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COFFEE
COMMUNITY
Brewed Awakenings puts
the “CR” in Crema
Story and Photo By Leah WiLSon
Maybe for you coffee is just coffee. It doesn’t really matter too much
what brand it is, where it was brewed or how it underwent its journey David Harris, a regular customer at Brewed was quick to give kudos,
from bean to cup. The most important thing is that you get it in you, “Their mochas are the best I’ve had, and I’ve lived in Boston, San
so you can get on with your day. Franciso … metro areas with first-class coffee options.” He continues
enthusiastically, “They take the process of making coffee very seriously
On the other hand, if you have strong opinions about beans, roasting here, like pulling short shots so there’s no bitterness, for example.
methods and crema; if your morning begins with an artful, spiritual There’s more flavor and less volume.”
routine where a warm, aromatic liquid combines with all that is good
and sound in the universe to rouse the senses and lighten your foot- Brewed’s primary source of beans is PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. in
steps as you take on the new day; if coffee is an experience – and one Topeka, Kansas -- Roast Magazine’s 2009 Roaster of the Year. PT’s fo-
you prefer to share with others – you belong at Brewed Awakenings. cuses on direct trade. On their website, they state, “We are committed
to working with coffee farmers who are true artisans of coffee cultiva-
Brewed has its own energy and you feel it as soon as you get inside. tion and practice their craft with dedication, skill and passion. We be-
There’s nothing cookie-cutter, it’s not overly-polished, not overly-spa- lieve that an artisan coffee farmer who grows an award-winning coffee
cious or even a tiny bit industrial. For me, it feels like walking into a should be given all the credit. We only work with farmers who think
friend’s living room, with comfy couches and eclectic decorations I can long and hard about economic, social and environmental conditions of
sit and ponder. It feels lived in, the kind of place where they won’t yell their farms and their communities. We seek the highest possible re-
at you for putting your feet up; where your voice doesn’t echo off of turn to farmers.” Pelzer feels that PT’s Coffee sets the bar pretty high
hard surfaces; it’s intimate and ownable. And maybe it’s because every- and that the holistic approach to coffee production sets them apart.
one is abundantly caffeinated, but it just feels alive. People are smiling
at one another, some are curled into each other for a close conversa- Bean worshippers appreciate the attention to both quality and sustain-
tion, others are passionately debating the day’s headlines. And as soon ability with every sip. Brewed has a great assortment of drinks -- one of
as you clutch your cup of happiness, you get to join them. my favorites is the espresso breve: Made with half-and-half instead of
milk, it is rich. Most coffee freaks would take at least 12 words (and al-
To its owners, expertly-trained baristas and customers, a hill of beans is most as many minutes) to describe how much it rocks, but I can do it
actually a pretty big deal. It’s something to carefully define and pas- in one made-up word – zensational.
sionately discuss. It’s the raw material of a perfectly-executed coffee
drink; a catalyst for the creative process, productive labor, or a note- In 2000, owners Richard and Nancy Marsceau went on a trip to
worthy social experience. Manager Ellen Pelzer has been with Brewed Verona, Italy, where they visited a neighborhood coffee bar. Of course
for about 5 ½ years, and she is focused on quality. “Our roasters work the coffee was outstanding, but what they really paid attention to was
with their growers to ensure the best growing practices to achieve the how the people just stood, drank their coffee and talked. Richard re-
best quality in the cup.” calls, “It was a slower pace of life in Verona. People wanted to con-
Of course, conversation comes in many forms. Aside from the couples, Have their efforts paid off? According to Marsceau, business at Brewed
friends and families gathering to eat, drink and chat, you might over- has been on the upswing. “Since Heather’s letter, the community has
hear the political science group from Coe debating at 9:00, take in a rallied around us and other local businesses. They love these unique,
Shakespeare reading at noon and catch a musical performance later iconic places and we’ve been overwhelmed and grateful to them for
that night. showing us how much they care. That’s why I think the future looks
good for us. We’ve seen some very positive signs of growth and we’re
Or you can join the local “Conversation Café.” The concept was the excited about the coming year.”
