As the first hints of autumn fill the air — along with the sound of a football literally kicking off the season — Nashville chefs are filling up the calendar with all sorts of fun upcoming events. You might have to DVR a few of those opening games if you want to catch all the culinary action!
First off is the fundraising Community Cookout on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., highlighting what may well be the hottest restaurant neighborhood in Nashville. The staff at Audrey has invited their friends and neighbors from Redheaded Stranger and The Turkey and the Wolf Ice House along with the talented brewers from Bearded Iris to serve up a Southern-style spread of whole-hog barbecue, classic sides and cold drinks. Everyone will convene in the Audrey parking lot to cook and serve, and individual tickets are $35 for the whole meal plus a nonalcoholic beverage. You’ll want to buy yours in advance, and all the proceeds will benefit the McFerrin Park Neighborhood Association’s Drive for Children’s Education to help them provide school supplies.
In SoBro, the luxurious property The Joseph is turning 5 — which if you do the math, means they opened in the teeth of the pandemic and are still going strong. To celebrate their resilience and success, they’re hosting a diverting and instructional charcuterie experience on Wednesday, Aug. 27, from 6 until 8 p.m.
Attendees will come together in the hotel’s event space on the eighth floor for a special class, where they will learn to assemble edible masterpieces in the form of charcuterie presentations made of meats from Evans Meats & Seafood, seasonal accoutrements and Italian cheeses. The palette for this artwork will be a custom guitar-shaped cutting board from Gibson, and guests will get to eat their creation, sip some wine and take the cutting board home. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased at the event webpage.
Secret Bodega Chicago
Jesse Valenciana and his Secret Bodega are heading back home to Chicago for the weekend, taking along their friends at Bill’s Sandwich Palace for a pop-up sandwich extravaganza on Friday, Aug. 29, at the Windy City’s Italian sandwich mecca, J.P. Graziano Grocery. Even if you’re not able to buy a Southwest ticket to Chicago for a sandwich, you should at least alert any friends who live up there that they should head to 901 W. Randolph St. in the West Loop starting at 6 p.m. to experience this delectable menu created by a trio of sandwich masters:
Secret Izakaya: "Secret Bodega’s award-winning burger, two smoosh patties seasoned with KBBQ spice, topped with a fried shallot cheese blanket, chili crisp aioli in a toasted sesame seed bun from Publican Bread."
Bill’s Badass Beef: "Tender braised chuck roast with caramelized onions, layered with aged cheddar, tangy pickled veg giardiniera, and creamy horseradish mayo, all on a garlic-butter toasted roll!"
Hot Giard Pierogi: "As seen on Secret Bodega’s menu, these homemade pierogis are filled with hot giardiniera made by JP Graziano’s ."
Anybody wanna carpool with me?
This is a sentence I never thought I would type: The Schermerhorn Symphony Hall is hosting a Ceremonial Tuna Cutting on Sunday, Sept. 7, starting at 6 p.m. Now that the cognitive dissonance is starting to wear off, let’s continue.
It’s actually not quite as weird as it sounds. I’ve been fortunate enough to witness one of these events courtesy of 888 chef Alfredo Bueno. In the course of about an hour, Chef Bueno wields any number of super-sharp implements, from scimitars to tiny knives, to break a gigantic whole tuna into component parts and create dishes that highlight the different parts of the fish. If you haven’t experienced the freshest tuna meat scraped straight from the ribs of the fish, it’ll change the way you think about sashimi.
The event will be hosted by Rey Bello, who I’ve never heard of before. But the invitation describes him as “the cultural connector behind Nashville’s most exclusive Michelin-level dining experiences,” so I guess I should have. Anyone who is bringing a rare and special opportunity like this to such an intriguing venue is doing something right!
Tickets are $200 for general admission seating — or more accurately, standing — as you observe the master chef at work and enjoy dishes created à la minute. My favorite part of the invitation was something that should go without saying, but is said. In italics at the very end of the announcement, patrons are advised that the event is “Presented without the Nashville Symphony.” Well, darn. I wanted to see the concertmaster “tuna” the whole orchestra to A, and the viola section really cut it up!
I’ll see myself out.
