Foodie News
Pass the (sweet) potatoes: World Food Day serves up a healthfully delicious chefcompetition
- Kevin Naderi serving his sweet croissant sliders to the crowd.Photo by Sarah Rufca
- Kiran's winning roasted sweet potatoes with english cucumbers, mango,pomegranate seeds, cumin and tamarind chutney in a lettuce wrapPhoto by Sarah Rufca
- Mayor Annise Parker and City councilman Ed Gonzalez taste Veg Out! Throwdowncreations with Recipe 4 Success founder Gracie Cavnar.Photo by Sarah Rufca
- Veg Out! Throwdown winner Kiran VermaPhoto by Sarah Rufca
- The scene outside City HallPhoto by Sarah Rufca
- Erin Smith talks about her dish with Farmers Market guests.Photo by Sarah Rufca
- Justin Yu's sweet potato panelaPhoto by Sarah Rufca
The crowds at the City Hall Farmers Market got an unexpected treat on Wednesday. In celebration of Food Day, Recipe 4 Success threw its second-annual Veg Out! Throwdown, featuring some of Houston's best chefs and some delicious local veggies.
Last year's chefs created dishes based around collard greens, and this year competitors Kevin Naderi of Roost, ex-Plonk chef Erin Smith, Justin Yu of Oxheart and Kiran Verma of Kiran's were all tasked with spicing up the ultimate fall vegetable — the sweet potato.
Competitors Kevin Naderi of Roost, ex-Plonk chef Erin Smith, Justin Yu of Oxheart and Kiran Verma of Kiran's were all tasked with spicing up the ultimate fall vegetable — the sweet potato.
Free samples were delivered to guests of the farmers market and to a panel of judges, including Cleverley Stone, Monica Pope (who won last year with her "greens and beets"), Recipe 4 Success founder Gracie Cavnar and this writer. Chefs were scored based on taste, texture, presentation, the amount of local ingredients used and the simplicity of the recipe — all the dishes were supposed to be able to be prepared in 30 minutes.
Mayor Annise Parker even stopped by the tables, though she declined to join the judges' table ("I don't want to lose any votes out here," she said.)
While Naderi's vanilla-scented sweet potato puree on croissant sliders with a goat cheese egg salad was a sweet and very munchable option, the judges declared Verma the winner for her roasted sweet potato salad wrap with English cucumber, mango, pomegranate seeds, cumin and tamarind chutney. The combination — a little spice, a little sweet — was both intensely flavorful and very focused on the vegetable element.
What better way to represent Food Day, a nationwide celebration of healthy and sustainable food?