SE | Nov./Dec. 2017 | Issue 11

Flavor for Everyday Life | November/December 2017 Southeast Ohio

Tree festival: Add some sparkle

How’d you get here, anyway?

Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017 | 1

Pastor’s Pantry Cooking School

C

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2 | Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017

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Salt

Flavor for Everyday Life thesaltmagazine.com Southeast Ohio November/December 2017 Publisher Doug Olsson Editor Adrienne McGee Sterrett Layout Design Tessa Jennings Sales Tracy Ison

dolsson@aimmediamidwest.com amcgeesterrett@aimmediamidwest.com tjennings@aimmediamidwest.com tison@aimmediamidwest.com

Contact Salt: amcgeesterrett@aimmediamidwest.com 1603 11th St. Portsmouth, OH 45662 740-353-3101

Hide & Shake Find the shaker in this issue and be entered to win a $10 grocery card.

Visit our website, thesaltmagazine. com, and click on the Shaker Contest link at the top and enter your contact information. Your name, street number, street name, city and zip code are required. Only your name and city will be published. All entries must be received by Dec. 1. Only online entries will be accepted.

In the September/October issue, the shaker was hidden on page 10, on the counter.

Congratulations to our most recent winner, Desra Wortman, of Lucasville.

On the Cover Taken at the Festival of Trees and Trains in Ashland, Kentucky.

Photos by Pam DeCamp.

Salt of Southeast Ohio is published six times a year by AIM Media Midwest and is available through the (Portsmouth) Daily Times. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue, in whole or in part, is prohibited. Salt is free to subscribers of this newspaper. It is also available for purchase at this newspaper’s office.

Please buy locally and recycle.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @TheSaltMagazine.

Orange Glazed Ham.................................. 6 Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup............. 7

Salt Scoop

Send us your favorite recipe. We may feature it in an upcoming issue.

Visit our website, thesaltmagazine.com, and click on the Recipe Submission link at the top to be entered. Include a photo of your dish, too, if you’ve got one. All entries must be received by Dec. 1.

Every submitted recipe will be entered in a drawing for a $25 grocery card.

Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017 | 3

Recipe Index

We asked Salt readers to tell us about their most cherished memory of the holiday season. Here’s what they shared.

Salt

CONTENTS

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ADRIENNE MCGEE STERRETT Adrienne is editor of Salt magazine and lifestyle/special sections editor for The Lima News. She believes everyone has a life story worth sharing. Reach her at 567242-0510 or amcgeesterrett@aimmediamidwest.com.

TESSA JENNINGS Tessa is a designer of Salt magazine. She spends her free time painting and training her pup in agility. When she has the time, she enjoys adventuring to new cities with her family and dogs.

features

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Staff & Contributors

How did you get here, anyway?

CHRIS SLONE Chris is a writer for Salt magazine. He is an award-winning journalist. When he isn’t working, he’s spending time with his wife and two children.

In the kitchen with … Sam Peters

IVY POTTER Ivy writes for the Daily Times in Portsmouth. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book and spending time with her cat, Piglet.

On track for Christmas Buckeye Love

LORA ABERNATHY Lora is the former editor in chief of Salt magazine.

One more thought

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8

How’d you get here, anyway?

By Lora Abernathy

“I love that my kids grew up in an atmosphere that was digestible to them.

It was small enough that they had a tight circle of friends, a sense of a community. … The results of this are amazing from my children. They’re really incredible people.”

— Frank Grasso III

Frank said he feels part of the Portsmouth community. During the day, he is a field safety specialist for Grainger. When he’s not working, he’s usually playing music somewhere around town.

The Grassos live on five acres of land.

“Enough for us,” Frank said.

“I think my kids grew up with a sense of the outdoors, so in the winter they did sledding and in the summer they did ATVs. They had a diversified physical experi-

ence living here,” he said.

“I love that my kids grew up in an atmosphere that was digestible to them,” Frank said. “It was small enough that they had a tight circle of friends, a sense of a community. … The results of this are amazing from my children. They’re really incredible people.”

Michael is in his sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati in pre-med. Abigail is a freshman at Rio Grande University on a dual scholarship for volleyball and art.