brainchild of international best-seller Vicki Robin, author of Your
Money or Your Life. Her idea, which was a response to the 9/11 attacks,
was that positive and lasting community change requires ongoing com-
munity dialogue. According to her website, “Conversation Cafés are
When You Go...
hosted conversations among diverse people in public places on subjects
that matter.” Brewed Awakenings
1271 First Ave SE, Cedar Rapids
Brewed’s Conversation Café meets weekly during September - May. Hours: Monday - Friday 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.,
Attendees get a complimentary 12 or 16 oz drink to get the cognitive Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., closed Sunday
wheels turning, and if the coffee isn’t stimulating enough, the discus-
sion will get you going. “We call it 21st century conversation. We ex- Also located next to the gift shop in St. Luke’s Hospital
plore politics, philosophy and religion, all the things that tend to Hours: M-F 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., closed Sat, Sun
divide us.” Marsceau says that talking about those things gives people
perspective and helps develop the communication tools that create www.BrewedCR.com
more cohesive, resilient communities.
www.e350Project.net
“What makes our place special, aside from the quality of the coffee, is www.PTsCoffee.com
the people,” says Pelzer. “It’s like a family.” Coe College sits just across www.FrontierCoop.com
the street, so students and staff view the coffee house as a second www.ConversationCafe.org
home. Coe employee and frequent Brewed patron, Marty St. Clair ex-
pressed how much the personalized attention means to him, “It’s a
Cheers-like atmosphere. I can come in and not say a word, and they’ll
hand me a medium dark roast to go, and charge it to my account.”
Harris caught the vibe, too. “I noticed right away that there was some-
thing going on here. People were great ... I’ve never found a Starbucks
with this kind of atmosphere.”
Brewed has many loyal fans, but after the flood of 2008 drowned
Cedar Rapids’ downtown and the economy tanked, the reduction in
business was leaving the shop’s financial cup half empty. They weren’t
the only business feeling drained, and after the closure of Blend, a
nearby restaurant, co-owner Heather Younker, Richard and Nancy’s
daughter, made a bold move. She asked for help. Not just for Brewed,
but for neighboring businesses, too.
She joined and publicized the 3/50 Project, a national endeavor to save
independent brick-and-mortar businesses. The idea is that if half of the
employed U.S. population spent $50 each month at their three favorite
independently owned businesses, more than $42.6 billion in revenue
would be generated. That would leave $68 of every $100 spent in the
community compared to $43 returned to the community per hundred
spent in a national chain, or $0 retained in the community if the pur-
chase was made online.
Media buzz aside, it often surprises people that one of the country’s most promi- From there, an assortment of opportunities helped Symensma season his skills.
nent Asian food masters is a blue-eyed, 33-year-old Iowa boy. He worked in two Michelin two-star restaurants in France before apprenticing in
Italy and Spain – including a stint at the famed Arzak, a Basque restaurant in San
On his culinary journey from Letts, Iowa, to Denver, Colorado., Chef Lon Sebastian. After a brief stop in New York City, he set off for Southeast Asia and
Symensma stopped off in France, Spain, China, Hong Kong and, most recently, China. Symensma cooked in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Malaysia before return-
New York City. Along the way, he earned nods from NBC’s “Today” and “The ing to New York to open Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market.
Early Show” on CBS. He became a regular guest on Martha Stewart Living
Radio. The foodie website Eater NY dubbed him a “strong contender for the title A few years later, Symensma was the opening chef de cuisine and then executive
of New York's hottest chef.” And in October, the Denver Post called Symensma’s chef at Buddakan in Manhattan, one of the country’s highest grossing restaurants.
new modern Asian restaurant, ChoLon Bistro, “the most exciting new eatery to When he addressed a CIA graduating class in 2009, he joked that the restaurant
hit Denver in a long time.” seated more people than lived in his hometown.
