Chef Lauren DeShields On Farm-To-Table Dining, Fla.

Chef Lauren DeShields really believes in using local ingredients. "I'm willing to go to farms to pick things up," she told me during an interview at Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Florida.

Chef Lauren DeShields of Market 17 Restaurant, at Swank Table's Hot
Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

This native Floridian started her career at 3030 Ocean Restaurant (Ft. Lauderdale) under the leadership of James Beard winner Chef Dean James Max. She learned a lot from him about the farm-to-table style of cooking. Then she went to San Francisco to get more cooking experience before returning home.

According to DeShields, there is a strong farm-to-table movement in San Francisco. It started with some restaurants making dishes with local ingredients. This educated the people who then started asking for more locally sourced dishes at other restaurants.

This increased demand for local ingredients which allowed farmers to lower their prices. With lower prices more restaurants could source local ingredients to put into their dishes.

She joined the staff of Market 17, a well known farm-to-table restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, in January 2012, as the Executive Chef.

"I love Swank Farm," DeShields said. She also loves other farms and cooperatives in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami where she sources greens, mushrooms, fruit, and tilapia.

Market 17 is located at  1850 SE 17th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: 954-835-5507
website: http://www.market17.net/index.htm
 

Hot Pink Lunch, Swank Farm, Loxahatchee, Fla: Benefitting Women

Loxahatchee, Fla.— Swank Table’s Hot Pink Lunch celebrated Florida women on February 9th. This female dominated farm event had chefs, farmers, authors, a sommelier, a pianist, a singing quartet, and many hot pink wearing guests. There were also some men, helping the chefs, pouring alcohol, and acting as arm candy for the female guests, some even wore pink. Proceeds went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.


Florida based Chef Lauren DeShields, Chef Julie Frans, and Chef Paula
DaSilva getting showered with fresh rose petals at Swank Table's Hot
Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Under the direction of Chef Linsay Autry, this year’s Hot Pink Lunch went smoothly. “There was a real sense of cooperation,” said Autry in regards to having so many female chefs at the event. “It was hard to tell whose crew belonged to whom because everyone helped out.”

Florida farm-to-table Chefs Lauren DeShields (Market 17, Ft. Lauderdale), Julie Frans (Essensia, Miami), Paula DaSilva (1500 degrees, Miami), Autry (Sundy House, Delray), and Amanda Fernandez (Whole Foods Market, Wellington) transformed Swank Farm produce into gourmet treats.

Pastry Chef Sarah Ortiz (Dallas, Texas) handled dessert and sommelier Mariya Kovacheva (Cafe Boulud, Palm Beach) took care of wine and cocktails.  

Kovacheva's strawberry champagne cocktail at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Kovacheva prepared a spicy welcoming champagne cocktail made with sweet Swank Farm grown strawberries, ginger alcohol, lemongrass, and black pepper. 

Front five-acre grow bag section of Swank Farm,
Loxahatchee, Fla.

Darrin Swank, co-owner of Swank Specialty Produce & Farm, gave a tour of his five-acre grow bag field. This is where he grows produce in dirt. The rest of his crop is grown hydroponically in two large shade houses.

Co-authors Katie Farmand and Heather McPherson
autograph their latest book--Field to Feast, at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

After the tour, the 138 guests took a short stroll to an appetizer tent where they sampled chef prepared gourmet bites of Swank's produce. They also bought copies of the book--Field To Feast--featuring Swank Farm.

Female singing barber shop quartet serenades guests,
at Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Then guests were directed to the flower drenched back tent for a sit down meal made complete with a singing female barber shop quartet.



Chef Autry's fresh and roasted beet salad at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Chef Autry created the first course: a delicious salad of roasted and raw beets, mixed with fresh mache greens, charred chick peas, and creamy local goat cheese.



Chef Frans' Thai style mahi mahi escabeche at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

A moist Thai-style mahi mahi came next, created by Chef Frans. It was arranged on a crunchy bed of pickled Swank Farm grown vegetables and bathed in an exotic coconut-ginger-lemongrass juice.

This came with brown rice, eggplant, mustard green, and green curry stuffed peppers.



Chef DaSilva's grilled sausage and pork belly dish at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Chef DaSilva's course was smoky grilled sausage and braised pork belly. It had a creamy polenta base and crunchy pickled Swank Farm pepper relish.

It came with loaded eggplant topped with fresh chevre goat cheese, tomato sauce and micro-greens.


Chef DeShield's White Water clams dish at Swank Table's
Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

The last course, grilled White Water clams, by Chef DeShields, sat on a fresh bean salad, baby fennel, smoked butter, and shaved black radish that looked a lot like coconut.

