Beef Encounter

Being a food writer has put me into all kinds of interesting and unusual situations. The morning I spent buckled into a belly protector handling a huge hunk of steer and a big sharp blade called a “Texas butter knife,” is among the more memorable.

I was at the recently opened Certified Angus Beef Education & Culinary Center in Wooster with a bunch of media people from around the country. The organization- a non-profit information and marketing group for ranchers that raise this registered cattle breed- had invited us to come see the new place. The itinerary for our weekend featured a night of feasting in Cleveland, a hands on class in meat cutting, and a visit to a real Ohio ranch. It was great fun and I came home knowing more than before.

The kick-off event was a downtown dine-around that started with appetizers at Hodges. It was of course a beef-centric menu, as was the dinner that followed at The Greenhouse Tavern, and- so I don’t have to repeat myself- I’ll state the obvious here: all the red meat was Certified Angus Beef, which means it was premium quality- intensely flavorful, juicy and tender. Needless to add, both places did an outstanding job and the food was fabulous. Chris Hodgson served it as tartare; on skewers; and shredded in fried rice. But the most memorable presentation was a 6 foot long board loaded with roasted marrow bones, big ones split lengthwise: it looked a caveman’s buffet. More tartare at Greenhouse along with 40-day aged ribeyes, braised shin and strip steaks. I didn’t pace myself properly and bailed when everyone else headed next door to Lola for desserts but I heard they were fabulous.
It was early to rise next morning for the drive to Wooster. The Center, in a converted restaurant, is large, attractive and incredibly well-equipped. There’s a spacious dining area/classroom with a handsome and well-equipped demo kitchen that would get most chefs drooling, and behind that an industrial-sized prep kitchen plus a meat fabrication space with rails and hooks to accommodate “swinging” beef (half and quarter carcasses)…and this is where we gathered for Butchery 101.

It was led by the highly entertaining Dr. Phil (Phil Bass, PhD) who delivers one-liners about rumps, flanks, and roasts with the skill of a polished comedian. We suited up for his performance in the aforementioned belly guards, plus kevlar sleeves and gloves on our non-cutting arms and hands, white coats, hair nets, and chain link belts to hold scabbards for our knives. He taught, we tried, working in small groups to break down the full loin in front of us. Thanks to David O’Diam, CAB staffer who watched over us, making sure we did no harm to man, woman or meat. It was fascinating to learn a bit about the science behind why specific parts cook and taste the way they do and the variety of less familiar cuts like a tri-tip, an excellent steak for grilling from the the bottom half of the sirloin that CAB chef Michael Ollier served us for lunch. Chris Kick, a reporter for Farm and Dairy Newspaper, was on my team. He wrote about the session and put a video and pix on the Social Silo blog.

We spent the afternoon in Rittman at Chippewa Valley Angus Farms. Owners Rod and Laurie Ferguson are breeders, raising animals they sell for “seed stock” not the slaughterhouse. They took us out to the pasture to see the cattle grazing. The ladies, myself among them, also appreciated the appearance of the very cute cowboy on horseback- the real deal, we were assured, though it looked like they recruited him from a Hollywood casting agency.

The Center was built primarily for business to business gatherings aimed at food industry professionals and ranchers. But in the future they hope to welcome consumers in too for information sessions, tasting events and cooking demos. When they do, it would definitely be a trip worth taking.

Beard and Beef

Going to the James Beard House in New York City is something akin to a pilgrimage for many people who inhabit that virtual place known as the food world. I had never been there until last Friday night. Once the renowned cookbook author’s home, the Greenwich Village brownstone now houses the offices of the foundation that carries on his mission of celebrating America’s culinary culture. I was there for a dinner in honor of the 30th anniversary of Certified Angus Beef ® , an organization based in Wooster, that has turned the breed into a brand synonymous with ultra premium meat. My name made the guest list courtesy of two local participants: Scott Popovic, the association’s Corporate Chef, and Manny Nieves, a Cleveland based food and beverage consultant and former sommelier for Classics who selected all the wines for the 7-course meal.