“You wouldn’t look at me and think, ‘That guy’s an accomplished Asian chef,’” “I only had 59 people in my graduating class, and most kind of stayed in the
laughs Symensma. “But once you get to know me and see my vision and inspira- area,” Symensma says. “Not too many people really broke out and did something
tion, it’s pretty easy to see why I got to where I am.” on the national level. I’m really fortunate that I decided at a young age that it’s im-
portant to always travel and be doing fun and different things.”
The Louisa-Muscatine graduate traces his culinary interests back to his child-
hood, though not in a traditional grew-up-working-in-the-kitchen sense. His fa- That adventurous spirit took him on the road again earlier this year, when he ex-
ther was a veterinarian who worked as a government meat inspector, and his plored the flavors of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries
mother grew the family’s vegetables in a backyard garden. Consequently, in the process of planning his new Denver restaurant. Named for the largest Chi-
Symensma understood the connection between food, farmers and land at an nese-influenced market in Saigon, ChoLon Bistro is the first by Symensma and
early age. his Flow Restaurant Group partners, James and Alicia Pokoik Deters. The eatery,
located in downtown Denver’s hip, historic LoDo district, features authentic
“Mine wasn’t necessarily a ‘culinary family’...we weren’t cooking for a profession, Asian fare with a modern twist: dishes such as soup dumplings, grilled pork satay,
but we were cooking to live. We had that whole farm-to-table thing going on in barbeque chicken bao bun, green papaya salad and stir-fried wok items.
our own house,” he says.
“I have a whole small bites menu, which is meant to be finger food,” Symensma
Each summer, Symensma’s mother canned vegetables to be used in winter says. “There’s no structure to the menu as far as appetizer, entrée and dessert – it’s
menus. His father purchased beef directly from a farmer, rather than picking up more put together as a selection of different categories all meant for sharing.”
meat from the store. The menu capitalizes on the lightness and liveliness of flavors common in Asian
cuisine.
“I kind of got into that way of life and living off the land,” says Symensma.
“In Asia, there are a lot of flavor dynamics going on, as far as hot, sour, salty and
At age 14, the young chef landed his first restaurant job at Columbus Junction’s sweet. You’re taking these aggressive flavors and balancing them and utilizing very
CJ Diner, and during high school he worked in the kitchen at Geneva Golf and little fat and calories,” explains Symensma. “You’re trading that for a nice light
Country Club in Muscatine. He started competing in international cooking dining experience with just explosive flavors that keep you wanting more. You
events, earning the American Culinary Federation’s student chef of the year award don’t get bogged down by heaviness.”
in 1997, and eventually enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in
Hyde Park, New York. Introducing this lighter class of fare in a city where dishes such as steak, lamb and
local trout are popular does produce some challenges, but Symensma is finding
“I believe Denver is the next food city. I think that right now Portland, Oregon,
is number one in the country, as far as new, cutting-edge things happening in a
small community and lots of young chefs working together to enhance the food
scene. But I firmly believe Denver is going to be that next food city,” Symensma
says, adding that he appreciates the opportunities that come with his new loca-
tion.
“New York City was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget, but at some
point it’s time to ask yourself where you want to be and where you want your
career to go to the next level. I thought being part of a young and growing food
scene was advantageous.”
“The fact that I’m from a small, homey, farm kind of environment, I think that’s
helped me develop my work ethic and become the disciplined, structured per-
son that I am today. But then when you take into account that I was able to
have these nice worldly experiences and see new things and different cultures,
that also really helped develop me into a well-rounded person.”
2. Finding dumplings too dry? “Egg whites help bind the meat to-
gether and actually help absorb some of the moisture as the meat
cooks and renders out its fat. e egg whites help keep it emulsi-
fied and retaining some of that juiciness.”
