Top savory winner last year Nicholas Hayes back in the June 25 event.
Nick Hayes, executive chef at Slainte in Holyoke, will use Thin Mints in his savory dish for the Girl Scouts "Fork it Over" competition. Eating Girl Scout cookies directly out of the box in one or two sittings is pretty standard behavior for the average consumer. The delectable cookies are wonderful on their own, but when area chefs get their hands on them they can become just one ingredient in a much more elaborate dish.
"Fork it Over" is an annual culinary challenge organized by the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, which dares area chefs to come up with unique recipes in either the sweet or savory category using the popular cookies.
The challenge will take place on June 25 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Tickets are $30 and the proceeds benefit the Girl Scouts.
This year participants include Bart’s Homemade Ice Cream, Chez Josef, Dana’s Grillroom, Four Main Street Bar & Grill, Great Grapes Catering, Hofbrauhaus, It’s All Good, Johnsens Catering, McLadden’s Irish Publick House, Sláinte, and UMass Bakeshop.
Chef Nicholas Hayes' winning entry last year -- a pan roasted cauliflower tart with trefoil gratin and grilled scallion pesto. Brenda Garton, director of the Institute for Media and Non-Profit Communication of Western New England University, will emcee the event.
A panel of judges will determine the winners in both categories. Judges include Lon Breedlove of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, and this reporter for The Republican and its Spanish language newspaper, El Pueblo. Attendees will vote for People’s Choice favorite.
Reigning champion, Chef Nicholas Hayes, who last year created a pan roasted cauliflower tart with trefoil gratin and grilled scallion pesto that took top honors in the savory category, is back again, this time representing Sláinte.
“It’s a really fun event and I’m looking forward to doing it again,” said Hayes, who is the executive chef at the restaurant, which opened in March at 80 Jarvis Ave. in Holyoke.
Owners Debra Flynn and Jake Perkins said they are thrilled to have Hayes representing Sláinte in the competition.
“We always encourage him to be creative. We want him to challenge himself,” Flynn said. “It’s good to do something outside of the everyday menu.”
Flynn owns Eastside Grill in Northampton, where Perkins is the executive chef. Their newest venture is meant to be a place where people can feel comfortable drinking a beer at the bar wearing jeans or enjoying dinner in a suit.
“We just want people to enjoy themselves and keep coming back,” she said.
The menu is simple American cuisine using fresh ingredients from area farms, including Mapleline Farm in Hadley.
Perkins said the restaurant’s name means “Cheers” or “To Your Health” in Gaelic-Irish, in honor of the fact many emigrants from Ireland settled in Western Massachusetts.
“This section of the city used to be known as Ireland’s Parish,” he said.
Hayes, who graduated from Holyoke Community College with a degree in culinary arts, said he grew up knowing how to fish, hunt and gather.
“My entire family is interested in cooking. My mom’s side of the family — especially my nana and poppa and all my uncles — were always hunting and there was always fresh deer and fish. I learned how to butcher pretty early. We did a lot of forging for berries making our own jellies and jams,” said Hayes whose first job was a dishwasher at a nursing home.
Hayes will once again be creating a savory dish for the competition.
“This year I’m going to do lamb tacos with a Thin Mint mole,” he said. “I pretty much knew since last year’s competition what I wanted to do and I’ve just been waiting to do it.”
Tickets for the event are $30, or four tickets for $100 if purchased in advance. They are available online at www.yourtimewellspent.org/ or by calling (413) 584-2602. They will also be sold at the door on June 25 for $30 each.
Live music will be provided by jazz vocalist Ethel Lee and her ensemble and In Close Harmony, an all-women’s a cappella group. A silent auction and raffle will include items such as jewelry, trips and gift cards. All attendees will receive a cookbook with the chefs’ recipes, and Girl Scout cookies will be available for purchase.
All proceeds benefit Scout programs for girls in grades kindergarten through 12 throughout Central and Western Massachusetts.
For more information on the Girl Scouts, visit www.gscwm.org/