James Beard Nominee David Guas Celebrates the Seasonal SouthWith the strawberry harvest now in overdrive, native New Orleanian, chef David Guas, is getting a craving for the shortcakes he ate as a kid at the annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival in Lousiana. With booths lined shoulder-to-shoulder selling the region’s best food, Guas always saved room for desserts like the strawberry pudding, ice cream, and of course, the shortcake.
As the respected chef/author of DamGoodSweet - Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style [Taunton Press], Guas was not “short” of receiving accolades and nominations by the James Beard Foundation Book Awards and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Awards. As the first published New Orleans baking and dessert cookbook to have been written by a professional pastry chef, Guas is proud to share his authentic recipes such as his Ponchatoula Strawberry and Brown Butter Shortcake with home cooks everywhere.
Contact simoneink for the full Ponchatoula Strawberry and Brown Butter Shortcake recipe, or “mix it up” says Guas, “and use a proper southern biscuit and top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.” If in Louisiana, buy Ponchatoula strawberries; if in Virginia, try Westmoreland Berry Farm, but wherever you are, always remember to support your local farmers and markets.
DamGoodSweet by David Guas Nominated for James Beard Award
Chef David Guas, native New Orleanian and Washington D.C. area resident, is rejoicing the sweet success of his first cookbook DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style with his first ever James Beard Foundation Award nomination!
As announced in March, DamGoodSweet has been honored in the exclusive selection of cookbooks in the 2010 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Baking & Dessert. On top of the recent notice as a finalist in the American cookbook category by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), DamGoodSweet has received top accolades and critical acclaim by respected sources throughout the country.
This recognition reiterates Guas’ dedication to preserving the traditions and recipes that celebrate his hometown of New Orleans and the rich culinary traditions that shaped his palate. David Guas is proud to support the Foundation’s mission to observe and nurture America’s heritage in celebrating the culinary arts.
Kid Foodies’ Refined Tastes Influence Restaurant Menus and Parenting Styles
Koodie [koo-dee] -noun (slang): A kid keenly interested in food, especially eating, cooking or watching reruns of Julia Child; A kid who has an ardent or refined interest in food; A mini-gourmand; Usually trained by one or both parents to have an unusual, and sometimes fanatic, desire to eat unusual foods; Evolution from the now defunct word “foodie”.
America is beginning to see a more adventurous palate in children and Washington D.C. is no exception. The District’s kid foodies are turning away from simple grilled cheese and hot dogs, and chefs and restaurants are feeling the pressure to up their game. Chef David Guas’ two sons, Kemp, age seven, and Spencer, age five, are also members of the koodie elite. By their own preference, the two would never be caught dead in a McDonald’s, and even influence their classmates as far as sharing their tastes for fresh and homemade meals. Guas considers them his most expert critics, taste testers, and sweetest fans. Among the 50 recipes tested at home for Guas’ new cookbook, DamGoodSweet, Kemp’s taste buds favor dark and spicy flavors found in the authentic southern Gateau de Sirop. While lending his Papi a hand in the kitchen, Kemp discovered firsthand how freshly grated ginger, hot sauce, and malty cane syrup combined, puts cute cupcakes to shame. Spencer, on the other hand, is devoted to chocolate, milk or dark, and will admit that he is partial to his father’s Heavenly Hash, and yes, fancies Michel Richard’s famous Chocolate Bar. After finishing two full Bars at Richard’s holiday benefit for St. Jude’s Hospital this year, Spencer knows from experience that this dessert is more than just a Kit Kat.
Guas could not be more encouraging or proud of his children’s appetites and share food adventures as a family with trips to various restaurants, including ethnic eateries ranging from Middle Eastern to Vietnamese. The origins of our food are just as important, and the boys take frequent trips to local farms and farmer’s markets with their parents and friends. Online food chats and blogs reveal that Kemp and Spencer are not alone in their quest for finer kids’ options at restaurants, and it’s only a matter of time before children will see the day of healthier, more diverse lunch line items at school; smaller portions of dishes off the “big” menu at restaurants; and clubs of peers that support the exploration of culinary curiosities.
SuperBowl Sunday for Chef David Guas and his Guide to N’awlins Saints Lingo!
This year’s Superbowl XLIV is a first for the New Orleans Saints’ 43 years of existence. That’s 43 long years of making the ultimate Superbowl plans, and chef David Guas of DamGoodSweet, has felt the pain. Even with a new cookbook, consulting and catering projects left and right, Guas makes time for the important things, like the NFL. That means eating, sleeping and breathing all things Saints and here’s what he has planned for Sunday, February 7, 2010.
Are you hosting a Superbowl party and what’s on the menu?
