There's a new way to hunt your food in Pittsburg, for those who keep their ears to the ground.
The downtown Our Place restaurant Pittsburg is, first and foremost, a teaching lab for the Northeast Texas Community College's Julia Truitt Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Program.
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Les Hassell/News-Journal Photo | Eva Greer, right, head chef at The Greer Farm, works with Northeast Texas Community College culinary arts student Shannna Hildreth in early October.
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Its director, Chef Rick Rothwell, said it does not have regular hours and is not open to the public very often. That doesn't mean the public can't have a taste now and then.
"We are open when our students have produced meals in the competencies that we teach in our classes," Rothwell said. "So, therefore, we say, 'Hey. Listen. We've got a rack of lamb tonight. (Come) and enjoy some very nice cuisine that five classes have put together.' "
The chef said the program will send e-mail notifications when the dinner bell is about to ring.
"Yes, we are open to the public," Rothwell said. "We want them to feel free to call and make reservations."
Or, maybe a meat class will produce filets, low-fat ground beef and other goodies from a side of beef. There might be 25 or 30 loaves of pumpkin bread from a bake shop lesson.
"We can't use all those up," Rothwell said. "So we go to the (Camp County) Chamber of Commerce and put out a little memo. And everybody comes down and buys. ... When we do that, we need to move that product. They can pick it up at a discounted price. So there's a win-win situation in that for them."
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Agriculture program at a glance
Down the road, the culinary arts program at Northeast Texas Community College might be wed to a sustainable agriculture program now forming in the college's continuing education department.
"We're developing, at the conceptual level right now, a garden which would represent a point of interaction with the general public," college Director of Agriculture Charlie Apter said.
The garden program is not tied to the culinary program, but a relationship is envisioned, Apter and the director of the Julia Truitt Colunary Arts & Hospitality Management Program said.
Produce from the garden initially is aimed at local food pantries and the gardeners' own kitchens.
However, some foodstuffs could feed the restaurant in the future, Apter and Chef Rick Rothwell said.
"I have some interest in trying to get to that point," Apter said.
Both men stressed such a scenario is only in the discussion phase.
"We've talked about that," Rothwell said. "And we've talked about the organic (garden) and how we would work that into our program. Because, there's nothing that would stop us from doing a totally organic dinner that's based off somebody's organic farm."
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Stuffed Hot Wings
1 poblano pepper
3 slices bacon with grease
1 egg
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 can (15 ounce) plain bread crumbs
1/2 container (5 ounce) Gorgonzola crumbled cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 bottle (12 ounce) hot wing sauce
12 chicken wings
Debone plump portions of wings, leaving pocket for stuffing and small wing for a handle. Set aside.
Cook bacon until crispy, mince and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast pepper for 15 minutes or until skin peels off. Chop and set aside. In a medium bowl, melt butter, then add chopped pepper, bacon, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and egg. Add stuffing to wings. Bake 40 minutes or until tender on sheet pan sprayed with non-stick solution. Place in large bowl and toss with hot wing sauce.
Serves 2 to 4.
- Source: Student chef Shanna Hildreth. (Recipe won first place in grilled or baked chicken category during 2009 ChickFest Chicken Cook-Off at Our Place on Sept. 19)
Hot Buffalo Wing Dip
1 bottle (12-ounce) of Frank's Red Hot Sauce
3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced small or shredded
2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup of blue cheese dressing
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Serve with assorted Crackers
Soften the cream cheese and mash together with the salad dressing. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then in a sauté pan, cook your chicken till done. Then mix all ingredients together and pour into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until all the cheese has melted. Stir before serving. It is also good as a cold spread on crackers.
Serves 10 to 16.
- Source: Student chef Shanna Hildreth. (Recipe won best in show at ChickFest Chicken Cookoff.)