Popovic, a chef with an impressive resume that includes cooking time at XO, Moxie, and fire food and drink, brought together five other talented chefs to team up with him. All prepared a single course with the exception of Randy Sebastian from The Rio in Las Vegas: he made two, a cold palate cleanser and the dessert. Every dish included some form of Certified Angus Beef ®. All were superb.

Pictured from left to right are: Chef Randy Sebastian and his assistant/fiancee Irina, Manny Nieves, Chef Michelle Brown from Jag's Steak and Seafood in Cincinnati, behind her Chef JerryWeihbrecht of Zoë’s in Virginia Beach, Chef Dino Jagtiani, Chef Scott Popovic, and Chef Cedric Tovar of NY's Waldorf=Astoria.

I was especially impressed with Popovic’s braised chuck plated with ribbons roasted pumpkin puree. The meat, which redefined tender, was accompanied by paté of smoked apples that tasted like the very essence of autumn, and a heavenly cube of blue cheese-maytag and stilton combined- that was coated in panko crumbs and fried. Servers brought brandy soaked cinnamon sticks in little incense holders along with his dish, and lit them, adding an intense aromatic component to the experience.

Also impressive was Dino Jagtiani’s seared Prime dry-aged strip loin. The chef, who has two restaurants on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean where he was born, set off the moist, intensely flavorful meat with a dab of West Indian crab salad, whipped mustard, a caramelized shallot demi glace, and sautéed spaetzle that I’d watched him make that afternoon.

Charged with the prepping the sweet notes, Chef Sebastian had the biggest challenge which he met with great creativity and style, prepping a paper thing beef chip to go with a his Clementine-ginger sorbet, and using Certified Angus Beef ® brand pastrami and tangy Gruyere for a totally new take on the classic Monte Cristo sandwich. Click here to see the entire menu with wine pairings from The Hess Collection plus a list of the participating chefs and their bios.

A few words about the main ingredient. Certified Angus Beef®, which is sourced from a network of thousands of cattlemen all over the country, goes beyond the USDA Prime rating, meeting ten additional specifications for quality. The well marbled meat is the best of the best and only a small percentage of all beef achieves Certified Angus status. It’s really something special to eat. Luckily you don’t have to go to the Beard House or be me to taste it. Follow this link for a list of the many Cleveland area restaurants and grocery stores that serve and sell it. Some of the ranchers were in NYC for the dinner too and I really enjoyed chatting with them and having an opportunity to make the connection between producer and plate. They’re very proud of what they’re bringing to the table and thrilled that people appreciate it.

The house itself is a trip. Part shrine and museum, part dollhouse dining destination, the small rooms, filled with memories and memorabilia, still look and feel quite homey. I was there early in the day, before the tables were set up, and it was easy to imagine the big man himself walking through the door and holding court as he once did. It’s astonishing how much food comes out of the cramped basement kitchen, and how many people they manage to seat on three of the building’s four stories, filling every available inch of space. The chefs and servers who navigate this near impossible geometry with grace and efficiency deserve special recognition

The stellar food, fine drink and unique venue made it a memorable experience. But my visit here had a very personal significance too. When I first met and then married my husband in the 1970’s, his divorced parents both lived in the Village. We always walked down 12th Street right past The Beard House on our way to and from their respective apartments whenever we came from Cleveland to see them. Beard was in residence then, so there was no plaque on the front as there is now, nothing to set it apart from all the other buildings around it. The Foundation wasn’t formed nor the house set up to pay homage to him until after he died in 1985. But even if his name had flashed from the windows in neon lights, I wouldn’t have cared because I’d never heard of him. I was no food writer in those days, and had no idea that I’d become one. It was just another brownstone and I was just another girl with no idea what I’d do with my life.

It’s hard to find words to describe what I felt standing in that spot where the past and the present intersected so vividly. Amazement, definitely amazement about all that has happened to me and the career I’ve made for myself. Appreciation for all the good times, great meals, and hours of conversation with fascinating people that come with the work. Goofy happy to be there, proud of my accomplishments…and of course, hungry. So I went inside, eager and ready for more.