ALL SPOTS FILLED! (but EMAIL ME to get on my mailing list, for other equally amazing takedowns!!)
Can you even believe it!!!??? The biggest food event all year (May 19+20) has decided, in their utmost smartness, to make a Hot Sauce Takedown to happen!!!
5:15PM-6:45PM May 19 + 20 in the Restaurant 101 Area at Googamooga in Prospect Park!
As the benevolent ruler of the Takedown, I said sigh, okay I guess I will have to unleash 20 googleplex tonz of lovingly-locally-made hot sauces upon this land. Let’s make it happen…!!!!! Over the 2 days, there will be 20 Brooklyn local hot sauce sizzlers in attendance, and YOU will judge the hellishness of all of them!!!! VOTE to determine the coolest of the hotttt. The endorphins floating around Googamooga would blow any roof off, so thank God and Hall and Oates that this is an outdoor takedown…!!!!
CATEGORY: General
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No Denver, it is NOT okay to bodyslam a person with 300lbs of bacon. You would have to be INSANE to think that is a normal thing. But I guess your average Denverite doesn’t care about what’s done on the outside. When you get in the Octagon, you lose a part of yourself, and all that is left is a raw animal urge… to party super hard.
Try as I might, I couldn’t tame the unholy beasts of Denver, and they cooked up 20 different genius bacon dishes for Denver fooders to devour… We all sat around and high fived each other about the whole thing… and then guess what happened!!!?? A whole bunch of wrestling Juggalos came in, and tore the whole place down!!!! That night, they even invented an honorary super-extreme bacon pile driver off the top ropes, using Hormel Black Label to destroy with!!!!
Thanks be to Hormel! Thanks be to Casselman’s for their perfect space!!! And thanks be to the amazing cooks who offered their most awesome skills that day…
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CHECK OUT THE WINNERS AND ALL RECIPES HERE!!!!
People’s Choice Awards:
1st: Kristi Spitzer – Piggy Pumpkin Lasagna
2nd: Crockspot/Occupy Bacon Team 2 – Bacon & Eggs “Breakfast for Dessert”
3rd: 1031B (Andrew) – Bacon Rumaki (Chicken Liver Rumaki with Water Chestnuts)
Judges Choice Awards:
(Guest Judges: Tiffany from Strudel & Streusel and Sara at Saucy Dipper)
1st: Crockspot /Occupy Bacon Team 1 – Bacon Bowl (plantain yam mash, shredded pork shoulder and mango style chimichurri in a mini bacon bowl)
2nd: Jason Morse (2 Kids Confections) – Wilbur’s Famous Caramels & Divine Swine Cookies
3rd: Brook Rosentrater – Cajun Chicken Fried Bacon with Apple Bacon Chutney
4th/honorable mention: Clayton Hielbrun – Smoked Swiss Bacon Bread
Full Contestant List & Recipes
Brook Rosentrater – Cajun Chicken Fried Bacon with Apple Bacon Chutney
Chef David (DJ Psycho!) & Chef Cheea – Bacon Potato Soup “Papa Oaxaca” & Bacon Churros
Jason Morse (2 Kids Confections) – Wilbur’s Famous Caramels & Divine Swine Cookies
Josh Hielbrun – Smoky Bacon Cheddar Potatoes
Clayton Hielbrun – Smoked Swiss Bacon Bread
Mike– Pig Roll
1031A (Matt) – Bacon Wrapped Strawberries with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Reduction
1031B (Andrew) – Bacon Rumaki (chicken liver rumaki with water chestnuts)
Ching & Kyndra – Deconstructed BLT
Crockspot/Occupy Bacon Team 1 – Bacon Bowl (plantain yam mash, shredded pork shoulder and mango style chimichurri in a mini bacon bowl)
Crockspot/Occupy Bacon Team 2 – Bacon & Eggs “Breakfast for Dessert”
Marni Sandow & Terry – Bacon Chocolate Caramels & Bacon Toffee
Chanson Industries (Ching-Yuan & Drew) – Pineapple Bacon Mousse with Roasted Jalapeños
Kristi Spitzer – Piggy Pumpkin Lasagna & Bacon Brown Sugar Biscuits with Bacon Jam & Bacon Butter
Vivian Pena & Olimpia Sandoval – Pork Taco with Pickled Red Onion, Jicama, Pineapple Slaw & Chili Candied Bacon
SPONSORED BY:
Prize Sponsors:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
CATEGORY: General
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Hey Denver!!! Look who’s back! This time with a BACON Takedown- the 2nd stop on the Bacon Tour Bus! Get ready to wonder at 20 local cooks, and how they interpret bacon in their winningest recipes!!!
