FOOD: Hanging Out with Chris Nye, Pizzeria Orso

BY Kathleen Nixon

August 19, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

Last Saturday was a perfect morning for me because I was able to tour the Falls Church Farmers Market with one of the Market Chef series upcoming Chefs – Chris Nye, Executive Chef of Pizzeria Orso. I had met Chris when he was working at the market Farmer Market Chef demonstration with Bertrand Chemel of 2941 last year and at his induction as Executive Chef of Pizzeria Orso earlier this year.  Like many great chefs, Chris is a quiet soft spoken person with a great talent for creativity and innovation. We toured the Falls Church Farmers Market to look at what was in season and discuss his upcoming demonstration. The recipes we discussed went from savory meatballs with buffalo to fanciful concoctions using stone fruit.  Not surprising,  Chris already knew many of the vendors at the market as many items are already sourced to Pizzeria Orso such as Blue Ridge Dairy Company and Tree and Leaf but he also learned about sourcing from other vendors such as  Toigo Orchards. As we circled the market several times, Chris brought out his notebook to write down further ideas. I am looking forward to his presentation as well as what will be coming up in future Pizzeria Orso menus to reflect local and seasonal ingredients.

Tell our readers a little about your background? I grew up in Minneapolis, MN, which is where I went to culinary school. My first restaurant job was scooping ice cream cones and flipping frozen burger patties at the local refectory when I was fourteen. Since then I have worked in restaurants in Minneapolis, New York, Arizona, and here in Falls Church. Most recently I was a sous chef at 2941 before coming to Pizzeria Orso in March of 2011.

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing? Orso is a Neapolitan Pizzeria, focusing on wood oven pizza as seen in Naples, Italy. We also have antipasti, pasta, and desserts, some traditional Italian and some new American.  Our inspiration comes from traditional Italian dishes and the great produce, meat, and seafood of the mid-Atlantic. I frequent the Falls Church market nearly every Saturday and create dishes from what is available that day. In addition I try to source as much local produce from purveyors as possible.  We are lucky to have the energetic and friendly young staff that we do. Many of whom grew up right here in Falls Church.

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with? Tree and Leaf, Tuscarora Farms, Fresh Link, all Falls Church Farmers Market, Dupont Circle Market, and McLean Market Farms.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape? I’m finding that Organic isn’t a marketing gimmick anymore. It is expected. Restaurants and food distributers alike have had to change the way they process and purchase their products to meet the demands of a smarter and more educated consumer. Also there is a strong push towards unique and unordinary meats, fish, and produce. People are becoming more curious and experimental in what they cook with.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes? I have always sourced as locally as possible. From a business standpoint it frequently is more cost efficient for everyone involved. I can plant a bed of herbs for $50 and be self sufficient for the rest of the summer and early fall. But more important then the cost is the flavor. Fresh and simple flavors are what drive my menu and if it weren’t for local sources, that wouldn’t be possible.

What ingredients has been the most challenging to work with? I love cold weather, being from Minnesota, but I am always challenged around the middle of the winter before the citrus starts coming in to find inspiration in rutabaga.

Do you think your customers understand and appreciate your incorporation of local food into your menus? I almost always feature a Falls Church Farmers Market special on Saturdays after visiting the market. It shows a connection with the community and the farms surrounding it. I think people in Falls Church have gotten behind that.

What local ingredients are not yet available to the local economy that you would like to incorporate into your menu? I look every week to find something new and exciting. Like finger limes or baby ginger at the market. There is nothing that gets me more energized then something new to work with. A lot of local farms have been producing some interesting produce that you don’t see every day. Last year Tree and Leaf had little gem romaine. It was like a cross between green romaine and butter lettuce, great for a Caesar salad.

How long have you been part of the Farmers Market Chef series? I helped out Bertrand Chemel last fall when he did his demo for 2941. This will be my first demo and the first for Pizzeria Orso.

What do you like best about the Farmers Market Chef series? Any challenges or surprises?  I think the coolest thing when being a home cook is to try something new and have success with it. Last year when I did the demo with Chef Chemel one of the dishes he did had quince in it. Most people either had no idea what it was or how to cook it. Most people were very excited about it though, and couldn’t wait to try it at home. I like how the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef series ties chefs, home cooks, farmers, and the community together.

