A Toast to Green City Market’s Chef BBQ
Well, I told you that the Green City Market Chef BBQ fundraiser would be delightful. It was a bit smaller than in past years, with fewer restaurants represented — not surprising, given the COVID-created traumas and challenges many places faced. But unless you are a competitive eater (and I loathe the term “competitive eater”), there were more delicious bites than anyone could have possibly consumed.
The ambiance of the event also improved immensely because it was moved from the oven-like conditions of mid-July to September 9, with a hint of autumn in the air. Each July event was a grand feast but invariably it was one of most miserably hot days of the year. The weather on Thursday was gorgeous, and I spent a good part of the evening just sitting with a delicious craft sour beer and taking in the scene, instead of bolting early to find some air conditioning. It was so… relaxing.
Just two takeaways before we get to the photos:
1) Dear Green City Market folks: Please please please promise that you’ll always hold this event in September from now on.
2) Note to our vegetarians and vegans: You might be surprised, but this event gets more veg-friendly and less about big plates of meat all the time. I didn’t do a firm count but I’m confident to say that most of the samples were meatless. The fact that tomato season was still going strong contributed to that, as our favorite-fruit-that-thinks-it’s-a-vegetable turned up in salads, sauces, bruschettas, gazpachos and other permutations. Make a note of that for when we start talking this event up again next year.
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Now, to the photos…
First, the BBQ is always a great opportunity to connect with some of the region’s top chefs.
And scenes from the BBQ. All photos copyrighted by Bob Benenson; no pilfering, please.