The Food Channel’s Taste of Baby Got Brunch

Here’s a quick sampling of some of the booths:

Alan Sternberg, Executive Chef at Cerulean, prepared a Korean-style smoked pork belly with a marinade of Korean BBQ and sorghum. “We can pack a lot of flavor into one small bite,” he said.

Joanne Thompson, a roaster at Bee Coffee Roasters, was serving iced or hot coffee made from small batch beans. “We do a lot of collaborations with breweries,” she said, “and have barrel aged beans.”

Brunch Macaroons Anyone?

Kitchen Manager Casey Deal at the Gallery Pastry Shop was offering macaroons in flavors such as vanilla bean white chocolate, and dark chocolate ganache, plus a dark chocolate caramel-mousse cup with hazelnut crumbles. “This is a fun networking event,” she said. “We get a chance to familiarize people with our traditional French pastries.”

Bluebeard Executive Chef Abbi Merriss prepared a peanut butter-chicken liver mousse, served on toast squares with blueberry jam, pickled jalapeno, and ginger. She told people, “Go ahead—get out of your comfort zone!” She said the event gave her an opportunity to see what other restaurants were offering.

The Essential Brunch Accessory

Nicholas Pastrick, General Manager at Goose the Market, had two tables laden with supplies for the Bloody Marys offered to festival-goers. Mortadella, cornichons, pickled peas, provolone, pepperoncini, shrimp, capicola, olives, landjäger, and more were all ready to be dunked, along with the traditional celery and carrots. “It’s for a great cause—feeding children,” he said. “And everyone is doing something to help today!”