‘Monroe’s Biggest Idol’ IS The Frog Leg Inn’s Chef Tad Cousino!
Posted on 28 April 2008 under Chefs, Special Events | No Comments
Executive Chef Tad Cousino of the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, Michigan won the Big Brothers/Big Sisters “Monroe’s Biggest Idol” competition Saturday evening at the Meyer Theater in the La-Z-Boy Conference Center at Monroe County Community College.
Yesterday afternoon, I found the winner on a John Deere lawnmower, happily mowing someone else’s lawn.
He described for me his performance of Billy Joel’s Piano Man: “I’ve sang in front of crowds many times, but I’ve never played piano while singing. But it was like my fingers were on auto-pilot … they knew what they were doing. I was just watching them doing the runs! All I had to do was focus on the singing.”
As to how he introduced his performance of Michael Boublet’s Home: “They could see most of a tuxedo, but I also had on my Chef’s coat. [It’s a thick white double-breasted linen with black piping.] I told the crowd how my wife had made me work during intermission! I removed the Chef’s coat, and the tuxedo jacket was underneath. They really liked that. I then asked if there were any Boublet fans in the audience, and after the cheering died down I said ‘I’m not’. That got a good laugh!”
Chef Tad has sang for years at Crossroads Community Church at both their older Temperance location and the church’s current location in Ottawa Lake southeast of exit #1 and US-23 in Michigan. With a Michigan Wine Dinner at his own restaurant last Thursday, a rehearsal on Friday and the “Monroe’s Biggest Idol” competition on Saturday, he’s been doing more than just burning the candle at both ends. Still, today he leaves town for a few days to attend a food show somewhere up north.
I hope at some point soon to be able to post video of Chef Tad’s winning performances at the 2008 Big Brothers/Big Sisters “Monroe’s Biggest Idol” competition.
Crocs vs. Escalators: Chefs and Cooks, Take Note!
Posted on 19 April 2008 under Chefs, Food In The News | 1 Comment
Just the other day Chef Tad of the Frog Leg Inn was showing me his new black Crocs. This brand of footwear has become rather popular among chefs and cooks because of their long-term comfort, with there even being a Batali Signature Edition in the classic orange color Chef Mario is so famous for wearing. Chef Tad was telling me how surprised he was at how comfortable they were to wear in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, Crocs aren’t without their problems, particularly among children who wear them. In fact, they can be downright dangerous.
From an article on CBC.ca:
Japan has asked the maker of Crocs to look into changing the design of its footwear after complaints that children wearing the colourful plastic clogs have had their feet injured on escalators … There are reports from Singapore to Virginia of instances in which children have had toe nails, and even toes, torn off while wearing Crocs-style shoes on escalators … In Singapore, a two-year-old girl wearing rubber clogs - it’s unclear what brand - had her big toe completely ripped off in an escalator accident last year … “[Japan’s Trade] ministry found that there were a number of factors that led to a specific incident in Japan last summer,” said Crocs spokeswoman Tia Mattson. “Those included escalator maintenance, footwear and user riding behaviour, which they determined was the primary cause of the accident. We continue to be supportive of escalator safety initiatives and we will consider any recommendations the ministry has for footwear manufacturers.”
While it’s obvious this is the fault of no particular company or industry (with all parties thankfully attempting to find a viable solution), wearers of Crocs and other brands of clogs, and parents of younger wearers, need to be aware of these issues … and even more aware of their kids’ safety while wearing them.
Food News of Interest from the Toledo Blade
Posted on 7 April 2008 under Chefs, Food Festivals, Food In The News, Michigan Cuisine | No Comments
A Chuck Tender Wellington made by a young man named Damien, one of Chef
Denise Schaefer’s Culinary Arts students at the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg,
Ohio. I blogged about this meal back on January 9, 2008. (Click on the image for
a larger version.)
In this morning’s Toledo Blade, food columnist Kathie Smith mentions a few things of interest.
Our friend Chef Denise Schaefer of the Culinary Arts program at the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio will be inducted into the American Academy of Chefs in a ceremony July 13, 2008 in Las Vegas. While Mary’s known her for years I first met Chef Denise at last year’s Taste of the Nation: Toledo and we’ve been friends ever since. When I had the lunch pictured above back in January I sent Chef Denise the photo, which she used in susequent advertising. Her students really like her, and we feel she deserves the honor she’ll receive in Las Vegas this summer.
The same Kathie Smith column mentions a Winemaker’s Dinner tomorrow at Chef Alan Merhar’s Evan’s Street Station over in Tecumseh, Michigan. I also met Chef Alan at Taste of the Nation: Toledo last April and he and I found out we have some mutual friends, including John and Erica Aylward at Tecumseh’s Boulevard Market. If you can’t make it to Chef Alan’s event, a Wine Dinner is coming up at the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, Michigan. (Details coming soon.)
And finally, the 2008 Food & Wine Celebration will be July 19th at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio, with the invitation-only Chef’s Summit being the day before. There will be a number of chefs at the 2008 Food & Wine Celebration on the 19th, including Michael Symon of Lola’s in Cleveland, the newest Iron Chef. Sounds as though it’s going to be a great time!
Video: ‘Alter O’Brown’ on Chef Robert Irvine and Food Network
Posted on 6 March 2008 under Chefs, Food on TV, Video | No Comments
From “Alter O’Brown” comes this (somewhat!) entertaining commentary on the Chef Robert Irvine debacle. The George W. Bush comment was the one that really got me laughing … 
Thanks, Alter!
Revisiting the Tomato-Mozzarella-Mushroom Appetizer
Posted on 25 February 2008 under Canadian Food, Chefs, Corrections, Food on TV, Recipes | 5 Comments
One of the more popular recent posts here on Luna Pier Cook has been Eat This Blog: Tomato-Mozzarella-Mushroom Appetizer. If you look back at that post this morning you’ll find Chef Daniele Palanca, who’d made the dish on an episode of The Great Canadian Food Show I’d seen, has left a comment offering a couple corrections to how I’d made the dish:
The only correction to the recipe you posted was the mushroom component. I don’t place mushrooms but instead thinly sliced fresh truffles. I also place basil under the buffalo mozzarella.
Thank you, Chef! While I could probably locate decent truffles around here somewhere, I’m not so sure buffalo mozzarella would be so easy to locate! Fresh basil is also simple to find, at Ciolino’s over on Lewis Ave., so that’s not an issue. I’d have to likely contact someone at the Michigan Bison Association to find out if buffalo mozzarella is available in Michigan but it doesn’t seem that way. For now, I’ll stick with John Aylward’s handmade mozzarella from the Boulevard Market over in Tecumseh.
Mary’s visited Leamington, Ontario once, and I’ve always loved visiting the province. I think this summer she and I need to head over there for a visit of the city of Leamington together. It seems to be a rather excellent idea.
Sponsors
