If you’re a loyal viewer of Top Chef, you probably remember Kelsey Barnard Clark, the amiable Alabama-born chef who was the first Southerner ever to win the competition cooking show back in Season 16, besting another daughter of the South in Sara Bradly of Freight House in Paducah, Ky. Since winning the title of Top Chef, Clark has continued to appear on cooking shows as well as publishing a cookbook titled Southern Grit in 2021.
Clark's latest book explores more than just food. Southern Get-Togethers is a guide to hosting home gatherings from casual to formal, including all sorts of recipes, tips on food shipping and menu planning, flower-arranging advice and theme ideas.
To celebrate the release of her new tome, Clark is coming to Nashville for the weekend, with events planned on Jan. 11 and 12. On Saturday, she’ll be appearing at Williams Sonoma in Green Hills from noon until 2 p.m. to meet her fans, sign books and give a demonstration of easy flower arranging. Your $35 ticket includes a signed copy of the book plus the instructional seminar.
[NOTE: Due to Friday's snow, Clark's Saturday visit has been cancelled, but as of Jan.10, the brunch at Chauhan below is still on the books.]
On Sunday, she’ll team up with another Food Network star, our own Maneet Chauhan, for a book brunch at Chauhan Ale & Masala House at 123 12th Ave. N. Brunch kicks off at 11 a.m. Expect three hours of brunchy food and drinks featuring recipes from the book. There will also be plenty of mixing-and-mingling times during the multicourse meal. The $100 ticket includes a signed copy of the book, a welcome cocktail and brunch, plus the opportunity to spend time with two of the friendliest culinary rock stars I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.
Whether you spell it “piroshki,” “pirozhki” or “piroshky,” just don’t confuse these golden baked buns with their steamed cousins, the pierogi. Fans of piroshky tend to be rabid in their ardor and are willing to travel great distances to find a legit example of one. Fortunately, Piroshky Piroshky is making the jaunt for us with a one-day pop-up coming to Fait la Force Brewery at 1414 Third Ave. S. on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The Seattle bakery has been a fixture of Pike Place Market for more than three decades, serving more than 10 million customers a year. What keeps patrons returning to the small woman-owned business is a passion for creating authentic Eastern European-style piroshky, earning them attention from Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern and a spot on Smithsonian Magazine’s “20 Most Iconic Food Destinations Across America.”
But it’ll be a lot easier just to travel to Wedgewood-Houston on Jan. 23 to discover the magic of Piroshky Piroshky. All you have to do is place your preorder at the event website by Jan. 21, and they will customize your hand-made order and flash-freeze it for pickup on Jan. 23 between 5 and 7 p.m. Options range from sweet treats like a cinnamon-cardamom braid or a chocolate-hazelnut cream roll to savory specialties such as veggie chipotle piroshky, the regional treat of smoked salmon pâté piroshky or chicken pot pie piroshky that are available only until the beginning of April. Bring your freezer bag to keep your bounty chilled while you enjoy a beer at Fait la Force during your pickup trip!
