26
Nov

Tradition: The 9:22 Shot

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Well, hello there, Gentleman.

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A long-standing tradition at barbecue contests where Randy Twyford is present is the 9:22 a.m. good luck shot of Gentleman Jack. Why 9:22, you ask? Because you might have something to do at 9 and 9:30 and 10 … but most people can steal away for a few minutes at 9:22.

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A record crowd gathered around the stage this year in Murphysboro.

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GentlemanJack_Toast_V2Randy delivered his colorful, not-quite-PC blessing and the crowd took a moment to reflect on the glory of the barbecue lifestyle we’re so fortunate to live. This brief shared moment set the tone for Saturday and sent us all back to our tasks with renewed vigor.

Tell us your favorite cook-off tradition in the comments below!   

4
Nov

Block Party: Fabulous Friends

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Danny Meyer, Mike Mills, Amy, and Mitchell Davis.
Photo ® Ken Goodman

Still finding lots of photos I haven’t shared of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. Besides hanging out with our fellow pitmasters, one of the highlights of the weekend is the opportunity to nuture the friendships we’ve made over the years, and forge some new ones, too.

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® Ken Goodman

If you’ve read Peace, Love, and Barbecue, you know the story about Pat Daily and Tom Viertel, pictured above with Mike. Pat and Tom are Broadway royalty and treasured friends. The first person to tell me, in the comments below, why they’re significant to barbecue in New York City will get one of our “I Love New Pork” t-shirts!

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® Ken Goodman

David Bogan {far right} and his sweet family. We are so grateful to him for his help during the weekend and it’s always a treat to see his growing family.

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Union Square Hospitality Group’s Michael Romano and David Swinghamer.
® Ken Goodman

These two. We have come a long, long way from the weeks spent sitting in our pit room during practice cooks!

BlockParty2013_Friends5We met Ed Levine when he was best known for his expertise on all things pizza and now he’s the overlord of the excellent Serious Eats site.

BlockParty2013_Friends6My son, Woody, always has a posse of Roxbury Latin School and college friends in the city for the summer. Here is this year’s pack of Sewanee friends.

BlockParty2013_Friends7Nate Goldstein and James Beard Foundation EVP Mitchell Davis. This has quickly become one of Nate favorite weekends. We shared moments as big as years at Eleven Madison Park the night before the festivities began.

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PR pro extraordinaire Robin Insley greets a friend.

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® Ken Goodman

Shake Shack culinary director Mark Rosati.

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Meat Men: Mark Pastore and Pat LaFrieda, along with Pat’s son.
Photo ® Ken Goodman

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OnCue friends and clients. Rick Thomas {top} and
Bob Yarmuth {bottom} from Sonny’s Barbecue with Mike.
Photo ® Ken Goodman

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More OnCue friends and clients: Top: Billy Durney and Mike Mills.
Bottom: Mike with Eva Pesantaz and her sweet son, Jesse.
® Ken Goodman

OnCue friends and clients from Hometown Barbecue and Brother Jimmy’s.

BlockParty2013_Friends13Our sweetest little friends love this day, too.

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Photo ® Ken Goodman

So much goodness in this photo. I spy Laurie Jon Moran, Le Bernardin pastry chef, and his wife, Wayne Mueller, Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, and James Boo of Serious Eats.

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Photos ® Ken Goodman

Top: Ed Levine and Todd English; bottom photo: Chef Kerry Heffernan and Mike.

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® Ken Goodman

Daniel Vaughn and photographer Nick Solares.

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® Ken Goodman

Daniel, me, and Wayne Mueller.

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® Ken Goodman

Wayne Mueller and brisket boy Daniel Delaney of Brisket Town in Brooklyn.

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Ace Chew producers Anthony Underwood and Maggie Barnes with Mike.
Botom photo: Anthony and husband, Josh Davis, and me.
® Ken Goodman

Note Josh’s hat. Love that these two are always careful to wear half Hill Country and half 17th Street attire to the Block Party.

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More Chew crew: Daphne Oz and her husband, John Jovanovic, with Mike, me, and Elizabeth Karmel.
® Woody Tunnicliffe

Read more about our Big Apple Barbecue Block Party adventures here and here.