ChoLon Bistro
1555 Blake Street, Denver, Colorado
www.ChoLon.com
303.353.5223
B & B Farms
Barney Bahrenfuse & Suzanne Castello Grass Run Farm
Grinnell - 641.990.7843 Ryan and Kristine Jepsen
Beef, pork, lamb, goats & chicken Dorchester
www.GrassRunFarm.com
Grinnell Heritage Farm Beef and Pork
Andrew and Melissa Dunham
Grinnell Sawyer Beef
GrinnellHeritageFarm@gmail.com Norman and Neal Sawyer
Beef and chicken Princeton
www.SawyerBeef.com
Wallace Farms Beef
Nick Wallace
Keystone
www.WallaceFarms.com
Beef, pork, chicken, turkey
By Elizabeth Brown
Garlic-Parsnip Oven Fries
1-1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled cut into 1/4-inch x 1/4-inch x 3-inch
e U.S. Dept. of Agriculture named Iowa fifth in the nation for the batonettes
number of farmers markets, with 229 markets of the nation’s 6,132 2 tablespoons Canola oil
total (August 2010). According to a 2009 Farmers Market Economic 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced paper thin
Impact Survey, the number of markets in the state has increased by Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
more than 75 percent over the past 15 years. Iowa’s Buy Fresh, Buy 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Local (BFBL) Statewide Coordinator, Mallory Smith, attributes this 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
success in part to organizations like BFBL. “Local food supporters, es- Preheat oven to 425.
pecially members of BFBL, are more focused, determined, and organ-
ized now than ever before.” Toss the parsnips with the oil and garlic until thoroughly coated, and
then toss again with salt and pepper. Lay out on a cookie sheet in a
From September 15-17, Buy Fresh, Buy Local chapters from across single layer (keep the bowl for later).
the nation convened at Virginia Beach for the FoodRoutes Network
BFBL National Gathering. Smith made the trip out east as part of a Place sheet in the middle of the preheated oven and bake 15-20 min-
4,375-mile, two-week working road trip with stops in 15 states, mak- utes, turning with a spatula about every 5 minutes. en cook an ad-
ing an effort to participate in the local economy every step—or ditional 10 minutes or to desired crispiness.
stop—of the way.
Remove from the oven and return parsnips to the bowl. Toss the fries
“Sometimes it took a little more effort to find local foods, but it was with the cheese, rosemary and additional salt and pepper to taste.
always worth it.” Smith reports. “We ate things we had never tried be- Serve immediately.
fore and met wonderful shop owners, restaurateurs and cooks.”
So what was Smith’s big takeaway from the conference? “e local
food movement has changed since BFBL started in 2003,” she says.
When BFBL started, supporters were primarily interested in sustain-
able agriculture, conservation issues, and maintaining the unique cul-
ture of family farming. ese days, people concerned with public
health, environmental stewardship, economic development, and even
tourism join them.
“e talk is no longer about what should be done, but rather, what is
being done and how to do it better.” is goes for local foods, but also
extends to local banks, local commercial retailers, and other local serv-
ice providers. Smith reported that this was apparent at the national
conference, as there were stands for organizations like the Business Al-
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We are in the farmhouse kitchen. The men are out on the combine be- Simmer chicken with onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, garlic and parsley
cause there is still corn in the field. Our mother-in-law comes in with a on low for up to 90 minutes or until chicken begins to fall from bone.
basket of eggs and is handed a paring knife. Even she, Ethel’s daughter, Once done, remove chicken from broth to cool. DO NOT throw out
has little solid information. Grandma Ethel had a great many firmly broth. Keep it on simmer while making the dumplings.
held beliefs, but passing down recipes was not one of them.
After the chicken is cool, take it off the bones and set it aside.
“There was kind of a gravy,” we’re told. “And she rolled them out and
cut them.” For the Dumplings:
2 cups flour
But they weren’t egg noodles. We learned that after the first attempt. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
And they certainly weren’t drop dumplings. “These kind of taste like ½ teaspoon salt
paste,” I said. “Broth-flavored paste.” ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
Those pasty blobs sparked a memory of my own. Forget the beef and ½ cup buttermilk, cold
noodles. I wanted my own grandmother’s chicken and dumplings, a
bowl of richness and flavor. She called them galushka, a mash up of the Combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in chunks of but-
Hungarian word for goulash, but the recipe had been simplified over ter until it is the size of small peas. Add buttermilk and pulse a few
the years and was as far from goulash as I was from my eastern Euro- more times, but finish by kneading it, adding flour if the dough is too
pean roots. It had been her grandmother’s recipe before I’d ever tasted sticky. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 1-inch
it. Generations of grandmothers had cooked steaming pots of galushka squares.
