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NEWS:
Starshine Auction Items Announced
6th Annual 2009 StarShine:
August 7-8, 2009 |
PAST EVENTS :
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CONTACT INFO:
Please call the SAAC Office at 662-324-3080 |
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THE FACTS:
Date: August 7-8, 2009
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
August 7:
Chef Cook Off and Tasting featuring Local Chefs including (but not limited to) Bob Abare (Aramark), Vicki Leach (Viking), Carnell McGee (Harvey's), Matt Reid and Justin James (The Bistro), Ty Thames (Restaurant Tyler) and Jay Yates (The Veranda). 6:30 p.m.
August 8:
Cooking Demonstration with Chef St. John. Walk away with an autographed cookbook, demonstration recipes and fantastic ideas from Chef St. John. 10:30 a.m.
The Dinner:
Four Course Dinner prepared by Chef Robert St. John with Wine Pairings. 6:30 p.m.
all events will be hosted at The Bistro at The State Theatre
The Menu:
(Each course will be served with a special wine pairing)
Corn and Crab Bisque
Sensation Salad
Roasted Pork Loin with Muscadine Glaze,
fresh asparagus and au gratin potatoes
White Chocolate Bread Pudding
All events are to be held at the Bistro
213 E. Main Street, Starkville, Mississippi
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Celebrity Chef Robert St. John starred in Starkville’s culinary celebration the weekend of August 7 and 8. StarShine collected chefs and food lovers from around the community at the Bistro at State Theatre to take part and enjoy a variety of culinary masterpieces. As a recent Mississippi State Fine Arts graduate and volunteer for the Starkville Area Arts Council, I was able to attend the event and experience first-hand Mississippi’s culinary finest.
Local chefs from around Starkville brought their best recipes to compete in a cook-off on Friday night for the title of “Best of StarShine.” Chefs Bob Abare (MSU’s Aramark), Gregg Frazer (Harvey’s), Vicki Leach (Viking), Matt Reid and Justin James (The Bistro), Ty Thames (Restaurant Tyler) and Jay Yates (The Veranda) prepared their specialties right before the guests’ eyes and offered samplings. Judges awarded chef Ty Thames’ Wild Boar Bacon-Wrapped Fig dessert with all the categories: Originality, Taste, and Presentation. While the judges preferred Thames’ dish, the attendees voted on Chef Matt Reid’s creation as the “Best of Starshine.” Naming his creation “Mississippi Surf N’ Turf,” Reid combined a mustard green coulie, topped with Edam cheese and catfish mashed potato cake, a heart of ribeye, a fried frog leg, asparagus and topped with Basil Blueberry Barbecue sauce.
Following Friday night’s event came the cooking demonstration with Chef St. John on Saturday morning. Energetic, enthusiastic, and entertaining, St. John created a comfortable atmosphere while breaking down some of his favorite recipes from his restaurant, The Purple Parrot Café. He confessed that his first cooking experiences came from an easy-bake oven at the age of six, and gave his guests tips to develop cooking skills of their own. “Don’t be scared by a list of ingredients,” says St. John. “Ingredients are not hard to handle if you measure out everything ahead of time.” Chef St. John prepared a “Seafood Summer Course” that included Shrimp Bisque, Crabmeat Holleman, Baked Shrimp and Squash and White Chocolate Bread Pudding that left the audience anxious for the Saturday night event for a full meal of his creations.
St. John appeared Saturday evening in his official Purple Parrot Café chef’s outfit, ready to dazzle the crowd with his humor, charm, and most importantly, his unbelievable dishes. Serving a four-course meal with wine pairings, Chef St. John walked around during the meal to greet the guests and make sure his food was being enjoyed. On the menu for the night was Corn and Crab Bisque served with Fetzer Vineyards Gewurztraminer, Sensation Salad served with Mondavi Napa Vineyards Fume Blanc, Roasted Pork Loin with Muscadine Glaze, Fresh Asparagus and Au Gratin Potatoes paired with Guigal Cotes Du Rhone, and finally White Chocolate Bread Pudding paired with Marco Negri Moscato D’Asti.
St. John left the evening with news of his new book coming out as well as a bit of a surprise for many guests: “I have MSU season tickets. I’m a huge football fan! Go Dawgs!” |
