How many chefs can you stuff into one kitchen? That's not a setup for a corny joke, but the mission of Chefsfeed Indie Week, a series of epic feasts held around the country. The most recent was in Seattle, where 24 chefs gathered in the kitchen of Tom Douglas's Trattoria Cuoco for three days and nights of prepping, cooking, plating, talking, laughing, tasting and, of course, a few rounds of karaoke.
ChefsFeed Indie Week in Seattle drew talent from across the country for a series of spectacular ... [+]
Indie Week History
This series of inspiring dinners started a few years ago as an exercise in connecting a far-flung community of rising star chefs. Grover Smith, the current chef curator, is big on bringing culinary talent together. "I know a lot of people," he said.
Yes, and most of those chef friends are connected to hot restaurants or wildly interesting projects. Smith's right hand on the ground for the Seattle Indie Week, for instance, is on the verge of launching a much-anticipated restaurant featuring Filipinx food. (And we cannot wait to dine at Melissa Miranda's Musang this fall.)
Bringing these creative minds together for a weekend of special dinners with a focus on local ingredients is an impressive feat, enjoyed by enthusiastic diners. Smith and his team also score big on the event sponsor front with Mastercard, Peroni, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, Seedlip and others helping to support the effort.
Guests were welcomed to ChefsFeed Indie Week's grand finale dinner in Seattle with cocktails made ... [+]
Prepping for the big finale
Chefs arrive early in the week for the series of dinners, and the first two nights, each shows off mad skills by owning a course. For the finale on Sunday night, chefs are partnered up in teams of two for a creative collaboration and the results are stunning, especially given the limited time to plan.
After chefs teamed up, they were assigned a protein and took a trip to the Ballard Farmers Market to pick up additional ingredients. This is where local chefs were able to shine, connecting with trusted producers. Chef Cameron Hanin, for instance, tapped Sea Breeze Farm for assorted poultry parts to create an extra rich stock.
Back in the Cuoco kitchen, the chefs were focused as they prepared for diners to arrive, but there was also lots of laughter and sharing of bites, creating the kind of camaraderie that drives so many to sign up for the cooking life.
Los Angeles-based chef Jocelyn Ramirez sourced blue cornmeal for her sopes from Kernel of Truth ... [+]
It's Go Time
Roughly 45 minutes before the doors opened, chef Melissa Musang gathered the chefs for a run through of each course. Each team described the dish and showed how it would be plated.
No problem for these seasoned pros, though there's still the practical matter of firing and plating for a large party when there's just one kitchen. Imagine a crowded runway at LAX. Yet, the meal went off without a hitch.
Trattoria Cuoco's chef Ron Anderson prepared caviar-topped potato chips for the final ChefsFeed ... [+]
The 12-Course Menu
Chips and Dip with Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, chef Ron Anderson, from host restaurant, Cuoco.
Scallop Crudo, charred squash, corn, tomato, aguachile, crispy blossom made by Ali Hooke from Andytown Coffee Roaster in San Francisco and Matt Sigler from il Solito in Portland, Ore.
Blue Corn Sope, chanterelle, yellow bean, pico, cashew crema, poblano pipian made by Kate Lasky from Apteka in Pittsburgh and Jocelyn Ramirez from Todo Verde in Los Angeles.
Aloo Kulchas, beet chutney, berry chundo, cabbage slaw, mint mizeria by Heena Patel from Besharam in San Francisco and Tomasz Skowronski from Apteka in Pittsburgh.
Smoked Rockfish Cappelletti, Seattle flora, Tom Yum broth by chef Guitar Srisuthiamorn from Sugar Hill in Seattle and Joel Orsini from Izkina in Dallas.
Yeast-cured salmon, sourdough pasta, rich poultry broth, charred kohlrabi, huckleberries by Cameron Hanin from Guerilla Pizza Kitchen in Seattle and Chad White from Zona Blancha Ceviche Bar in Spokane.
Fish and Chips: chilled black cod, new potato chips, herb mayo, sumac, fish sauce caramel by Uno Immanivong from Red Stix Street Food in Dallas and Jason Stratton from MBar in Seattle.
Smoked Barbecue Sticky Rice, Shigoku oyster umami by Jason Dady from San Antonio and Shota Nakajima from Adana in Seattle.
Pandesal, Korean pig's head sausage, kohlrabi atchara with banana ketchup mayo by Jonnah Ayala from Musang in Seattle and Donald Hawk from Koso in Phoenix.
Crispy Pork Belly, huckleberry puree, jalapeno by Cassie Ramsey from Restaurant Mixtli in San Antonio and Bryan Lee Weaver from Butcher & Bee in Nashville and Charleston, S.C.
Summer melon, dried fig, verjus by Lori Sauer from Blue Bridge Hospitality in San Diego and Jeffrey Vance from Konbi in Los Angeles.
Corn Cake, Blueberry Fennel Marmalade, KOJI ice cream, crumbs by Sally Camacho-Mueller from Tesse in Los Angeles and Rose Lawrence from Redbread in Los Angeles.
The dishes at ChefsFeed Indie Week in Seattle were definitely photo worthy.
Coming Right Up
The next ChefsFeed Indie Week is set for Sept. 5-8 in Portland, Me., featuring host chef Cara Stadler, owner of Lio Restaurant, Tao Yuan, and Bao Bao Dumpling House.