over wood fires in their little village outside of Budapest. I longed to
feel the heat steaming up from the pot of boiling dumplings. It was all I Bring the broth up to a rolling boil and drop in the dumplings. Re-
needed to feel warm in fall’s damp chill. duce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove cooked
dumplings with slotted spoon to serve.
Food memories are formed as much from a shared culture as they are a
shared table. As much as I had once appreciated the legendary beef and Place chicken in serving bowls and top with dumplings. (Add broth as
noodles, they would never satisfy that childhood place in my heart. desired.)
Tastes of home can be recreated, but its takes more to trigger the feeling
of home. Taste is like a half-cooked cake, sweet but still wanting. Local Sources
Science would argue that it isn’t the taste that triggers memory at all,
it’s the smell. Once an odor starts working through the brain’s limbic ere are plenty of sources in Iowa for farm fresh chicken, and one
system, you might as well break out the scrapbooks because you’re on we know of for flour. Nearly all are listed on the very helpful web
your way back home, baby. database called LocalHarvest.org. Check there to find one near
you, or simply contact these two favorites:
One nibble of those paste-like dumplings sent me reeling back decades,
to my grandmother’s tiny kitchen. The big green bowl she used for her
dumplings is now in my cupboard and I found an enameled pot like Foxhollow Poultry Farm Pauls Grains
hers years ago. This journey to duplicate this particular memory began
a while ago and for whatever reason, I’ve never taken the simple step of
turning on the burner, fearful that I couldn’t create the food I treasured. 12898 NE 56th Street 2475-B 340th Street
But memory is flexible. Recipes are negotiable. Elkhart Laurel
www.FoxHollowPoultryFarm.com www.PaulsGrains.com
I may have married into beef-and-noodles family, but I was born a 515.367.3402 641.476.3373
chicken-and-dumplings kind of girl.
Succeed she did, but when she would go on to have a family of her own, 1 pound cleaned beef liver
and serve the liver dumpling soup at her own gatherings, it would be ladled 1 large onion
out at the table and carefully passed from her to my father, then my sister, 1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
and then to me. Spills would be our faults.
3 beaten eggs
½ pound dry breadcrumbs (about 2 cups, plus)
Every family has a dish, or more than one, that speaks volumes of family
1 ½ teaspoons salt
history. e aroma brings back memories so powerfully that a single whiff ¼ teaspoon black pepper
can bring a nostalgic tear to a grown man’s eye. I never knew my Grand- 1 gallon beef broth*
mother, the originator of the recipe, who died when I was an infant. But I 1 gallon chicken broth*
was lucky enough to spend my first few anksgiving meals in my Great
Aunt Dorothy’s Chicago brownstone, amidst uncle Mumm’s music boxes, Put the liver, onion and garlic through a meat grinder on a fine setting (a
gazing up at the enormous table covered edge to edge with wondrous treats. blender or food processor may be used, however it will puree the meat and
make the dumplings rather heavy). Add the remaining ingredients and mix
My sister fondly remembers chocolate angel food cake on pink plates, and thoroughly.
Shirley Temples in hollow-stemmed crystal wine goblets. I’m sure there was
a turkey, and I’m sure it was delicious, but the truly memorable foods for In separate pots, bring the beef and chicken broths to simmer.
me were the houska (Dorothy’s braided egg bread), the wild rice and the With wet hands, form the mixture into golf-ball-sized dumplings. Simmer
cranberries (also my late grandmother’s recipes), and the liver dumplings. them a dozen or so at a time (or whatever fits well without crowding) for
We kids ate the dumplings and left the broth behind, unaware that children about 20 minutes, gently stirring once or twice.
were not supposed to like liver.
