I have returned to this photo over and over again. Ever since this little piggy stared me down at the Cabbagetown Stomp & Chomp Chili Cook Off, I have edited and re-edited the pic. And the more I look at it, the weirder I feel. The scorched porkster looks almost content; maybe even happy. Or maybe I’ve just convinced myself of that over the past 2 weeks. I just wonder who ate this guy’s face and if he/she has been thinking about Mr. pig as much as me…
I bring happiness to the people
You know you work at a cool company when this dude shows up on a Friday afternoon. Time for a ice cream sundae social at work!
We even had a choice of flavors:
who got the sherbert?
and a table full of sugary toppings:
I went with Moose Tracks (vanilla with peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge) topped with rainbow sprinkles and a drop of chocolate syrup. I really wanted to take a picture for y’all, but you know the ice cream rule – eat quickly, before it melts.
Last night, I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in a cooking class at the Viking Cooking School, located inside the Viking store in midtown. This event was a perk that’s associated with my daytime job and happened to tie into my nighttime job (hobby) quite perfectly.
*Updated*
Here’s the menu for the night labeled “Dinner Around the World”:
Tuscan Grilled Vegetable Platter
Thai Spring Rolls with sweet & sour sauce
Roasted Chicken (5 different varieties)
Cuban-style Rice Pilaf with black beans
Chocolate-covered strawberries stuffed with Amaretto cream cheese
And now it’s time for another story by photo segment:
we arrived to some snacks
and drinks
the clean kitchen prior to cooking
our chef gets the lesson started with a raw chicken
Chang and Kenny dove into the poultry preparation
stuffed with an onion, among other things
Brad gets excited by chicken (or knives?)
ready for roasting
Eli gets comfy in his chef whites
and with his knife
the crew preps the ingredients
while some of the guys drink and stand around
Josh gets veggies ready for the grill
and Kim mans the grill
and she grills
and grills
a post-grill rainbow
Don't forget us! Eli and I also grilled
Eli and Josh focus: they learn to make a spring roll
plop in some filling
Kenny demonstrates the roll
ready for the fryer
Kim shows the hollowed strawberries for dessert
tip of the day: use a glass to fill a piping bag
tip of the day demonstrated
berries filled with cream cheese, amaretto, confectioners sugar
chocolate to be melted
Kim and Jenna dip the berries, but the chocolate remains on their hands
taste trumps looks
Brad likes the spread of food
and shows off his personalized plate
spring rolls ready to eat!
chopped chicken
grilled veggies topped with parmigiano cheese
mmmmmmmm
extra desserts that we had nothing to do with
This event was super fun and I highly recommend it for a team-building outing, a girls’(guys’) night out, or just a change of pace activity shared among friends. We ate well, drank plenty, learned a few things, and most importantly – we didn’t clean up a thing!
Full menu will be updated shortly for those who are interested.
The Viking Store
1745 Peachtree Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30309-2404
404.745.9064
www.thevikingstore.net
Posted in Food Events, atlanta
Tagged atlanta, cheese, chef, chefs, chicken, chocolate, cooking, dessert, drinks, fruit, midtown, spring rolls, vegetable, vegetables, viking cooking school
I spent yesterday afternoon chomping and stomping around Cabbagetown where hundreds of like-minded folks tested out restaurant and civilian chili. Here’s my day in photos:
couldn't find a parking spot, although the sign said otherwise
walked through a dark, tatted tunnel for the love of chili
waited on a long line to purchase a coveted orange spoon
Hold on to your spoons!
took in the masses of people and chili stands
saw the guys from Noni's with colorful glasses
they served up a chicken chili = decent
steaming chili served in pitchers
long line of chili-slingers
The Vortex had OK veggie chili
teamwork at MetroFresh
reigning champs at Fox Bros.
Six Feet Under brought hush puppies
and plopped them on top of their chili
gotta use both hands for the hungry
round one completed
time for help from the antacid
dudes looking for some heat
interesting outfit choice, guys
but I'll still eat your chili
he didn't get the chili memo
neither did porky 
chili ran out quickly
at many stands
but many people were served
even the best chefs in Atlanta
Kevin Rathbun chugged a beer
and I met Kevin from Top Chef!
Honestly, none of the chili that I tried reached an awe-inspiring level but the event was super fun and the turnout was spectacular. A fun, fall day in Atlanta – come out next year!
Posted in Food Events
Tagged atlanta, cabbagetown, chili, kevin from top chef, kevin rathbun, rathbun, rathbun's, six feet under, top chef