As an example of his kids’

good nature, last Christmas, they gave him a frame with a collage of photos of their family taken over the last 20 years. In the middle was this quote: “I never want to get married and I don’t want children.” It was signed, “Dad.” “It made me cry,” Frank said. “I’m looking at this frame and then because the pictures draw you in and then you read the middle and go, ‘Geez.’ It was really great, because I wouldn’t have wound up here without meeting (Tracy). This is why I’m here.”

Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017 | 5

Though Frank Grasso III had been patronizing his future wife’s hair shop for a year and a half, they hadn’t yet met. When they finally did and things got serious, he made his intentions clear: He wasn’t interested in marriage or in having kids.

Frank has now been married for 20 years and is the proud father of two.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Frank was born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, but grew up Pequannock, New Jersey — 20 minutes from New York City.

With a suitcase in one hand and a guitar in the other, he left home when he was 19 and hitchhiked around the country, visiting friends who had also left New Jersey.

He lived in Austin, Texas, for a while, then New Orleans and finally settled in Atlanta, where he lived for 25 years — and where he met Tracy.

Both of their kids were born in Atlanta, but they wanted to be closer to family.

They picked up their lives in one of America’s most bustling cities and moved to the quiet hills of Portsmouth, where Tracy is from.

In the kitchen with … Sam Peters Pastor’s Pantry shares the gospel of good taste

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By Ivy Potter The Pastor’s Pantry Cooking School began an as accidental business and quickly grew in popularity to host two to three sold out shows per week and private parties with more than 200 five-star reviews.

In June 2016, chef and local pastor Sam Peters, along with his wife Joyce, decided to host their first live cooking show in their industrial kitchen, which was meant to be a lab of sorts for creating new hot sauces and barbecue sauces for their existing company, Patter Fam Sauces.

“The factory construction was delayed, but the kitchen was finished,” said Peters. “We decided to utilize the space in the meantime and have a live cooking show. I had been doing food demonstrations and food shows around the state as part of Ohio Proud for some time.”

Pastor Sam Peters had worked as a line chef all throughout high school and

college, and saw the cooking show opportunity as his next big culinary challenge.

The cooking show was so popular that the classes continued on and grew tremendously in size.

“Today our audience is between 12 to 20 people, they reserve a seat online and then become part of our studio audience.

We cook and teach,” said Peters.

Each two -class features a unique menu and serves up a three-course meal for the audience ranging from Asian, Italian and Latin America to domestic styles of barbecue, Cajun and lowlands cuisines.

The school also hosts a special Chef’s Choice event which features seven courses, and lasts three hours. This gives Peters the chance to really show off his cooking skills.

“Our job is to share with them the gospel of good taste, which revolves around two points. The first point is, we believe is that everything is about stewardship. Every

ORANGE GLAZED HAM Ingredients: 6 to 8 pound smoked ham, bone-in, skin on • Salt and pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons Patter Fam Pork Rub 1/4 cup olive oil 1 bottle Patter Fam Orange Glaze 6-10 whole cloves 1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped into half-inch pieces Directions: Preheat oven to 300 F. Place ham in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Score the top of the ham with a sharp knife cutting diagonally about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch deep, making a diamond pattern.

Submitted photos good and perfect gift we have given to us is from God — and food is no different. Food is a gift. Some farmer worked very hard to provide this food for our table. One question we always ask is, ‘are you doing everything you can to make every dining experience great?’ If not, we hope to be able to help you do that. The second part of the gospel of

good taste is that we believe God created us to be in community with one another. We are social beings. Social, we believe, has more to do with sitting around a table with people you know and love breaking bread together than it does about posting pictures on social media. We have lost the art of being able to have social dining,” said Peters.

Whisk together the rub and olive oil to make a paste.

Rub onto and into the ham.

Bake the ham uncovered for 2 hours. (If the ham is precooked, you can skip this 2 hours of cooking. Score, season and baste with the glaze in the next step).

Remove the ham after two hours and pour the glaze over the ham. Cook for another 90 minutes, uncovered, basting every 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and scatter the carrots around the ham in the pan. Toss them with the Orange Glaze sauce in the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 30 minutes until the carrots are tender.

Set the ham on a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve the carrots and glaze sauce as a side dish.

POTATO AND CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP