Girls on grills
Female chefs turn up the heat at Open Flame
n a beautiful summer evening, the stars obviously in perfect alignment, American Propane opened up its Cabana to host “Open Flame: Lilith Fare edition” last week for a crowd that pushed 100.
The night came together thanks to the support of the Oklahoma Beef Council, the Grigsby family and a host of contributing sponsors all in attendance, but what made it an outlet for inspiration served with hugs was the team of local chefs who orchestrated it.
That begins with chef Beth Lyon.
While preparing for thelaunch of her Black Cat food trailer later this fall in a new spot, Lyon roared into action to help recruit talent, source ingredients and finalize an amazing beef-centric menu for the biggest crowd we’ve ever served at Open Flame.
Lyon, whom you would’ve read about in the last issue of The OK, made a simple request to get us started: “Let’s get the Irma’s band back together.”
Irma’s Burger Shack is where Lyon came to understand she had a future in the business, and the person who instilled that faith was operating partner Linda Lee.
Lee recently finished up a 15-year run with Irma's
and will pick up her career next working forthe Buthion brothers at La Baguette, which will unveil something new after Oct. 1.
Next was Aly Cunningham, co-owner of Sunnyside Diner and the original S&B Burger Joint, who worked in Lee’s kitchen with Lyon all those years ago before coming into her own with partner Shannon Roper. Sunnyside will open its fourth location in Edmond by year’s end.
So Irma’s burgers were served grilled up on a high-end DCC grill and served in slider form to give the fictional namesake the smoky send-off she deserves with three original Irma’s employees doing the honors.
Lyon also made her signature pot roast from her grandmother’s recipe, plus with tallow roasted local root vegetables.
To diversify the roster, Lyon wondered whether we could get Ana Davis, of Cafe do Brasil, who I’ve long wanted to bring to Open Flame, and we were finally able to arrange it.
Who better than a princess from the Amazonian region who came to this country speaking little English, took a job at a Chelino’s, opened a muffin shop then converted it into a dynamic cafe before becoming the first major restaurant to open in the Midtown renaissance. Her Cafe do Brasil and rooftop Bossa Nova Lounge still anchor the entertainment district with great food, exotic flavors and festive atmosphere.
Next on Lyon’s wish list was Shelby Sieg, of The Pritchard. She told me she didn’t know Shelby very well but felt like she needed to because her food was so good.
Sieg didn’t even let a freshly broken foot slow her down. The world-class pastry chef who has turned The Pritchard into the gem of the Plaza District arrived in her walking boot, armed with my favorite meatballs in the city.
“Oh, we have to have pastrami from Kathryn Mathis!” she exclaimed at our first meeting.
Chef Mathis (Big Truck Tacos, Pizzeria Gusto, Back Door BBQ) made a splash earlier this year when she vanquished a dozen other chefs in a pastrami competition. (If memory serves, her competitors were all male).
All Mathis needed to attend was for her wife, Marina Rabinovich, to give birth to their first child by Sept. 13. That happened four weeks ago, so the entire brood made it to last week’s party— including the awardwinning pastrami.
Finally, Lyon wanted to recruit her fellow female Coach House Apprenticeship alum Anna Banda, who is now lead chef instructor at the Francis Tuttle School of Culinary Arts.
Banda brought a group of her students to the Cabana to show off their newly minted skills in an array of Beef Barbacoa sliders with pickles made in their lab.
As word began to make its way through local kitchens what we were up to, interest increased. Chef Liz Howe, from US Foods, showed up with a couple of beautiful tenderloins and some outrageous vegetarian cabbage rolls. She dragged fellow chef Dustin Bagnaro along to help, which he did happily.
Tacos were served with various beefy delights, salsas and sauces. Commonwealth Urban Farms provided the local goods, including some beautiful flowers. Can’t recommend supporting this small, local outfit enough. Check them out at commonwealthurbanfarms.com.
Somewhere out there was some smoked tri-tip roast I threw on the smoker in the middle of the afternoon.
