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Cincinnati gets own culinary classic

Polly Campbell
pcampbell@enquirer.com
Jean-Robert de Cavel of Jean-Robert’s Table, left, Paul Sturkey of U.S. Foods, Megan Ketover, pastry chef at Orchids, and Michael Paley, of Metropole, toast to the upcoming  Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic in Washington Park.

Anyone who has eaten out in Cincinnati over the past few years knows that we have a newly sophisticated, varied and fast-growing dining scene here.

The planners of a new event set for September want to make sure the rest of the country knows it, too.

The Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic will gather, for one weekend, a representation of the breadth and quality of Cincinnati's dining all in one place.

The place is Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, and the weekend is Sept. 12-13. The world is invited, and tickets go on sale Wednesday.

"We're a beautiful city with a quirky-cool community of creative, talented artisans of all sorts," said Donna Covrett, the former dining editor for Cincinnati Magazine and now co-founder, with Courtney Tsitouris, of media company City Stories. "We've always been treated, nationally, as a flyover zone. I was interested in a significant way to get us more attention."

Michael Paley, chef at Metropole, Downtown, was happy to serve on the executive committee for the event.

"The food scene here is underrated," he said. "There's a bunch of talented chefs doing solid stuff. The media tends to look at San Francisco. Or the South. New York. The Midwest needs some attention."

The format of the festival will be something new for the city. Not a big fest like Taste of Cincinnati, not just a high-ticket-price dinner by the bite; it will combine two Grand Tasting evenings with further chances to engage with food and food people: educational events, demonstrations, book signings, contests, wine seminars and the chance to meet chefs. Ticket prices range from $125 for one of the Grand Tastings to $390 for a VIP two-day pass, including an after-party and cocktail lounge.

"People want to be connected to their food," said Tsitouris. "I don't think you get that at some events. We're trying to offer as many opportunities in programming and format to allow people to be connected to the chef, the ingredients, in learning how to cook."

Friday's Grand Tasting will be an all-pork extravaganza that draws on Cincinnati's meat-processing heritage and features craft beers. It also features a competition called Pork Chopped, judged by Andrew Knowlton of "Bon Appetit," Keith Pandolfi of "Saveur" and Francis Lam, judge on "Top Chef Masters." Saturday night's tasting will be inspired by the fine-dining traditions of a city once home to three five-star restaurants. Demonstrations and events will take place during the day Saturday, and there will be many after-parties at bars and restaurants within walking distance.

The executive committee for the event includes prominent local chefs Jean-Robert de Cavel, Michael Paley, Daniel Wright and Cincinnati chef Paul Sturkey, now a culinary specialist at U.S. Foods. Many more local chefs, sommeliers, brewers, mixologists and food producers will participate.

Julie Calvert of the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau says she thinks the festival's timing is good.

"Culinary tourism is one of the fastest-growing aspects of the travel industry," she said. "More and more people are traveling to cities simply for their food scene. And we're a great city for food. This will be a great relationship and reputation builder."

After the local participants were chosen, said Covrett, "We thought about roots, and invited people who are from here who have gone on to do things elsewhere."

Pandolfi, who grew up in Anderson Township, said, "Like most Cincinnatians, the city keeps drawing me back. When I come and visit a couple times a year, friends keep taking me to OTR, and I'm always impressed. Cincinnati has always needed to be more boastful of its food traditions: the bakeries and butchers, the German cooking."

Pandolfi will be judging a goetta superstar cook-off as well as Pork Chopped. He'll also be on a food panel with Andrew Knowlton and Francis Lam.

"It isn't a festival with Food Network stars," said Paley. "It represents this city."

Not that it's easy to sum up what Cincinnati food is. Paley said one reason he came to Cincinnati from Louisville was that there is no agreed-upon definition of Cincinnati cuisine. He said he felt that being a "Southern" chef in Louisville was a little confining. There's also no big event in Cincinnati that defines the city to the rest of the nation, such as the Kentucky Derby. Here, he said, he can cook what he likes.

The event's organizers hope the event brings people from the city as well as out-of-towners. "I've done the analytics on our website," said Tsitouris. "Someone from every state in America has visited our site."

"Food and dining is always a good entry into the city for tourists," said Covrett. "It's a way for people to become aware of us. " ■

IF YOU GO:

When: Sept. 12-13

Where: Washington Park, between Elm and Race streets, Over-the-Rhine

Tickets:www.cincinnatifoodandwineclassic.com

Age: Must be 21

Rain date: Rain or shine

More information:www.cincinnatifoodandwineclassic.com

THE LINEUP:

Among the food and wine professional participants in the Food + Wine Classic:

Former Cincinnatians:

Nate Appelman, Chipotle

Tony Ferrari, Hillside Supper Club, San Francisco

Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton

Anita Hirsch, Nieman Marcus

Keith Pandolfi, Saveur

Visitors:

Jonathon Sawyer of Greenhouse, Cleveland

Francis Lam, "Top Chef Masters"

Andrew Knowlton, "Bon Appetit"

Anthony Lamas, Seviche, Louisville

Joy Wilson, Joy the Baker blog

Stella Parks, Brave Tart blog, Lexington

Pat LaFrieda, Pat LaFrieda Meats

Locals:

Jean-Robert de Cavel, Jean-Robert's Table

Daniel Wright, Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac

Michael Paley, Metropole

Paul Sturkey, U.S. Foods

Jose Salazar, Salazar

Elias Leisring, Eli's

Nick Marckwald, Hen of the Woods

Julie Francis, Nectar

Todd Kelly and Megan Ketover, Orchids

Stephen Williams, Bouquet

David Falk and Jeremy Lieb, Boca, Sotto and Nada

Jimmy Gibson, Jimmy G's

Rom Wells, Cheapside Cafe

Mark Bodenstein, Nuvo

Hideki Harada, Kaze

Jimmy Gibson, Jimmy G's

Cristian Pietoso, Via Vite