagined. The crunch and light brine of the pickles mixed with the salty goodness of the bacon was so perfect.

Both the toppings played so well off of the standard red sauce and mozzarella cheese and the flat bread crust was the perfect conveyor. It was like all the best things about a bacon cheeseburger without the burger overpowering the other flavors. (Though you could add beef as an additional topping I think that it would take away from the other flavors).

Never doubt a creative Chef… It pays to just go with the flow and enjoy the delicious ride.

Mangia,

Margot

Wine Riot Post #2 and Getting Tagged

This is going to be one jam packed post. Wine/cider awards, the final recap from the Boston Wine Riot and getting tagged in the food blogger game of tag.

First off last week was a big week for the Ancient Fire homemade wines and ciders. Margot took a Silver Medal for her Blackberry Cabernet in the Amenti del Vino Competition. I took First Place in the Common Cider category for my hard cider in the New England Regional Homebrew Competition. This was Margot’s first win and the first win for our ciders. Needless to say we are pretty excited with both of these results. With the cider finish we now have medals for wine, mead and cider. Next year I want to slot in a win for beer and hopefully wine a mixology competition. What will that mean? That I know how to drink!

In yesterday’s post we presented the overall Boston Wine Riot session we attended and offered reviews of couple of red and white wines. Our coverage wouldn’t be complete without three additional topics, the food, the crash courses and reviews of bubbly and dessert wines.

We tried food selections from three of vendors, Redbones, KO Catering and The Upper Crust Pizzeria. In our first round (you gotta eat when you are drinking!) Margot had the Pulled Pork Sliders from Redbones and I had the Classic Aussie Meat Pie from KO Catering. Margot loves BBQ so this was a match made for her. I had a bite and agreed that the pork was tender and juicy with excellent, but not overpowering, flavor from the sauce. The Classic Meat Pie from KO Catering contains a filling of ground beef, onions, spices in a tomato based sauce. The flavor was fantastic and the crust was cooked very well. Both selections did the trick after an hour of sampling wines. A bit later we got slices of “The Swellesley” pizza (on thr right) from Upper Crust. I saw chorizo in the ingredient list and had to. I missed the red pepper flakes though and it ended up being spicy. Margot fought through it though. The pizza was thin crusted with the right amount of sauce, chorizo, garlic, basil , red pepper flakes and parm cheese. It definitely hit the spot! Margot was feeling the effects of the wine and went back to KO Catering for the Curried Veggie Pie. The crust was right but the vegetables didn’t have enough curry seasoning and were in need of salt. While it filled the need for food, it didn’t feel like it was what was expected.

During the session there were crash courses being offered every 30 minutes on all sorts of wine related topics. We attended two after a friendly Wine Riot staff member brought them to our attention.


In the first course, “In Vermouth, Truth”, Andrew Quady (shown on the left) of the Quady Winery explained some of the history of vermouth, how it is made and served samples of both the dry and sweet versions they make at Quady. This crash course was of particular interest to me as I plan to make my own vermouth early next year. We already have the wine aging, we just need to decide on the herb blend and source the ingredients. Both of the vermouths were very flavorful and I could see enjoying both on the rocks as they do almost everywhere else in the world (the wine drinking world) outside the US. The 50/50 cocktail with the orange twist was a crowd pleaser and something I could see serving at home to spread the word about vermouth.

The second crash course was about pairing Chinese take-out with three different styles of wine. Each attendee was given a plate with some fried rice, General Gao’s chicken, and bone-in BBQ rib. We paired the food with a sparkling wine, medium-dry Riesling and a Pinot Noir. The sparkler was a great match, but honestly it seems to go well with almost anything, and the Riesling also resonated with me. The Pinot came off as tart and overly tannic which was odd since it was a low tannin (so it was presented) selection. I worked at the Pinot pair with the BBQ rib, but just didn’t find it. At any rate it gave me an opportunity to think about a pairing that I really hadn’t ventured into yet. Ideas for another day.

Our wine reviews wouldn’t be complete without a couple of sparkling and dessert selections, which we very much enjoyed.

Sparkling Wines/Ciders

2008 Farnum Hill Kingston Black – the Kingston Black is a old cider apple with a specific flavor. It makes a dry cider with strong aromas and flavors but very pleasing. Farnum Hill is the gold standard for cider in my experience and the fact that they are a NH business means I’ll wave their flag all day long!

