Posts Tagged ‘Derek Luhowiak’
Loudoun Principal Takes Down Stink Bug
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Dave Michener, principal of Hilsboro Elementary School, is clearly a man of his word. A virtual Horton the Elephant (“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful, 100%”), he promised his students that he would eat stink bug tacos if they met their goal of reading 15 to 20 minutes per day during the last school year.
And eat stink bugs he did. At last Thursday’s assembly, Michener enthusiastically downed the insect-filled tacos as gleeful students chanted, “Eat it! Eat it!” in the background. Chef Derek Luhowiak, the so-called “Stink Bug Fryin’ Expert” featured prominently in the Loudoun Times video below, describes the stink bug flavor as reminiscent of “cilantro.” Hmmm.
Not only is Principal Michener Loudoun County’s own version of Andew Zimmern; his consumption of steak tacos garnished with stink bug salsa may have helped in small measure with the region’s infestation. According to the Washington Post, stink bugs caused $37 million of damage to last year’s mid-Atlantic apple crop alone, not to mention the damage caused to local peach, grape, and soybeans crops.
One Maryland homeowner removed in excess of 20,000 stink bugs from his home in January of this year!
This isn’t Michener’s first school house dare. In the past, he allowed students to shave his head. Another year, he slept on a roof. Stay tuned for next year’s spectacle . . . I’m sure that so-called “Instigator” and PTA President Ken Stewart will delight in finding new means of torture for his willing principal.
For more stink bug recipe inspiration (i.e., stink bug paté and a Oaxacan-style stink bug taco sans beef), check out WUSA.
The Infamous Stink Bug (Image: Phil Jenkins/Shutterstock)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Though he’s been trained to work with knives, chef Derek Luhowiak is more of a stick-to-your-guns type toque:
An alumnus of heritage breed-haven Ayrshire Farm, Luhowiak took local dining on the road a few years back with his winery-roving food cart, Local Sixfortyseven. But when Hollywood–okay, Canadian television–came a-callin’ last summer, Luhowiak shunned the spotlight, took his mobile kitchen out of rotation and spent some time reflecting on exactly what he wanted to do with his time and talents.
I’m happy to report that he’s back in action–having taken control of the kitchen at Millwood’s Locke Store this past fall–and already hard at work “preserving” his culinary legacy.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?
DL: Dried chili’s [sic]. Grow them every year and dry them in the Virginia sunshine. Sneak them into all my curries, pastas and greens.
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
DL: Properly cooking al dente pasta. I was the young kid at a well known Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA and worked with all old Italian guys who would not even speak English to me. But boy I learned to cook a proper toothsome al dente pasta.
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
DL: There are so many, but venison. Fauquier County has some of the best venison I have ever had. They graze right along side of the cows. We make jerky, smoke sausages, roasts you name it. It just really feels like fall and winter to tuck into a bowl of venison stew and a stout.
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
DL: My seed catalogs. I get crazy excited about planting. I know its not a cookbook per se but I cant wait to harvest for new dishes. I have green radishes on my mind this year.
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
DL: Turducken. HATE THEM! Had to make them for a holiday season and not that they are overly hard but they look like Frankenstein’s baby when your done! Try making that look appealing. No offense to all you turducken fans. A big no to making them again!!!!
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
DL: I would love to get Tarver King of the Ashby [Inn], Rob Townsend of Ayrshire and myself together for a informal, backyard whole-hog cook-off!!!!! Let the beer and pork flow!!
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
DL: Greens and beans.
Saute a little garlic, olive oil, dried chili (see its in everything) and anchovy.
Toss in a green of your choice (i.e., rapini, escarole, kale, etc.). Wilt those down.
Add a can of white northern beans, a cup of chicken stock, some salt and pepper.
Simmer until it thickens a bit (about five minutes).
Toss a crusty piece of bread in the oven for mopping up the juice.
Plate the beans.
Pour on a little finishing olive oil and some fresh grated parmesan at the end (and yourself a big glass of vino).
Takes about 5- 10 minutes total.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
DL: We have been working on a partnership with the Locke Store and I have been slowly introducing a fresh meat case with local lamb, beef and pork, as well as my own sausage creations (Merguez, sweet fennel and orange, many others). Local Sixfortyseven is going to launch a small batch artisanal line of pickles and preserves of all sorts made from what we are growing in our gardens, so they will be in small supply. They will be available at the Locke Store as well as [by] contacting us directly. Check us out on Facebook for all our info.
