Well happy Tuesday. I have a few things to share with you on this fine day.
1. Rich Rogers of Scardello Artisan Cheese has been chosen as part of the judging panel for the cheese category of the Good Food Awards on September 7. The Good Food Awards acknowledge great food that is produced responsibly both to its community and the environment. Other categories include beer, charcuterie, chocolate, coffee, oils, preserves, spirits, honey, and pickles. Winners are vetted to make sure the supply chains are completely transparent, with excellent care of animals and good sourcing practices. I’m pretty jealous that Rich gets to go to San Francisco to eat cheese all day, but I’m pretty sure there’s no one more qualified than him to do it.
3. Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) has selected two Dallas-area concepts as winners of the 2014 Hot Concepts award. Top Honors went to Snap Kitchen, the Austin-based healthy fast chain with a few new locations here in the Dallas area. LYFE Kitchen, which isn’t based here but has just opened up three locations with us, was also named as one of the top 5 hot emerging foodservice brands.
4. All you backyard bbq chefs, this is your chance to impress a lot of people. Compete at the Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival over Labor Day weekend and win cash or a trophy. You can compete in either the chicken or ribs class using mass market grills (no smokers), using some serious rules from the Kansas City Barbecue Society. To sign up, click here. Participants receive 10 free wristbands for Friday night’s festivities, so you can bring your biggest fans along with you.
5. Hatch chiles are a pretty big deal this month. (I should know. I have pounds of them at home right now.) To do its part in celebrating, Cast Iron at Omni Fort Worth Hotel just launched a new Hatch Chile menu that runs through through September 13 (see below).
