Nicole Buntgen, Anna Hartman, Michael Meyer, Mike Watkins, and Andy Williams
DESIGNERS
Quentin Lueninghoener and Ben Vankat, Hanscom Park Studio (402) 517-1228 // Contact@HanscomPark.com
PHOTO STAFF
Yum Omaha // (402) 541-8457
ADVISORY BOARD
CONTACT US (402) 587-2259 Carole@ DineNebraska.com
PO Box 620 Elkhorn, NE 68022
Brian O’Malley, Metropolitan Community College Institute for the Culinary Arts
Matthew Brown, Advanced Sommelier, V. Mertz
Abby McLeay, owner, Zen Coffee Co.
BARRETT’S, CRESCENT MOON & ORLEANS ROOM
TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN
FIND THE FLATWARE!
Hidden in this issue is the image of a fork and spoon. Be the first to snap a photo of the flatware and share on Facebook and/ or Instagram and tag @dinenebraskamagazine If you are the first one, you will win a $25 gift card to Square Donut. One entry per issue, please. Let’s share the love!
Letter from the editor
Welcome to the annual issue of Dine Magazine! We are thrilled to connect culinary enthusiasts, chefs, restaurants, and consumers through our carefully crafted content that represents the unique offerings in the food and beverage industry from across the state.
When deciding what food should represent Nebraska for our Discover feature, the reuben unanimously won. Not only does it have a fascinating origin story, but the three restaurants featured—Barrett’s Barleycorn, Crescent Moon, and the Orleans Room—have their own histories and unique approach to the sandwich that makes it one of the most popular menu items to this day.
The flatware hid on page 37 in the Scene section of the fall issue.
Summer is the perfect time to explore Nebraska’s intriguing network of wineries and breweries. Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City is an ideal spot for a sunset picnic while sipping on its fruit-based wines. Take a road trip to Western Nebraska for a brewery tour, including Pals, Second Chapter, and Flyover Brewery. On your way back, stop at The Chocolate Bar in Grand Island for a specialty coffee, meal, or bite of dessert. If you’d rather take a staycation, check out Nick’s Quorum Supper Club at the Hilton downtown Omaha for a modern take on classic cocktails. Fragrant florals reign as the scent of summer, and Sleepy Bees Lavender Farm harnesses the calming power of lavender in its bath and body products and as a culinary ingredient to add a potent flavor profile to food and drinks. We also added a couple lavender-based recipes, compliments of Sleepy Bees, that you can try at home.
Chef Joel Hassanali shares his expertise on his approach to the casual contempo-
rary menu at Salted Edge, and we look at this year’s Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen event, which raises funds toward culinary scholarship programs.
Thank you to our advertising partners, chefs, restaurant owners, and readers for helping make this issue one to treasure all year long.
Kathy
Rygg
Executive Editor
DINE AROUND NEBRASKA
Grand Island’s THE CHOCOLATE BAR offers much more than its name implies
Sweet treats
By name alone, Grand Island’s The Chocolate Bar evokes thoughts of delicious cocoa concoctions and other delectable sweet treats. And while the establishment offers those as well as many other dessert items, it’s much more.
“The Chocolate Bar name is a mixture of the chocolate that the original owner loved about it and the truffles and cakes we sell; the bar is the mixture of a coffee bar and alcohol bar,” said Angie Dowd, who bought the restaurant in 2023. “The drinks, desserts, and food are all special and all made in-house. We get our coffee shipped in from Intelligenstia out of Chicago, which has one of the top beans in the nation. We have a bar mixologist who creates some of the best drinks for all four seasons as well as our signature items.”
Originally a concept of Sharena Anson, who loved baking, the process of making chocolate, bar mixology, and creative coffee drinks, The Chocolate Bar came to life in downtown Grand Island in 2011. Anson and her husband renovated the old 1880s building and brought it to life with an urban feel. They added a full bar for day and night, breakfast and lunch.
When Dowd purchased the business
last year, she infused a mixture of the original menu from Anson for breakfast and lunch and mixed in Dreisbach’s Foods-- Dowd’s business that closed in 2022—for her own creations. “I lived in Los Angeles for nine years where I did gourmet cheese and wine before moving back (to Nebraska),” Dowd said. “I lived with two chefs, and we were always creating. Some of the best items I used to make are what we serve at The Chocolate Bar, including the Dreisbach’s au gratins, cole slaw, salad dressings, prime rib, and ribs. These are old recipes brought to life again in an urban downtown setting in Grand Island.”
Among its many offerings, The Chocolate Bar is known for its rainbow almond butter cake, old fashioned chocolate cake, and numerous specialty cakes. Dowd said people come from all over for these delicacies, and they are all made in-house from cake batter to frostings.
