SFA Past Events
2005 – Sugar and the Sweet Life
Sugar and the Sweet Life
October 27-30, 2005
The eighth annual Southern Foodways Symposium traced sugar cane, from the islands of the Caribbean through the plantations of Louisiana. We fondly recalled syrup making with Jeff Allen. We parsed Moon Pies with Bill Ferris, and learned the history of sweet tea with Fred Thompson. With historian Fred Opie, we viewed the world through molasses-colored glasses.
Sorghum and sweet potato pie. Iced tea and moonshine. Honey and the Bible. Cyclamates and the Devil. That’s what we talked about. And when we weren’t talking, we were eating: cane syrup- and cider-brined hamhocks with black-eyed peas, Cheerwine barbecued chicken, and sugar-cured country ham. Not to mention chocolate chess pie, pecan pralines, triple crown brownies spiked with bourbon, and aged cheddar swabbed with green tomato and blueberry jam.
There were baking workshops by award-winning pastry chef Karen Barker, and NPR’s Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, offered a practicum. We screened Marsaw, an SFA-produced film celebrating New Orleans bartender, Martin Sawyer, and we dined with his family over catfish at Taylor Grocery.
Jerri Banks served as Drink Muse for the weekend, stirring potions of tea and adult elixirs. Martha Foose made magic with a cotton machine, and symposiasts shared their favorite treats with a Halloween candy swap.
Camp Bacon
September 16, 2005
In 2005 we launched a series of SFA Day Camps. Camp Bacon, held September 16 in Louisville, Kentucky, was the first.
We met at the historic Brown Hotel for a bacon-obsessed day and night. Dan Philips – Grateful Palate proprietor, Bacon
of the Month Club mastermind, the man Food & Winedubbed Captain Bacon – was guest cure-ator, pairing artisanal Kentucky bacons with acclaimed Kentucky chefs for a once-in-a-lifetime dinner in the luxe English Grill.
Featured talents included Joe Castro of the English Grill, John Castro of Winston’s, Dean Corbett of Equus, Kathy Cary of Lilly’s, Jim Gerhardt of Limestone, Ouita Michel of Holly Hill Inn, Jared Richardson of Wallace Station, and Anoosh Shariat of Park Place. In the spirit of Camp Bacon, we offered a variety of Friday afternoon and Saturday morning adventures, including self-guided tours of Capriole Farms (among America’s best goat cheeses), Highlands Farmers’ Market (vibrant local provender), Louisville Stoneware (Hot Brown casserole dishes), Shuckman’s Smoked Fish (spoonfish caviar), Muth’s Candy Store (home of the Modjeska), Taste of Kentucky (best selection of bbq sauces in three states), and Woodford Reserve Distillery (pot-still bourbon).
- For the event brochure, click here.
Sweet Home New Orleans
July 7-10, 2005
For the 2005 field trip, the Southern Foodways Alliance traveled south to New Orleans, the papal city of Southern food. We focused upon sugar and the sweet life. We tasted rum, distilled from local molasses. Pralines, calas, Creole cream cheese, bursting-at-the-seams peaches, and beignets, too. We ate our fill in storied restaurants, among them Commander’s Palace and Dooky Chase. We reveled in the culinary talents of chefs like John Besh, Austin Leslie, and Susan Spicer. We sank our spoons deep into bowls of bread pudding (spiked with a touch of Southern Comfort) while listening to a historical deconstruction of the dish. We paid homage to the men and women who have long toiled in Louisiana’s cane fields. We explored the triangle trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas that defined this lovely littoral.
Blackberry Farm
January 8, 2005
At the 2005 inaugural Blackberry Farm Taste of the South Gala, we dined on country ham, sunburst trout, and roast quail. Guest chefs included John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, MS; Ann Cashion, Cashion's Eat Place, Washington, D.C.; Ken Vedrenski, Sienna, Charleston, SC; Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL; Jim Gerhardt, Limestone Restaurant, Louisville, KY; and Michael Laiskonis, Le Bernardin, New York, NY.
- Click here for the menu.