COOK CALL IS OVER! CONTESTANT LIST FULL! Email me to get on the mailing list to never miss a cook call again!!!! I can give any contestant a free 15lbs of sponsor Hormel Black Label Bacon – to make any dish your brain can thunk! After the Denver Avocado Takedown last year, I realize now how tummy yumming you guys are at fooding, so this shouldn’t be a challenge… still- there are SHOCKINGLY GOOD prizes at stake, from Anolon, Le Creuset, Cuisinart, Microplane, and Wusthoff!!! Even a year’s supply of Hormel Black Label Bacon!!! So take it serious!!!
And for those who just want to graze on all the illustrious bacon concoctions, it’s a mere $15!!!! Tickets HERE!!!!
SPONSORED BY:
Prizes sponsored by:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
spread the word via:
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CATEGORY: General
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$290 owed for a parking ticket and my car towed? Fiddlesticks!!!! Not enough, I say! That was the most expensive and unreasonable thing I have ever seen, but bring it on, Houston! (turn to camera) Oh! Hello! Want to know why I’m so happy and almost don’t hate Houston cops? Because Houston is magic with amazing cooks who are wonderful and cool!
I even SPONTANEOUSLY TWEETED to the Takedown community right after the event!!! : ”Have to say it: Houston cooks made this the best Avocado Takedown yet … Across board, most original, best recipes we’ve seen so far!” And I wasn’t kidding, or playing around! I meant it! TODAY agreed - check out there write up!!!! And NY Times named us the hot thing To Do in Houston that April Fools Day!!!!!
The super nicest and coolest people there- I almost hate to show you the winners, because they’re all winners and… and… boo HOO!!! Here, just go on without me- this is the avocado shocktroops listed, there recipes, and the winnerz!!!!!
THE RECIPES
Mike Ray – Sonora-cado Avocado Pie
Bryce Kaufman – Avocado Wrapped Bacon!
Missy Yi - Classic Chicken Salad w/ A-faux-cado Mayo
Michelle Ramsey – Avocado Cheezecake, Mango Whip and Lime Reduction
Amy Ponterella and Mikey Cuomeaux – Fried Avocado Tacos!
Susan Terry-Wilhelm – Avocado with crab! (and check out more STW coverage HERE!
Craig Payste – Avocado mousse in a pecan pie crust
Staci at Radical Eats – Fried Avocado Tacos!
Pat Grier -RAWsome Avocado Choco-LOT Pudding, Avocado Gazpacho Fusion
Bianca Vance – Deep Fried Avodillas, Parm Crisp with Smokey Shrimp Tomatillos, and Mexican Choco-cavo Pudding Alexandra Kenney – Avo Banana Bread, Avo Mac and Cheeze, fruity guac with cheese crisps
Mike Flannery – Avo Colladas and Avo stuffed shells!
Joe Fasullo – Avocado Cannolis!
Dan Cutts – Avocado Mint Ice Cream with candied bacon!
People’s Choice Winners!!!!
1)Bianca Vance – Deep Fried Avodillas, Parm Crisp with Smokey Shrimp Tomatillos, and Mexican Choco-cavo Pudding and Alexandra Kenney – Avo Banana Bread, Avo Mac and Cheeze, fruity guac with cheese crisps
2)Michelle Ramsey – Avocado Cheezecake, Mango Whip and Lime Reduction
3)Staci Davis at Radical Eats – Fried Avocado Tacos!
1) Michelle Ramsey – Avocado Cheezecake, Mango Whip and Lime Reduction
2) Mike Ray – Sonoro-cado Pies
3) Dan Cutts – Avocado Mint Ice Cream w/ Candied Bacon
HONORABLE MENTION
Pat Grier – RAWsome Avocado Choco-LOT Pudding, Avocado Gazpacho Fusion
Thanks to Avocados From Mexico, for providing 1000 avocados, and allowing this event to tour!!!!!! And thanks to Warehouse Live- beautiful huge space!!!