What will you be preparing for your demonstration? We will be preparing two dishes. The first is a simple peach bruschetta on baguette with pickled mustard seed, opal basil, and prosciutto. The second is pork meatballs with fresh corn polenta, sweet pepper sugo, and Grana Padano.

Chris Nye, Executive Chef, Pizzeria Orso will be at the Falls Church Farmers Market 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA doing his cooking demonstration on Saturday, August 20^th from 9am to 11am. As with all Farmers Market Chef demonstrations there will be demonstrations all morning long, tastings and recipes.

Vote for the FC Farmers Market In America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ Contest

By CITY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

August 9, 2011

The Falls Church Farmers Market is again participating in a nationwide challenge and would like your vote!  The City is a part of the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ Contest to see which farmers markets can rally the most support from its customers.  Polls will be open a limited time so cast your vote here.  

The goal of the contest is to promote the connection between fresh local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it.  In addition to supporting local farmers, buying locally helps protect the environment by reducing packaging and transportation demands.  One boutique, one small, one medium and one large farmers market will be named America ‘s Favorite Farmers Market in 2011.  But this competition is about more than just being number one. It is about supporting local farms and farmers markets.  

The Falls Church Farmers Market is operated by the Recreation and Parks Division and is open every Saturday morning, year-round in the City Hall parking lot at 300 Park Ave.  During spring, summer and fall, more than 40 vendors offer a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as cheeses, meats, baked goods, plants, honey and wine and a visiting chef provides cooking demonstrations.  The Fairfax County Master Gardeners also staff a booth to answer gardening questions. 

For more information, contact Recreation and Parks at 703-248-5077.

FOOD: Steve Mannino of Rustico

BY Kathleen Nixon

July 29, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

This Saturday at the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration we will be featuring Steve Mannino of Rustico. Steve will be bringing his rustic creativity to dishes that will feature summer vegetable favorites.

Tell our readers a little about your background? I am the Executive Chef at Rustico which is a combination of rustic and sophisticated Italian cooking with an awesome array of 400 beers. We first opened on Slater’s Lane in Alexandria and we opened a second location in Ballston last year.  I was trained at the Culinary Institute in New York and have had the pleasure of working with some dynamite chefs over the years.  My passion is creating rustic dishes with innovate nuances.

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing? The restaurant is very rustic.  We try not to mask our food too much.  We try to keep it as local as possible which means we run a very seasonal menu that changes frequently with a lot of specials.  Often times, our specials are driven by day of phone calls about what is available.  I also have a chef du cuisine for both locations that understands how we plan and develop menus.  We use farmers from Loudoun to St. Mary’s Counties (and anywhere in between) to keep things fun and fresh.

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with? One of our biggest producers is Arcadia Farms which is our own in house nonprofit farm located on the historic Woodlawn Plantation. We are getting most of our vegetables from here as well as providing produce for a farmers market in Southwest DC. We also work with two farmers in Loudoun that are presently providing us with tomatoes and garlic as well – Shah alee Farms.  We also use Ayshire farms in Upperville for vegetables and occasional meats. We also are getting local corn, tomatoes and fish from Maryland, specifically Bartenfelder and Dragon Creek Farms.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape?

Availability of product.  People are beginning to grow more unique varieties at the request of restaurants.  For example, I’m working with a grower in VA to produce a local San Marzano variety of tomato.  When producers know there will be a demand, then they will work to grow it and are as excited as I am about creating something new and different.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes?

I’ve always done it.  All of the chefs that I’ve worked for have believed in sourcing things locally to some degree.  It hasn’t always been 100% , but as diners’ expectations have become more in sync with local growing, it’s gotten a lot closer to it.

Do you think your customers understand and appreciate your incorporation of local food into your menus?

I hope so, but I’m realistic that some people want what they want even when things are drastically out of season.  Part of my job is to educate by keeping our menus as seasonal as possible and by communicating menu changes in a manner that both keeps our guests content as well as keeps the quality consistent with what Mother Nature allows.

What local ingredients are not yet available to the local economy that you would like to incorporate into your menu?

