American Express started Small Business Saturday last year as a way to provide a voice to small businesses and to encourage people to shop local.  This year American Express has upped the stakes, if you register your AMEX card and spend more than $25 at a small business who accepts the card, you will receive a $25 credit on your statement!

I wanted to profile several of the small businesses here in San Antonio and some of their sales this Saturday.  While not all of them accept American Express, they are having some great deals on some unique items.

Melissa Guerra: Tienda de Cocina

This Pearl Brewery shop has high end culinary equipment along with an interesting and eclectic mix of jewelry and trinkets that are inspired from South of the border.  There will be many high ticket kitchenware items on sale including Henkels knives and Staub pots at discounts up to 50% off MSRP.  Melissa Guerra does accept AMEX and you will be eligible for the $25 credit.

Website: http://www.melissaguerra.com/
Location: at the Pearl Brewery, 200 East Grayson, San Antonio, TX 78215

Bicycle Heaven

Operating for over 10 years, Bicycle Heaven has been offering service and support to Alamo City cyclists. If you are looking for a bike for your little ones, be sure to stop by Bicycle Heaven on Saturday where you will be able to get 35% off kids bikes.

Website: http://www.bicycle-heaven.com/
Location: 1931 NW Military Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78213

Toy Zone

If you are you looking for a specialty or retro toy, you should stop by Toy Zone.  They carry product from smaller mom and pop vendors and if you shop on Saturday you can save 15% on all toys (excluding Lego).

Website: http://www.toyzoneonline.com/
Location: 923 N Loop 1604 E. #106, San Antonio, TX 78232

Tails Pet Market

Tails Pet Markets has been in business just under over a month and was started by an owner who is passionate about both pets and the environment.  Currently, they only have products for cats and dogs and all of their products are made right here in the USA with eco-friendly materials.  Shop on Saturday to save 20% on one item and the owner will have a limited amount of treats for both pets and owners alike.

Website: http://tailspetmarket.com
Location: at the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1420 South Alamo, San Antonio, Texas 78210

Good Sports

Good Sports is the premier outdoor outfitters in the area providing both ski apparel and technical running shoes.  On Small Business Saturday if you spend $200, you will not only get the $25 AMEX credit but also a $25 gift card from Good Sports.

Website: http://goodsports.com
Location: 12730 IH-10 West, San Antonio, TX 78230

Sculpture outside the Culinary Institute of America

I was more than a little apprehensive about coming on campus and donning a chef’s coat and hat.  I am a far cry from being efficient in the kitchen and many of my adventures find a way of going awry.  After confirming with the CIA representative that it was OK for someone lacking culinary skills to become a student for a day, I made my way to the kitchen early one Tuesday morning.

Edna Arango greeted me at the door and I was to be in a class of journalists and media types which included a prominent former TV personality, a professional food writer, a radio personality, and two folks from the San Antonio Visitor’s Bureau.  If we were playing the Sesame Street game of “One of These Things is Not Like the Other Thing,” I would have stuck out due to my lack of journalism and food experience!

Chef Michael Katz giving the students a demo

We quickly got dressed and met Chef Michael Katz who was giving his students a live demonstration of how to prepare Mayonaise and Hollandaise sauce.  Chef told his students how both of these items were some of the most difficult sauces to prepare, and then looked over at us visitors to let us know that we would be preparing them later today.

Our group then took a tour of the facility where we got to see the outdoor kitchens, the different pits to prepare barbacoa and other dishes cooked in ground, the library where students study, the bakery/pastry kitchen and the different demonstration kitchens where visiting chefs could record programs for the students.  The institute wants to provide as much hands on education as possible so that student can actually work with food in different ways which is far superior to reading about it in a book or watching it on a video.

While there is a Latin American research center that focuses on how iconic Latin dishes are prepared by locals of that region, the Culinary Arts Program is committed to giving a broad education on all the different types of cuisines. Yes, San Antonio does have a strong Latin America influence, however, at the CIA students gain knowledge on how to prepare all types of cuisine from French to Asian and everything in between.