The Chocolate Bar is also known for its soups and sandwiches, gluten-free op-
STORY BY MIKE WATKINS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CHOCOLATE BAR
Three cheese grilled cheese and roasted red pepper soup
Special events
Latte
tions, the aforementioned Dreisbach’s au gratin potatoes, specialty cocktails, and, of course, coffee. Dowd said her espresso shots are ground per cup, temped, and poured within the specific range so customers can see the layers of espresso bound with the ingredients based on what they want.
In addition to the restaurant and bar, previous owners developed the other half of the building into space that accommodates an additional 100 people for various events and gatherings. It’s one of the main reasons Dowd purchased the business and sees tremendous opportunity moving forward in continuing to revitalize the downtown area.
“Restaurant is in my blood, and this building was so beautiful I couldn’t stand to see it go into anyone else’s hands,” she said. “I decided I would add some of the Dreisbach’s recipes into the night menu and open up for a full dinner menu, drinks, desserts, and events morning, noon and night.”
Every third Thursday of the month, The Chocolate Bar promotes “Eat Cake Donate” to donate 10 percent of the day’s receipts to a local charity or event that may need help. “The Chocolate Bar will always be improving,” Dowd added. “We are only beginning and will continue to grow our catering aspect, pick up food, and ever-changing food and drinks with the season. We love fresh food season and creating menu items from those foods—apples, peaches, strawberries.
“No matter what season it is, you will always find our staples that everyone has grown to love. We will always carry our specialty cakes, and you will always be able to get a three cheese grilled cheese and dip it in our red pepper soup.”
Bloody Mary
NEBRASKA’S RICH HISTORY
of the
REUBEN
Crescent Moon Orleans Room Barrett’s
WSTORY BY ANNA HARTMAN
BY
YUM OMAHA
ho invented the reuben?
The meaty grilled sandwich has an origin story that diverges in two directions: one that begins in a New York City delicatessen, and the other in Omaha at the famed Blackstone Hotel.
As the New York version is told, a famous actress strolled into the deli in 1914 and exclaimed, “I’m so hungry I could eat a brick!” Arnold Reuben, the proprietor, grabbed Virginia ham, roast turkey, and imported Swiss cheese, topped it with coleslaw and Russian dressing, tucked it between slices of rye bread, and thus, the Reuben’s Special was born.
PHOTOS
Reuben sandwich from Barrett’s Barleycorn
The Omaha version began in 1925 when local grocer Reuben Kulakofsky requested a sandwich during a poker game at a hotel owned by Charles Schimmel. Schimmel’s son Bernard, who had just returned from training as a chef in Switzerland, created the original using Russian rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing.
Regardless which tale you believe, the modern version of the reuben generally includes corned beef, sauerkraut, a ketchup and mayonnaise-based dressing (similar to Thousand Island dressing), and Swiss cheese on grilled or toasted marble rye bread. Nebraskans are ardent fans of the melty concoction, and local patrons enjoy friendly debate about which eatery makes the best version in Omaha.
Barrett’s Barleycorn owner Karen Barrett first put a reuben on the menu as a special because her
family loved it. “Our mom made them through our childhood, and we loved them,” she said. “I remember getting them at Bishop’s cafeteria. I’ve tried them everywhere, and a lot of Omaha restaurants do the sandwich some real justice.”
The reuben found its way to the static menu and remains popular with diners, selling around 120 per week according to manager Tiger Buchholz. The cooks at Barrett’s toss two slices of Rotella’s marble rye bread on the flat top, topping each with a slice of Swiss cheese. The beef is mounded on the grill with the sauerkraut, then chopped together with a generous dollop of Thousand Island dressing as it heats to better meld the flavors. A generous drizzle of dressing tops each cheesy bread slice, then the meat is added and, finally, according to Barrett, “The whole sandwich comes together in a fabulous, gooey you
Menu from Orleans Room at Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel
need a bunch of napkins art form.”
Thanks to media attention from a former Omaha WorldHerald food critic, the Crescent Moon’s reuben became famous. Ironically, when the bar and grill first opened, owner Bill Baburek was solely focused on craft beer. “In my mind, beer trumped food, but the kitchen manager at the time encouraged me to branch out.”
It was kitchen manager John Begley who mentioned the reuben was created just across the street in the Blackstone Hotel and started developing his own version. The crucial variable for the Crescent Moon sandwich is that it’s not grilled on a flat top. The original kitchen wasn’t equipped with anything but a char broil on which they prepared burgers and a conveyor pizza oven. Begley experimented with different bread types and fillings, as well as using the conveyor oven at different times and temperatures.
