"Wow." — a common phrase among diners at the Thursday-evening kickoff dinner for ChefsFeed Indie Week at Brenner Pass. In this traveling showcase of culinary heavy hitters from across the country, 12 chefs, four from Richmond — host Brittanny Anderson, Jason Alley of Pasture and Comfort, Adam Hall of Saison, and Randall Doetzer — each prepared a course of this epic meal. Richmond, the smallest host city to date, shone for the sold-out soiree that brought to life flavors from the Pacific Northwest to Harlem. The dining series continues through the weekend with a grand finale on Sunday, Aug. 26.
ChefsFeed Indie Week was held at Brenner Pass.
Richmond's Jason Alley assists in plating the first dish. All the chefs worked together to ensure a smooth evening.
Brittanny Anderson plates her dish at the bar, where guests could watch courses be prepared directly in front of them. Anderson has participated in three ChefsFeed Indie Weeks, but this is her first time hosting. Her persistence and devotion resulted in the event making its way to Richmond to showcase the abundance of talented chefs and local purveyors in the city. Added bonus: The pleasant weather of late has been making the city look pretty darn amazing.
Anderson, the chef and co-owner of Brenner Pass, prepared this first course to kick-start the evening with smoked trout roe, fermented tomato, cream and kohlrabi.
Randall Doetzer, former chef at Nota Bene, is perhaps best known for his wood-fired pizzas and other Italian specialties. Doetzer is currently unaffiliated with a Richmond restaurant but his dish of poached Onliest oysters, cucumber and corn was a welcome addition to the evening.
Annie Pettry, chef-owner of Decca in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Season 14 contestant on Top Chef in 2016, prepared a kombu-cured scallop with cucumber, hazelnut and dill.
Richmond's Randall Doetzer assists in plating the fourth course.
Chef Mimi Weissenborn puts finishing touches on her grilled octopus dish, while Tim Ma follows behind.
Mimi Weissenborn not only knows how to rock a cool haircut, the executive chef from Vinateria, a Spanish- and Italian-inspired restaurant in Harlem, New York, knows how to prepare a delightful grilled octopus that left guests scraping their plates. One of the most memorable dishes of the night, the octopus was served with a red pepper aioli, crisp potatoes and shaved fennel.
Richmond’s own Adam Hall, chef and owner of Saison in Jackson Ward, brought a unique course to the evening with this playful twist on breakfast for dinner. The “hot” sauce delivered a welcomed touch of heat, accented by the buckwheat pancake, guanciale, egg and spiced maple syrup.
Last night may have been Trigg Brown’s first time at Brenner Pass, but it’s certainly not his first time in Richmond. Brown’s humble culinary beginnings launched at The Red Oak Cafe in Goochland at the tender age of 16. One bite of this Sungold tomato pie with wuyuzi and fermented bean curd Parmesan reaffirmed his Southern roots. Now, you can find the chef and co-owner dishing out Taiwanese-American food at Win Son in Brooklyn.
Chef Jeffrey Vance hails from No Anchor in Seattle, a James Beard Award nominee for Best New Restaurant, to prepare white beans, fermented almond milk, chanterelles from Washington and chervil. Vance has previously worked with chefs from Richmond and was welcomed back with open arms.
Chef Adam Hall pours the bacon chive dashi over tilefish for the sixth course.
Taking part in his first ChefsFeed Indie Week, Tim Ma brought fresh and refined flavors with his tilefish served with savoy cabbage, bacon chive dashi and green tomato. Ma said he wanted guests to look at his dish and see the color green from every angle. Thinking about a road trip? Ma's restaurant, Kyirisan, is in nearby Washington D.C.
Jason Alley, chef and co-owner of Pasture, Comfort and Flora, prepared a course that was the ultimate showcase of Southern staples.This sorghum-glazed pork tenderloin, white beans, bread-and-butter zucchini, and crab mayo captured the essence of his cooking style.
Cable Smith didn’t travel too far to get to Richmond — he works at the Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning The Royal in D.C. — but he has traveled far during his culinary career since ditching engineering for the kitchen at age 26. Bib Gourmand award winners are recognized for dishing out top-notch meals that don't break the bank; restaurants must serve two courses with wine or dessert for under $40. This pan-roasted duck, grilled cippolini, blueberry agridolce and Colombian curry was the ideal ending to the savory courses.
A Virginia-born pastry chef, Caityln Jarvis may have ditched art school for the back of the house, but her creative talent makes its way onto the plate (or, in this case, bowl) with sweetened lemon ricotta, mixed berries, caramelized-whey sorbet and “Ritz” crackers. Jarvis works at Henrietta Red in Nashville, and this is her first time participating in ChefsFeed Indie week.
The night concluded with a course from pastry chef and sculpture lover James Kubie of Coquette in New Orleans. The use of corn in the elote profiterole, charred pâte à choux, sweet corn flan and raspberry allowed natural sugars to shine through in this balanced, delightful, innovative dessert.