After the tour, I was paired up with Michael Urbana, a student who has had a passion for food his entire life and currently works at the Tower of the Americas as a server.  I wanted to make sure that I didn’t let him down and was prepared to do my best at making the Hollandaise sauce.

I started working on the double boiler by whisking the eggs, trying hard to get the “ribbons and trails” (you know you have the right thickness of the mixture when you whisk it and can see the bottom of the pan for a split second before the mixture falls back, “ribbons,” and when you drizzle some of the mixture on top of itself it sits for a split second before absorbing back in, trails).  We took the mixture off and began adding clarified butter, just a couple of drops at the start, to make the emulsion.  You do this just a little bit at a time to mix the fat in with the protein to get the creamy sauce.  Adding too much will cause the sauce to “break” where the fats (butter) clump together and separate from the protein (eggs).

I had a nice creamy Hollandaise sauce going...

I had a good sauce going, but my arm became tired.  At the end, I added the last bit of butter and realized that it was too much.  The sauce broke.

...and then it broke!

After all that work I was so distraught!  I had such a great sauce going and then in a blink of an eye it was done!  I think that part of the reason that this happened was that I had some egg mixture at the top of the bowl that was not getting mixed in so I had too much butter.  Another reason could have been that I added the butter too fast at the end.  Whatever the reason, the sauce was kaput.

I believe you learn more from your mistakes that your successes.  In a way, I am glad my sauce broke because I got to actually see what made it break instead of reading about it.  I’m confident that students of the CIA learn just as much from their failures as their successes and it appeared to me that the Chef instructors are there to help them through these mistakes, provide them explanations why it didn’t work and ultimately coach them how to do better.

This is what I loved about the CIA the most – the explanation of the cooking process.  I geek out on science and loved some of the more scientific explanations Chef Katz gave to his students to explain why something works instead of just having them parrot back a recipe.

Future Chef Michael Urbana on the left with me on the right

Many of you might wonder what it takes to become an actual student of the CIA.  Although not stated in the official application, I think first and foremost you have to have a passion for eating and preparing food.  If my experience from this day was any indication, I can tell you that you are not going to breeze through the program and will encounter adversity.  Without having that underlying passion, it will be difficult to overcome the difficulties you are sure to encounter.

As far as official requirements, the CIA mandates that you must have at least six months of hands on food preparation in a professional kitchen or bakery working with fresh ingredients for at least 10-15 hours a week.  Believing that experience is the best teacher, the admissions office wants prospective students have the perspective from a real world kitchen to ensure that their image of a chef is grounded in reality instead of reality TV.  Additionally, students must complete an application and provide letters of reference to be admitted.

The cost for the two year program is roughly $14,000/semester, which includes ingredients and supplies.  There is a very generous scholarship called the El Sueño Scholarship which awards up to 50 percent of program tuition for students who qualify based on need.

Finally, I would be remiss to not discuss the best part of the day, family style lunch.  Food that the students have prepared is served to the students, teachers and staff and it is dang good.  Every day, the students get to sit down and eat well so keep keep in mind that you will not have to purchase lunch for the next two years while working on your associates degree.  Somehow, I will have to find a way to mistakenly wander into the CIA during lunch hours just so I can eat high on the hog again!

Family style lunch at the Culinary Institute of America

If you are looking for a career in the food industry, you should explore the Culinary Institute of America here in San Antonio.  You will learn from some of the finest instructors on how to prepare dishes from around the world at a world class facility.  The campus is available for tours and you can reach out to Shannon Gerome at 210-554-6400 or by email to schedule your tour today.

Website: http://www.ciachef.edu/
Twitter: Follow @CIACulinary

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The event pitted two contestants from previous seasons in a cook-off.  Chef Ryan Scott, an enthusiastic and fervent personality from Season 4, competed head to head with chef Dale Talde, a more subdued yet passionate and competitive young chef from season 8.

