In early june of this year I was contacted by
the american lamb board to participate in the first annual american lamb jam
tour- portland lamb jam 2012…… after
graciously excepting the invitation I called my lamb growers Dan and Susie
Wilson owners of SuDan Farms in Canby, Oregon….
So on Sunday October 21st I handed the kitchen over to jake way
(said sous chef of the pickled fish) and Heather and I headed to the space, a
warehouse space that would host the inaugural american lamb jam portland…. I submitted my recipe a month or so
prior- smoky pinot noir soaked sudan
farms leg of lamb with a salad of toasted ancient grains, lemonade pickled
local peaches, vines and sundried starvation alley organic cranberries from the
bog… I was very excited that adam sappington of the country cat was going to be
the emcee and was going to give a hands-on demonstration of lamb butchery…
We got to the event with five minutes to
enter the doors before they close to all restaurants and competing chefs…… whew…..
got a parking spot and headed to find our table in the land of
leg…… we were oddly enough placed next
to chris czarnecki of the joel palmer house and chef johnny nunn of brasserie
montmartre, were I had eaten many times back in culinary school….. we set up
our table and proceeded to cook our smoky pinot noir soaked leg of lamb parts
and pieces- the smell started to attract
peoples’ attention but not many in the beginning…
I started to build the grain salad and look
backed to see a huge line forming in front of our table…. No other lines were forming anywhere in the
building- that felt good….. we put our
heads down and served the 600 people in attendance over the next few hours our
crispy bits of smoky lambness… then the judging announcements came over the PA
system…. Chef adam sappington’s voiced
boomed with the winners in all categories: The winners were Best Shank Dish: Mark Hosack
of Gracies Dining; Best Shoulder Dish: Pascal Sauton of Milwaukie Kitchen &
Wine; Best Breast Dish: Andrew Biggs of Hunt and Gathering Catering; Best Leg
Dish: Sebastian Carosi of The Pickled Fish……
chef sebastian carosi of the pickled fish…… WTF I won……! I was just happy to be there and to have been
invited- now I am bringin’ home a big gold lamb of a trophy… I truly didn’t
believe that I would win the fricken trophy…
booyah a trophy to build a mantle
around….. thanks to the american lamb
board for supporting the use of domestic lamb and heritage breeds….. see ya next year….
visit the link below for official details….
