The Garden City Telegram
NEW E-Edition!
Subscription
Required
Add Your Comment | Read (0) Comments
Beefy lessons
Published 7/2/2009 in Local News
By RACHAEL GRAY
Chef John Farmer, sous chef Carlos Jimenez and Clarion Inn co-owner and manager Amro Samy all have a common goal: Get the best beef to the people.
Samy's Spirits and Steakhouse, 1911 E. Kansas Ave., has become a popular place for dining and nightlife since its opening two years ago, and Samy said he's always working to improve the menu and experience at the restaurant.
To that end, Farmer and Jimenez recently joined chefs from the Wichita and Kansas City areas for the Kansas Beef Council's Pasture to Plate Chef's Tour.
"They recognized the potential of the chefs, so they got asked to go," Samy said.
The two-day event gave the chefs a behind-the-scenes look at the beef industry and educated chefs about the options they have when buying beef. The event counts for points for the American Culinary Federation's continuing education program.
The first stop on the tour was McCurry Brothers Angus Ranch in Sedgwick. The chefs learned about the preparation and care that goes into raising cattle.
The next stop was Stroberg Land & Cattle in Hutchinson. Farmer said they learned how the owners and workers keep the animals calm and cared for.
Pratt Feeders, which is built on an old Air Force base, was the next stop. Farmer said the workers talked about what they're feeding the cows before slaughter.
"It's educational and informative," Farmer said. He said the tour brought up a lot of industry aspects chefs don't normally think about.
At the end of the first day, the chefs had a chef's challenge. The chefs prepared one appetizer and one entree using only ingredients given to them in a mystery basket.
Farmer and Jimenez prepared an Asian-inspired curry noodle dish with flat iron steak as the appetizer. For the entree, they prepared a cinnamon chipotle-seared shoulder tender with black bean and corn salsa.
On the second day, the chefs toured Creekstone Farms packing plant in Arkansas City. Farmer said Creekstone was one of the newest and most modern packing plants in the world.
"I've been to other packing plants before, and this one was a lot more relaxed," Farmer said. "They focus a lot more on quality than quantity."
Farmer said the cattle chutes were covered, clean and temperature-controlled. "The cows were comfortable, nice and relaxed," he said.
They talked about Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, which is something the food industry is moving toward, Farmer said. HACCP is a programed designed to make safer food. The program originally was developed by NASA to ensure health and safety of astronauts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration identifies HACCP as a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product.
"I learned a ton," Farmer said. "It makes me really consider where I buy beef from."
On the Web:
Samy's Spirits and Steakhouse: ,a href="http://www.samysgck.com/" title="Samy's Spirits and Steakhouse">http://www.samysgck.com/
Found 0 comment(s)!