Ash Wednesday was yesterday, but if like us, you were fortunate enough to have copped an invite to the #KnowYourPork seminar hosted by the #Copperwood team on February 3, you’d possibly understand why we not only made ‘The Cut’, but are also not giving up this white meat for Lent!
The Making The Cut in-depth pork seminar, held at The Talk of The Town of the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, featured presentations and cooking demos led by pork-obsessed Chef Angie Mar, champion of Food Network Chopped — Grill Masters,Season 2, which was enjoyed by foodies, restaurateurs, chefs, caterers and pork lovers alike.
The seminar, handled with aplomb by Tina Hamilton, brand manager at Copperwood Pork, a member of Caribbean Broilers (Ja Limited), segued from the where and how pigs are reared, how pork is processed and the importance of creating a sustainable local pork industry to the impact factors such as genetics, feed intake and quality, health, storage and preparation standards have on pork as a product, as well as threats to its integrity after purchase. The presenter of the latter was Julio Chaves, a consultant at the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC).
A spectacular pork-centric lunch — think crispy pork belly stuffed with pepperoni and mushrooms, pineapple barbecued pigs’ tail and cheesecake infused with barbecued pulled pork-catered by the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel Executive Chef Mark Cole and his team kept spirits high ahead of Chef Angie Mar taking centre stage with Chaves and Jose Barrantes, a butcher with over 40 years of experience in carving beef and pork — his prowess was evident — in a live demonstration. The focus was getting the most out of your pork, showcasing cuts that maximise yields in carving while simultaneously reducing wastage.
Mar underscored the importance of chefs and restaurateurs getting the buy-in from their staff. “It’s important that staff know by tasting what they are selling to patrons… I want my staff eating at my establishment.” Mar also spoke to the advantages of marketing the different chops and cuts to increase exposure. “There’s also need,” she said, “to explore and of being creative as crucial to changing perceptions in the contemporary culinary landscape”.
A lively Q&A session proved the importance of sessions like Making The Cut. Indeed, the afternoon’s piece de resistance — a blood velvet cake made using pig’s blood, a recipe pioneered by Mar and executed by the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel food and beverage team – lent credence to just how much further we need to go with pork.
Link to article: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/food/-Everything-But-The-Oink—-Copperwood-wants-you-to–knowyourpork-_51236