San Antonio Top Chef Tour contestants

The combination of these personalities was amusing and fun to watch as they bantered back and forth, told juicy show secrets and even divulged information about whom they think should not have won in past seasons.  Our host, Fred, was a great moderator and brought the conversation back to what we love most, the food!

The cook-off ground rules had each chef create a unique dish in the span of 15 minute using up to ten ingredients.  Additionally they were required to use one ingredient chosen by Top Chef Facebook Fans. In true Texas spirit, the San Antonio Facebook Fans wanted beef.

To make each dish unique, the chefs also got to use a secret ingredient of their choice. Chef Ryan chose watermelon while Chef Dale chose fish sauce. Upon hearing about the secret ingredients, I was thrilled and anxious to see what they came up with.

Chef Ryan Scott topping off his dish with his own version of salsa verde

The 15 minutes flew by as both chefs explained how they would be preparing their skirt steak dish. Seated in the audience, I immediately smelled the variety of aromas coming from each side. Ryan was whipping up something tantalizing using chiles (jalapeños perhaps), green onions and watermelon. Dale’s section had an Asian flare as he mixed his ingredients using coconut, corn, sweet onions and lemon zest.

After the time was up, the three judges had to decide who would win the round. The panel of judges included Charlotte Samuel, HEB Alon’s Cooking Connection chef and manager; Jennifer McInnis, food writer for the San Antonio Express News; and Johnny Hernandez, head chef and owner of La Gloria, the establishment recently voted as San Antonio’s best new restaurant.

Chef Dale Talde preparing his dish

After all the judges got a taste the dishes, each audience member also received samples of the two dishes.

Ryan’s use of beef was not like anything I’ve tasted before. His infusion of beef topped with a salsa medley of chiles, onions, capers and watermelon were spicy and fresh, perfect for a South Texas summer day.  Dale’s dish was equally refreshing. His recipe was served with a slice of tomato on the bottom, then the beef cut, and finally topped with corn, toasted coconut and a hint of mint.  I could see how this would be a tough decision for the judges, as both samples were enjoyable to the palette, but ultimately Dale’s dish was victorious.

Judges tasting the chef’s creations

I really enjoyed getting to go to San Antonio’s Top Chef Tour event and was able to not only get a variety of cooking ideas but also meet and visit with exemplary chefs from around the nation.

Special thanks to the folks out at Foodspotting for providing us with a couple of tickets to the event!  The Top Chef Tour will continue its travels to Los Angeles, California with other great chefs.  If you’re inspired  to do a little cooking yourself, give Carla’s Pastel Diplomatico recipe a try!

There were all kinds of recipes ranging from Hatch Puppies, Meatballs, Rice Soup Dish, Tomato Bisque, Chili, Cupcakes, and Chile Chocolate Chile Bread.  But it turns out that the winner and grand champion was a Hatch Chile-Avocado Ice Cream!  Be sure to check out Michael Saiz’s (the Meatball guy) blog for way better pictures than I could take on my iPhone!

Some of the contestants at the cookoff.

I received Honorable Mention, but it really meant a lot the SA Police Chief McManus and Tanji Patton both came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed my recipe!  I ended up getting a $20 Central Market giftcard, and upon leaving the store and smelling the green chiles roasting, I used it to buy a box of hot roasted chiles.

SAPD Chief William McManus an Tanji Patton at the judes table.

Overall, it was quite a day!  Thanks to all the judges and congratulations to all the contestants and winners!

The winner and champion, Adele Williams!

I found out today that my Mom’s Famous Queso recipe was accepted to The 4th Annual No-Holds-Barred Central Market Hatch Chile Recipe Contest!  Needless to say, I am pretty excited.

I will be going to gather all the ingredients tonight, because I want all the flavors to really mix together before the contest tomorrow (9/14).  If you are out and about and want to cheer me on, be sure to stop by Central Market on Broadway at 2:00PM; many of my friends are leaving town for football games this weekend, so I am hoping I can get a few folks to help put together a cheering section!  Thanks so much!