Serve in shallow soup plates with the chicken broth, garnished with more
In fact I did not like liver, not the fried-with-onions variety anyway, but re- chopped parsley. Yields about three dozen dumplings.
mained blissfully unaware that the dumplings actually did contain it until
well into my teens when it first fell to me to make them. I had gained an *Canned is fine, but choose the low-sodium variety so that you can control the
interest in cooking through years living in a household where the main salt level.
topic of conversation during lunch was what to serve for supper. e sound
If the heat turns out to be too much, cool it with the small-batch craft beers of
Toppling Goliath Brewery from nearby Decorah (The 99 will visit them in Win-
neshiek County in the Summer, 2011 issue of Edible).
The Turkey River, by the way, is a haven for flyfishers thanks to the 24 spring-fed
raceways of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Big Spring Trout Hatch-
ery just a few miles upriver from downtown Elkader.
Across the street is the historic Pedretti’s Bakery, where you can enjoy tasty treats
from simple breads, cookies and fresh doughnuts to the fanciest wedding cake.
It’s just down the street from the also-historic Opera House, where you can take
in a show after visiting Ellen Dirrs’ Elkader General Store and stocking up on
local treats like Fassbinder’s honey and Ruff’s sorghum.
Before leaving town, take a tour of the Motor Mill, built in 1867 of stone quaried
From Buena Vista to Marquette, Clayton County is home to some of the pretti- right nearby. They milled barley, wheat and corn until 1883, when it fell victim
est stretches of riverbank on the Mississippi. And while the river defines it both to a flood. The Klink family used it as a farm building from 1903-83, and today
geographically and figuratively, Clayton County offers much more to see and do, it’s being renovated and restored to become a museum.
especially for the dedicated food tourist.
Of course Clayton County’s treats aren’t all relegated to the county seat of Elkader.
The Old River Road connects north to south and offers some spectacular views,
but state highway 13 cuts right through the heart of this historic area from Man-
chester to Marquette-McGregor, making for a splendid day trip to find old and
new traditions alike. It also offers up some of the most interesting stories behind
how the many small towns got their names.
Strawberry Point is also the home of Kevin Powell, a farmer who raises the very
rare Mulefoot Hog. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy lists the breed’s
status as critical, and says there are fewer than 200 left in the world.
From there it’s just a 20-minute hop up highway 13 to Elkader, which according
to Mr. Savage has perhaps the most unexpected namesake in the state – the 19th-
century Algerian emir Abd el Kader – a national hero there for his strong resist-
ance to the French invasion. That fact played no small part in the choice made
by Frederique Boudouani and Brian Bruening when they chose to open their
restaurant, Schera’s, in the heart of town.
To make the piecrust: Combine both kinds of flour, salt, and sugar in
a large bowl. Slice the cold butter thinly into the dry mixture, tossing
to coat the slices. Using your hands, rapidly work in the butter, break-
ing up large chunks of butter and smearing clumps of the mixture be-
tween your palms, until the visible chunks of butter are pea-sized. As
the flour is moistened by the butter, it will darken slightly in color,
turning from cream white to pale ivory. Sprinkle in the orange juice
and, using a fork, lightly toss and combine just until the mixture co-
heres. If the mixture seems dry, sprinkle in a bit more orange juice, but
do not add so much that the dough becomes sticky.
Divide the dough into 2 balls of equal size. Wrap tightly in plastic
wrap and press each into a disc. Let the dough relax in the refrigerator
for 1 hour, then unwrap and roll out on a floured surface with a
floured rolling pin, flipping frequently so it doesn’t stick, to a large cir-
cle about 1/8 inch thick. When rolling, apply outward, not downward
pressure. Rolling piecrust takes practice. Fold the circle gently in quar-
ters, lay it in a 10-inch glass pie plate, and unfold. Gently press the
crust into the plate so there are no air pockets. Patch any holes or tears
with bits of excess dough, lightly moistened with water. Roll out the
second crust a bit thinner than the first, and reserve it between 2 sheets
of plastic wrap.