Mionetto NV Moscato – this sparkling Moscato was sweet and bubbly with wonderful fruit flavors and a palette cleansing finish. The Italians definitely know how to make a refreshing bubbly!

Dessert Wines

Quady Winery 2008 Essensia – picking just one of the Quady Winery dessert wines was hard. They make two things, vermouth AND dessert wines, and both are fantastic. Made from Orange Muscat with oak influence and some fortification this is am extremely complex and flavorful wine. I can only say that I could have spent the whole afternoon at this one table slowly sipping and exploring these wines. If you like sweet wines these are not to be missed!

Peter Brum Eiswein – anytime I get the chance to try a real German Eiswein (ice wine) I do. We saved this for our last wine of the day and we were rewarded for our patience. The honey, dried fruits and mouth coating sweetness was all there. It had that right balance of acidity and sweetness that you would expect. Can I have some more please?

Update after posting: Check out The Passionate Foodie's coverage of the Wine Riot. You'll see some common themes!

Kim at the Liv Life blog tagged me last week. The way this works is that you get tagged and have to answer eight questions from the person who tagged you. In addition you have to tag eight others and pose eight new questions to them. Got all that? Here I go with the eight questions I have to answer.

1. What is your favorite restaurant? This is a tough one for me because we don’t eat out but maybe once per month. I love eating in my home kitchen but that is a boring answer so I’ll share a memorable experience we had years ago. For a time Ming Tsai had a very popular show ion Food TV called East Meets West. We lived in MA at the time where his restaurant The Blue Ginger is located. For our anniversary we booked a reservation and anticipated a great meal. At the time Ming was a big celebrity and I didn’t figure he’d be at the restaurant on the random night we chose to be there. Sure enough he was and sure enough our server asked him if he would come out to talk to us. Well, he did and I couldn’t get a word out. Margot still makes fun of me for being so star struck that couldn’t talk. That is so not me, you can’t normally shut me up!

2. When dining out do you prefer a fancy, dress up affair or casual with flip flops? Somewhere in between. Not super black tie fancy, but getting dressed up a bit does help frame an occasion. Khakis, button-up shirt and my dress shoes offers class and comfort all in one.

3. Do you do fast food? If so, what is your favorite? Only when we are travelling. We use it for the convenience that it offers, but try to stay away otherwise. McDonalds always does the trick when we are flying.

4. Do you remember one of the first recipes that you ever made? If so, do you still make it? Oatmeal raisin cookies. I learned how to make these in junior high Home Economics class. I am sure I made stuff before this but I can’t recall them specifically. I haven’t made them in a long time. I should.

5. The world is open to you. A personal private jet with pilot is waiting for your direction... Where will you go? Australia & New Zealand. So much food, wine and adventure in the same place.

6. How close do you now live to where you were born? About two hours. I moved back there right after college and we have been moving back towards where my wife was born since. We have gotten as far as the next town over. I think that is close enough!

7. Wine... red, white or bubbly? All of them! Depends on what and where I am eating. They all have a role in a multi-course meal.

8. Why did you start blogging? Because I thought it would help me ferment (a little beer, wine and cider-maker joke) my food and wine pairing education. Little did I know it would explode!

OK, with my answers out of the way I now need to tag eight bloggers and pose eight questions to them.

My Tag Questions

1. Desert island dish. You are on a desert island, what dish will you take to survive?
2. What kitchen utensil explains your food personality the best?
3. When you were younger, you pick how long ago, how hard would you have laughed if someone told you this is what you would be doing right now?
4. What is the nastiest, grossest, most detestable food you have ever had?
5. What is your favorite food you don’t make and how far would you travel for it?
6. Who is the best person to have in the kitchen with you, and why?
7. First alcoholic beverage you ever had.
8. What is your biggest food blog challenge and how are you working to overcome it?

The bloggers I am tagging are:

Kim at Lighter & Local
Brian at A Thought For Food
Jessie at the Messie Kitchen
Janis at Bite Me New England
The Baking Barrister
Don at The Manly Housewife
Evan at SwEETs by E
Belinda at Zomppa

Whew! This took longer than I expected.

Cheers!