Prizes sponsored by:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
Care to try unlimited Avocado Recipes, Houston???
Oh phew! Whelp, I have saved my pennies, and with the generous help of Avocados From Mexico, The Takedown is BACK in Houston TX, this time with an Avocado Takedown!!!! (Remember I pulled off a Houston Bacon Takedown last time? Wowzerz.) And because of my beautiful sponsor, I am able to provide an ENTIRE CRATE of AVOCADOS to any Houstonite who would like to participate in the crushing of heads and avocados that will ensue!!! Make any dish you like! Now, I know what some of you are thinking: a whole lot of guacamole!!! But I know a LOT of you are also thinking whoah, whoah whoah! Just guacamole!?? Yeahright… Avocado intellectuals KNOW that pretty much ANYTHING is possible with an avocado- and Avocado TDs in Los Angeles and Denver yielded spectacular concoctions!!! just imagine what Houston gonna do!!!
Prizes are super brilliant- featuring cookware from Wusthof, Anolon, and Microplane… and more!
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE if you’d like to come down and eat limitless varieties of avocado solutions made by local cooks! ALL THE avocado recipes you can eat! Vote on the bestest… if you were thinking of brunching it that Sunday, I think this might be a better idea…
Houston Avocado Takedown
Tickets only $15
Sponsored by:
Prizes sponsored by:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
CATEGORY: General
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Lauren and Missy better sleep one eye up in Austin- they made a lot of enemies on Sunday, what with winning both Judges AND People’s Choice at the 3rd Annual Austin Bacon Takedown! I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, rolling around town with a billion cookware prizes, and a year’s supply of Hormel Black Label Bacon. Some girls was just born unlucky, I guess.
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And once again, Austin proves you don’t need SXSW to have a good time. You only need a pickup truck filled with bacon, and a few good people. Thanks to all the cooks for once again rolling up there sleeves… they grabbed Austin by the throat and squeezed, until Austin’s head actually popped off and showered us all in blood and laughter!
Thanks also to the new home of the ABTD, Shangri La! What a cool space, great staff and stern drinks! We partied so hard! Hormel Black Label Bacon was the cooles sponsor of forever, and proved it by showing up with a PHOTO BOOTH, SICK T-SHIRTZ and BACON GIVEAWAYS! Also, I did what I said I would do- I learned to knit, just so I could give each and every bacon cook a hand-knitted piece of actual bacon!!!!
Check out PICS (by ace photog Pete Van Kleve) on the TAKEDOWN FACEBOOK PAGE! ADD YOURSELF!
Here’s a recap, for those of you that care about Things That Are Important.
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Guest Judges who bestowed their local food wisdom included:
· Three Little Piggies (Tres Cochinitas); 2011 winner
People’s Choice Awards:
1st: Lauren Gaetano & Missy Farahani – “Pig Puddin’”: Bacon Bread Pudding with Sage and Gruyere
2nd: Austin Bacon Eaters – Figgy Piggy
3rd: Desi Cration & Headless Highness – Frosted Bacon Filo Cups
Judges Choice Awards:
1st: Lauren & Missy – “Pig Puddin’”: Bacon Bread Pudding with Sage and Gruyere
2nd: The Terrell’s – Bacon Gumbo with Bacon Cornbread
3rd: Austin Facial Hair Club – “CBICBS”: Caramel Bacon Ice Cream Brownie Sandwich
4th: Christy Horton – Bacon Butterscotch Blondie with Maple Butter cream
Best Booth!
#13 Team Oh Yeah!
Full Contestant List & Recipes
Frank Mancuso – Trailer Park Bark
Desi Cration & Headless Highness – Frosted Bacon Filo Cups
Ryan & Team Dissapointment – Oops I Did it Again: Bacon macaroni & cheese in a cone
The Terrell’s – Bacon Gumbo with Bacon Cornbread
Kate – Caramel Ba-Corn
Dionne Rizzo – Bacon Bourbon Mini Scones
Sara Barr – Bacon Apple Cheesecake with Bacon Candy
Austin Facial Hair Club – “CBICBS”: Caramel Bacon Ice Cream Brownie Sandwich
Amber & Sera – Bacon Cheddar Biscuits
Christy Horton – Bacon Butterscotch Blondie with Maple Butter cream
Marla Sarris – Bacon Wrapped Chicken Chorizo Jalapeño Poppers
Team “Oh Yeah” – Macho Bacon Loco Bacon Tacos
Austin Bacon Eaters – Figgy Piggy
Lauren Gaetano & Missy Farahani – “Pig Puddin’”: Bacon Bread Pudding with Sage and Gruyere
Says Addie Broyles: ”The Bacon Takedown draws a slightly more eccentric crowd of competitors, who are in it as much for the fun of being at the event as to wow the judges with their creations.” Well put, homegirl!!! Thanks Austin!!!!!
SPONSORED BY:
Prizes sponsored by:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
CATEGORY: General
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March 11 at 2PM!!! What better place to showcase 5 BILLION TUNZ OF BACON than at Shangri La on 6th St???!!! Returning for the 3rd year to smashtastic Austin, Matt Timms hosts a day of interesting and fascinating bacon ideas from local cooks that will transmorphanize you all into slobbering beasts of the netherworld!
2PM March 11 @ Shangri La — > DIRECTIONS
EMAIL ME TO SIGN UP AND COMPETE! HURRY! Only 2 spots left! My generous sponsor Hormel Black Label Bacon will GIVE you 15lbs of bacon to create any bacon idea you think properly reflects your moxie. The prizes are NO JOKE this year!!!! (Cusinart! Le Creuset! A year’s supply of Hormel Black Label Bacon! and tons more cookware!!!)
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE! A mere $10 to come and eat the finest bacon dishes- there just can’t be a better deal in ever- and eat and eat some more and finally vote on your favorite dish- be it sweet or savory or a subtle blend of both! And what a dazzling opportunity to hang with Matt Timms and party your face off! Oo!
Bacon Poster (rejected - Hilah Johnson said it was dumb, but awesome...but mostly dumb.)
SPONSORED BY:
Prizes sponsored by:
Portion of procedes benefit Women’s Education Project!
CATEGORY: General
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Check out the SLIDESHOW for all Gabi Porter’s pics at ZAGAT!!! Check out coverage of the winners Andrew Gottlieb and Piers Moreton on Fox News!!!!!
It was sold out. A lot of you didn’t get to see this thing. Because I want you to feel what it is that we felt that day, I wrote a haiku to commemorate the occasion.
Celestial Moonlight of the Serenity of My Serenity
by Matt Timms
The warriors howl
on the cheezy battle field.
Macaroni. Tears.
Never before hath a poem so transported an entire audience directly back in time- to a place of total Brooklyn cheeze!
Here below is the cooks that gave their lives unto this infernal madness of eternal fury of putrid lust of blood puke. For their sacrifice of unholy cheeze, we thank them most wondrously in a serious way. Below the list of players and then a list of the people who even actually won actual prizes!
Thank you Takedownerz! Thank you ZAGAT! Thank you Bell House!
Sonya Samuel – Star Crossed Fried Chicken Mac and Cheeze Popperz
Erica and Rick – 4 Cheeze Broccoli Rabe Sausage M and C
Pete Johnton – A Kick in the Teeth BBQ Spare Rib
Nazim Chowdhury- B3 -Bacon Bechumel Balls
Adrian Ashby – The Mac Daddy
Susan Palmer – Lobstah Fondue w/ Truffle Cheeze Croutons
Stephanie Wortel – Jackie’s Mac
Laura Maio- Zimroth – Modernist Cusine Mac
Piers Moreton – The Baby Maker
Eryn Stutts – Ugly Food Tastes Better – Reuben Mac
Andrew Gottlieb – 4 Mushroom Mac and Cheeze
Nicole Goodkind and John – Gruyere and Cheddar Mac
Zephan Courtney – Rosemary Mac
Dru Hilty – Mama’s Midwest M and C
The Four Horsemen of the Porkopalypse Homey Mustard, Pulled Pork, Candy Maple Bacon
Greg Erskine- Beefy Blue Cheese
Caesar-Robert Alfano – Quack and Cheeze
Edward Rivas – Fromage a Trois
Josh Bardavid and Jennie Pan – 5 Cheeze Bacon Infused Cream Cheeze
Sarah Mahr – Beer Brauts and Blue
James Ruth and Lindsay – Misfits Mac and Cheese
Marty B – Potato Sticks and Bacon M and C
PLACE MAKERS!