To make the filling and assemble the pie: Heat the oven to 425ºF. As
you slice the pears, toss them with the lemon juice in a large bowl to
sharpen the flavor and prevent them from browning. Toss the pears
with the lemon zest, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, grated ginger, and
salt until thoroughly combined. Taste a pear, adding more sugar if they
are very tart.
Before filling the pie shell, lightly beat the egg white and brush the en-
tire inside surface of the pie shell with it, making sure to apply a good
coat around the rim. This will help keep the bottom crust from getting
soggy and will also “glue” the top and bottom crusts together at the
edge.
If you’re not already familiar with Bob cake). e aforementioned pound cake
Blumer then you don’t watch the Food fries are on page 212, and the Cracker Jack
Network. Soup is on page 100.
He cooks salmon in a dishwasher. He It’s all fun, but it’s not a game for Blumer,
makes snowmen out of mashed potatoes who is as serious about the techniques be-
and birthday cake of meatloaf. He’ll serve hind his whimsy as he is passionate about
you pound cake French fries, dog bone the fun to be had in a kitchen. It needn’t
ginger snaps, and sliced Jell-o shooters in be a fancy kitchen either; his own is small
orange peels. Not weird enough? How enough that he can touch both side with-
‘bout Cracker Jack soup? out stretching out his arms. His attention
to ergonomic detail make it a dream to
In his new book, Glutton for Pleasure: Sig- work in though, with each and every thing
nature Recipes, Epic Stories and Surreal Et- he needs right where it needs to be, and
tiquette, Bob Blumer helps you channel your inner child while creating nothing he doesn’t need anywhere.
fun and delicious food built on rock-solid culinary fundamentals. e
author of three other books, creator of five seasons of the acclaimed Blumer is unconventional to be sure, and these are not recipes for the
Food Network series e Surreal Gourmet and current host of Glutton everyday meal, but the techniques he employs are valuable to novice
for Punishment, you can “like” him on Facebook and you can watch and expert alike, and the joy he brings to each and every page will sim-
video clips on his website, and just in time for the holidays you can ply leap out at you.
buy his new book just about everywhere.
Each recipe comes with a recommendation for “music to cook by,”
Bob was a recent guest on our podcast, e Blue Plate Special (available such as rocking out to Los Lobos’ La Pistola y El Corazón while you
to stream or download free on iTunes or at EdibleRadio.com). In that mash Hass avocados into a “rock-a-molé.” Or, because “every bitter-
show he explained the intracacies of opening a bottle of Champagne sweet symphony should be followed by a grilled pizza,” listen to e
with a ten-inch Santoku kitchen knife, regaled us with the legend of Verve’s Urban Hymns while you whip up some blisterd corn and as-
his travels in the toaster-mobile, and gave listeners tips on how to paragus pizza.
streamline a kitchen into ergonomic perfection. All this before he even
made mention of “maple-bacon-crunch ice cream” or “Ahi tuna sno- Glutton for Pleasure is not a beginners cookbook, but all beginners
cones.” should have it to help encourage Blumers love of fun-with-food in
everyone. Serious cooks too will take themselves a little less seriously
See, Bob Blumer is a different sort of cook. He sees food as much once they’ve devoured a healthy dose of Mr. Blumer’s trademark zani-
more than sustenance and even more than mere art (though his whim- ness. Don’t get it as a gift, get it for yourself and make your friends
sical food sculptures are legendary). Men’s Health editor-at-large envious.
Stephen Perrine said of Blumer, “If Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson
and Salvador Dalí had a ménage à trois, this would be there love Glutton for Pleasure: Signature Recipes, Epic Stories, and Surreal
child.” Etiquette - by Bob Blumer. Published by Whitecap Books, Van-
couver, BC, Canada ©2010 Bob Blumer and Whitecap Books
Want to know how to make lamb cupcakes? Page 184. Ten pages later ISBN 978-1-77050-015-0
it’s time for “Meatloaf Surprise” (e surprise is: it’s that birthday