Being a very rustic and straight forward restaurant, really everything that we need is locally available.  We try not to over think our menu and for that reason, it stays local and approachable.

How long have you been part of the Farmers Market Chef series?

I started doing Farmers Market demonstrations in 1999 at the Dupont Fresh Farmers Market, but this is my first time at the Falls Church Farmers Market.

What do you like best about the Farmers Market demonstrations?

The most fun is honesty, meeting customers and sharing our philosophy of food and answering their questions.

What will you be preparing for your demonstration?

Panzanella Salad which is a Florentine salad made with tomato, bread, cucumber and fresh mozzarella salad which is a great meal starter and very popular in Italy in the summer. Highlighting all the beautiful corn available right now, we will also prepare a sweet corn and ricotta cannoli with pine nuts.

Be sure to stop by and see Steve at the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration on Saturday July 30^th from 9am to 11am.

FOOD: Chatting with Mad Fox Brewing Company’s Russel Cunningham

 

BY Kathleen Nixon

Falls Church Times Staff

July 8, 2011

 

Another local favorite – Mad Fox Brewing Company – will be joining us this Saturday, July 9^th for the next Falls Church Farmers Market Chef.  While dining at Mad Fox many of the partons may not know of the local food connections Mad Fox has with local farmers while enjoying the hops, to this diner I was able to see the writing on the menu which explained these connections. It is with this intent, we asked Mad Fox to join us in the Falls Church Market Chef series.

In amidst his extremely busy schedule, Russel Cunningham was able to share with us some of his thoughts.

Tell our readers a little about your background?

I graduated from culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX and have been a chef for the last 19 years. Nationally I have worked in restaurants, country clubs and convention centers in Austin and Houston, TX; Ocean City, MD and Miami Beach, FL. I moved to the Washington, DC area over 6 years ago and have worked for the DC Convention Center, Jury’s Hotel including Dupont Grille and Biddy Mulligans, Farmer’s and Fisher’s restaurant on the Georgetown waterfront and this past year helped open Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church where I am currently the executive chef.

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing?

The restaurant is a 300 seat restaurant that serves upscale casual food and beer that is brewed on site in our brewery. We focus on local, sustainable sources for our ingredients including meats, produce and dairy products. We also have a local farmer that picks up our spent grains from the brewing process along with trimmings from the kitchen to take back as feed for his cows and hogs.

 

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with?

We work with quite a few local producers either directly or indirectly through larger distributors. Some of the items we bring in include beef from The Organic Butcher of Mclean, tomatoes from Hummingbird Farms, tofu from JC Beansprouts, honey from Bees and Blossoms,  cheeses from Firefly Farms and eggs from Lehman’s Eggs to name a few.  We also visit the Falls Church Farmers Market on Saturdays to pick up items for specials for the weekend.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape?

There is a lot more available now to customers than in the past and I think the general public sees the benefits of being able to buy locally and actually know where their food is coming from.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes?

I started really focusing on local as well as sustainable products about 5 years ago while I was at Jury’s Hotel and then moving on to Farmers and Fishers which is actually owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union.

What ingredients has been the most challenging to work with?

Finding a local sausage producer that actually uses local meats to make their product and deals with wholesale has been our biggest challenge. To solve the issue we have started buying the local meat ourselves and producing our sausage in house.

What will you be making this Saturday?

There are many different ways to make gazpacho and with our oppressively hot summers it is good to have a variety. The version we make is a puree of tomatoes and cucumbers with a red pepper coulis.

Come and visit with Russel and his team this Saturday at the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration from 9am to 11am.

Also remember that the American Farmland Trust “Best Farmers Market in the Country” contest is now in full swing and we need everyone’s vote to make sure we win – again!

 

FOOD: Getting To Our Roots

By KATHLEEN NIXON
Falls Church Times Staff

January 28, 2010

Many bemoan the fact of winter vegetables; namely root vegetables and hardy greens. I may be the only person who rejoices in parsnips, carrots, and potatoes! I look forward to the late fall and early winter when I can roast, sauté and add to my soup vegetables that have real character. Sure the tomato and zucchini are lively, and are reminiscent of warmer days, but I like having a vegetable that stands up to a variety of cooking methods and gives me a few surprises.

