Themed Dinners Springing To Life In The Upstate

It’s not just here’s the menu, take the order any more.  Themed dinners are making their way across the upstate.  From Greenville to the Golden Corner of South Carolina, restaurateurs are taking on the role of educators in today’s restaurant environment, offering new dining experiences to a more savvy and diverse diner as well as the home cook enthusiast.  Dinners pairing wine with classic Italian and French cuisine are being replaced with whiskey, cigar, craft beer and farm to table pairings as well as multi-course dinners with single food themes such as a five course feast starring several varieties of in-season tomatoes at their peak or regional themes showcasing foods that are not necessarily local.

Although it is absolutely essential to the success and longevity of local food producers, and to our long term health, from a fine dining point of view, serving farm to table severely limits dining choices.  As a chef and restaurant owner, I feel like I am short changing my guests if I do not stretch their palates and give them a taste of something out of the ordinary.  In my establishment there is a menu to which I must adhere, so breaking out a themed dinner now and then fuels my artistry and satisfies my desire to educate my guests.  

Diners and home cook food enthusiasts are generally limited to ingredients that are available at the local grocers or online.  It takes a great leap of faith for a nonprofessional cook to order a pound of baby octopus, a whole rabbit or sea cucumbers without ever having eaten them.  Even though there are videos galore available on the internet that show how to prepare everything from an antipasto to zucchini flowers, the world wide web  will never provide them with the aroma, flavor or texture of the ingredients properly prepared by a professional chef.  The themed dinner provides the opportunity for guests to expand their food and beverage experience as well as a chance for chefs to prove they are multi-dimensional.

Themed dinners in the upstate are generally pairings of five courses ranging from $ 45 to $ 150 depending on the venue and ingredients, and most are small, intimate gatherings.  At Beyond the Bull, we are hoping to lead the way in the Golden Corner with a monthly offering, the third Saturday of every month.  The venue is small, limited to 24, and casual enough so that if a guest wants to take a break and stroll outside to the fire pit for a breather, he can.  And, he just might meet the chef out there, taking a break as well. 

Will they catch on?  Our first dinner held on December 23, the theme of which was the Feast of the Seven Fishes, was a resounding success, so much so that we are already planning our January event, Cabin Fever Food Fest, featuring the best of Maine:  lobster, cod, blueberries and clams to be followed in February with a pairing of game meat and local craft beers.  Other themed dinners planned for later this year will include a fish and game collaboration with another popular restaurant also located in the old Depot District of Central, a New England lobster bake, an homage to the BBC Two Fat Ladies, as well as a collaboration with local farms, the best of the best.  
Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB
Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630

For more information on upcoming events go to www.facebook.com/beyondthebull or call Chef Bell at 864 508 1254.  

Chef Angela Bell is the chef owner of Beyond the Bull, an eat smart kitchen located at the entrance to the old Depot District, downtown, Central, SC.  In addition to her culinary duties at The Bull, she is a culinary instructor and food writer.  Her latest book, GOOD FOOD BAD FOOD, a how-to of anti-aging gastronomy is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.