Information courtesy of Donna Young, Maria Parham Health Market Coordinator, Communications and Marketing
Maria Parham Health Executive Chef Tammy Rochester and Dietary Director Keith Weiss brought home top honors at the recent Goat Fest 2023, a BBQ contest and chili contest held in Nashville, NC.
With a recipe for Bourbon & Bacon Chili, it sounds less like beginner’s luck and more like tasty winning ingredients for the duo, who competed under the name “Cranky Chef.”
“We are honored to have been recognized for our passion and dedication to culinary excellence,” Weiss stated. “We are proud to have participated in such a fantastic event and look forward to continuing to support this important cause in the future.”
The recipe calls for the chili to be topped with a roasted Mexican street corn crema, crumbled crispy fried pork belly and fresh chives, according to Donna Young, MPH Market Coordinator of Communications and Marketing Communication Coordinator. It was a crowd favorite and was served homemade bread bowl, which Rochester crafted from scratch. Six judges unanimously chose Cranky Chef’s chili as the best in competition.
The team’s Polynesian-style Pork Butt was equally impressive. The dish, infused with soy and ginger flavors, was served in a bamboo boat with grilled pineapple wedges and a pickle brine tempura fried pickle chip.
Goat Fest 2023 raised more than $5,000 to support cancer patients. Attendees enjoyed music, food, and fun, with proceeds going to Nashville-area cancer patients with grocery gift cards through the Kitchen Goat Feeds Corporation. This money will help ensure that families dealing with cancer will never have to choose between groceries and much-needed cancer treatment again.
All dishes had to be prepared on-site with no pre-cooking or pre-marinating allowed, which added to the challenge of the competition. Food was served to attendees at the event, and to a panel of judges which included television personality, restaurant reviewer, speaker, pitmaster and BBQ connoisseur Bob Garner.