Their latest CD is entitled Pardon Me, and other than the title of the CD that kindly asks the listener con permiso, the record is full of raucous guitar licks, fast tempo lyrics, foot stomping, hand clapping, harmonizing rock n roll.  If you are tired of being yelled out by hack musicians with no guitar chops that dominate the rock radio stations, you will appreciate a band who believes that a guitar was meant to play more than three power chords or angry arpeggios.

While it may be easy to say that the band has a classic rock sound, their sound is too fresh to be restricted to that era.  They are the perfect embodiment of rock, roll, and soul that is sure to make you have a good time.  I would classify them as roadhouse blues meets rock n roll in the spirit of the Rolling Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

I caught their show at Gruene Hall, Texas oldest dance hall, this past Saturday night and, from start to finish, they put on a show.  It was a hot and humid South Texas night, and being in a hall without air conditioning and people packed liked sardines doesn’t help much.  Despite these conditions couple with hot stage lights zeroed in on them, the band played a solid 2.5 hour show; the only thing that took them off the stage after a three song encore was the fact that the house lights came on and the Gruene staff was ready to go home.

The band opened with a funky version of “Honkey Tonk Women” that immediately grabbed the attention of the audience and went into the upbeat song off their new record “Hot Sake.”  That song has a driving rhythm and a hand clapping pattern that is quite addictive.  Early in the set they played my personal favorite, “Time for Love,” off of their first album “Hot Trottin.’”  The harmonies really came out as Emotion (‘Mo) Brown and Nick Jay provided the backup vocals.  The lyrics of “There’s a time for love/There’s a time for pain/There’s time for letting go/of everything” are reminiscent of the Byrds “Turn Tun Turn.”  I love how the guitar fits in with band (and audience) singing sustained notes much in the same way as the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”

As they night went on, the band got really hot (temperature wise) but would only stop briefly to get a cold towel and a pull from the handle of Jack Daniels.  Tyler remarked, “Do you guys get nervous? I find that when I get nervous, I drink a little of my friend Jack Daniels and I don’t feel the nervousness as much.”

They played a good mix of songs off both of their CDs with a blues standard of “Rock Me Baby” that turned into a full out jam.  You could tell that Jonathan Tyler was having a blast when he went to go get his Flip camera to film the crowd and each of his band members as they soloed.  At one point, he remarked, “How many of y’all are goin’ to church tomorrow?  Well for all you sinners that aren’t going, we’re about to take you to church!”  They ended the improv session with a rollicking gospel beat that got everyone stomping their feet and shaking the Gruene Hall dance floor.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights rockin' out at Gruene Hall

As an encore, they started out playing “Something in the Wind” with just Jonathan Tyler on guitar and Nick Jay on the keys.  As the band came in, the song picked up steam.  In the spirit of going to church, Jonathan Tyler had some inspiring words.  He told the audience to “Take each minute and make it worth it; you gotta love one another because this life is short.  Money and fame is gone quickly and what’s important is family and we got that here.”

The band then launched into “Pardon Me” and rocked it fairly unapologetically with Tyler just belting out the lyrics in spite of a bunch of folks leaving before the encore started (NOTE: Never EVER leave a Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights show before the encore).  At this point, the house lights were turned on and they finally ended with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” that brought the house down.  I am firmly convinced that they would have continued playing if the lights had stayed turned off; I always love a band who encores because they WANT to encore instead of just walking through the motions.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights prove that rock n roll is not only alive but kicking.  I look forward to them getting some radio play because I would rather listen to true rock music instead of being yelled at.  I don’t expect that they will have to ask us to pardon them in the near future, because they are here to stay.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights Website
Buy Pardon Me CD from Atlantic Records
Download Pardon Me on iTunes
Follow Jonathan Tyler on Twitter

I had been following Donna Tuttle, one of the founders of The BMPR, for about a year now on Twitter when I did a random search for “San Antonio” and found something interesting that she posted.  From seeing her tweets, I had been aware of this organization but just could never make a meeting.  I was finally able to be in attendance this past June which had a focus on blogging.