--Jason

Boston Wine Riot Post #1

One quick diversion. Earlier in the week I responded to a tweet from Red White Boston about why I drink what I drink. I said, “I drink bourbon because like me it is bold and flavorful with a questionable past.” This is my new tagline/motto. I’ll pull this one out from time to time for a good laugh.

A couple months back I saw an advertisement for Second Glass the Wine Riot in Stuff Boston Magazine. Wine tasting in an unpretentious setting. Over 250 wines to taste. Food to enjoy with our wine, with all items at $5 or under. Really? I’m still getting acclimated to the Boston wine scene but this event seemed like one we should put on our calendar.

We headed into the city in the late morning, using our old favorite the Malden Center T station as our way point to hop on the train to get back and forth to the Boston Center For The Arts where the event was being held.

The Cyclorama facility at the BCA is a big huge round room with a very high ceiling. The DJ was spinning a nice variety of danceable beats and you could basically walk around in circles all afternoon trying different wines.

We ended up tasting 50 wines between the two of us and overall everything we tried was worth it, some more than others. We spent the time to evaluate each one and even considered how we might use them with food. Now for some specific notes.

Reds

2009 Oveja Negra Reserve Cabernet Franc/Carmenere – smoky and earthy with medium tannins. Good fruit flavors, I would definitely drink this again. (Chile)

2009 My Big Fat Greek Wine Agiorgitko – this is a grape that is indigenous to Greece and a new one for me which is why I tried it. The wild aromas and very earthy flavors take a bit to process and I would have to spend some time with this type of wine to develop a taste for it. Worth the experience though.

Whites

2009 Enoitalia Si Soave – we both enjoyed this wine. It has mild aromas of flowers and citrus and flavors of apple and pear with light acidity. The finish is clean and dry. (Italy)

2008 Esporao Reserve White – blend of white grapes from Spain with some oak again. The oak is available in the nose and the fruit flavors are present but in good balance. Slightly creamy awith a nice texture overall. Medium length finish. This was served at the correct temperature as opposed to the Defesa White (same grapes, no oak) which was too cold to properly evaluate.

In the picture to the right you can see one of the Wine Riot staff members engaging a group of rioters. I have to say the staff was great whether it was running ice, water, etc to the tables, keeping rioters up to date on the class schedule or answering questions. Well done!

Check back tomorrow for our reviews of a couple of sparklers and dessert wines, feedback on the food and the crash course classes we attended.

Cheers!

--Jason

Guest Post at Sticks Forks Fingers - Celebrating A Life Together

For our last guest post while Pam is away on her honeymoon we shared the story of our ten year anniversary party. We had a small wedding/reception and the party allowed us to kick it up a bit when we had the resources to do so. Please take a swing by and leave a comment for Pam. She will be home soon and our warm hugs of congratulations will be a nice welcome home.

http://sticksforksfingers.blogspot.com/2010/10/celebrating-life-together.html

We will be attending the Second Glass Wine Riot in Boston today. Check back tomorrow for a report on all the wines we tasted and the energy of the event.

Cheers!

--Jason

Nuts About Nuts About Granola

As much as my little foodie heart would hate to admit it, I love children’s cereal. No not acceptable children’s cereal, I mean the good bad stuff that I grew up on in the 70’s and 80’s. Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Pebbles…and God save the person who gets between me and a box of Count Chocula. Yup that’s right, cartoon character on the box, sugary, evil cereals. Jay likes to talk about how he could only choose from Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies. My response, your mom had 2 kids to get out the door, my mom had 6. I think at some point she was just happy that we had something to eat. Her threat when we did not want the dinner she made “The only thing you can have to eat for the rest of the night then is cereal.” Hmmmmm liver and onions or Trix: decisions, decisions.

Recently I have been making a conscious effort to eat fewer processed foods. One of the many commandments of eating this way is never eat a cereal that turns the milk a different color. Wow, there goes my whole list. I have tried some Kashi cereals and they are ok but they just didn’t give me that sweetness I was looking for. As always Jay came to the rescue.

During a “Foodies Night In” event Jay won a prize from the sponsors NutsAboutGranola. With the gift certificate he received he went online and placed his order. We got Jungle Fever, Off Road Edition and Lover’s Combo. Each was well balanced and had the sweetness I was looking for without being overwhelming Each had something different to offer.