The Crescent Moon reuben comprises slow-roasted Omaha Steaks brisket, a closely guarded sauerkraut mix, Swiss cheese, and Rotella’s marble rye bread. According to Baburek, the eatery sells about 300 reuben sandwiches a week, so consistency matters. “It’s a balancing act, it doesn’t have one predominant flavor, you taste sourness, creamy, the crispy of bread. You want different flavors to meld in each bite.”
Executive chef Jason Sirois of the Orleans Room at the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel (previously The Blackstone) has the unique responsibility of doing justice, in the original location, to the recipe generously provided by the granddaughter of Reuben Kulakofsky. “The origin story makes it a fun item for people to
Reuben sandwich at Crescent Moon
Executive Chef Jason Sirois of The Orleans Room at the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel
Preparing a reuben sandwich at the
Metropolitan Community College INSTITUTE FOR THE CULINARY ARTS
Orleans Room at Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel
Orleans Room
DINE DISCOVER
order,” Sirois said. “Total sales vary, but I’ll just say it’s by far and away the most sold singular item in the hotel week to week.”
Staff at The Orleans Room use top quality ingredients, starting with Prime certified angus beef brisket sourced from 1855 Black Angus Beef. The brisket is brined, vacuum sealed, and placed into a sous vide water bath overnight for maximum tenderness and texture. The house-made sauerkraut is lacto-fermented under vacuum seal, which breaks down the natural sugars in the cabbage, creating a mild, flavorful kraut.
“Our team likes to joke that there are 1000 ingredients in our Thousand Island dressing, but it’s really only 16,” explained Sirois. The team opts for gruyere instead of Swiss cheese to provide an earthy, nuttier note, and the whole thing is sandwiched between two hearty slices of Rotella’s Russian rye bread smeared with a house mustard for extra kick and depth of flavor. From there it’s a simple process of grilling the meat and bread to melt the cheese and meld the flavors.
Sandwiches are rarely served solo, and the reubens of Omaha are no exception. The Orleans Room includes a side of truffle fries and tangy lemon aioli, as well as house pickles. Sirois recommends pairing their reuben with a European-
Crescent Moon
Tiger Buchholz, manager with Barrett’s Barleycorn
Reuben sandwich at Crescent Moon
Reuben sandwich at Orleans Room
Bill Baburek, owner of Crescent Moon
style ale like a Paulaner or Delirium, but it’s also complemented by a bright, tangy cocktail such as the Raspberry Beret, which contrasts the fat with sweet acidity. Server Jackie Thompson of Barrett’s sells a lot of fresh brewed iced tea and fries with lunchtime reubens, and Baburek opts for an icy cold lager.
For those who prefer a twist on the classic, Barrett’s offers a turkey reuben (known as a Rachel), or a bowl of ingredients without the bread for those cutting back on carbs. Crescent Moon does not offer a Rachel, but during Reuben Fest,
the standard reuben ingredients are reinvented as quesadillas, deviled eggs, or other concoctions. The Orleans Room also features a version with turkey, and in the summer at the pool club the food truck serves a reuben pizza. Regardless of origin story or variations in preparation, the reuben remains a favorite of diners everywhere. Sirois sums up the appeal, “The reuben combines salt, fat, acid, rich cream, and crispy. It has all the flavors and textures you want. It’s just a well-designed sandwich in its inherent simplicity.”
Barrett’s Barleycorn
Summertime Sightseeing and Beers in WESTERN NEBRASKA
Cruising for brews
Summertime is an excellent time of the year for a road trip to visit a few Nebraska breweries. You can easily visit three breweries on a two-day trip with just a little planning. Western Nebraska has many attractions, such as Buffalo Bill Ranch in North Platte, Lake McConaughy near Ogallala, and Chimney Rock near Scottsbluff. In each of these towns, you will also find craft beer breweries.
With a motto of “Come as strangers, leave as pals,” Pals Brewing Company in North Platte, Nebraska, welcomes travelers passing through on I-80 to their countryside brewery, which offers outdoor activities, including music. A wide selection of craft beer and premium in-house pizza makes this destination perfect for lunch or later in the day.
Ever wondered what could be the next chapter for a community library? In Ogallala, Nebraska, it’s Second Chapter Brewing. The brewery design keeps the library theme alive right down to how a flight of beer is served (in a card catalog drawer). A tremendous amount of local and family history makes Second Chapter Brewing an intriguing stop. While enjoying a lager, stout, or craft seltzer, the stories about having a second chapter will entertain you.
Downtown Scottsbluff, Nebraska, is home to Flyover Brewing Co., which takes pride in using Nebraska-based products from the brewing system to
ingredients such as malts and local sugar beets. The airplane theme is experienced throughout the taproom and even in their beer names, such as Hellcat Helles.
The atmosphere inside welcomes you as groups taste new offerings, from Goses to traditional German beers.
