I thought everyone was supposed to be out of town for summer vacation, but darned if things aren’t busier than ever with all sorts of cool culinary and beverage news coming across the ol' internet transom. From a major whiskey award to a porch party for a good cause, we’re bursting with news nuggets today. Check it out below
Casey Kostrebski, Michael Hinds and James Davenport of Nashville Barrel Co. accept their award for Best of Class at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition
First off, I already told you how well Middle Tennessee spirits did at this year’s prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, but the competition apparently wasn’t over for Nashville Barrel Co. They recently made a return trip to the West Coast to receive their Best in Class award for the Single Barrel Bourbon category.
Their entry was a special pick from their inventory that went up against some of the most sought-after brands in the world of whiskey — icons like Blanton’s, Taylor, Russell’s Reserve and Four Roses. I don’t recall a Nashville distiller ever winning Best in Class in San Francisco, so this is definitely something worth celebrating. And by the looks on the faces of the happy winners, they’ve already gotten a head start!
In the world of wine, I wanted to put in another plug for the monthly Winemaker Dinners that the Westin downtown has been hosting on their L27 (almost) rooftop level. I was fortunate enough to attend the June dinner that featured Favia Wines from Northern California. I was unfamiliar with their wines before their dinner, but they were fantastic. Favia winemaker Andy Erickson was on hand to interact with the assembled crowd and talk about his wines, and he brought a few surprises from the cellar’s library as bonus treats.
Westin chefs Jake Strang and Mark Vuckovich put together a lonely five-course dinner to accompany the wines, and the evening was perfectly paced and cordial. While $150 might seem a little steep for a night out, when you consider that the meal includes full pours of six wines — most of which were more than $200 a bottle — plus a full meal, I doubt anyone involved is getting rich off of these dinners. They’re just presenting them as a fun opportunity to introduce new wines to the market and to show off the festive L27 space at the Westin.
There are still three dinners left on the schedule, so I strongly suggest you treat yourself to at least one of them:
July 21: Jarvis Winemaker Dinner | Tickets
Aug. 26: Revana Winemaker Dinner | Tickets
Sept. 29: Roy Estate Winemaker Dinner | Tickets
If you attended this year’s Iron Fork competition, you couldn’t have missed chef Star Maye, the ebullient kitchen boss at Anzie Blue. I was taken by chef Maye as soon as I met her to conduct an interview prior to the food fight, and her life story is fascinating. Her experience includes a stint in the military, cooking assignments at Alaskan fishing camps and on oil rigs, and her latest gig cooking at the CBD-centric cafe in Hillsboro Village.
Rather than listen to me recount her stories, you can now read them, written in her own inimitable voice in her new book, A Star Among Us: A Chef's Story. Now available for preorder from the Anzie Blue website, the book is described as Maye's “personal journey through her 20 years in the culinary industry as a black, LGBTQ+ woman and the stories behind some of her favorite dishes.” She even got Andre Prince Jeffries, Nashville's maven of hot chicken, to write the forward.
Part coffee table book, autobiography and cookbook, it’s also a benefit for The Trevor Project, with $6 from each sale going to support the organization’s efforts to provide 24/7 crisis support services for young LGBTQ+ people.
Finally, OG Nashvillians are probably familiar with beloved Nashville caterer Johnny Haffner’s famous porch parties, where guests would enjoy raucous meals under candlelit chandeliers on Johnny’s covered porch. The chef has revived the tradition for a series of special dinners benefiting The Heimerdinger Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing nutrient-rich meals and education, free of charge, for families facing cancer.
The first party of the series sold out quickly, but there are still five more opportunities to join in the fun for a good cause. The Friday night soirees feature a welcome glass of wine followed by a five-course meal made with seasonal ingredients. The parties start at 7:30 p.m. with dinner served at 8.
Tickets are $200 ($150 tax-deductible) and are available at the event website. Future dates are July 15, Aug. 26, Sep. 16, Aug. 21 and Nov. 11.
