About Last Night: Hop Chef

Southwark’s Nick Macri wowed the judges last night with his  “You Can Win Friends with Meat Salad,” an ode to Homer Simpson. Where most of the chefs chose one pairing principle (simple pairing, incorporation, mimicking, story telling and experimental), Macri included all five in his Ommegang Hennepin-based dish and that was enough for the win. But the coppa with ginger-pickled chiles, grains of paradise bread crumbs, ballpark nuts, and orange-coriander-cured sauce wasn’t the only dish that impressed. JG Domestic’s Yun Fuentes won the People’s Choice with his duck arepa and Ommegang Rare Vos glaze. And Fork’s Eli Kulp created a first-of-its-kind treat in his Crackerjack-topped beer rye pretzels.

If you were there, you know how good everything was. If you weren’t, the best we can offer you are pictures, shot by COOK photographer and Friend of Foobooz, Yoni Nimrod.

Enjoy…