Here are some recommendations, if available, when you visit:
PALS BREWING COMPANY
Midnight in the Daylight is a coffee stout with a blend of Kona and Sumatra coffee.
SECOND CHAPTER BREWING
Czeched Out is a smooth Czech dark lager with a light roastiness.
FLYOVER BREWING CO.
Hellcat Helles is a bright, smooth lager that many will enjoy on a warm summer day.
Cheers!
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL
MEYER
DINE WINE
Watch
a
sunset while enjoying a fruity wine at ARBOR DAY FARM
Orchard delights
Nebraska City, Nebraska, home of J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day, is also home to sundrenched orchards. At Arbor Day Farm, guests can sip signature wines crafted from the luscious orchard fruits grown in this fertile soil.
Beverage manager Sara Wiebold has been in the hospitality business for years—for her the world of wine encompasses myriad aspects, most importantly the guest experience. The Certified Sommelier started at Arbor Day Farm as a consultant in 2021, where she dove headlong into Nebraska wine production. “One thing always leads to another, and I just fell in love with the property and potential,” she shared.
Arbor Day Farm offers local white, red, and fruit wines, including a unique Pommeau—a fortified, lightly sweet wine made from Arbor Day Farm apple cider that spends 24 months aging in oak barrels. Guests can savor tastings in the Apple House Market, an 80-year old structure recently renovated after a 2020 fire. Wiebold fondly refers to it as the “Taj Mahal” of Nebraska tasting rooms.
Wine flights include a branded Arbor Day Farm wine glass and four 1.5-ounce pours. Sunset Orchard wine tastings are well attended in late summer and early fall. Charcuterie boards are available for purchase, and customers can purchase
bottles for consumption in the orchard— very popular at sundown in the hot summers.
Currently growing on property is the Midwest grape edelweiss, with an additional five new varieties destined for future bottles. Though grapes are grown and harvested on the farm, vinification (the actual wine making process) happens in Brownville, Nebraska, at Whiskey Run Creek. The sweeter, less complex fruit wines are favorites with the clientele, but red blends and the edelweiss are also big sellers. “By far the most popular are the peach wines,” Wiebold said.
She also enjoys hosting wine dinners at Lied Lodge with US producers outside the Nebraska area, to introduce locals to different types of wine. Keep an eye on their social media accounts for upcoming late summer and fall events including Bloody Mary Sundays (local grower canned goods used for all garnishes on the Bloody Mary bar). A visit to this iconic destination is a must for any Nebraskan.
STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARBOR DAY FARM
DINE SPIRITS
Take a walk down memory lane at NICK’S QUORUM
Sentimental supper-club sippers
The United States is widely known as the birthplace of the cocktail, but in the early days, spirit quality often varied, so fruits and other ingredients were added to mask the unpleasant flavor of subpar spirits. This was especially true during prohibition, a time when creativity reigned, and imbibers found ways to skirt the laws through speakeasies and member only supper clubs.
Those who came of age in the mid- to late 20th century might remember their parents stopping for cocktail hour on road trips or the prevalence of post-dinner ice cream drinks. The bright green of a Grasshopper or the pink hue of a Brandy Alexander graced many a supper club table back in the day.
Nick’s Quorum Bar & Supper Club, located in Omaha’s downtown Hilton, offers a reimagined classic supper club menu accompanied by a curated list of classic cocktails. Details matter at Nick’s, from the heavy crystal double old-fashioned glasses to the custom gueridon from which tableside prime rib is served. Guests are welcomed into the cozy dining area with the quintessential first drink accompaniment—tiny individual relish crackers topped with smoked fish and pickled vegetables.
Whether deemed nostalgic, retro, or vintage, classic cocktails remain mainstays for their well-balanced flavors. Wisconsin supper clubs are famous for brandy old fashioneds, so naturally Nick’s mixes an elevated version of the
classic featuring local Brickway brandy, sweet and dry vermouth, brown sugar simple syrup, and bitters garnished with a Luxardo cherry.
Gin-based cocktails include the Lemon Drop, a sweet and tart combination of Aviation gin, lavender simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice, garnished with fresh lavender and served in a coupe. The Bees Knees is another classic gin-based concoction made with Aviation gin, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice.
For a lightly-boozy after dinner treat, general manager Genero Adauto offers five dessert cocktails. The Brandy Alexander blends Brickway brandy with crème de cacao and rich ice cream. The creamsicle, featuring Brickway Vodka, evokes the summer childhood nostalgic ice cream treat of the same name, and the Golden Butterfly combines Bailey’s and Butterscotch Schnapps garnished with a peanut butter cup. Anytime is a good time to take a trip down memory lane by sipping on a class cocktail.
