iowa food and wine expo

this past weekend jared and i went to the iowa food and wine expo.  it was so much fun. they had over 200 wines to sample along with 150 beers.  they also had a variety of foods, most of which were cheeses.  my favorites were a raspberry balsamic cheese and a sweet white wine by mad housewife.

the highlight of the evening was meeting chef art smith.   i became a fan of art smith while he was on top chef masters, he has also been seen on top chef and iron chef.  he is most famously known for being oprah's chef.  his most recent project is a restaurant with lady gaga. on friday evening he did a cooking demonstration of chicken and dumplings and made it look super easy.  he took time for questions so i asked him, his favorite thanksgiving food? in which he answered "all the sides," perfect answer in my opinion.  jared asked him his favorite place to eat in des moines?  his response was "centro."  ( i often wonder if famous people just google the #1 restaurant in the area they are going...but i'm going to take his word for it.)

during the meet and greet jared asked him if he's ever been to roscoe's chicken and waffles in los angeles (because that's what his most famous dish is.)  his response was my absolute favorite. he said he hadn't but has drove past and has met the owner.  then this millionaire chef pulls out his beat up wallet which only had a crumbled up five dollar bill and hands us his business card and tells us to try his chicken and waffles at his chicago restaurant, table fifty-two.

it was an amazing experience and i'm already planning a trip to chicago to try his chicken and waffles during the sunday brunch.