Second Sunday on Main Chef Demos Start Tomorrow!

Squid cooked in ink, blood sausage, black chickpea puree,
black mint, bull's blood greens,

created by Chef Jackson Rouse for Cincinnati's Diner en Noir

Have you been to the Second Sunday on Main Celebrity Chef Demos? I hadn't until last year, and now I can't get enough. This season's May-Oct. series launches tomorrow, with chef Jackson Rouse and beverage dude Rom Wells of The Rookwood in Mt. Adams as featured demo-ers, in a new location this year: the side room of Mr. Pitiful's, at 1323 Vine St. Come watch – and taste – what these talented guys create tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. for FREE! City Cellars will return this year with wine pairings, and there should be some sweet gifts to be raffled off as well. Did I mention this is all FREE?

When I learned about the SSOM Chef Demo series last summer, I couldn't believe it had already been going on for more than five years and I'd just caught wind of it. That was one of several experiences that led me to take this blog (more often its fb page) in the direction of sharing news of under-reported local food events that get me excited, and seek them out myself. In the casual environment of these demos, I had the opportunity to taste the food of some of Cincinnati's top chefs and learn a bit more about them. I talked friends into meeting me for OTR brunches beforehand, explored whatever wacky events were going on in middle of of Main St. (closed to vehicles between 14th and Liberty between noon and 5:00 the second Sunday of each month for this street fair), checked out some businesses and eateries unfamiliar to me, and usually ended up with a StreetPop at their shop on the north end of Main.

Laura Chenault has been the organizer of the SSOM Chef Demos for the last five years, and it was through this series that I met her and learned about her new business, a "flexible event space + urban kitchen" called Pallet23, which has hosted, among other food events, pop-up dinners by Jose Salazar as well as Diner en Noir, organized by Rom Wells and featuring the dish at the top of this post created by Jackson Rouse (wish my photo did better justice to it). Great collaborations!

I hinted on fb that I had an announcement coming up. If you (like my parents) were wondering what the heck I was talking about, here it is. Laura reached out to me for assistance now that she must tend to her new business. Wearing my hat as a Slow Food Cincinnati board member (I'm the Communications Chair), I will be pitching in as a volunteer organizer for this year's Chef Demos, along with friends, Slow Food compadres, and the delightful Cat Amaro of The Birdhaus, which hosts fun out-of-the-box classes with local entrepreneurs of all sorts.

Please join us tomorrow!