My first surprise was parsnips. I listen frequently to people as they wander around a farmer’s market and many will comment as to what is wrong with that carrot that is all white? Parsnips fell out of favor eons ago, and I am very glad that many a chef and restaurant are embracing this root vegetable with character.

Why do I say character? Imagine your surprise when you roast a vegetable and it caramelizes giving you a sweet tang when you are expecting tart or worse, blah. This paired with the creamy consistency of a fresh potato and you complete the surprise. This was my first impression when I threw some parsnips into the Farmer’s Market stew and then bit into the parsnip. Tang, sweet and delicious paired with creamy – yum!

Parsnips tend not to look very pretty as they are white vegetables grown underground and tend to look rather wild. Because of this people don’t give them a second thought but nutritionally they deserve another gander. Parsnips contain potassium and folate which are beneficial to the heart and have large quantities of fiber; low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol levels as well as being a rich source of vitamin C.

There are many varieties of potatoes and I will touch on those later when I am about ready to plant mine, but the ones that we have available now are the Yukon Golds. These do a nice job either being roasted and added into a stew or boiled and creamed for mashed potatoes or soup. Potatoes seem to be a maligned vegetable as we are all familiar with baking potatoes. Many associate the potatoes with the toppings that seem to be a “no- no” for anyone trying to watch their weight. Remember it is not the potato but the butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, salsa and chives that are the problem. Potatoes are also high in Vitamin C, vitamin A,  folate, calcium, potassium, low in cholesterol, low in saturated fats with trace amount of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids; many of the great things we are all looking for in our diets.

And finally carrots, another surprising root vegetable that does well being roasted or made into soup. One of the great things I love about farmer’s markets is the new varieties of carrots that are coming back. This fall we saw Solar Carrots from Tree and Leaf farms which are a slightly more yellow than orange carrot that is very sweet. I fell in love with this carrot and was so enamored that I ate most of my purchase while still strolling through the market. There is also the Atomic Carrot which has a nice red striping and has a very high source of lycopene.

All root vegetables like to stay cool and dark just like the ground that they were grown in. Many root vegetables take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to grow and can be stored in the right environment all winter long. I put my potatoes in the ground in March and harvest them in late August. Last year we planted carrots in late September and were able to harvest them under all the snow that we had last year. So if you pick up root vegetables, stock up on a few extra and store them in a cool, dry place. Many of us have cabinets that are pretty cold as they are exposed to the outside walls and this is a good place to store them. Just don’t forget about them!

When I started moving away from shopping at the grocery stores and only from the farmers markets, I had to learn how to prepare dishes more seasonally. My first foray included a root vegetable stew straight from the market. Typically after shopping the morning at the market, I will come home and put a few vegetables in my Dutch oven; typically, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and parsnips. Cut them into two inch size pieces and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 45 minutes. I usually go and do other chores and then come back to the stew. Pour chicken, beef or vegetable broth about 2 cups over the roasted vegetables and add in Cibola Buffalo Hot Dogs that are frozen. Keep in the oven for another 10 minutes and then add in either or both kale and mushrooms. A nice hearty stew for a cold winter’s afternoon paired with some nice bread and cheese from the market there is nothing better to take away the chill and nourish the body and soul.

Winter Markets Bounty: Prepared Foods

BY KATHLEEN NIXON
Falls Church Times Staff

January 14, 2011

Two weeks into the New Year, and how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? If one of your resolutions was to cook more meals at home, and have the family sit down to at least one dinner a week, the New Year with all its obligations may have derailed your best intentions. Yours truly became susceptible to the need for a few – ok, many – prepared meals this winter after an especially grueling holiday season. So do you order out? Too expensive for every night. Or do you reach for something in the frozen food section? Too many health consequences. So what are your other options? One option is to visit the farmers market to take in some of the winter bounty of prepared foods.

During the fall, I was pleasantly amazed by the prepared foods at the Falls Church Farmers Market. My first entrée into this was the Smith Meadows chicken pot pie. At first I was not impressed with the item until the young lady told me that they have a following and people come to the market just to buy their pot pies. Now you may ask if I am always so gullible, but I have shopped at this stand for years, so I knew I could trust her.  I bought two pot pies and later than evening enjoyed a delicious entrée that only took 20 minutes. One pot pie was enough for two and when paired with a simple salad it was a perfect meal.