STORY
BY
ANNA HARTMAN
PHOTOS BY DUSTIN BAILEY
Beyond floral fragrances with SLEEPY BEES LAVENDER FARM
LAVISH LAVENDER
Whether spritzed as a fragrance or massaged as an essential oil, lavender is a sought-after product adored by many for its beautiful appearance and calming properties. One couple has turned their affection for the wildflower into a budding business by harnessing the power of lavender and honey bees to create natural aromatherapy and unique culinary products.
Jerry and Holly McCabe, co-owners of Sleepy Bees Lavender Farm, began this chapter after purchasing 21 acres in Firth, Nebraska. When they discovered their jobs were moving out of state, the couple decided to stay and venture into their own pursuits. Initially, they entertained the idea of opening a restaurant because of their shared culinary backgrounds, but the idea fell short once they realized the
lack of time they would have for family and animals—all while tending to 21 acres.
Shifting gears, the two thought back to their wedding, which emphasized beautiful lavender flowers as decorations and thank-you gifts. It was then the idea of growing lavender in Nebraska was born. Doing so would allow them to maintain their shared love for the culinary arts
STORY BY NICOLE BUNTGEN PHOTOS COURTESY OF SLEEPY BEES LAVENDER FARM
Jerry and Holly McCabe, owners of Sleepy Bees Lavender Farm
while incorporating it into their new adventure. Committed to the world of sustainable farming, it was time to learn how to raise honeybees and how they pollinate lavender. In spring 2018, Sleepy Bees began its journey with two hives, two packages of bees, and two queens. One of the most significant challenges was bringing a Mediterranean plant to Nebraska. Lavender plants need dry, rocky soil in mid-range temperatures— not sub-zero temperatures. Aside from its standout name, Phenomenal Lavender is dubbed for its powerful fragrance and extreme tolerance to hot and cold weather conditions.
Knowing it was hearty enough to make it through Nebraska’s winters, the
McCabes planted 1,700 Phenomenals in May 2018. By the end of the year, Sleepy Bees Lavender Farm had developed its four main products: lotion, body wash, sugar scrub, and body butter. Though the soaps and fragrances were a hit, the McCabes knew they needed to emphasize a different side of lavender that many people don’t consider.
After tasting a lavender fudge latte, the McCabes were inspired to explore lavender as a culinary option. Lavender is not just an herb but a versatile ingredient that can be used in many dishes. The floral yet potent flavor profile of Phenomenal plants make it the perfect match for anything sweet or savory, from berries and brownies to meat rubs—and even coffee.
The farm supplies local shops like Paper Moon Pastries (sugar syrups and lattes), Stone Hollow (honey lavender beer), and 402 Creamery (specialty honeycomb ice creams).
The concept of lavender in the culinary industry has been around for years. “People are always striving for the newest thing,” Jerry McCabe said. “There are so many foodies talking about different approaches. This is an open opportunity for us to develop that.” Similar to how the scent of lavender promotes relaxation, some customers have expressed that they feel relaxed after eating the lavender.
As a two-person team in charge of harvesting and planting everything by hand, Sleepy Bee’s role as a supplier doesn’t come quickly or easily. The process takes years, with lavender plant bushes fully grown at three years, which is when they produce the most stems and maintain the same size (Sleepy Bees’ lavender ranges from one to four years old). Bundles of 100 to 120 stems are harvested using a Japanese sickle knife. The bundles are tied upside down and stored in a cool, dark environment to slowly dry on racks. The cool dry space protects lavender’s flavor, and a dark environment protects its color. Once dry, the lavender is picked, strained of excess stems and dust particles, and melded into its desired product.
A challenging but unique industry, lavender production is slowly on the rise, with Sleepy Bees as only one of three lavender farms in Nebraska. Looking to the future, Sleepy Bees hopes to amplify agritourism efforts and educate more people about the role lavender plays in the culinary world. For those who are interested or want to see the farm, Sleepy Bees will host farm tours and “you pick” events this summer when the fields are in full bloom. “It’s a unique flavor that most people probably haven’t tried,” Holly Mcabe said. “Once you get past the mental block of it just being a lotion, it opens you up to a whole new potential of things you can do with lavender.”
RECIPES
From SLEEPY BEES LAVENDER FARM
Lavender Shortbread
• 2 1/2 tsp ground lavender buds
• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups flour
Mix the butter, sugar, and lavender buds (grind with spice grinder until very fine) with mixer until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix until the dough all comes together into a ball.
Roll out onto a well-floured surface to 1/2- 3/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters or knife to cut into shapes. Put your cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour up to 8 hours. This will make your cookies come out nice and crispy around the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-28 minutes or until golden brown around edges.
