just finished up an amazing weekend in sunny scottsdale at the second annual crave arizona food and wine festival sponsored by food and wine magazine.  having gone to culinary school in scottsdale and worked with some great local chefs for a couple of years, it is fun to go back and be part of the culinary scene once again.  plus, since my sister and i left az for chicago just as my parents were retiring there, i figure i should hop at any chance for a trip to see them.  they also seem to like hang super-sized posters from my demos in their house—maybe they’re afraid they’ll wake up and forget who i am one morning (just kidding mom and dad, i know you are reading this! ☺ love you.)

this year’s event was bigger than last year and i am sure it will continue to grow and improve as the years go on.  friday night was the bubbles and bbq event where chefs, both local and visiting, pair up to serve food from beautiful viking grills and of course drink lots of bubbles—my favorite part.  this year i went with grilled oysters topped with a horseradish aioli and a pinch of minced crisp pancetta.  i love the texture and flavor of oysters grilled just long enough to be warmed through with an aioli melted over top.  i think they are a pleasant surprise for those who love oysters but usually have them raw.

saturday was the grand tasting where 50 local chefs and many wineries from all over the west, including many from washington state (my favorite place for wine), came together to serve tastes and chat with the guests.  live music and the perfect scottsdale weather helped turn it into a fun afternoon.  i was asked to do a demo which surprisingly has become one of my favorite things to do.  another night i spent with my family watching some beta movies of our trips to club med where my sister and i were quite the circus kids.  we both did the trapeze shows as well as other acts during the weekly circus shows.  the interesting part was watching how shy and a bit socially awkward i looked.  i knew i used to be shy but this was insane.  this new me, who enjoys public speaking and is pretty darn social is far from that quiet little girl in middle school.  weird.

back to scottsdale.  i went with a shrimp and pork belly dish for my demo this year, topped with a roasted tomatillo and pumpkin seed vinaigrette.  i read an article recently where a new york chef said that pork belly was the new tuna tartare in restaurants… may be true that you now see it on most menus, but i am going to continue to serve it until pigs stop having bellies.  it is truly rich and delicious.

the rest of the weekend was filled with eating and drinking and even a little dancing and singing.  we went to atlas for dinner on saturday where a good friend of mine, keenan, is a co-chef these days.  it was a truly fantastic meal.  the restaurant is so small, only 25 seats, so our large party of 9 sat next door in the wine shop.  bit random on the atmosphere but when you are with a fun group of friends eating amazing food, that sometimes disappears.  plus i guess being in the middle of thousands of bottles of wine is never a bad thing.

looking forward to next year’s event!  might have to cut back on my demos since i will be focused on my new restaurant, but there are a few favorites that i will just have to make time for.