Jungle Fever – At first I was hesitant as this had coconut in it and I am not a big fan of coconut. Taking a deep breath and reminding myself that this was about foodie exploration I topped it with some vanilla almond milk and dug in. I was very pleasantly surprised, the coconut though present was not overpowering. The mixture of the oats with the macadamia nuts and lemon infused flavor gave an overall feeling of tropical fruit and flavors. I really liked this and one serving kept me satisfied for a while.

Off Road Edition – Again covering it with vanilla almond milk this also had a great fruity flavor and that natural sweetness you only get from dried fruit. Though OK with the milk it was actually better to eat it right out of the bag as the website suggests. I will say that the dried fruit had a tendency to be very chewy but since granola is suppose to be eaten in smaller portions that really did not bother me.

Lover’s Combo – Peanut Butter Granola and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Seriously, need I say more…ok…I will. The great thing about this is that there is just enough of the chocolate so you can still taste the granola, which is quite good. This was wonderful with the almond milk but even better with a banana mashed right into it.

Though each was great, and I look forward to trying more, the Lover’s Combo was by far my favorite. It is the one that brought me back to that naughty feeling I had with my childhood favorites. I may just have to break up with Count Chocula, I hope he can get over it.

Mangia,

Margot

New Zealand Wines

Check out our guest post at Sticks Forks Fingers on New Zealand wines today. Pam is off enjoying her honeymoon in New Zealand and keeping with the theme we have provided a little back ground on New Zealand winemaking and a review of a Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region we recently enjoyed.

Check back here tomorrow for Margot's review of three granolas from the Nuts About Granola company.

Cheers!

--Jason

Beantown Pub

I had a ticket to the Thievery Corporation / Massive Attack show at the Orpheum in Boston last night. Feeling pretty well recovered I decided to fight through a long day of work and then an evening show. Before the show I headed over to the Beantown Pub on Tremont Street for dinner and a beer. I hadn't been there before and was only going on the reviews I found on the web.

The bar winds it way from the front entrance all the way to the back where it overlooks the pool/games area and an adjacent room with more tables. I found a spot nearly at the end and took a quick look at the draft options. Allagash White. Hell yeah! A tasty Belgian white is food friendly and easy drinking. The bonus is that Allagash does this style really well so there is lots of flavor in a nice light-bodied beer. The bar area is well kept and nice looking but looking around you can tell they see a lot of traffic and do their best to keep things looking fresh and clean.

While I enjoyed my beer I struck up a conversation with Travis, a recent transplant from Seattle who lives in Northern Rhode Island and works as a server at L'Espalier in town. He was also going to the show and killing time before his friends arrived. We talked about all sorts of things and genuinely enjoyed the random meeting. He recommended I check out one of the Wine Monday fixed price dinners at the restaurant. His experience is that the sommeliers go all out to great memorable pairings and explain the wines and pairings in down to earth terms. Maybe I'll put my money where my mouth is sometime soon and book a reservation at L'Espalier. I might just run into him again that way.

For dinner I ordered a Paul Revere pub sandwich which consisted of pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese, red onions and a sweet dressing with a side of fries. The meat was warm, tender and juicy and the combination of flavors of everything on the sandwich hit the spot. The fries were very well cooked and hot. I saw reviews that said their New England Fried Chicken is also very good so I'd say stopping in for a bite shouldn't be a nervous choice.

They had multiple Sam Adams selections on tap and several other local (New England) brews that should satisfy a wide range of drinkers. I also saw quite a bit of wine going out so the after-work crowd seemed well lubricated.

The show was fantastic and the groovy music of both bands floated me home to New Hampshire. Having had another new dining experience in the city I am even more sure Margot and I need to spend more time there to see what we can turn up.

Cheers!

--Jason

Taking It Easy – Baking Cookies

( Pumpkin Pie Bars )

Being a good patient I was following my doctor’s orders to the letter. No stacking firewood, no lawn cleanup and no high impact workouts. He didn’t say anything about time in the kitchen though. It turns out that standing at the counter for too long can be more taxing when you are fighting an infection and haven’t got back to sleeping normally yet. I fought through it though.

As I was working through the messages in my Foodbuzz this past weekend inbox I came across two cookie recipes that screamed Fall! It turns out both are from the Brown Eyed Baker which comes as no surprise!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

and

Gingered Carrot Cake Cookies

The only difference in my final product as compared to the recipes linked above is that for the Pumkin Pie Bars I used freshly roasted pumpkin and I used walnuts in the Carrot Cake Cookies.

Both of these recipes are very straightforward and came out exactly as advertised. I am a sucker for anything pumpkin and pumpkin bars had such a wonderful texture I was very glad they were destined for the freezer. Eating too many is would not be good for your health!

Both of these cookies were thoroughly enjoyed with a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (Margot's idea) on a cool autumn afternoon. While my cooking adventures slowly come back to normal it is moments like these that make me realize that simple is ALWAYS better!

Cheers!

--Jason

Guest Post At Sticks Forks Fingers

( Margot and I celebrating our meeting in Jamaica )

Check out our guest post at Sticks Forks Fingers as a celebration of Pam's wedding and honeymoon to New Zealand. Margot and I share the story of how we met and how we've celebrated that meeting since. We've never shared that story in our own blog so take a peek for another view of Margot and I.

Be sure and leave a comment for Pam to pick up when she gets home.

I am on the mend from a nasty infection that reached my blood and had made me very sick. It was very sudden, very scary and brought me very close to not having another day to enjoy so I am taking each day to recover as a true prize. Thank you for all your wishes of support.

Cheers!

--Jason

Brief Break, But We'll Be Back

We've had unexpected break in our blogging activites as I tend to a freak health issue. I am home and on the mend, but the blogging will resume slowly.

Thank you all for you consistent support.

--Jason

So You Think You Can Judge A Salsa Competition?

I was randomly approached and asked if I wanted to be a judge for the 2010 World Championship Salsa Competition. My response was “are you sure, I have never done anything like that before?” I quickly found that no prior experience was necessary. There are some guidelines to the judging process but it really comes down to how the entries taste.

After I got signed up to judge, got my fancy judging medallion and judge’s apron I had to wait around a bit. I took this opportunity to ask some of the other judges how it all worked and what I should be thinking as I participated. It seemed pretty simple, work around the table you are assigned to tasting as much or as little of each sample. We would be judging the best in the world of salsas so it isn’t a matter of good versus bad, rather how good. If the salsa really knocked my socks off I was told it would be smart to put a mark on the judging form next to that entry so I could come back. Palate cleansing with water or beer in between was advised. If the entry didn’t make a strong impression, no mark and no return, so it would effectively not be culled down to my 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. As I went I shouldn’t make any outward expressions about my likes or dislikes so as not to influence others. Once I had made a second (third or more) visit to the ones I liked I would have to pick the top 3 in order. Judges are also obliged to provide a comment on each entry to help competitors understand how their entry was received. Comments should be positive, e.g. “I personally thought there was too much salt”, “I would have liked more heat” or “excellent balance of flavors.” Got it, this is going to be fun!

The judging organizers corralled all the judges and addressed us with the process, explained the rules (which were presented well in what I heard above) and had one additional order of business, picking the judges for the final table. I was randomly selected to judge the 26 final competitors and cast my vote for the World Champion of Salsa. I never thought I would have that on my resume! This meant more waiting, but I had struck up conversations with several folks by now so the time was easily passed.

( Very organized and waiting for judges )

I found out some more inside scoop on these types of cookoffs. Not only would you expect competitors to travel the country to enter chili cookoffs, but there are also folks that travel more regionally to participate as judges for the competitions. Loving chili and salsa and supporting the community around cookoffs is more interesting than I would have ever imagined.

When it was time for the final judging I stepped up with my pencil, ballot and bottle of water. The tasting was done by placing a spoonful of salsa on a chip from a numbered container. I chose not to eat the chips to cut down on the extra salt influence as I tasted. This was a preference and not something everyone did. The water wasn’t working well as a palate cleanser so I grabbed a beer. Miller Lite! For those who know me, I like my beer with a bit more character for casual drinking and I often share my disbelief in how much light colored, flavorless beer we drink in America. I found a scenario where those attributes worked out OK, salsa judging. A combination of beer and water seemed to give me a reasonable fresh start to taste each in the sequence of samples, but I still don’t think Miller Lite will show up in my fridge any time soon!