Lavender Cocoa Brownies
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
• 2-3 teaspoons ground lavender
• pinch of salt
Mix cocoa, sugar, and melted butter together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Mix in the eggs one at a time, add vanilla and stir to combine. Stir in flour until everything is just combined. Do not over mix.
Mix in the lavender buds to taste. Three teaspoons will give you a strong lavender flavor. You may want to start with 2 teaspoons until you know how much you like.
Bake at 350 degrees in an 8 x 8 greased pan for 20-25 minutes until edges start to pull away from the edge of the pan. Enjoy!
Chef Joel Hassanali with Salted Edge
A CELEBRATION OF
CARRIBEAN
Culture
STORY BY ANDY WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY YUM OMAHA
Chef Joel Hassanali’s fascinating and fabulous career odyssey— which includes working at his parent’s restaurant in Trinidad as a boy, stints with two celebrity chefs, taking care of professional athletes, and traveling the world and the U.S. to perfect his wellhoned craft—is on vivid display with every delectable item he debuts at the Salted Edge Modern Kitchen + Bar in Waterloo, Nebraska. Hassanali’s resumé reads like a crescendoing recipe, each ingredient adding savor to the next to culminate in a tour de force on a plate. “With France, with Italy, with the Caribbean, all across the states, with the amazing people I’ve worked with…all of it speaks to who I am and the places I’ve been on my very diverse culinary journey,” Hassanali said.
Hassanali’s love for food and passion for cooking dates back to his early years when he used to watch the Venezuelan chef at his parents’ Caribbean fusion restaurant. “I had a little stool and I would sit there after school and watch the chef,” said Hassanali, whose parents also ran a farm and butcher shop in Trinidad. “Man, he could chop some vegetables. As a kid, seeing this person with his knives, chopping really fast in different shapes and sizes, it made an impression.”
It doesn’t take a holiday to celebrate with special food in the Caribbean, and Hassanali’s father also infused a love for real-life farm-to-table cuisine. “Every day’s a celebration in the Caribbean,” said Hassanali, who picked up the use of curry and Caribbean spices at those family gatherings.
Hassanali’s relatives in the U.S. talked his parents into sending him to the states for a “better life and better education” at age 11, and he eventually settled in the
borough of Queens in New York City. While attending high school, Hassanali dove headlong into football, basketball, and track, and kept his hand in cooking at a most unusual spot for a budding chef— McDonald’s. “My general manager loved basketball, and he wanted anybody on his basketball team to work at the store,” said Hassanali. “I didn’t even interview for the job. He said, ‘You play basketball, you’re hired.’ Working at a place like McDonald’s taught me a lot about systems and the camaraderie of working with different people. I remember being there at 5 a.m. many mornings to unload the truck.”
After high school, Hassanali tried to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and pursue a business degree, but the cooking bug ran too deep and too strong. “I told my parents this is what I want to do,” he said. After attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he moved to south Florida with his parents, and his career began to blossom as he landed a gig as a prep cook for the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins and Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins. “That was a very cool experience, with my love for sports.” He still has a room full of signed sports memorabilia from players he fed. He also learned to ice carve while cooking for the teams but had one of his most harrowing experiences when he bumped an ice sculpture created for the Philadelphia Eagles game and clipped the bird’s wing. “I was freaking out,” Hassanli recalled. “I had to tell the chef, and I thought, ‘I’m done. My career is over.’” Far from it. After a 2-year run as sous chef at the Fisher Island Club in Miami—where he met the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Michael J. Fox, Michael Jordan and learned French cooking that propelled him to an internship in Paris— Hassanali got the opportunity to be part of the restaurant enterprise of childhood idol Emeril Lagasse of Top Chef fame in
Above: Chef Hassanali preparing crispy shrimp deviled eggs
Below: citrus beurre blanc with salmon roe
Chef Hassanali preparing locally sourced beef
Lagasse’s restaurant at Universal Studios in Orlando, even meeting Lagasse in person. “I didn’t care how much I got paid. I just wanted to work there.”
Hassanali visited Omaha for the first time to help open midtown Omaha’s Crave location, and then moved to open another Crave restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland. While joining a friend for drinks one night at Chef Sherry Yard’s (The Great American Baking Show and Cake Wars) City Perch Kitchen in Bethesda, Hassanali struck up a conversation with the world-famous pastry chef and learned she had an opening that she said would “take your culinary talent to a different level.”
Hassanali landed the Executive Chef role at a new Perch Kitchen and Tuck Room restaurant for Yard in New York. His time with her reinvigorated the innovative side of his culinary skills. “With her, I was able to start on a blank canvas. I was creative, redid the menus, and didn’t have to ask permission to do certain things.” Yard was demanding, but she raised Hassanali’s craft to another level. “She’s a tough cookie, but I respect and appreciate her expectations. She brings out the best in you.”