3rd Susan Palmer – Lobstah Fondue w/ Truffle Cheeze Croutons
2nd Josh Bardavid and Jennie Pan – 5 Cheeze Bacon Infused Cream Cheeze
1st Andrew Gottlieb - 4 Mushroom M and C *
Honorary Mention (for a classic take on mac and cheeze)
Zeph Courtney – Rosemary Mac and Cheeeeeze
People’s Choice!
3rd Nazim Chowdhury- B3 -Bacon Bechamel Balls
2nd Stephanie Wortel – Jackie’s Mac
1st Piers Moreton – The Baby Maker
pic by Gabi Porter
EVENT SPONSOR:
PRIZE SPONSORS:
*Andrew Gottlieb’s Mac and Cheeze info- read this!!! : Dried Morel and Porcini integrated into the Bechamel, along with oungFontina. Then baked with Gruyere, aged Fontina and Emmentaler.Garnished with Pickled Beech Mushrooms, Roasted Oyster Mushrooms withMeyer Lemon, a Heritage Bacon Lardon and Bacon Fat Bread Crumbs.
CATEGORY: General
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epic art by Matthew Langland
TICKETS ALL SOLD OUT!!! SORRY DUDES!!! BUT HEY, WHY NOT GET ON MY MAILING LIST SO THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN??? EMAIL ME!!!
January 29, 2PM at the Bell House – The Brooklyn Mac and Cheeze Takedown! $15 to eat 25 Mac and Cheezez, as interpreted by 25 local New Yorkers!!!!
TICKETS HERE!
Okay, so trivia question:
You’re on a desert island and there is no hope of rescue for like, a billion years, if you’re lucky! But you have a magic conch that magically prepares meals, but only of one kind of food, actually. What do you tell the conch to feed you for all of eternity? I know what you’re thinking- pretzels! Good guess, but the answer is actually MACANDCHEEZE!
When I esplain to you the reasons why, it is easier to comprehend: Macandcheeze is both nutritious AND fantastic! That’s right, according to my calculations, MacandCheeze is the only necessary thing for indefinite island survival.
This Takedown is sponsored by Zagat, who is currently conducting its 2012/13 New York shopping survey!
EVENT SPONSOR:
PRIZE SPONSORS:
CATEGORY: General
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pic by Natash Ryan, Metromix
- Do you know the Iron Maiden song “The Flight of Icarus”? It’s a story they once wrote in the ’80s about a dude who flew to the sun on man-made wings. Sort of like “Icarus”, you sat down and ate a lot of cookies and egg nog, which kinda weighed you down a bit and so you fell to earth later that night. You probably went home and spent the rest of the night watching romantic comedies and whimpering about your stupid full belly of yumminess, and why did you just do that? Listen dudes, don’t beat yourself up- maybe you can hit the gym in 2012, but let’s live in the present shall we? It’s much more funner!
Check out pics at Metromix, and LocalBozo and Brooklyn Exposed!!!!! You might see your happy face in their slide shows, so check it out!
pic by Natasha Ryan, Metromix
Thanks be to the Bell House- who are so the best venue and staff in the land. Thanks be to my sponsors Cuisinart, West Bend, Chicago Metallic, Oxo, Anolon and Microplane and Bulleit Bourbon- for all the super dope prizes!!!
And thanks, most humbly and radly to all the cooks. They made 300 cookies each, and fed a sold out crowd of drunked-up revellers and each other! HAPPY HOLIDAYS YOU GUYS!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST PEOPLE EVER!!! (I’m super glad to say everyone who came was able to walk away with a Le Creuset spatula, an Oxo pastry cutter, and a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon!!!)
After the jump, let’s see the winnerz, and also ALL the yummy cookies at the Brooklyn Cookie Takedown:
Continue reading →
CATEGORY: General
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