18
Oct

Dinosaur Bar-b-que Brooklyn Opening

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I spent a lot of time in New York City this summer, and one of the events I attended was the opening party for the newest Dinosaur Bar-B-Que outpost in Brooklyn. Set in an old tool and die factory, every detail in this space was meticulously restored and planned.

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Vintage signage lends character in the bar area.

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Exposed bricks, carefully chosen art, and industrial lighting set the stage for a classic Dinosaur design that’s uniquely Brooklyn.

Artwork at Dinosaur BrooklynMy favorite design feature: a massive mobile made from sandblasted bottles gathered from under the Brooklyn Bridge. Owner John Stage likes to purchase local art for each space and he told me that this piece was the only thing that wasn’t destroyed in the artist’s studio during Hurricane Sandy. It’s both majestic and meaningful.

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A peek in the pit room shows a row of gleaming Ole Hickory and J&R pits.

Outside Dinosaur BrooklynThank you for inviting me to your party … looking forward to making lots of memories here!

17
Oct

Catering Display Inspiration

Beautiful display inspired by personal collections and Pinterest

Becky Streuter, our catering manager, has a large collection of vintage and retro items from which to choose. These layered linens, cut glass dishes, and jadeite serving pieces create a beautiful table. The damask-covered slipper chair belonged to my grandmother.
© Ken Goodman

We eat with our eyes first and when people attend 17th Street catered events, we want our guests to be delighted when they see our set-up. From events held in our private rooms and Warehouse facilities to OnCue seminars, we love setting the stage with unique items from our collection.

When you hold an event at The Warehouse, you can rent almost anything in our prop room with which to decorate and add a signature touch to your celebration. We can also suggest  local event planners who can help create a special look. Here are some of my favorite tablescapes from recent events.

fresh fruit on a tiered jadeite stand

A jadeite cake stand atop a brass plate holds a variety of fruit on the breakfast table.
© Ken Goodman

One of the topics of our OnCue Catering Master Class discusses how to properly set up a catering line and how to make it look fabulous. These photos are from various OnCue Consulting events.

Cut glass, jadeite, vintage linens

Photo © Amy Mills

Vintage linens create a colorful backdrop for a breakfast table. Weathered wood, old tin canisters, an antique scale, and cast iron create texture and interest.

The kissing booth

Photo © Ken Goodman

Clever, colorful, and sweetly delicious – this kissing booth display was both a candy bar and a photo booth where guests could pose for pictures.

Bulleit bottles, twine, fresh rosemary and mason jars

Photo © Ken Goodman

Sometimes simple is best. This display uses Bulleit bottles tied with twine, slices of wood, and mason jars filled with sprigs of rosemary clipped from a huge bush that grows outside our back door. The tablecloth is layered with a kraft paper runner.

Inspiration for one of my favorite displays came from this photo of painted antlers I saw on Pinterest. I couldn’t justify paying $78 for one painted antler, so we put out the call for antlers and taxidermy to our family and friends. Turns out that these trophies are precious to some and they didn’t want us to paint them? Go figure! We ended up with an abundance of them and here’s how we used them.

Serve-yourself wine and bourbon tables

Photo © Ken Goodman

Our serve-yourself bourbon bar and wine station featured old wooden tables and boxes, a vintage Stag sign, and lots of antlers, both loose and mounted.

Buffet table with light fixture made with an old ladder and several pairs of antlers

Photo © Ken Goodman

There are so many layers of goodness on this buffet table designed by Becky and local event planner, Cindy Wilson. They suspended an old ladder and tied on antlers, illuminating it with a string of mason jar lights. Natural elements such as pine cones, fresh rosemary, and wood slices mix with cast iron and tin.

While this display is fairly masculine, I did get my painted antlers, reinterpreted just for me by Cindy …

Antlers that have been painted and bedazzled

Photo © Ken Goodman

Not only are they painted, she fancied them up with a bit of iridescent sparkle, rhinestones,and marabou trim, and tucked them in and about several displays to add just a little girly touch amongst all of that manliness.

What are your favorite items to use in catering displays?

To book your next event at 17th Street, please call Becky at 618-684-8902.

For information on our upcoming OnCue events, email Amy. Just a few spots remain in our Catering Master Class on November 4–5, 2013 and the Whole Hog Extravaganza/Brisket Bonanza/BBQ MBA on January 20-21, 2014.