June 11: A Piggy Bank Dinner at Big Jones restaurant in Chicago, IL, hosted by chef Paul Fehribach. Proceeds benefit the documentary initiatives of the SFA.
To reserve your seat, call Big Jones at (773) 275-5725.
CHICAGO (April 4, 2014) — In honor of James Beard award-winning whiskey distiller Julian Van Winkle, III, chef-owner Paul Fehribach of Big Jones will host a special Piggy Bank Dinner benefiting the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) on Wednesday, June 11. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by a five-course dinner at 7 p.m. showcasing recipes and inspiration from Lettice Bryan’s The Kentucky Housewife and The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery. According to tradition, every dish on this menu is made from whole raw farm ingredients, that are then prepared at Big Jones. Five selected whiskeys from Rip Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace distilleries will be paired with the dinner. The cost to attend is $150 per person and this includes whiskey pairings, tax, and gratuity. Half of the dinner proceeds will go toward support of SFA.
As a tribute to the distillery, a film about Julian Van Winkle, III will be shown. Chef Fehribach will be serving hams that evening that he has cured himself. To showcase that great Southern ingredient—country ham—a short film about Benton’s Country Ham and the company located in Benton, Tenn. will be shown. The Poker Night String Band will also provide entertainment. Reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation, call (773)275-5725.
The dinner menu is as follows:
Reception
Virtue Cider, “The Mitten” bourbon barrel-aged cider
18-month aged house-cured country ham, served with relishes
First Course
Pappy Van Winkle 12-year-old whiskey
Guinea fowl and butterbean dumpling soup
Second Course
Early lettuces with spring onions, heirloom radishes and hot bacon dressing
Salt-rising bread with cottage cheese and damson preserves
Third Course
Pappy Van Winkle 15-year-old whiskey
Crispy chicken livers with buttered Appalachian red corn hominy, served with young turnip greens and gizzard gravy
Fourth Course
Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old whiskey
Mince pie with syllabub
Fifth Course
Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight rye
Coconut macaroons floating in rum custard with preserved rhubarb and mint
