Tastemakers: Epicurean Revisited

Epicurean Revisited

The 2007 version of the Epicurean Classic deserves to be toasted. Let’s raise our glasses to Matt Sutherland and Mark Dressler, the visionaries and organizers, and the many who volunteered over the three-day event. The Epicurean Classic is now the most important culinary and wine celebration in Northern Michigan (beer, spirits and cigars were present as well), and maybe, for that matter, in the Midwest. Special kudos go to the staff and students of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, who reap both financial rewards (some proceeds go to scholarships) and gain worldly culinary experience for playing host to the event; they delivered first class service on all ends of the spectrum.
One of the weekend highlights was the Wine Intensive, an all day examination of the wine industry. Presenters gave a range of perspectives of the complexities of wine service and sales. It was great to see several area restaurateurs and retailers increasing their wine knowledge. Unfortunately, it should be noted that several of the region’s top restaurants and retailers had no one present. The rest of the weekend with packed classrooms, well-attended receptions, and dinners, shows that our region has a lot of foodies and beverage enthusiasts who have high expectations, and will expect your restaurant or shop to be up with the latest. If you missed the Wine Intensive this year, be sure not to miss it next year.
Other highlights included the International Tasting Pavilion, where large crowds with inquisitive palates sipped wines and enjoyed an array of cuisine prepared by local and visiting chefs. The outdoor pizza grill from Kalamazoo was a crowd favorite all weekend; celebrity PBS Chef Eric Villages showed us all at the Grand Reception on Saturday night that grilled dessert pizza rocks. There were so many highlights in the classroom that it is hard to single any one out, but my hat is off to Laura Werlin for her cheese classes, and to Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein - his class on pairing wine and food was great, and hopefully both are on the invite list for next year.
The Opening Night reception was a huge success. The event had struggled in its first three years, but every aspect of it this year was perfect, especially the BBQ from masters Ted Reader and Fred Thompson.
The Saturday night Grand Reception is by far the best culinary tasting event anywhere in the Midwest. At $85 a ticket, it’s a bargain; attendees get to sample from more than 250 wine, beer and spirit offerings, plus the more than two-dozen food stations featuring the guest chefs and cookbook authors. While everything I tasted was fantastic, the dessert station prepared by the culinary students was a definite highlight, as were the high-end cigars from General Cigar and Nolan’s Tobacco of Traverse City.
The Epicurean will celebrate its fifth year on September 18-20, 2008, so be sure to mark your calendar as Sutherland and Dressler have proven each year they are able to kick it up a notch or two. Visit www.epicureanclassic.com to stay informed until then.


The Beer Hunter Tribute
A couple of weeks ago in Bottoms Up, I paid tribute to Michael “Beer Hunter” Jackson who passed away on August 30. Jackson was by far the most influential person in the world of craftbrewed beers. He set the stage for imports and the micro/brewpub revolution with his writings, his “Beer Hunter” documentary, and his enthusiasm. There will never be another Michael Jackson, but his passion for “the perfect pint” will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.
To honor Michael, there has been a call for a national toast on September 30, and Northern Michigan will participate. I am calling on anyone who has an appreciation of beer to come out and raise up a pint in his honor. I had the good fortune of being in Michael’s presence several times at beer conferences and dinners over the years. He was very kind and supportive of his fellow scribes; he had a way of finding something good to say about every beer he tasted and every person he met.
Each time we were together, I took pages of notes, and drew so much inspiration from his passionate words. I am assembling those notes, and will give a brief reading of some of Michael’s most inspirational words on beer. Joe Short from Shorts Brewery in Bellaire has agreed to host the event. We will gather at 8p.m. to share our beer and Michael stories, and then at 9p.m., we’ll join the rest of the country in raising our glasses. Complete details of the event are at
www.shortsbrewing.com.

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