One of my favorite events of the year is the Covenant House's Chef's Challenge.

The Covenant House, which was founded in in 1981 to help people with the fewest resources meet their basic needs: food, clothing and shelter, hosts the fundraising event to benefit people in the community.

The 10th Annual Chef's Challenge was a tapas-style dine-around prepared by local chefs, who prepared dishes made with food typically found in the Covenant House's food pantry.

There were some really fantastic options this year that I wanted to share so that you make sure to get your tickets EARLY next year if you missed out!

Chef Amanda Gartner - Bellaire at Devonshire: Seared leak wrapped scallops on a bed of purple pomme puree (vegetarian option: seared round halloumi cheese on a bed of purple pomme puree)



Chef Evan Wilson - Ichiban: Crab rangoon deviled eggs



Chef Elijah Urbanic & Chef Oscar Aguilar - Cafe Cimino: Focaccia and meatball



Chef John Macklin - Mardi Gras: Pan seared scallops with a blood orange gastrique micro basil salad



Chef Justin Steele - Bluegrass Kitchen: Organic tofu wings



Chef Danielle Mallory - Starlings Cafe: Blueberry buttermilk pies



Chef Jeni Burns Riser - Ms. Groovy's Kitchen: Deviled eggs



Berry Hills: Ahi tuna tacos with pineapple slaw and with twin infused dueling sauces (green goddess sauce and spicy yum yum sauce). Garnished with micro intensities.



Chef Tim Thorpe - Mi Cocina de Amor/Gonzoburger: Baby bones - pork shank, adobo, bbq, or kickin buffalo



Chef John Wright - Bridge Road Bistro: Black bean sliders and falafel sliders with guacamole, tzatziki, hummus, etc.



Chef Kayla Young - Eggs Will Roll: Egg roll tostada



Chef Dennis Harris - Edgewood Country Club: Traditional gazpacho soup with chile and lime



Chef Jeremiah Bowen & Chef Kevin Madison - Black Sheep Burritos & Brews: Vegetarian vindaloo curry samosas.



Venu Menon - Mea Cuppa: Craft Coffees

Chef Teri Blevins - Lil Bit of Heaven Cupcakes: Strawberry champagne cupcake



Baker MK O'Haver - MK Bakes: Bread pudding with caramel moonshine sauce



It's such a delicious and amazing event for a great cause. What were your favorite dishes of the evening?

The Gino's in Huntington on 9th Avenue is magical. I had driven out this way to get a coffee (unfortunately the place was closed), but I saw "GELATO" plastered across the windows of this Gino's, and it caught my eye.

So, I stopped in and went immediately to the gelato case. I got two scoops: one raspberry and one butterfinger.

And dang yes! It is GOOD. I got my taste of fruity and my taste of chocolately. Both were delicious. And, while here, I looked over the menu.

These "Pepperoni Bites" caught my eye. So, I put in an order. I mean. Just look at how delicious these look. I can practically taste them now. Slices o pepperoni wrapped in dough and topped with garlic and romano butter. Yessssss.

Previously, I have written about Girl Scout Cookies and my love for them. That love has only grown now that I work with the organization. I seek out Girl Scout Cookie flavored foods - like ice cream or coffee - and gobble them up every chance I get.

One of the coolest things about Girl Scout Cookies is that there are actually two separate bakeries that supply the cookies, and they each have their own versions of the classics. Depending on which cookie your area's council chooses, those are the ones sold locally. For example, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond uses Little Brownie Bakery so all the troops within this 61-county region sell Little Brownie cookies.

The other bakery is ABC, and many other councils go with this bakery to sell their cookies. It's just up to preference. But the fun thing is that the cookies are all just slightly different. Have you ever wondered why you've seen Samoas called Caramel Delites - or the other way around? This is why.

The top photo is all the cookies from Little Brownie Bakery. The second photo is all the cookies from ABC Bakery. Locally, I can order Little Brownie, but I also scored a link to an online order card from a Girl Scout selling ABC cookies, so I ordered one of each. So, let's compare, shall we?

Little Brownie has: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, Girl Scout S'mores and Toffee-tastic.

ABC has: Caramel deLites, Thanks-a-lot, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread, Girl Scout S'mores, Thin Mints and Caramel Chocolate Chip.

The Showdown:

Caramel DeLites (ABC) - Vanilla cookies topped with caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and laced with chocolaty stripes vs. Samoa (Little Brownie) - Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut, and dark chocolaty strips




Thin Mints (ABC) - Crispy chocolate wafers dipped in a mint chocolaty coating. vs. Thin Mints (Little Brownie) - Crisp chocolaty cookies made with natural oil of peppermint. 




Peanut Butter Patties (ABC) - Crispy vanilla cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating vs. Tagalongs (Little Brownie) - Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating.
 


Peanut Butter Sandwich (ABC) - Crisp and crunchy oatmeal cookies with creamy peanut butter filling vs. Do-si-dos (Little Brownie) - Oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling.

 


Shortbread (ABC) - Traditional shortbread cookies vs. Trefoils (Little Brownie) - Delicate tasting shortbread that is delightfully simple and satisfying.



Lemonades (ABC) - Savory slices of shortbread with a refreshingly tangy lemon-flavored icing vs. Lemon-Ups (Little Brownie) - Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages to life your spirits.





Girl Scout S'mores (ABC) - Crispy graham cookies double-dipped in yummy creme icing and finished with a scrumptious chocolaty coating vs. Girl Scout S'mores (Little Brownie) - Graham sandwich cookies with chocolate and marshmallowy filling.

 

Caramel Chocolate Chip (ABC) - Rich caramel, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy, gluten-free cookie vs. Toffee-tastic (Little Brownie) - Rich, buttery cookies with sweet, crunchy toffee bits. These are each bakery's gluten-free option - also note that ABC has a pouch bag!




Thanks-a-lot (ABC) - Shortbread cookies dipped in rich fudge and topped with an embossed thank you message in one of 5 languages. ABC has one more cookie than Little Brownie.

This blog is in no way reflective of my employer or the opinions of the organization. Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em BBQ is located right in Black Sheep Harley-Davidson.

The BBQ restaurant has a diner-esque vibe and is located in its own section of the building. So I walked briefly through the showroom and made it to the restaurant.

After seating myself, I looked over the menu and decided on the pulled pork sandwich platter with potato salad and macaroni & cheese.

After just a few moments, my dish was served piping hot. It was a decent plate of BBQ - standard. The BBQ I chose was regular, and it had just a tiny bit of kick to it. The potato salad and mac & cheese's flavor fell a bit flat. Not bad, not too exciting.


Grade: B

Everything old becomes new again!

What was once China Gourmet has rebranded and changed its name to PJ Loyal Buffet, which prompted me to make another visit. 

China Gourmet wasn't my favorite local Chinese buffet, so I was interested to see what PJ Loyal Buffet offered.

Walking inside, it looks much the same. There is sushi and a Mongolian stir fried station directly ahead.

There are some options to the left and to the right of that.

The left was more salad and fruit.

And then the bulk of the entrees are to the right and include standard options - general tso's chicken, coconut chicken, beef and broccoli,  etc.

Even though I went right during lunch rush, there were a good bit of items running low. Though, I did see them often replacing trays.

Some of my favorites included their seafood bake and any sort of sweet and sour chicken. Nothing too different, but decent.

Grade: B