If you skipped Jimmy’s No. 43 this weekend, you missed a lot. A lot of yummy cassoulet, that is! We had another amazing turnout for Sunday’s Fifth Annual Cassoulet Cookoff, where—for the first time in memory (and we admit our memory is not what it once was)—both the people’s choice and judges’ awards went to an amateur chef: Laura Luciano (Out East Foodie) from Long Island who wowed with her traditional cassoulet that included Crescent Duck Farm fowl plus Flying Pigs Farm pork, Koppert Cress Microgreens and cognac!
Ten chefs participated in the cookoff, with dishes that ran the gamut from BBQ baked beans to vegetarian to a fabada asturniana made with Spanish cider! All were delicious, but a few stood out from the rest. Awards went as follows:
People’s Choice
- 2nd place – Rich Pinto, f/o of Jimmy’s No. 43, who surprised with a vegetarian option that included carrots and parsnips.
- 1st place – Laura Luciano’s Douglas Corwin’s Crescent Duck Farm-inspired Long Island Cassoulet.
Judges’ Awards
- Honorable mentions – to Rich Pinto, and to Jessica Agullo’s Iberian Fabada Asturniana with Morcilla (blood sausage), chorizo, pork shoulder and bacon (steeped in cider).
- 3rd place – to Matt Knoff, who served up Julia Child’s famous cassoulet.
- 2nd place – to Jimmy’s No. 43 chef Michael, whose Ecuadoran take on cassoulet brought a bit of spice to the scene.
- 1st place – Laura Luciano’s Douglas Corwin’s Crescent Duck Farm-inspired Long Island Cassoulet.
While we come for the cassoulet, we’re there for the charity. The event raised over $2,000 for Grow NYC’s youth program, Learn It, Grow It, Eat It. Jimmy’s No. 43 was happy to learn that our fundraising effort will underwrite 15 Bronx teens in this summer’s program.
Finally, we thank our amazing judges: Matt Timms, Jackie Gordon, Kathy Blake, Margaret Chan, Nancy Motsumoto and Amy Zavato. More press coverage can be found here and here. As an added bonus, the Cassoulet Cookoff was taped by French videographer Malo Delarue of Keep In News. Look for a link, soon.