On a recent visit to the Falls Church Farmers Market, I decided to take a look at who else had prepared foods and was astonished at the bounty available. There are some vendors who you would naturally think of as having prepared foods such as Cavanna Pasta with their lasagna, and eggplant parmesan, or Chris’s Marketplace with his crab cakes, empanadas and turnovers but there were other vendors who supplement their winter offerings with soups, stews or side dishes.

Atwater’s Bakery has a nice weekly selection of soups. On New Year’s Day they had the holiday favorite of Hoppin John soup, and more recently Mushroom Goulash. What better way to enjoy a weekend lunch or midweek dinner than warm sourdough bread, fresh butter from Blue Ridge Dairy and homemade soup.

Bonaparte Bakery has vegetables tortes which look like a supped up vegetable lasagna as well as a Pumpkin Soup. Mother Earth Mushrooms of course has Mushroom Soup and later in the season will have chili. Sunnyside Farms has greatly expanded its offerings of prepared items this year to include vegetable polenta, dirty Cajun rice and twice baked sweet potatoes. In chatting with Sunnyside Farms vendor, they shared that the foods are prepared during the week as the winter farm is not as demanding as the summer farm. And aren’t we always saying that we would love to have someone cook for us? Who better than the farmers who raise the food, have the know-how, the ingredients and the knowledge to store the ingredients.

Another vendor who frequently has prepared items during the summer season is Dragonfly Farms. Claudia’s items range from Bolognese Sauce that would go great over Cavanna or Smith Meadows pasta, Dirty Cajun Rice, Buffalo Soup and my personal favorite, Thai Pumpkin soup.  Dirty rice is something that I was not familiar with being from California, but was pleasantly surprised by this traditional Southern rice recipe of white rice sautéed with chicken or giblets and celery, onion or shallots. When I heated this up to accompany a roasted root vegetable stew, there was an immediate tussle as to who would get the larger portion. Needless to say I am going back for more next week!

Back to the Smith Meadows Kitchen chicken pot pies; yes there were none left last week as I bought out the entire inventory to share with my neighbors. I happened to run into Smith Meadows Kitchen chef Nancy at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market on Sunday and she shares that she is experimenting with a beef and turkey recipe that will be coming out soon. Now I was not a big pot pie fan growing up as most had a chewy crust but these are light and airy with a nice filling of chicken and vegetables. The sauce is light and not gummy as some of the frozen food selections can be.

And of course, we are going to have the same old conversation – “but these are so much more expensive that what I can get at the supermarket”. First you have to remember that there is a drastic difference in the kind of ingredients between your supermarket frozen food selection and a value added winter market dish: the meat or poultry in the supermarket frozen food selection most likely will be laden with antibiotics, hormones and chemicals; the vegetables were raised with pesticides and the preservatives that are part of the frozen entity are meant to keep the “meal” intact for months maybe years. Whereas at the farmers market you can talk with the vendor, ask where the ingredients are from and how long the item will keep. And then there is the old demon – time. Some will say it is easier to stop off at the market on the way home from the market to pick up a pot pie or Hungry man meal, or stock up on a month’s worth of frozen meals at the regular Sunday night shopping frenzy at the grocery store. This last Saturday, I was able to pick up items for each dinner and a few lunches for the week in less than 45 minutes while I wandered the farmer’s market, socialized with friends, and got to know more about my community. To me this was a much better time investment of my 45 minutes, but that is just me.

SATURDAY 12/18: Last Farmers Market of 2010

The last Farmers Market of the season is this Saturday. The Farmer’s Market will be open from 8am to noon on Saturday December 18th and then the Farmer’s Market will be closed on Saturday December 25th. The winter Farmer’s Market will open on Saturday January 1st at 9am.

Holiday Gifts for the Foodie

Everywhere you look there is something going on with “foodies” and you are bound to have a foodie or two on your gift list this year. Here are some local gift suggestions that will make any foodie on your list smile and go “Yum!” and you don’t need to go outside the city limits for your holiday gift shopping as our local businesses have many gift items to save on your stress and make the holidays for our local businesses brighter! Read more

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