Chef Jake Howell of Peninsula receives the Iron Fork trophy from the Scene's editor-in-chief, D. Patrick Rodgers
This year’s Iron Fork, the annual Scene event that pits four chefs in heated battle to please a panel of judges and take home the trophy, featured an unusually sweet aspect in the form of this year’s secret ingredient — agave syrup. (If you aren’t familiar with the syrup, it’s the sweet nectar of the agave cactus, which is the core ingredient of tequila.)
While sugar is kind of a wild card in fine cuisine, an ingredient that requires a restrained hand and a sense of balance with savory elements, the challenge of agave syrup didn’t seem to daunt the four chef competitors: The Mockingbird’s Brian Riggenbach; John Lasater of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken; Jake Howell of Peninsula in East Nashville; and Rahaf Amer, a private chef formerly of Salt & Vine who is also the creative force behind the Food From Inside the Travel Ban benefit dinners.
The event's attendees got to stroll the concourse of the Musicians Hall of Fame and sample food and drink from some of Nashville best restaurants and beverage purveyors — as well as stopping by the stations to watch the chef contestants cook against the clock. Each chef had a sous chef to assist, and worked with ingredients from a pantry supplied by event sponsor US Foods.
The event was kept lively by emcees D. Patrick Rodgers, editor-in-chief at the Scene, and the ever-popular chef Maneet Chauhan, a judge on Food Network's Chopped who presides over a growing family of Nashville restaurants via her company Morph Hospitality.
The chef duos carried some beautiful plates onstage to be tasted by judges, who said the contest was especially tough to call. But in the end, Peninsula’s Howell was awarded the trophy.
Howell and his sous chef, Cody Bagley (read more about Cody as part of this week's Scene cover package), created a dish that looked minimalist but was bursting with flavors. It started with a cut of beef tenderloin, which according to Howell, was glossed with strawberries cooked in agave and a little apple cider vinegar, then topped with a confit of chewy shiitake mushrooms. The beef and the plate itself were sprinkled with a little sour hibiscus powder. On the side was an homage to the biscuit, made with coconut milk that was cooked down, then spiked with yeast. In a separate bowl, the chefs presented a rich broth they crafted from the trim left over from all the ingredients, including oregano leaves and charred alliums; the broth was seasoned with oregano oil and a little sesame oil.
If Howell’s description leaves you intrigued, it’s worth checking out Peninsula, which offers outstanding Iberian-inspired cuisine, a fun bar and a convivial dining room. I reviewed Peninsula last year.
Iron Fork always has a charitable component; this year’s beneficiary was The Nashville Food Project, a highly respected cause. As part of the fundraising, each of the chefs cooked up a separate plate to be auctioned off by the emcees. Bidding among the crowd was heated, ultimately raising more than a thousand dollars for the charity, which describes its goal as “bringing people together to grow, cook and share nourishing food, with the goals of cultivating community and alleviating hunger in our city.” A worthy result for a very fun evening.
Check out some photos:
Jake Howell (left) and his sous chef Cody Bagley deliver dishes to the judges at Iron Fork 2019
The winning Iron Fork plate, from chef Jake Howell of Peninsula
Chef Rahaf Amer's plate featured agave-marinated shrimp in an agave-miso broth with miso mushrooms and other vegetables.
John Lasater of Hattie B's served up hot-shrimp-and-grits with quick-pickled red onions and other accompaniments, plus agave comeback sauce.
Brian Riggenbach of The Mockingbird offered up a triple play with shrimp, salmon and duck breast.
