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Attendees at last year's Farm to Table Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
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The Food Column: It's Farm to Table time

Erin Hart

The Food Column: It's Farm to Table time

Farm to Table’s conference on March 27-28 will be the organization’s ninth, but this year’s conference features a new youth element: Community Kitchen Pittsburgh’s “Project Lunch Tray Jr. Chef Competition.”

Teams of students from eight area schools paired up with local chefs to create menus that redefine school cafeteria food, making it healthier while still appealing to kids. The students range from grades six through 10, with about four kids on each school team.

Community Kitchen tried to pair students with chefs from their schools’ neighborhoods. For instance, the Environmental Charter School, located in Regent Square, was paired with Chef Keith Fuller of Root 174, just down the street. Manchester Academic Charter School teamed up with John Crooks, a former Allegheny General Hospital cafeteria chef.

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Community Kitchen ran a six-week food-education program in each school, teaching knife skills, kitchen safety and other basics for the participating students. Each professional chef attended at least one session to help the students with menu development. The main requirement was that the meals be “compliant with the USDA school lunch program,” explained Tom Samilson, manager of outreach and education for Community Kitchen. In other words, the meals needed to be cost-effective and reproducible on a large scale.

1st Generation Farms Crust-less Cast Iron Quiche.
Rebecca Sodergren
Farm to Table Conference theme is 'Cook at Home'

And although the chefs were on hand for consultation, “we let the kids figure it out on their own,” he said.

The resulting menus ended up sounding like something out of a restaurant. Environmental Charter School’s team devised a seared pork loin entree with sides of cauliflower mash, apple slaw and pretzel dinner rolls. Surprisingly, the meal idea started with one student’s proposal of cauliflower mash, and the rest of the German-style menu was built around it. Propel McKeesport came up with an apple-and-cheese quesadilla served with sides of blueberry barbecue pulled chicken and corn-and-bean salsa; this was the only team that didn’t feature a protein as the menu centerpiece, Mr. Samilson said.

The other participating schools are Arsenal Middle School, Holy Family Academy, Pittsburgh Langley K-8, Propel Braddock Hills and Neighborhood Academy.

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The students held a “scrimmage” March 7 at Pittsburgh Public Market, where they cooked their dishes alongside the chefs and passed out samples.

At the Farm to Table conference, the setup will be a bit different. The students will be on hand to “celebrate all their work,” Mr. Samilson said. But their dishes will actually be prepared by Community Kitchen staffers, thus testing out the reproducibility of the menus in a commercial-kitchen setting. The Farm to Table conference crowd will be able to taste samples and gather recipes from the school teams during the event from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. This is also when the teams’ creations will be judged. The judging panel includes staff from the Duquesne Club, Highmark, TABLE Magazine, Pittsburgh Public Schools and other organizations. The teams will win prizes tied to healthy eating, including equipment for starting cooking clubs at each school.

For more information about the competition, go to pittsburghcommunitykitchen.org.

Classes/demos

Winemaking: Learn the basics of making a 6-gallon batch of wine from grapes or juice. 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at A&M Wine & Beer Supplies, Washington, Pa. $15; preregistration required. 724-222-WINE.

Camp Cooking Basics for Backpackers: Learn about equipment (stoves, cook sets and fuel), planning and preparation for cooking on your overnight trip. 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at REI in SouthSide Works. Free. rei.com/stores/pittsburgh.

Cold Weather Vegetables & Herbs: Learn how to start a food garden even in the chilly spring months. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at Carnegie Library of Homewood. Free; preregister at 412-242-3598.

Charitable events

James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour: Cure Chef Justin Severino hosts chefs from top restaurants in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and other cities, preparing a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the Heinz History Center, Strip District. Tickets are $215. 412-252-2595. jamesbeard.org/events/pittsburgh-0.

Glass Slipper Ball: More than 20 Pittsburgh chefs showcase hors d’oeuvres and desserts, along with wine and beer samples. 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 28, at the DoubleTree in Mars. $100; proceeds benefit local and global women’s initiatives, including domestic violence and human trafficking prevention. glassslipperball.com.

Rebecca Sodergren: pgfoodevents@hotmail.com or on Twitter @pgfoodevents.

First Published: March 18, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

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Attendees at last year's Farm to Table Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.  (Erin Hart)
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