Summer & Steaks Sizzle at Fourth Annual Food & Wine
Festival
May is National Beef Month, and the crowds that descended on the shores of the Potomac at the National Harbor Wine and Food Festival last weekend were quick to declare their love for beef as they lined up at The Beef Checkoff® tent to sample grilled meat provided by ranchers, Roseda Beef (www.rosedabeef.com).
Festival goers, with wine glass in hand, sampled more than 7,000 bites of Roseda beef brisket and flank steak over the course of the two days, and took home bags of the vibrant spice rub that had been applied to the brisket along with its recipe to enjoy. Some visitors also put their beef knowledge to the test, identifying five out of eight different cuts on the ‘Name that Lean Cut’ game for a chance to win a coveted “I Love Beef” t-shirt.
Patty Melt, the organization’s friendly and spirited hamburger mascot, made her way through the crowd, taking pictures with kids and vegetarians alike, while a team of National Beef Ambassadors shared their knowledge and answered questions for those who had them. On Sunday afternoon, the Beef Checkoff Program executive chef Dave Zino took to the Viking Cooking Stage to demonstrate two delicious and nutritious recipes featuring lean beef – just in time for grilling season.
The highlight of the Wine & Food Festival culminated in The Beef Checkoff® tent on Sunday with the Spice My Steak cook-off. Chef Jorge Pimentel from Sabor’a Street food truck, Granville Moore’s chef de cuisine Maria Evans, and chef instructor Brian Patterson from L’Academie de Cuisine each were given one hour and 10 pounds of Roseda flank steak seasoned with their own unique rubs to grill and offer to the crowd for sampling and judging. At the end of the day, Chef Evans’ juniper berry and sage rubbed flank steak with tomato jam and grilled pita bread earned her the coveted Spice My Steak pepper mill trophy among other prizes. View Brian Patterson's entry and Jorge Pimentel's entry.
The Beef Checkoff® Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill to promote beef education and sales. $1 from the sale of every live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to imported beef and beef products, is levied and then split between the state in which it is sold and the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Beef Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
The Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) was created to extend The Beef Checkoff® programs to small chains and independent retailers throughout the populous Northeast United States – from Maryland to Maine. The NEBPI provides opportunities for retailers located in states without full time beef council support staff to interact with the beef industry and participate in programs designed to increase beef demand and sales.
Pictures and video from this year’s event are available for viewing on Facebook.