“You have to ask…my menu was set before I was even born. I’m making my Aunt Boo’s dirty rice and my “game day” one-pot seafood gumbo. I need to have the smell of roux in the house to ward off evil spirits that might keep my Saints from winning!”
What’s your favorite part of Superbowl Sunday?
“I love everything! The food, the pre-game shows, the smack talk, the wagers, the beer, and of course, my boys going for the Gold!”
What are some party preparation MUSTS?
“My check off list goes a little something like this: kitchen stove off, phone in lap, and beers on ice and within reach. No one enters without wearing black and gold.”
What will you do if the New Orleans Saints win?
“I will scream, cry, drink, eat more, and call every single New Orleanian I know. Then I will pray and thank the ‘big man’ upstairs for watching over the team. Dats my boys in Black and Gold!”
Lately, and more so over the next week, the country will learn distinctive phrases and sayings from what is being tapped as Who Dat Country. New Orleans fans are asserting their independence in the football arena with a language all their own. A few dialogue tips Guas has for you:
“Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?!”
“Who dat? Drew dat!”
“We are NEW ORLEANS!”
“Geaux Saints!”
“The Saints aren’t da Aint’s no more!”
Nature’s Sweetest Treat is an Essential Ingredient for Pastry Chef David Guas
Honey is an ingredient highly favored by pastry chefs who want to use a natural sweetener, and the thick golden liquid has long been an essential element in David Guas’ desserts. His passion for the pure, concentrated sugar component in his cooking has committed Guas to being part of the solution in preserving the honey bees and making their critical pollination work sustainable.
Pastry chef David Guas will be the on-air host for Season 4, Episode 11 of the James Beard Award winning series Chefs A ‘Field: Disappearing Act: Imagining the World Without Bees, sponsored by Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Beginning November 14, 2009 (actual air date varies by station), viewers can tune into their local PBS channel to view Guas and his two boys on an exploration of many of the farms in the northeast that oversee honey bee colonies and are an integral part of the crop-pollinating process in the U.S. It will raise awareness that over the last three winters, more than one in three honey bee colonies in the U.S. has mysteriously disappeared. Guas will present golden sweet desserts and showcase the produce grown based on crops that the bees pollinate.
On his off-time and not for best in show, Guas recently did some hive talkin’ and lent a hand to beekeeper Jeff Stoner of Stoner Apiaries, whom Guas buys his honey from in Mercersberg, Pennsylvania. Guas gets involved in the late spring and early summer with harvesting, extracting, and bottling. Then he returns in early fall to aid in treating Stoner’s hives for mites and feeding the colonies with sugar water (heavy syrup) to get them through the winter.
Next time you are buying a jar of this pure precious sunshine (which, thanks to its preservative qualities, requires no additives,) spare a thought for the bee colony which has flown over thousands of miles just to produce 8 ounces. Follow along with pastry chef David Guas and bee the difference and help save the honey bees.
Sweet Confessions of Confections
David Guas’ First Cookbook is ‘DamGoodSweet’
Washington, D.C. based pastry chef, David Guas’ first cookbook, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style [Taunton, 2009], co-authored by Raquel Pelzel, hits bookshelves November 1 and is already attracting some pretty sweet attention from industry heavy weights.
Food & Wine, which already proclaimed the New Orleans native’s cookbook one of their “favorite new dessert cookbooks,” and one of “fall’s top baking books,” features David’s Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake on the “Last Bite” page of the new November 2009 issue. Meanwhile, Saveur, touts DamGoodSweet as one of “the three that have us racing to the kitchen,” and the popular magazine, Garden & Gun, which explores everything true to the culture found below the Mason-Dixon line, included DamGoodSweet as one of only five cookbooks in their “rundown of the best upcoming releases with a decidedly southern flavor.”
DamGoodSweet, which lands in bookshops Halloween weekend, is a sweetened travelogue packed with recipes celebrating David’s hometown of New Orleans and the rich culinary traditions that shaped his palate, from southern classic like Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Pralines, to Crescent City staples like Buttermilk Beignets and King Cake. As the chef says, “Now you can enjoy some sweet eats from the ‘bayou state’.”