Tangy grilled beans and cabbage, set on  pickled vegetables came as her side dish.




Dessert, by Chef Ortiz, had some surprising ingredients. She managed to transform the humble root vegetable--beet-- into a sweet white chocolate mousse.

It was topped with chocolate dirt, Florida citrus, crunchy candied beets, yogurt air cake, and beet micro-greens.

Chef Ortiz's white chocolate & beet mousse dessert at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

 

Just before lunch ended, the reason for the meal came full circle when approaching servers asked, "Would you like a breast?"

Breast-like pink champagne cupcakes at Swank Table's
Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

They were carrying trays loaded with candy button topped, pink frosted, champagne cupcakes, supplied by dd's Cupcake Shoppe (Jupiter, Fla.).

To find out more about the Breast Cancer research Center you can go to: www.bgrfcure.org

To find out more about Swank Table farm lunches, you can go to www.swankspecialtyproduce.com 





Celebrating Julia Child in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

What better setting for a Julia Child celebration than a vineyard. The fundraiser dinner, hosted by Florida Slow Food Gold & Treasure Coast chapter foodies, showcased--From Julia Child’s Kitchen book--photographer Albie Walton.

Photographer Albie Walton holding up his Julia
Child photo at Slow Food's Celebrating Julia Dinner,
Ft. Pierce, Fla.

It was ironically chilly at the Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery in Ft. Pierce on March 9th. Dinner service was outside in a covered gazebo with picnic style tables made of lacquered surf boards. Each was set with colorful plates of salad.

 

T.A. Wyner handing out knives at Slow Food's
Celebrating Julia Child dinner, Ft. Pierce, Fla.

The dinner started late. TA Wyner, of the Slow Food Gold and Treasure Coast chapter, kept everyone entertained and informed on the impending arrival of the chefs.

When they arrived, Walton was invited to speak about his photography career and how it intersected with Julia Child’s life. “Whatever you saw on television is what Julia was,” said Walton.

He said Julia really understood black and white photography because of her husband.

There is a photo in the book, From Julia Child’s Kitchen, where Julia is working with chocolate cigars. She cut her finger just before the shot was taken but told Walton not to worry. “The chocolate cigars are covered with blood but you can’t tell because it’s a black and white photo,” said Walton.

Farmer Diane Cordeau speaking at Slow Food's
Celebrating Julia Child dinner, Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Farmers Diane Cordeau and Carl Frost, of Kai Kai Farm, Indiantown, also talked. They shared how their farm got its name. They were sailors before they were farmers. When they sailed the Soloman Islands and got accepted into tribes the chiefs would say, “Let’s go Kai Kai,” that meant—let’s go gathering food.

 

Green salad course at Slow Food's Celebrating
Julia Child dinner, Ft. Pierce, Fla.

First course was a crisp green salad (from Gibbons Organics Farm), decorated with a spicy nasturtium flower (from the Compost Gardener), and an aromatic Seville orange infused olive oil vinaigrette (from an organic farm near Mt. Etna, Italy, imported by Olive Oil of the World).

Beef Bourguignon made by Chef Rasheed Shihada at
Slow Food's Celebrating Julia Child dinner,
Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Chef Rasheed Shihada, of Olive Oil of the World, prepared a delicious Julia Child favorite—beef Bourguignon, for the main course. It was made with Florida beef (from Farriss Farm), carrots (from Kai Kai Farm), and oyster mushrooms (from Oyster Island Mushrooms LLc). “Not all the ingredients are traditional. Some of the carrots we got from Kai Kai were purple,” said Shihada.  

Chocolate soufflé glace made by Chef Chris Pawlowski
at Slow Food's Celebrating Julia Child dinner,
Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Dessert course came with a cooking demonstration by Chef Chris Pawlowski, of Palm Beach Organics. He demonstrated how easy it was to prepare a traditional Julia Child chocolate soufflé glace or frozen soufflé.

It was made with local Florida eggs, strawberries, and black Sapote fruit.

The $75/person dinner ticket came with a souvenir wine glass and a chance to buy raffle tickets.

Four copies of Walton’s official centennial poster, chosen for Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian, were raffled. He autographed each winner’s poster.

Liliam and Jose Ubilla, of Real Stone and Granite, added a granite personalized plaque to the raffle items.

Money raised from the dinner went to the Slow Food Gold & Treasure Coast's Community Garden Project. If you want to help them raise more money contact Sheryl Paul at Sheryp461@gmail.com or TA Wyner at TAWyner@aceweb.com