Walking in Memphis on a kid's food journey!
You may know I am on the cast of MCJ (MasterChef Junior Season 2 on FOX) and you may be scratching your head as to how a then 11 year old kid would want to take on the famous Gordon Ramsay and Graham and Joe....
Well lets go back in time to when I was little, I loved playing with fake food, real food and had my own restaurant going when I was like 5 or something. Someone gave me one of those order pads and I was all set. My plastic Kitchen was my favorite toy!
My Mom let me do real stuff too. I started making coffee when I was like 2 and I had a bench pushed up to the counter. I used to have a cook knife that could not cut you, but it could cut real food and I had a metzaluna for chopping veggies when I was 4 or so.
I made my first recipe for the JIF most creative sandwich contest when I was 9 and that won me a trip to NYC. I went on tv a bunch with my recipe and it was really fun. I got so disappointed I did not win the grand prize that my Mom suggested that I enter another contest and I won.
This was the Epicurious Healthy Lunch Challenge. I won a trip to Washington , DC and the chance to eat in the WHITE HOUSE. MRS OBAMA hugged me and the PRESIDENT shook my hand!
THAT is huge, I mean you can buy a trip to NY, but you can't buy a trip into the White House for dinner.
I created my own spice rub between the two trips and started packaging it for sale to raise money for Cub Scouts. It is cool to have my own spice rub and small business. I have a few blends now. I love blending up new flavors.
Then I heard that there was a Judging Class for our famous Memphis In May World Championship BBQ contest. I thought I could do that, and with a little help from the organizers, I got into the class. At the end of the training, I passed the course!
My Mom challenged me to make something for The Spam Cookoff at the Fair and I did pretty good, 2nd place. It was a play on a reuben sandwich and was pretty tasty. I got a fun Spam hat and Apron. I don't usually wear a hat, but, it was for a photo op.
I then got an email asking if I wanted to be in a cookbook called FutureChefs - I mean really- Of course I did, so I went into the kitchen and whipped up a new recipe and made it into the book- Page 168 if you want to check for me.
Of course, you see my Blog, I have had it up for about 3 years. I started it to do writing assignments in school and it just has grown and grown. It is fun to have, but it requires lots of work. I did get my review in the local paper and I have been recognized as a food blogger! Both really cool. It also let me get entrance into the Association of Food Journalist convention in Memphis and that was a blast!
I guess, I always have had chefie goals and dreams- food makes the most exciting journey!!!
So get in the kitchen and mix up some fun!
Love the Cabbage Leaf
Logan Masterchef Junior Contestant
PS. I forgot some of the work I do for people who are hungry- might have to be another post!
Another new restaurant opened up in Overton Square in that great building that used to be Paulettes.
Schweinehaus is a German restaurant, a very fun and happening place.
The decor was nice slightly old fashioned but still nice.
Most of the waiters were wearing very funny T-shirts, worth the trip just for the shirts. I won't tell you, so you can be surprised.
I ordered the Spatzle Mac and Cheese. It is a mac and cheese with eggy dumplings and baked crispy. I liked it. The dumplings had a great texture and the cheese sauce was nice and not grainy. I don't really like Mac and Cheese, so it was a surprise.
I also ordered a Bratwurst with potato pancakes and sauerkraut. I liked the Bratwurst it had a great meaty flavor, the sides were nice too.
Dad ordered the Sausage plate full of like 4 kinds of sausages. I had a few bites of the Wild boar, the Venison, the Bratwurst, and Weisswurst. The wild boar was my favorite on the table. It just had a great flavor and texture. It was awesome. I thought the venison was a bit sweet but nice and not too gamey, if you know what I mean. Probably the sugar helped with that.
Dad liked it and he enjoyed all the different types of sausage. Now Dad would have liked to have an added meat to off set all that sausage but I thought it was all really good.
Mama had the Weisswurst and the sides. The Weisswurst had a great light flavor and was complemented by the mustard perfectly. We did use all the fancy mustards that came with Dad's plate. I really preferred the whole grain, one of the three was just too sweet for me.
I bet Mama a dollar that she could not cook the German food, days later, I had to give up my dollar. Mama can cook German food!
I surprised myself trying all this, not because I TRIED it, but because I really liked it all. Mama has made me "German", 3 times since going, and I am happy to eat it every time.
Thanks Schweinhaus!
Love the Cabbage, Leaf,
Logan
PS. So try something new and unusual! Be warned it is a bit pricey like most of the new places in Overton Square.
Now Karl Strauss is also at the City Walk in LA it is upstairs and a bit hidden. The menu looked pretty good to me so we tried it.
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