Hassanali eventually brought his pursuit of perfection back to Omaha and was offered the Chef Managing Partner opportunity at Salted Edge by founder, part-owner, and automobile dealership owner Gregg Young. Young and wife Ashley had a vision and dream for the location overlooking the West Shores Lake, and Hassanali fine-tuned the big-picture to create a locally-sourced, modern American concept that would wrap all his experience and expertise into a wide-ranging menu.
Hassanali is also incorporating lessons learned from his various stops to build a kitchen, food, and restaurant culture that pushes his staff to achieve at ever-improving levels—just like he was challenged and encouraged along the way. He has adopted a phrase for his staff from the 2015 film Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper as a burned-out chef: We do what we do, and we do it together. “We’re serving food with high expectations and high integrity,” Hassanali said. “We’re not perfect, we’ll have bad nights. But we’ll go down together. And when we have the joy and the accolades, that will be together. We’ll fail together and we’ll win together.”
Honey roasted beet salad
Chef Hassanali plating bison filet
Brian O’Malley, associate dean at Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for the Culinary Arts, preparing lemon ginger punch
Cather’s kitchens
Experience a slice of history through the writings of WILLA CATHER
Willa Cather was born on December 7, 1873, and 150 years later several months of sesquicentennial celebrations took place, including the unveiling of her statue in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection. In works such as O Pioneers!, Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia, the prolific author wove tapestries of common life on the prairie plains, including food, ethnicity, and place. Through this trilogy, the reader is exposed to the progression of plains flavors from the peasant pursuit of cooking with corncobs and manure in the 1880s to the wood stoves in the early 20th century.
Cather left Nebraska for Pittsburgh in June 1896 at the age of 22 for a position as managing editor at Home Monthly, continuing to write about what she knew and loved. Eventually she moved to Greenwich Village in New York City where she would pen her famous novels and live until her death in 1947.
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STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN
PHOTOS BY SARA ROGERS PHOTOGRAPHY
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Many characters in Cather’s novels were gritty Scandinavian, Czech, and Polish homesteaders who fled tyranny for the promise of a better life in America. Food was the center of the home and an expression of welcoming love—the crux of modern hospitality. Meals were not merely sustenance, but the “terroir”—the love imbued by the cook, the setting, and the company. Finding magic in the ordinary, the cooks in Cather’s novels laughed, prayed, and lamented at their bread boards, floury fingers akimbo as they kneaded the dough.
Families who settled in Nebraska were forced to adapt to unfamiliar ingredients and preparations to feed their kin. Life wasn’t simpler. Cooking required lots of skill, but Cather understood more than most because she lived in the times about which she wrote, that when you grow your own food you understand and respect it.
Cather scholars, cooks, and historians alike have recognized the author’s penchant for setting a scene using the kitchen as a literary device. In this year of celebration, Brian O’Malley, associate dean of Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for the Culinary Arts (MCC ICA), felt compelled to be a part of the conversation. Inspired by Cather’s Kitchens, by Roger and Linda Welsch, an engaging compilation of recipes, stories, and references, he developed a community education pairing dinner to celebrate the fictional prairie kitchens of Cather’s early writings.
Held on September 13 and 14, 2024, as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of the life and accomplishments of this renowned Nebraska author, the dinner will explore Cather’s poetic passages alongside traditional Bohemian dishes and preserved garden bounty paired with local spirits and wine. “The experience is designed to be an homage to the works, not a faithful representation of the exact foods,” explained O’Malley.
Guests will be welcomed to the lobby of the MCC ICA with a wee shot of eau de vie accompanied by the enticing aroma of freshly popped buttered popcorn, reminiscent of Saturday evenings in front of the fire. Moving into the dining room, the first course will feature jitrnice, a traditional Bohemian meat (a cross between head cheese and sausage), paired with local Edelweiss wine and brief discussion of country scenes featured in My Ántonia.
Hearty pork belly and scratch beans will be served with local ale and then lightened a bit by a third course of fresh tomato and onion salad paired with switchel, a lemon-ginger haymaker’s punch traditionally served during harvest. The
main course highlights rabbit and dumplings served with homemade sparkling lemonade, and finally a dessert worthy of the kitchens of Cather will be presented with coffee as it would be in the late 19th century.
Other celebrations this year include the 15th annual Art and Literary Festival hosted by the Castle & Cathedral District in partnership with MCC and the National Willa Cather Center. A dramatic reading of excerpts from Cather’s acclaimed novel One of Ours will be presented at Joslyn Castle on Friday, November 15 and Sunday, November 17, 2024, and at the Red Cloud Opera House on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
For more information about the Willa Cather sesquicentennial, visit WillaCather.org/150. To register for the dinner, visit mccneb.edu/ce and for more info about Joslyn events, visit JoslynCastle.com.