Now, for any of you folks who are like me and are as technical as a blue dry erase marker and about as PR savvy as BP in the current Gulf Crisis, a meeting with techies and PR professionals might be intimidating.  Let me allay your concerns as all the people were incredibly friendly as easy to talk with.  If they have a topic that is of interest to you or your business, I would highly encourage you to attend.

As far as the meeting went, I was able to learn a lot from some folks who are quite good at the craft of blogging.  I basically do this blog for fun and enjoy it nothing more than recording some of the places that I enjoy eating at in hopes that I can drive hungry folks to them.  I think I scored in like the 43^rd percentile of SAT II Writing, so I know my abilities as a writer are inane, but it is fun none-the-less to get to post ideas.  That being said, here are some things that I learned from meeting on blogging:

• Get a Little Technical – Be sure to insert Google Analytics into your blog and submit it to Feedburner; if you don’t know how to do this or are afraid, just bake some cookies as ask your technical friend as it won’t take him/her very long; it is fun to see who visits your blog and how they go there
• Fill Up Your CUP – Change, Understand audience, Post updates regularly; I will try to get better at this
• PINE is More Than a Longing for a Tree – Plan (have goals and focus), Interest (provide valuable content), Niche (rich focused content), Expert (get credibility)
• Use Grammar and Spell Check – To paraphrase Dawn, a speaker at the event, “ee cummings could use grammar and spelling however he liked; he’s a literary genius and you are not.” Yeah, I got to get better at this

For multimedia files on what was presented at the June BMPR meeting, be sure to check out the June BMPR Wrap Up + Tips and Tricks.

I think that they presented some valuable information and I got to learn a lot.  While I have employed some of them (the analytics pieces), plan to use some in the future (especially CUP), there will be some I ignore (notably the “Niche” in PINE as I realize that I am not a professional and want to sometimes talk about more things than just food or food in San Antonio).

Next time they have a topic that interests you, be sure to go check them out!

Website: http://thebmpr.com

What is Mr. Gameshow?

Most people have dreamed of being on a gameshow at one time or another but have never had the chance to meet Vanna, Alex, or Bob Barker.  For all you aspiring gameshow contestants, there is only one place to hone your skills in preparation – at the bar with Mr. Gameshow.

The game is a real life gameshow complete with a host, buzzers, and even gameshow music!  I was told of this new phenomenon by DS, one of my friends on my volleyball team.  He had been raving about Mr. Gameshow for some time now, so this past Thursday after our game we decided to go and check it out at Rebar.

Seriously, how can something like this not be awesome?!?!??

The game is pretty simple; three players answer toss up style questions each worth 100 points.  The first player to 1,000 points (or the player leading after 15 minutes) wins the game.  The fun part is the variety of questions that Mr. Gameshow asks.

There will be stock trivia questions (name the colors of the rainbow), musical questions (think “Name That Tune” as players have to buzz in as soon as they know the artist singing the song), questions to test levels of inebriation (how many fingers am I holding up), and even questions to see who is the best dancer (judged completely by the other patrons in the bar so you better get your “lawnmower” on).

What I particularly liked was the fact the Mr. Gameshow himself crowdsourced additional questions from the patrons of the bar. The types of questions were a grab bag of serious, such as “What is the only city to straddle two continents?” (Istanbul), or silly such as “Why don’t you shower with a Pokemon?” (because he might Peek-at-chu).

If you are looking for something fun that is completely out of the ordinary, I highly recommend checking out Mr. Gameshow’s website to find out where he will be next.  He also is available for parties and I’m sure it will be one that you or your friends won’t soon forget.

Mr. Gameshow Website

Mr. Gameshow on Twitter