1.) PBS Series to air in the fall 2009 – Pastry Chef David Guas will be the on-air host for one of the select chefs chosen for the Emmy nominated and James Beard Awarding series Chefs A ‘Field, in 2009, “World Without Bees,” sponsored by Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Guas was sought out by the producers when they learned of his fascination for honey and his extensive collection of honeys from his travels. Guas will be taking along his two boys, Kemp and Spencer, on his journey to explore many of the farms in the northeast that oversee honey bee colonies and are an integral part of the crop-pollinating process in the U.S. The series will educate viewers about the honey bees’ awesome responsibility: pollinating more than 100 different crops - $15 billion worth annually in the U.S., or the equivalent of one of every three spoonfuls of food Americans eat.It will also raise awareness that over the last three winters, more than one in three honey bee colonies in the U.S. has mysteriously disappeared. Everything from poor nutrition to invasive mites to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – a phenomenon where bees from a colony abruptly desert the hive – is affecting the bees. Pastry Chef David Guas will present several dishes that incorporate honey, as well as showcase the produce grown based on crops that the bees pollinate.
2.) Taunton Press’ cookbook publishing program is celebrating its 5th anniversary, during which time over a million cookbooks have been sold — including several that have been recipients of the James Beard Award and become New York Times bestsellers. For 2009, Taunton Press chose to publish only four cookbooks, and one of those is Dam Good Sweet, Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style, by pastry chef David Guas and award-winning author, Raquel Pelzel.It is a cookbook that is a combination travelogue, memoirs, and recipes that delve into the rich fabric of the home-style desserts of New Orleans and surrounding areas where Guas was reared. From Buttermilk Beignets and Doberge Cake to Café au Lait Crème Brûlée and Caramel Peanut Popcorn, there are sure to be many recipes among the fifty amazing desserts any cook or sweet-tooth will wish to prepare.
3.) Chef David Guas was honored by DC Modern Luxury Magazine in their July/August 2009, “Restaurant Issue,” as Pastry Chef to Watch. “For years Guas designed desserts for Passion Food’s eateries. Now he’s his own mixmaster.”
For More Information on Pastry Chef David Guas visit www.damgoodsweet.comor contact simoneink at 703.534.8102.
This message is first and foremost a warm thank-you to all friends, family, colleagues, and members of the media for their tremendous support in advance of the opening of Bayou Bakery in Clarendon, Virginia.
Effective immediately, however, Bayou Bakery regretfully announces that the highly anticipated enterprise under the name of Bayou Bakery will not open its doors at 3211 Wilson Boulevard as planned. The partnership established between the owners of The Liberty Tavern, Stephen Fedorchak and Brian Normile, and David Guas, pastry chef, Damgoodsweet, inc. has been dissolved.
Bayou Bakery, featuring a progressive coffee program inspired by the proposed space’s previous incarnation, and supported by the exceptional home-style southern desserts, ice-creams, and snoballs influenced by Guas’s native New Orleans, will be developed elsewhere in the area. An alternate concept will be established in the existing space by The Liberty Tavern group and the team remains very excited about opening a vibrant, hospitable new business in this historic Clarendon property. Please contact Stephen Fedorchak for more details.
All the public demand and media attention focused on a southern themed bakery redoubles David Guas’ determination to make Bayou Bakery a reality, an establishment where the pages of his forthcoming dessert cookbook, dam good sweet [November 2009, Taunton Press], come to life for friends and neighbors in northern Virginia. He will renew his search immediately for prime real estate and funding to create a foothold with his delectably comforting concept. The proof is in the pudding!
For More Information on David Guas and Bayou Bakery:
Simone Rathlé – 703 534 8100 simone@simonesez.com
Here’s some information on a few of my favorite chocolates, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Guittard Chocolate(US) is one that I’ve used for the past 5 years, great working chocolate. Although it was a Frenchman who started the company(Etienne Guittard)it has been produced in San Fransico since its birth. I temper it for candies, sealing chocolates, baking, etc. I use their 72% bittersweet, 61% semi-sweet, and they have a 40%milk that is unbelievable for the price. As a professional pastry chef, I’m always concerned about cost and this line of chocolates are extremely affordable. I was buying them for just over $4/lb.www.guittard.com
Belcolade Chocolates(Belgian) are great and affordable as well. If you are looking for some unique flavor in a chocolate they have a 64% semi-sweet which is from Papua New Guina which has a wonderful smoky flavor and some tobacco and chili undertones. I would use this chocolate in a “Mexican” style hot chocolate with ground almonds and canella steeped into the milk. Cost is similar to Guittard right around $4/lb. www.belcolade.com
Michel Cluizel Chocolate(French) is the Ferrari of chocolates- expensive, elegant, beautiful flavor and performs perfectly every time. They have a 50% cocoa milk chocolate which is by far my favorite chocolate that they produce. I would use this if I needed something that doesn’t require many other ingredients. This chocolate is great for ganache for truffle fillings or other desserts. Most small pastry operations do not use this for their every day chocolate but may feature it in one dessert on the menu. I prefer eating itright out of the box. Cost of this chocolate averages around $8-9/lb. www.cluizel.com