Big Little Wonderland

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Lauren Gerrie of Big Little Get Together


Flannery Klette-Kolton of Big Little Get Together

Big Little NYC

© Toure Folkes 2012

Smooch

Smooch
Fort Greene, Brooklyn

© Toure Folkes 2012

Underground Food Collective

Pheasant Sausage 

tarbais beans, roasted burdock, stinging nettles and preserved lemon 

The Underground Food Collective (UFC) started by brothers Ben and Johnny Hunter, began it’s origins in the basement of church, doling out locally sourced vegetarian based meals to the community.   The non-hierarchal group of chefs has since grown into a Madison community staple with a one restaurant, another on the way and an underground cult following of sold out supper club events that have reached New York.  

Venison Carpaccio 

miner’s lettuce salad, enokitake, brussel sprouts, sunchokes and pumkin seeds

Staying true to a philosophy of not having one named chef or face to the collective, UFC dishes are created through collaboration and a great deal of experimentation.  They cure and craft their own meats, raise their own pigs and get produce and other homegrown products in their ingredients from friends.

“We try to stay away from these invisible lines of what works and what doesn’t work,” says Ben.  He recounts a time when the venison used at a supper club event was roadkill from a freind’s farm.  ”All of the meat was cleaned and butchered properly, people knew what they were getting into beforehand and it came out delicious.  There needs to be a little bit more flexibility within food rules and regulations.”  He continues, “You can still put a safe, amazing product out by using non-traditional farming and butchering methods.

Rabbit Schnitzel

stuffed rabbit, amaranth spaetzle, chantrelle mushrooms and rabbit jus

Maple Marshmallows 

puffed wild rice, hazlenuts and rhubarb jam

I was recently fortunate enough to get taste of the UFC’s native Wisconsin fares at their Ouisconsin dinner hosted by Joseph Leonard in the West Village.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the pheasant sausage, a dish that came out of collaboration with Native American doctor, Eric Brock MD, using pheasant from Brock’s tribal land.  A close second was the venison carpaccio, inspired by the tartare presentation of one Ben’s favorite Japanese restaurants and his desire to create a dish that showed how colonial immigrants used ingredients native to their homeland.  Flipping the script on a midwest staple while using pumpkin seed oil to garnish the dish made by a friend.

UFC will be reopening, Underground Food Kitchen next month and embarking on their next food venture, Forequarter by the end of the summer.   In the meantime, look out for their next takeover at a restaurant near you. 

© Toure Folkes 2012

Bon Chovie was born out of a love for the sea and playful experimentation in the kitchen. Bon Chovie was born out of a love for the sea and playful experimentation in the kitchen. When Neill Holland aka “Pops Chovie,” a fisherman from Florida, first started dating his wife Renae, their courtship consisted of Neill educating her about the local fishing scene and then collaborating on recipes influenced by their respective backgrounds. Finding a home in Fort Greene, Neill and Renae sought out the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg as a platform to get their creations out to the public.


Jersey Style Anchovies

“Jersey Style” anchovies, with heads and tails, are firstly seasoned with breadcrumbs and then take a dive into piping hot soy-bean oil and dusted off with sea salt. They then finish them off with a garnish of home made pickled peppers and a lemon and paprika aioli.

Starting this Saturday this Saturday April 7th, you can find Bon Chovie, at Smorgasburg and the Brooklyn Flea. “We Weren’t Born To Follow” so if you see someone eating it with the heads and tails off, don’t be afraid to get involved “Jersey-Style” like Snookie on the Shore.


Boquerones


Bravas


Caesar On A Stick With Sambora


Renae Holland of Bon Chovie

© Toure Folkes 2012