2010 SF Chefs

Jen Biesty may have taken top prize at last week's SF Chefs Top Chef Happy Hour, but on my judges' scorecard, chef Ryan Scott came in a close second. The charismatic chef showed he's got skills behind the bar with his update on that classic girly drink known as the Lemon Drop.

Despite his use of brown sugar simple syrup, Scott's version of the Lemon Drop was more tart than the standard — not a bad thing for a drink with a cloying reputation. My favorite tweak was his version of the cocktail's sugared rim garnish, which employed honey, crushed lemon candy, and sea salt for a pluckier finish. For a more playful take on the traditional tipple, read more.

A good chef never does anything without a purpose and last weekend at SF Chefs, Matt Accarrino of SPQR wasn't shelling crab for nothing. He was teaching a small crowd how to make one of his restaurant's dishes, fresh squid ink pasta with dungeness crab, sweet peppers, and basil. While he talked us through the complex process, he provided some helpful insight into his cooking style. To see the chef's pointers, keep reading.

One of the highlights of the SF Chefs festival was a special lunch hosted by Kendall Jackson at the Fifth Floor. The winery invited some of the Bay Area's top sommeliers, like Shelley Lindgren of SPQR and A16, to enjoy the meal. Each sommelier sat at a different table and led us diners through the five-course meal. It was informative but fun, and I loved hearing about how my master sommelier, Jesse Becker, got his start.

To take a look at the food and the wine, browse my photos after the jump.

Ever thought to pair food and wine based on what you can see? Probably not. When it comes to senses utilized in pairing wine with food, sight isn't the first to come to mind. But at one of this week's SF Chefs seminars, wine expert Gilian Handelman stressed the importance of visual cues when combining food and drink.

Through a simple exercise, Handelman — who is the director of wine education for Kendall-Jackson — demonstrated how produce and wines with similar pigmentation make ideal partners for one another. To see what that exercise was — you can recreate it at home as a learning tool yourself! — read more.

Over the weekend, the second annual SF Chefs event took place, and it wasn't just about the food — beer, wine, and cocktails were in full force, too. Case in point: MIX with SF Top Chefs, a happy hour featuring a cocktail shake-off between San Francisco's most memorable Top Chef alums.

Five contenders — Ryan Scott, Jen Biesty, Mattin Nobila, Erik Hopfinger, and Laurine Wickett — made original cocktail recipes that incorporated the use of Fiji Water, a sponsor for the event, and I had the pleasure of guest judging the competition. In the end, Top Chef: Chicago's Jen Biesty came out on top with a well-balanced cucumber cocktail.
Jen Biesty named her cocktail The Fiji Facial after being inspired by a famous San Francisco spa. Her zen-like cocktail incorporates health-minded ingredients like ginger juice and organic cane sugar. To score the refreshing recipe — and check out photos from the event — read on.

One of the seminars I attended at SF Chefs, San Francisco's second annual food festival, was dedicated to pig. It was hosted by the National Pork Board and Tom Pizzica, finalist on the current season of the Next Food Network Star and host of an upcoming show on the Food Network. Stephen Gerike, of the pork board, showed the small crowd how to butcher a whole hog, then Tom used the meat to create three delicious dishes that we got to sample.

For a better look at the informative class, click through my photos after the break.