Ingredients for a tomato onion salad
Switzel punch
Tomato onion salad
Volunteer chefs delight diners at the annual TOO
MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN event
Chefs who impress
Plenty of room for front and back of house alike at Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen, the annual fundraising event hosted by the Omaha Restaurant Association (ORA), an Omaha philanthropic networking association that serves the local hospitality community. Since 1944, the ORA has supported organizations that feed the community and has provided educational opportunities and scholarships in the field of hospitality from the high school to professional level.
Since its inception in the 1990s, the annual event has evolved from private home dinners to Chef’s Night Out, and this year over 20 volunteer chefs from a variety of establishments in the Omaha area wowed over 200 diners with creative multi-course plated dinners complete with pairings. Local purveyors and distributors donated beverages, produce, proteins, and space to complement the time, creativity, and talent given by industry professionals and students.
Organizers of the 2024 event made a few changes to the chef/table pairing
process. As they arrived at the Embassy Suites Downtown Old Market, ORA members and guests received name tags listing a table name and herb, then enjoyed a happy hour, bidding on silent auction packages or catching up with industry colleagues as tantalizing aromas wafted over the buzzing patrons.
Meanwhile, energetic chefs with side towels neatly tucked into tied aprons were busy with meal preparation in makeshift kitchens comprised of narrow banquet tables laden with burners, steam pans, cutting boards, parchment, and
STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN
PHOTOS BY TENDENZA FOOD STYLISTS
Fried oyster from Pitch
Pasqualina from Au Courant
Dessert from Au Courant
Churro from Pitch
Dessert from M’s Pub
Amuse Bouche from Le Voltaire
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Brian O’Malley, associate dean with Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for the Culinary Arts and the Au Courant team
Event attendees
Executive Chef Don Doty with Cibo Vino and team
Executive chef Alex Tomes with Memoir
A student volunteer with Dynamite Wood Fire Grill
Executive Chef Jared Combs with M’s Pub
Chef Jeff Everroad with Let It Fly and a student volunteer
Prepping compressed watermelon from Dynamite Wood Fire Grill
Backlot plating a course
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utensils. Menus and schedules affixed to one corner with green kitchen tape laid out the order of the day, coolers and Cambro containers lined the back walls, and labeled deli containers of prep stood sentry near tubs of Maldon salt that lined a makeshift pass.
As happy hour ended, the 22 marquee chefs emerged from the bustling ballroom and Matthew Brown, general manager and advanced sommelier of V. Mertz, enthusiastically welcomed guests to the soiree by saying, “If this is your first time, get ready to be hooked forever.” Brown introduced each chef and handed them an envelope that revealed their table match.
Named chefs are volunteers, so they often arrive with a skeleton crew from their home establishments. Clad in chef coats, student volunteers act as assistants for the day, gaining valuable experience and exposure to new ingredients and preparations. Emma Helwig, Outreach Coordinator for Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for the Culinary Arts (MCC ICA), served as
a student ambassador, coordinating student help for this year’s event, just a few short years after volunteering as a student.
Chefs who’ve moved on to executive roles relish the chance to flex their creative muscles and prove they’ve still got it on the line. Brian O’Malley, assistant dean at the MCC ICA, added, “I like how it gives the chefs a chance to color outside the lines and run out their creativity in a really wonderful way.”
As diners settled at tables and acquainted themselves with the menu, chef, and front-of-house volunteers, wine was poured, amuse bouche spoons were dropped, and O’Malley, emcee for the evening, interrupted the din for the first of 13 live auctions of the evening.
Fresh spring ingredients such as ramps, morel mushrooms, and early peas comingled with luxury items such as Japanese A5 wagyu and Kaluga Caviar across the multi-course menus. Throughout the evening, chefs and assistants carefully spooned, tweezed, and wiped plates until the last dessert was
delivered.
Allison Asche, a current MCC ICA student who’s worked the event for three years, shared her impressions, “I love meeting new people in the community. Serving was great because I got to interact with more people in the industry. I also got to see and sample so many different things—the chefs get really creative. I love to try the food and learn how to pair wines.” O’Malley added, “I love seeing the students’ growth through the night. They come in scared and leave confident and full of enthusiasm.”
As the evening came to a close and the final dishes were whisked away, the room remained full of energy and chefs joined diners to joke and discuss the evening, satisfied in knowing it all went to help important causes. To learn more or inquire about joining the Omaha Restaurant Association, visit dineoutomaha.com or contact Jennie Warren, executive director, at jwarren@dineoutoften.com.
Chef Wilson Calixte with Le Voltaire and a student volunteer
