March 5 Benefit Concert in Support of JJ’s Staff Impacted by Plaza Fire

Featuring The Latenight Callers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – February 25, 2013 – Join the Friends of JJ’s at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5 at the Uptown Theater for a party with JJ’s Restaurant owners, staff, patrons and friends in support of JJ’s employees impacted by a devastating fire Feb. 19, 2013. Hosted by former Chiefs player Eddie Kennison and KCTV5’s Kelly Jones, attendees will enjoy food and drink from area restaurants while listening to live music on multiple stages and browsing a silent auction with a number of items from local merchants

Featuring The Latenight Callers and David George and A Crooked Mile, the Friends of JJ’s Benefit will also have performances by The Grisly Hand, Patrick Krief (of The Dears), Megan Birdsall, Missy Koonce and Ron McGee, Victor & Penny, Loaded Goat, Allied Saints, Shellac Attack, and DJ Rico.

“We’ve seen a tremendous outpour of support from a community of industry colleagues, patrons and friends asking what they can do to help,” said Jim Ligon, a JJ’s bartender spearheading the Benefit. “This Benefit is to give back. To create a fund in honor of Megan, and help those who make JJ’s such a special place to so many in Kansas City get better and back on their feet.”

Proceeds will benefit the immediate needs of JJ’s staff and employees impacted by the Plaza fire, as well as create a fund in honor of Megan Cramer, a JJ’s colleague who died in the Feb. 19 fire.

Tickets to the March 5 Benefit go on sale Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster:

Trésor Club – $500 – includes on-site event concierge, VIP door entry, secured parking, early access to silent auction at 6pm, access to private bar (complimentary food and beverages), super-premium seating, and commemorative poster

Sabre Club – $200 – includes VIP door entry, access to private bar (complimentary food and beverages), premium seating, and commemorative poster

The Locker Room – $100 – includes seating, two drink tickets, and commemorative poster

General admission – $10

For more information visit facebook.com/FriendsofJJs, or contact Andrea Shores at friendsofjjs@gmail.com or 646.378.9885

From a recent photo shoot at En Chamas Brazilian Grill.  I could eat a bucketload of these mussels. Look for recipe to be posted on KC Originals’ website in November.

Saratoga Club Sandwich Jr, Genessee Royale Bistro

Outtake images from photo shoots at Genessee Royale Bistro, Magnolia’s, and The Farmhouse taken for an upcoming story in KC Magazine.

Genessee Royale Bistro

Bichelmeyer “Butcher’s Grind” Burger, Genessee Royale Bistro

Magnolia’s

Chef Shanita McAfee, Magnolia

Meatloaf, purple mashed potatoes, okra

The Farmhouse

Rabbit, Kubota squash, lettuce, red onion, Green Dirt Farm goat cheee.

French Onion Soup

Chef Renée Kelly of Renée Kelly’s Harvest and Pete Dulin, editor of Last Bite:  100 Simple Recipes from Kansas City’s Best Chefs and Cooks, presented a recipe demonstration at the Brookside Farmers Market on Saturday, October 20.

Visit lastbitecookbook.com for more photos and information about the book.

I wade through weeds in the neglected garden to harvest the last bunches of basil, an annual October ritual where I accept that summer slipped out the back door and autumn has coming knocking on the front doorstep.

The dogs, litter mates and sisters we’ve named Ellie and Lola, scurry across the backyard and bark incessantly at daredevil squirrels as they nonchalantly perfect their high-wire act. The squirrels race back and forth empty-handed. The heatwave earlier this summer prompted the oaks in the neighborhood to drop their acorns early. Some leaves have begun to blush and wither, but most retain their color and arboreal grip on slim limbs and branches.

Squash vines sprawl across the garden like spindly teenagers on a couch. Blossoms shut that whole thing down weeks ago; bees busy as bill collectors have scattered elsewhere. Grassy weeds are thick in the garden, a reflection of my determination this summer to not do much about these squatters. I can blame the heat wave, a busy summer schedule; it doesn’t matter. The weeds will vie for space come spring and make claims as homesteaders having survived the winter.

I trod over the weeds, no longer barefoot as I was during April, May, June, July, August, and September. The tall stands of basil are gathered in the corner, purples and greens displayed proudly as a college football team’s insignia. I gather handfuls of Thai basil, opal basil, and cinnamon basil. I inhale the sharp, sweet, licorice-laced aroma and head to the kitchen.

Dinner tonight will be coconut curry chicken with basil. The diced chicken has already been sauteed with onion and garlic and seasoned with salt and fresh ground black pepper. It simmers in a sauna of coconut milk, fresh kaffir lime leaves harvested fresh from the plant that Pam gave me, and dollops of Thai red curry paste blended into the liquid. The sauce is slightly sweet, hot, lively as a preacher pitching salvation under a revival tent, and redolent of coconut in a way that makes me yearn for a curry stand deep in heart of Phanom Sarakham, Chachoengsao, Thailand.

I wash the basil leaves, pluck them from the stems, and drop them into the curry. The rice cooker is on a ten-minute countdown. I head back to the garden.

The nights are getting cold. Some basil leaves have grown dark and withered at the edges. Numerous stalks hold purple basil flower blossoms that remind me of pagodas. I reach down close to dry dirt and snap off the woody stalks, leaving a couple inches to poke above ground while the roots remain embedded in the dirt. With luck, some rain, and warm temperatures, the basil might get a last burst of growth.

