[private]On August 3rd 2009 Chef Snows recipe for a healthy cream of mushroom soup appeared on Fox News.com in their Meal Makeover section. The Monday Meal Makeover: Cream of Mushroom Soup is a healthy and delicious recipe developed by Chef Snow for the Harvest Eating website.[/private]
Key Note- Johnson & Wales University
[private]Chef Snow Delivers Key Note Speech At Johnson & Wales University
I recently gave the keynote speech for the 2008 North Carolina Fruits and Veggies Nutrition Coalition in Charlotte, NC. It was held at Johnson & Wales University, a well-known culinary school. There were individuals from all over the country there to learn more about healthy food.
Local Foods Explosion
Their stated mission reads: “The mission of the NC Fruits & Veggies Nutrition (formerly 5 A Day) Coalition is to promote better health for all North Carolinians by increasing their fruit and vegetable consumption. Through programs and promotions in supermarkets, schools, restaurants, cafeterias, work sites, health agencies and community groups, North Carolinians learn that eating fruits and veggies not only tastes great but is good for their health.”
My speech was very well-received by the crowd of 200 in the auditorium. What I came away with was that this local food explosion is not stopping anytime soon, and it’s gaining momentum at a feverish pace. People from all walks of life are beginning to take part.
I’ve been an advocate for local & seasonal food for many years. It’s gratifying to see it becoming mainstream. Four years ago, people looked the other way when I preached about buying local and cooking with the seasons. They wanted what they wanted, when they wanted it. This means asparagus in December– flown in from Chile or some other place, all without a thought to the amount of fossil fuels burned to get poor-quality produce to them.
Now, people are shunning “flown-in foods” or imported foods, and that means anything from over a couple of hundred miles away. Sure, I still eat tropical fruits and drink lots of coffee from South & Central America, but my everyday diet is made up with as many local foods as I can get my hands on.
I try to personally maintain relationships with at least 4-5 farmers who provide my food. I eat “as close to the field” as possible. This only makes sense, and deep down we all know this.
The most positive thing I got from the conference is how the State of NC and other states are completely involved with people on the ground, ensuring their locally-grown foods are winding up on dinner tables in their states.
They have people who visit restaurants to act as liaisons between local farmers and chefs, people visiting school districts, and people encouraging state employees to consume local fruits and veggies.
Another positive trend is that corporations are getting involved as well. Wal-Mart is sourcing local foods in all 50 states and promoting them in their stores. This is awesome! Also, companies like Organic Valley (my personal choice for organic dairy) are collecting, packaging and selling milk in certain regions of the country, so people are now able to buy locally-produced milk. Just think of the amount of fuel and pollution this reduces!
So with all this local buying and advocacy going on, the Harvest Eating message of cooking and eating local, seasonal and organic foods is more popular than ever.
I truly believe our Harvest Eating TV show will be very well received next year on public television. This excites me as our message will be heard by millions of addition people!
-Keith[/private]
Chef Snow Wins Hot Chef Contest
[private]Chef Snow Wins National Restaurant Association’s 2008 You Tube Hot Chef Contest
His appearance in the Culinary Scene is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and his video will also be featured on the NRA Show Web site, www.restaurant.org/show. “Locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable ingredients are among the top menu trends in restaurants, and Chef Snow demonstrated how to complement and marry those flavors with another on-trend ingredient –beverage alcohol,” said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2008 Show, and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood, Inc. “We are all excited to see him in action among some of the most celebrated chefs in our industry at NRA Show 2008 and hope his ideas help enhance dining experiences.” Snow, 40, lives on a small farm on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. Like many of his peers in the restaurant field, he was an early proponent of cooking seasonally with locally farmed ingredients for both optimum flavor and nutrition.
Many chefs support local, sustainable farming, and an increasing number of restaurants are introducing the concept to their patrons. At Harvest Eating.com, Chef Snow takes the message of sustainable cuisine online, while also providing excellent cooking instruction in a relaxed approach that is accessible, encouraging and fun. He started cooking at age 14 and worked in the restaurant and foodservice industry for more than twenty years. “I’m passionate about the importance of cooking with wholesome foods grown locally and in season,” says Chef Snow. “Our site provides all the tools needed to enjoy cooking and adopt a healthy lifestyle that is beneficial for everyone, including local farmers.” The runners-up in the Association’s “Hot Chef” Challenge on YouTube are John Hughes, executive chef and owner of Windows on the Water in Kennebunk, Maine; and Don Hensley, corporate chef for Martin Bros. Distributing in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
For the Association’s “Hot Chef” Challenge, professional chefs and home cooks alike were encouraged to submit short videos of themselves preparing their favorite recipes using trendy food and beverage alcohol ingredients. Each video had to include one food item and one alcohol item (as an ingredient or as a pairing with a dish) from the Association’s What’s Hot… What’s Not chef survey, available at www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/200711chefsurvey.pdf. YouTube users voted for the top three videos, and the winner was then be selected by an Association panel. The Culinary Scene features a custom-built demonstration kitchen in which trend-setter chefs such as Rick Bayless, Grady Spears, Charlie Ayers and Govind Armstrong will perform culinary showcases throughout the four Show days. Now in its 89th year, the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals in the Western Hemisphere. The 2008 Show will be held May 17-20, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The Show attracts 2,000+ exhibiting companies and 70,000 attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 115 countries.
More information can be found on the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show. ### The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 13.1 million employees – making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.[/private]
Chef Keith Snow in Parade Magazine
[private]Keith Snow was recently featured on Parade Magazine.com for a father’s day story. A group of celeb chefs shared their favorite fathers day memories and recipes. See chef Snows Feature here.[/private]
Keith Snow on Wine Library TV
[private]I recently appeared on Wine Library TV featuring Gary Vaynerchuk (Vay-Ner-chuk) on August 14th 2009. Wine Library TV draws 80,000 viewers per day so it is quite popular. Watch the episode below. Keith crushes Gary with a book selling contest..as of today, Keith is getting his ass handed to him as Gary is on the NY Times best seller list…![/private]