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Matt Timms (born c. 1974, Boston, Massachusetts) [1] is an American promoter of food events, in particular a series of casual "takedown" competitions in which local amateur chefs compete to cook a particular ingredient. [2] [3] Timms is credited as one of the first of a wave of promoters to launch public amateur food contests in New York City and throughout the United States in the early 2000s. [4]
Timms' first "Takedown" was a "Chili Takedown" in New York City in 2004. [5] Tofu, Fondue, Cookie [5] and Grits [6] Takedowns followed, as well as a "Lamb Takedown", [7] the "Brooklyn Beer Experiment", and the "Park Slope Pork Off". [5] Hormel meats later sponsored a "Bacon Takedown". [5] Timms says his events are a reaction to the more midwestern sensibilities of nationwide contests such as the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and the more structured, rules-oriented approach of the American Chili Society's sanctioned chili cookoffs. [5] The Takedowns have become popular among what the New York Times describes as "obsessive home cooks" and "sustainability enthusiasts", due in part to Internet social connections. [1] In addition to New York, takedowns have also been held in Boston, Massachusetts, Nashville, Tennessee, Saint Paul, Minnesota, [8] and San Francisco, California. [4]
In the lamb event, sponsored by the American Lamb Board, contestants are each given fifteen pounds of lamb to cook how they see fit, with awards from expert judges, as well as a people's choice award by vote of those who have paid to attend the event. [9] [10]
Matt Timms has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine's 40 Big Food Thinkers 40 and Under, [11] and Chowhound.com's annual awards- The Chow 13 [12]
Timms is also an actor and filmmaker. [13] He shot the film, Up With Me, which was distributed by the Independent Film Channel. [5]
Grits are a type of porridge made from coarsely ground dried maize or hominy, the latter being maize that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp removed. Grits are cooked in warm salted water or milk. They are often served with flavorings as a breakfast dish. Grits can be savory or sweet, with savory seasonings being more common. Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta and mieliepap. The dish originated in the Southern United States but is now available nationwide. Grits are often part of a dinner entrée shrimp and grits, served primarily in the South.
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American Cuisine and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
A hamburger or simply burger is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis; condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing; and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.
Chop suey is a dish from American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, generally consisting of meat and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery, and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. It is typically served with rice, but can become the Chinese-American form of chow mein with the substitution of stir-fried noodles for rice.
Cornmeal is a meal ground from dried corn (maize). It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be. In Mexico, very finely ground cornmeal is referred to as corn flour. When fine cornmeal is made from maize that has been soaked in an alkaline solution, e.g., limewater, it is called masa harina, which is used for making arepas, tamales, and tortillas. Boiled cornmeal is called polenta in Italy and is also a traditional dish and bread substitute in Romania.
Kimchi-jjigae (Korean: 김치찌개) or kimchi stew is a jjigae, or stew-like Korean dish, made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as pork, scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It is one of the most common stews in Korean cuisine.
The cuisine of Kentucky mostly resembles and is a part of traditional Southern cuisine. Some common dinner dishes are fried catfish and hushpuppies, fried chicken and country fried steak. These are usually served with vegetables such as green beans, greens, pinto beans slow-cooked with pork as seasoning and served with cornbread. Other popular items include fried green tomatoes, cheese grits, corn pudding, fried okra, and chicken and dumplings, which can be found across the commonwealth.
Different areas of the world have local variations on the hot dog, in the type of meat used, the condiments added, and its means of preparation.
Rainbow cookie or rainbow cake usually refers to a three-layered almond-flavored Italian-American cookie, but can also refer to any of a number of rainbow-colored confections.
The cuisine of Libya is a mix of Berber, Arab and Mediterranean cuisines with Ottoman and Italian influence. One of the most popular Libyan dishes is bazin, an unleavened bread prepared with barley, water and salt. Bazin is prepared by boiling barley flour in water and then beating it to create a dough using a magraf, which is a unique stick designed for this purpose.
Bacon mania is passionate enthusiasm for bacon in the United States and Canada. Novelty bacon dishes and other bacon-related items have been popularized rapidly via the internet.
J&D's Down Home Enterprises, also known as J&D's Foods, was an American company founded in 2007 by entrepreneurs Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow to produce vegetarian based, bacon-related products such as Bacon Salt and Baconnaise. In November 2017, the company was purchased by L and L Specialty Foods, based in Altura, Minnesota.
The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's, Rax Roast Beef, and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce and/or melted American cheese. The roast beef sandwich also commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find cheese, horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion. Roast beef sandwiches may be served hot or cold, and are sometimes served open faced.
Tom Mylan is an American butcher, educator, writer, and author, specializing in local, sustainably raised meat. He was the executive butcher and co-owner of "The Meat Hook" from 2009 until 2015, a butcher shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Mylan has been responsible for several community oriented-food projects, including co-founding the "Unfancy Food Show", an annual, affordable event featuring local, artisanal food producers, which celebrates Brooklyn's return to hand-crafted, environmentally aware food ways.
A BLT cocktail is a cocktail made out of the contents of a BLT sandwich,, blended together with vodka. Variants on the drink include utilizing bacon vodka instead of traditional vodka, substituting liquor for lettuce, incorporating bacon salt, or including cucumber flavored vodka.
The traditional cuisine of Abruzzo is eclectic, drawing on pastoral, mountain, and coastal cuisine. Staples of Abruzzo cuisine include bread, pasta, meat, fish, cheese, and wine. The isolation which has characterized the region for centuries has ensured the independence of its culinary tradition from those of nearby regions. Local cuisine was widely appreciated in a 2013 survey among foreign tourists.
Hot pot or hotpot, also known as steamboat, is a dish whereby a heat source placed on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering, and a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and ingredients are served beside the pot for the diners to put into the hot stock.