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
DL: Right now, winter time, totally digging on Stone Brewery’s Old Guardian barley wine.
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A hearty bowl of venison stew and snifter of barley wine sounds like the perfect prescription for weathering today’s foul climate. Thanks for the idea, chef Luhowiak!
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–WR
Local Sixfortyseven Nixes TV to Focus on Education
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Derek Luhowiak maintains that he pulled the plug on tomorrow’s planned taping of “Eat St.” for Paperny Films (they’re rolling with Rebel Heroes today), not because business is flagging (as PF seemed to suggest) but because he’s reached a philosophical/professional crossroads.
“We were so busy that in fact our next step was to become a restaurant or grow to a large trailer. Neither of which we wanted,” Luhowiak informed us via email. “Knowing that, we did not feel right using airtime that could go to promote another local business so that they can succeed with their dream.”
So, what’s next for the seasonally-inspired-food-cart-cameras-evidently-adore?
That would roughly be teaching.
“Local Sixfortyseven will continue to operate as a private for hire catering focusing on small intimate parties where I can really focus on utilizing our food to its fullest,” Luhowiak pledged, adding that he’s hunting for more land to sustain additional crops, an expanded apiary and “a small flock of birds.”
Luhowiak also expects to up his hands-on instruction, mapping out plans to incorporate food preservation, home butchering and biodynamic horticulture classes into his forthcoming culinary curriculum.
“The one thing I have learned in the last five years working with the local food industry is that no one model fits and you have to be willing to improvise on a dime as the industry progresses,” he said of his still-evolving, education-first mission.
Oh, and don’t worry about the Paperny folks.
They’ve already made arrangements to stalk the D.C. Slices truck instead.
–Warren
Eye on NoVA: Food Shows Feast on Local Talent
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 12th, 2010
View NoVA Food Show Tapings in a larger map
Seems you can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a reality TV/cooking show camera.
Of course, if you’ve been dining at any of the buzzy eateries above–or now plan to hightail it out to one of the upcoming tapings–you’ll have no one to blame but yourself when Joel McHale gleefully mocks you on The Soup.
–Warren
Local Sixfortyseven a Finalist in GMA’s ‘Best Food Carts’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, November 16th, 2009
Locavorism evangelists Derek and Amanda Luhowiak have lured plenty of Northern Virginians over to the “eat-whats-around-you” camp from the comfort of their mobile kitchen, local sixfortyseven.
But they’ll take their message nationwide Saturday, November 21 when they appear as one of the four finalists in Good Morning America Weekend’s “Best Food Carts Challenge.”
Derek Luhowiak confirmed that a GMA camera crew had shadowed them late Friday afternoon whilst cooking at Barrel Oak Winery.
Luhowiak claims not to know what other mobile vendors are in the running (at press time, GMA had not returned emails soliciting details about the final four food carts), insisting that he’s most interested in spreading the word about eating local.
“I do not really consider anybody ‘competition’ because I feel we won already just [by being] nominated and … getting local Virginia food the recognition it deserves,” he said.
In order to drive that message home, Luhowiak said he presented the GMA advance team with his signature burger–a “50-miles-or-less” creation featuring all natural Piedmontese meat from Angelic Beef (Fauquier County), Monterey Jack from Windmill Meadows Farm (Hagerstown, Md.), an artisan bun produced by a local baker, pickles and lettuce from the Luhowiaks’ garden and homemade condiments.
According to Luhowiak, the local sixfortyseven segment should air during the second half hour of GMA’s Saturday broadcast. Contestants will receive a rating from the GMA hosts/guest judges (worth 50 percent of the final score), followed by a period of online voting by the public (the final 50 percent of the scoring process).
At press time, it remained unclear who had actually nominated the Luhowiak’s for the competition (the winning contributor receives round trip tickets to NYC and dinner for two at the restaurant of their choosing).
Given his druthers, Luhowiak said he’d beeline for his buddy’s brand new meat carnival.
“I want to visit an old friend who just opened [SLATED TO OPEN TODAY, IN FACT] a butcher shop called The Meat Hook in Brooklyn to eat some charcuterie!” he proclaimed. Love the pig!”
–Warren