Fourth Annual Culinary Stars

The Whole Barn represents all animals raised on the farm - beef, lamb, pork, and poultry.

The Fourth Annual Culinary Stars (rescheduled due to Hurricane Harvey), will take place on October 26th at the Houston Chronicle Event Center. The gourmet food and wine event will feature over 30 restaurants including several of Alison Cooks' 2017 Top 100 list. The event will benefit those impacted by Hurricane Harvey and organizations working to help displaced residents and pets, including: Second Servings, The Ballard House and Golden Beginnings. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ritual and talk with Black Hill Ranch founder, Felix Florez. ​A Jack-of-all-trades, Florez has been a rancher, butcher, chef and even a sommelier. No stranger to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Florez lost 108 pigs during the flood at his ranch in Katy - nearly a whole generation of babies, along with a few breeders.
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For the Culinary Stars event, Florez will be serving what he calls "The Whole Barn". Simply put, the dish represents all the animals raised on a farm. His demonstration first started with the proper trimming of a beef tenderloin. The loin was then stuffed with a lamb tenderloin rolled in pork belly and then wrapped with caul fat. In what can only described as "meat magic", Florez uses skill, molecular gastronomy and a generous sprinkling of transglutaminase to help all the meat bond together.
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After being sous vide for 9 hours, the meat will be seasoned and grilled. The finished product will be served at Culinary Stars with cheddar oatmeal, collard greens and a bone marrow Hollandaise sauce to respresent "The Whole Barn".

Several Houston-area bloggers got the opportunity last week to visit with participating chefs and restaurants to get the scoop on some of the signature dishes being presented at this gourmet food tasting event. Gristle & Gossip chatted with Chef Yamila Castre of Latin Bites to learn about the classic Peruvian dish - Causas. Hangry Woman went to Xochi for a tamale making class with James Beard Award winner Chef Jose Ortega. Hot In Houston Now got some Southern inspiration from Harold in the Heights Executive Chef Antoine Ware.

VIP tickets are sold out, but general admission tickets are still available for $100. Don't miss this opportunity to taste over 30 of the best bites in Houston. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.foodandvinetime.com

Houston Chronicle Culinary Stars
4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027
October 26, 2017
VIP 5:30 to 9 p.m.
General Admission 6:30 to 9 p.m.