With the Super Bowl right around the corner, and Mardi Gras following close behind last year, it was the perfect season to serve up a “Crawfish Boil” here in North Texas, according to Fort Worth Chef John Bonnell, one of several Celebrity Presenters at Zest Fest 2013.
Bonnell took to the demonstration stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday as one of the headliner attractions at the event, attended by upwards of 10,000 people during its third annual visit to the Irving Convention Center. He will be back again in 2014!
Following a three-day competition, winners of the coveted Golden Chile Awards were announced at a Jan. 25 dinner, allowing the show’s weekend attendees to sample and purchase products judged to be winners in a number of different categories. The exhibit floor featured 138 different vendors, and making one’s way through the hall was a continuing feast of taste treats, all offered free of charge to attendees. The sampling was not confined to the exhibition floor, however. Ribs were grilled with different rubs and sauces and offered throughout the day; there were samplings as part of the People’s Preference Awards; and there was an Atomic Wing Eating Challenge. And celebrity chefs made enough for viewers to taste as well.
Don't go easy on the seasoning
Chef John Bonnell's demonstration proves that he does not go easy on the seasonings and spices, making some of the audience cringe as he poured in the hot sauce, but the finished product prompted only exclamations of approval from the crowd. Bonnell has authored several cookbooks and also offers a line of prepared mixed seasonings and dry rubs. He is presently working on a new book featuring “coastal cuisine,” and said it should be available by the spring of 2014.
Bonnell’s Texas Red Dog Rub is available in three flavors, he noted, Creole, Southwest and Barbecue. Creole is not hot, and is suitable for children, he said. He laughed about the Southwest style, however, saying, “Maybe you just sweat a little bit extra when you’re eating that one.” If you don’t use such rubs a lot, he noted, it is convenient to buy his pre-measured versions. He emphasized, however, that he has no secrets, and if you’d rather mix your own, Bonnell promised to share ingredients and proportions with anyone who asks. Just write to me, he said. “I have no secrets, and I’ll give any recipe away, including the ingredients for the rubs.”
Come sample Chef John Bonnell's great cooking at ZestFest 2014.
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