( Grabbing a sample )

( Lunch anyone? )

( The serious business )

( Margot had to take a picture of this! )

( And me drinking it. She's too funny. )

Tasting and judging these entries was hard. These were the best of the best. Salsa is an open category which means the contents of the salsa can be from a wide range of ingredients and whether it registers as salsa to any one person might be a question. There was only one salsa, it contained cheese, that I would really say was not what I typically consider salsa. But it was good and made it this far so I gave it the fair evaluation that it deserved. There were several sweet and/or fruit influenced salsa including one that tasted like the Caribbean islands. I really liked that one and it made me think of eating chips with it on the beach in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Nice vision. There were others that tasted like they contained dill pickles, sweet relish and several that were very, very hot; almost too hot. Ultimately I picked 3 that had good balance, waves of flavors and freshness to them. I would eat those consistently if given the opportunity. I cast my ballot and headed on to see what the chili world had to offer.

I would encourage anyone who was interested in the chance to judge a sanctioned salsa or chili competition to check out the International Chili Society’s web site for a list of events. Contacting the organizers of the event ahead of time should be done to determine if they are in need of judges, although some will still have spots open on the day of the event and will sign you up on the spot.

I would like to thank Margot for taking all the pictures. Being able to provide a step by step in pictures was a pretty cool outcome.

Cheers!

--Jason

Chili Charities – Foodie Fun for a Cause

As Jay mentioned in our first Chili Cook Off post the International Chili Society (ICS) has raised close to $90 million dollars for charities since it began. This year the three charities that are benefiting from the cookoff are: The Greater Manchester YMCA, Families in Transition and the New Horizons Soup Kitchen. All of these organizations do wonderful work in the Manchester community and in this economy any opportunity to raise funds and awareness for a non-profit it very welcome.

On Saturday as we left the Welcome Center and headed for the front entrance we met Nancy Comai and Michelle Casale from New Horizons. As Michelle headed off to her volunteer post Nancy was more than happy to satisfy our interest in how the charity support aspect of the cookoff worked.

Charities in the area that the cookoff is being held responded to an RFP that is organized by the ICS. The charity must be willing to supply a minimum amount of volunteers to work the event for one of the days. Volunteers work in shifts between 7am and 8pm each day handling all manner of logisitcs tasks including ticket sales, trash collection, parking, information booths, etc. In return the charity receives $1 for each $5 ticket that is sold on that day. Based on the crowd that we saw on Saturday New Horizons had a very successful day.

Jay and I both agreed that it was fitting to have the proceeds from a fun food day go to an organization that supplies meals and shelter to those in need. Michelle was very happy to share information about New Horizons including the following:

• Out of the 900 school-children within walking distance of the New Horizons facility that receive free or reduced lunch, New Horizons would be feeding nearly 400 of them dinner per month by the end of they year.
• New Horizons typically serves approximately 200 meals per day.
• The food pantry provides pre-packaged food items to over 700 households each month.

As foodies we have the luxury of not only having enough to eat but also conveying our passions through our food. Not everyone is so lucky.

If you would like to donate to the New Horizons Soup Kitchen, Pantry and Shelter you can do so here:

http://www.newhorizonsfornh.org/donate/how_to_donate.php

Thank You

Margot and Jason

Red Chili Champions

*** Competition update: After this post was published the complete results of Sunday's contest were made available. Luck was shining on more of the folks we have introduced you to in the last few days. David Garcia took first place in People's Choice and Mary Alice Kropp took second. Add LeeRoy Watson's second place finish in the Verde People's Choice contest and Margot and I feel so lucky to have been in the right places at the right times to meet all of them. Congratulations to everyone who competed!!! ***

Red chili is big business. Everyone we talked to on Friday and Saturday told us to expect more people and more showmanship during on the last day. The size of the crowd ebbed and flowed and it is likely there were more people overall, but at its peak the crowd seemed similar to the day before.

The energy level however, was definitely turned up to 11. Competitors were calling out their identification numbers to remind cookoff-goers who they should vote for in People’s Choice. Booth flair was in high gear with decorations, snarky signs and lots of goodhearted ribbing between competitors. The potent smell of spices in the breeze shortly after noon when the cooks could get to cooking was wonderful.

We checked back in with Garcias, who we met on Friday, and found them hard at work getting their competition entry started. They had a good location at the end of the first row of booths to the right of the stage. I’m sure they saw a lot of traffic once their samples were ready. We both found their chili to be pleasantly smoky with a nice texture to both the meat and vegetables.

