Skirvin chef to cook at Downtown Farmer's Market today!

[metro]

Skirvin chef to dish it out at farmers market
Journal Record
May 14, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Andrew Black will be leaving the Skirvin Hilton’s kitchen where he normally creates his signature dishes to cook much closer to his fresh ingredients Wednesday: outdoors at the farmers market in downtown Oklahoma City.

“I’m looking forward to showcasing what is grown here in Oklahoma,” Black said. “I’d like to get more chefs to use what farmers are actually producing near the city instead of buying everything somewhere else and bringing it here.

”The Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City Farmers Market returned to downtown’s Couch Park last week with a full slate of vendors, said Downtown OKC Inc. Marketing Director Kim Searls. The market is scheduled to be open 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Wednesday through September. “The market is just one more way we can make downtown a special place for our residents and downtown employees,” Searls said.

“We think of them as our main customers or demographic for events like this. We’re really trying to improve the quality of life by adding a little something to make working downtown a little more interesting. “You’ll find that a lot of larger companies – and even the smaller ones – that decide to locate downtown want their employees to be able to have these sorts of amenities and entertainment, because it makes for a happier employee.”

Searls said it’s getting easier to find performers and events for the area – “It’s the cool place to be right now,” she said. Searls cited the weekly Soundbites in the Park concert series on Fridays, which will be expanded to evening performances, the recent Starlight Ball on Automobile Alley, the Downtown Living Tour of homes in the area, and now cooking demonstrations on Wednesdays by some of downtown’s chefs, leading off with Black from the Skirvin.

Couch Park is a short walk across Robinson Avenue for Black at the Skirvin. Every product at the farmers market is made or grown in Oklahoma, and many are certified organic, an element that Black said he appreciates.“I’m looking forward to peach season later. I’m looking forward to visiting the dairy farms. And I’m looking forward to going to where herbs are being farmed,” Black said. “I know there is Oklahoma-grown lamb that I am interested in. So I’m sure I’ll be doing something with lamb with the cheese that is made here, too.“I want to really get the farmers involved in what I do, so I am actually going to farms on Tuesday (today) to meet with them to see how they grow their crops,” he said.

Black moved to Oklahoma City early last year. The Jamaican native has worked in restaurants in Cuba, the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean, and Paris. He most recently served as executive sous chef at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.


Executive Chef Andrew Black of the Skirvin Hilton assembles an entree plate. (Courtesy photo)

http://journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=88849

[OKCMallen]

Lame turnout around 1pm. The weather was not helpful (cool and pretty breezey).