Tag: southern

NYWFF: Sunday Brunching with Paula by Sara Levine in Events, October 11th, 2010

: Paula welcomes fans at the Plaza

Hey y’all, Paula was at the festival too! Ms. Deen brought some Southern hospitality to NYC with a Sunday Gospel Brunch at the iconic Plaza Hotel. Naturally, Paula made sure that the spread at this classy affair was still totally over-the-top.

: Paula's mac-and-cheese

Guests were treated to a buffet stocked with dozens of sweet and savory dishes, but the crowd favorite seemed to be Paula’s classic mac-and-cheese. We’re not sure which recipe she used, as she has several, but you can’t really go wrong with any of them: Try Paula’s Creamy Macaroni and Cheese or The Lady’s Cheesy Mac.

: Competitor Cory Anthony's Catfish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw and Chipotle Cream

Sunday night’s Hometown Favorites round marked the finale of Ultimate Recipe Showdown‘s third season. Contestants put their spins on recipes inspired by their towns and regions, and there was clearly a lot of pride in the kitchens. Southern food dominated this year—competitors hailed from Texas, Florida, Mississippi and Kentucky—but the diversity of dishes showed that there’s a lot more to it than biscuits and gravy.

Katherine Alford, Vice President of Food Network Test Kitchens and a fixture on the URS judges’ panel, loves this round: “It incorporates great American regional foods and each cook’s personal food story. I think it’s great when the contestants put their spin on a regional classic.”

If you missed Hometown Favorites or any of the other Showdowns this season, you can still catch them on Food Network—check our schedule for dates and times. Today, Katherine chats with us about the very personal food prepared in the Hometown Favorites round and reflects on this season.

FN Dish: If you were to enter this round as a competitor, what would you make?
Katherine Alford: Oh my. That’s a good one. My hometown now is New York, but I grew up all over from Cape Cod, Washington DC, Florida to California. So given all that coastal living, it’s got to be a fish or shellfish dish. I’d say my take on a clam bake or crab boil. But maybe grilled oysters, lobster rolls or something with beach plums. There are too many choices!

FN Dish: After sampling all the food in this round, which hometown region were you most inspired to visit?
KA: I think they all had a Southern flavor to them, which I love. I think there is nothing better than driving the back roads of the American South and eating at small local restaurants. But what is great is about this round is, we get to see what folks are cooking in their homes.