( Alicia & David Garcia hard at work. )

As we walked around the booths a jacket with competition dates embroidered on it caught our attention. The owner was Charlie Ward. He and his wife Barbara were both competing in the day’s event. They have been competing in chili cookoffs for over 27 years and Charlie is the only ICS competitor ever to have won twice in three different countries. Between the two of them they have cooked or judged in 48 of the 50 states. They hail from Rosamond, California home to Edwards Air Force base, a frequent landing spot for the Space Shuttle. They were so happy to talk to us. It was very easy to see their passion come through.

( Barbara said the embroiderer thinks there a few more years left! )

( Twenty-seven years of smiles. )

We asked Terry Brow what made Canadian chili different. Jokes about how chili was invented in Canada were fast and furious, but the answer was to come in the taste. Margot identified a hint of maple syrup imparting a nice earthy backbone. Yet another wonderful usage for a plentiful product around these parts.

We checked in with hometown team, Mike and Mary Alice Kropp, again who were the only NH residents competing in the final day. Mary Alice was the official qualifier but was surrounded by family as she crafted what she said “was the best pot of chili I’ve ever made.” The line flowing out from their booth was consistent with both a beef-based and a vegetarian offering to please visitors. Mary Alice told me to come back at 2 PM after her entry was complete and turned in for a taste of her carefully crafted chili. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed!

( The flag was flying proudly over an event bringing all of America together. )

( Jason really enjoyed the chili samples! )

Through all of our adventures we have learned that everyone has a story. That is one of the main reasons why people blog after all, to tell their stories. During our Chili Cookoff weekend we met many wonderful people who graciously offered us a glimpse into their chili story, and their lives. One such person was Lee Wood from the RatPack in Massachusetts who we had the pleasure of meeting on Saturday.

Like most of those we met we asked Lee how he got started in chili, and the answer was one of the best, and most heartwarming we heard. Lee got into the chili scene with his brother Darren as his partner. As a team these two brothers managed to make it to the Worlds many times, Lee has qualified 9 times for different categories. Then, in 1999 Darren was diagnosed with cancer and within 9 months of diagnosis lost his battle. It was a hard blow for sure and something that still brought tears to Lee’s eyes 11 years later.

Lee continued to talk about his and Darren’s collaborations the main one being “The Silly Hillbilly Chili” booth that they built together to bring to competitions. This booth was a trailer decked out with a hillbilly theme. Those that worked the booth dressed and played the part for the crowds. Lee lit up as he recalled Darren’s ability to lose himself in his character, working the crowd and making sure that everyone was a having a wonderful time. With a Banjo player and their father on harmonica Darren was grab people from the crowd and dance and carry on, from the youngest child to the oldest lady no one was safe.

Before he passed Darren made one request of his brother Lee: that he would not get rid of the booth until they won a world title. Lee made sure that the booth could last, coating his brother's hand painted designs so they could weather the elements for as long as it took. Lee, his family and friends agreed that once the promise was fulfilled they would have a huge bonfire and send the Hillbilly booth off right. When we finished speaking with Lee he said that he was hopeful that this year would be the one that they could win for best booth and that they could finally honor Darren’s request. Lee told us that he had just received approval from the Manchester Fire Department the night before to bring the booth in on Sunday.

We were both very excited to see this booth and to meet up with Lee again today. We looked everywhere for the Silly Hillbillies but were unable to find them. We are not sure what happened but we hope that Lee, if he is reading this, can let us know. Lee, thank you for allowing us to hear Darren’s story and we will never forget. So booth or no, you and Darren have touched our lives.

( Curtis, Lee and Jason spending time before the salsa judging. )

To finish another beautiful autumn day Manchester-area perennial favorites Mama Kicks provided soul and blues inflected rock from the stage. Lots of children took to dancing and admiring the skill and energy of the band. The audience recognized the energy with applause after many expertly executed covers of much-loved songs.

Let's hope this isn't the last time this event, and many others like it, come to Manchester. We loved sharing our local color with folks from all over. We can tell they enjoyed it and are going home with stories of those crazy people from New Hampshire who really like their chili!

Cheers!

--Margot & Jason

The final day's results have been partially posted at the ICS web site.