Meanwhile, I haul a bushel of the basil plants to the deck. Pam’s daughter Delayna helps me strip the leaves and flowers from the stems and stalks and deposit them in a large metal bowl. She stops to snack on the leaves and announces that the green-leafed cinnamon basil tastes better than the purple-leafed opal basil. Soon, my fingers are stained dark. Basil oil seeps into my skin. Delayna brings the bowl of leaves inside and washes them.

I gather the woody stalks and dump them into the compost heap near the garden. They will decay and endure frost and snow over winter. Newly plucked leaves will be split into two batches. One headed for the freezer for use over winter; one diverted to the refrigerator for use in basil-accented dishes over the next few days.

I return to the kitchen and check on the coconut curry chicken with basil. The sauce has reduced enough. The rice is steamed. It’s time. I call Ben, Pam’s teenage son and man-in-the-making, to come eat dinner.  He’s recovering from a cold and has a raspy voice. He’s looking forward to eating dinner. The heat of the sauce will clear his sinuses. Garlic, onion, chilies, and fresh herbs will bolster his immune system. He’s not eating spoonfuls of the food as though it were medicine. He’s eating like this might save his life and, just to be safe, he goes back for seconds.

Homemade food has restorative properties. I won’t claim that any dish of mine will cure what ails you, but it revives my spirits and nourishes my body and soul. I fix a bowl of warm rice topped with coconut curry chicken and basil and dig in.

The sky is dark outside. Summer is gone. Frost will pattern windows and blades of grass soon enough. Thoughts of seasons changing places are set aside. I concentrate on flavors vying for attention – sweet coconut, chili, mild garlic, bright basil, subtle notes of lime leaf. I wash each mouthful down with a swig of Boulevard’s 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat and settle into the darkness of an October night.

Meet the Mayor
Craig Jones of Lee’s Summit, Missouri loves to smoke, no doubt about it. Not cigarettes, mind you. He’s a grill man that loves to smoke just about any food you can imagine. His dedication to grilling and smoking recently earned him notoriety. Jones has been named Grill Mayor of 2012 in a national online contest sponsored by McCormick’s and hosted on the Food Network lifestyle network.

The contest invited grill enthusiasts from around the country to give a key grilling tip accompanied by a photo. Jones’ “Master of the Grill” entry garnered over 7,777 views and more than 4,000 votes of online support during 20 days in August.

“I’m truly humbled by the generous support of friends, and friends of friends,” says Jones. “All of these wonderful people rallied around a cause and just wanted to help. I’m overwhelmed by the responses.”

As the new Grill Mayor of 2012, Jones will be flown to New York City for a private tour of the Food Network studios and have dinner at a Food Network chef’s restaurant, among other prizes.

A Man Who Loves the Grills
Jones has always liked grilling outside. At first, it was just the normal sort of grilling. A change in lifestyle and work schedule enabled Jones to pursue his interest in grilling year-round. He says, “I love using smoke as a spice. Every wood gives a slightly different flavor. For each dish I make, my first thought is, ‘How can or should I incorporate smoke into this dish?’”

Prior to 2005, he worked a very hectic retail lifestyle and traveled up to four days a week and worked 12-16 hours a day. “For a time, this also consisted of moving around the country quite a bit,” says Jones. His wife Gay also hopscotched across the country with him. “From 1993-2000, we lived in Kansas City, MO, Dale City, VA, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Albuquerque, NM, and then back to Kansas City in 2000.”

When he left retail and began working in the corporate offices of Sprint in the Kansas City area, Jones had a lot more time on his hands. “I decided that I needed a hobby, so I got it in my head that I was going to cook over live fire,” he says. His ambitions went beyond burgers and brats. “I thought I would try to do gourmet food over live fire, as well as adapt everything that people normally would cook inside to cook outside.”

He began to refine his cooking over live fire as much as possible. Currently, he owns seven grills. He says, “I used to say that I cook over live fire over 340 days a year, but since starting Savory Addictions Gourmet Nuts that has backed down to about 300+ days a year.  Earlier on I was truly doing more gourmet-type meals such as rack of lamb.”

As he’s gotten busier, the meals have become less complicated without sacrificing flavor. His favorite dish to prepare on the grill is Chicken Provençal. He says, “It’s a great recipe from Chef Jamie Purviance. of chicken legs marinated in oil, garlic, and herbs de Provence then smoked until golden brown. I serve it with pea risotto and asparagus spears.”

A Savory Story
Jones’ grilling enthusiasm even includes nuts. He created a business based on a signature item that he created on the grill – Savory Addictions® Gourmet Nuts.

“With me, it really is all about flavor,” says Jones. “We season deluxe nuts by hand in small batches, and then smoke them over real wood. What you get is an explosion of sweet, savory and smoky flavor that’s really addicting.”

Savory Addictions Gourmet Nuts are available online as well as in several Kansas City specialty retailers. The Kansas City Star Food Issue 2012 listed Savory Addictions #2 on a list of 35 “people, places and things that make us drool” and that make Kansas City a great food town.

Jones’ Super Savory Cheese Ball recipe appears in the cookbook Last Bite:  100 Simple Recipes from Kansas City’s Best Chefs and Cooks, due out in late October from Kansas City Star Books. The book was edited and written by Pete Dulin and features vivid color photographs by Roy Inman.

About Savory Addictions:
Savory Addictions Gourmet Nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, Brazils and macadamias) are small batch artisan nuts, seasoned and smoked over real wood for sophisticated palates. The flavor is an addictive blend of sweet, savory and smoky. Savory Addictions contains no food colorings, MSG, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives. They are proudly hand-crafted in the greater Kansas City area.