We also were joined by LEAP Coffee Roasters, Elemental Coffee and Urban Teahouse. LEAP’s Kari Hirst Starkey and Shalondra Harrison were there serving samples shoulder-toshoulder with Laura Massenat, Elena Hughes and Michelle Bui, of Elemental Coffee. Urban Teahouse owner Kristy Jennings served samples of one of her 100 varieties of tea.
For dessert, Andrea Koester and Brooke Ward, of Holey Rollers, brought a truckload of apple fritters as good as I’ve ever had the pleasure to eat. Seriously.
Sweet success
But that wasn’t the only dessert. Victoria Kemp, of Florence’s Restaurant, brought fried pies and “Slap Your Pappy” Peach Cobbler, both of which disappeared in minutes.
Victoria Kemp also brought her mother, the namesake of the restaurant she’s called home all her life. Florence Jones Kemp opened her restaurant in 1952, long before she gave birth to her daughter. (25 years before, Victoria says).
On Sunday, I was tasked with writing a story about the passing of industry giant Jimmy Vallion, co-founder of Val-Gene Associates and owner of Trochta Flowers.
Jimmy certainly lived an amazing life that touched literally thousands of people in a positive way in his 87 years. As I was tracing his early years, I was blown away at the moxie and ambition he and young Gene Smelser showed in building their restaurant empire after they met in Stillwater at Oklahoma State University.
But then as I switched focus to this story, it dawned on me: Vallion was working on his master’s degree and Smelser was still coaching basketball with Henry Iba when Florence first opened near Deep Deuce on what she calls “three chickens and a prayer.”
Val-Gene Associates opened more than 30 restaurants, but Florence never opened another. She did have to move to her current location at 1437 NE 23 in the late 1960s thanks to urban renewal, and she did have to summon daughter Victoria from Dallas to help her run the business and take care of her 104-year-old father about 10 years ago, but now at 87 Florence still does today what she’s done since 1952: turn, churn and burn in her tiny kitchen.
College wasn’t in the offing for Florence. She explained her parents only had money for one child to go to school, and it was going to be her younger sister.
So at age 22, this young black woman opened her own restaurant with zero backing or experience in a segregated city. Her restaurant outlasted all the competition and even segregation to become a neighborhood staple and local legend.
It’s stories like hers and that of chef Geni Thomas, 86, who was also in attendance, that inspired the special Lilith Fare edition of Open Flame at American Propane last week.
The diminutive Thomas spent years working as a chef at hotels before she took a job at Casady School. There she spent decades educating local students about cuisines from all over the world, making lunch service an educational aid to the curriculum. Brilliant.
Inspiration, perspiration
As phenomenal as all the foods were, hugs stole the show.
Turns out that’s what happens when you turn the reins of a cooking and dining event over to a group of Oklahoma City’s best chefs who happen to be women.
The event was an easy ask of the Oklahoma Beef Council, whose board of directors is chaired by Angie Meyer, of Okarche. Her vice chairman is Becca McMillan, of Mannsville. Oh, and the executive director of Oklahoma Beef Council is Heather Buckmaster.
Meyer addressed the crowd, lauding not only the inspiration but the perspiration women provide daily in the food and beverage industry.
We even had a couple of ladies in the local wine industry drop by for a tasting: Lauren Sizemore, of Republic National Distributing, and Natalie Inder-riden, of Artisan Wines, showed the booze industry isn’t just a good ol’ boys club anymore. Jason McCormick, of Byron’s, decided the best place to spend his 35th birthday was Lilith Fare. So, we sang to him.
Finally, Jillian Laramore spoke to everyone about Impact Oklahoma, a network of likeminded women focused on five nonprofit categories: family, health and wellness, education, community and culture. Impact Oklahoma made its first grant in 2005. Since then, it’s made another 42 worth a total just south of $3 million. Women interested intheir work can find out more online atimpactok.org.
We even had a chef from the year’s final Open Flame in the house. Chef Amanda Jane Simcoe, who also goes by the Cheese Wench, moved here from Tulsa a few years ago and offers classes and private dinners. She will join me and chef Jonas Favela, of MMR Prime Steakhouse, on Oct. 25 for an evening of Beef-Pork Bedlam.
Watch for ticket information about that event in The Oklahoman next week.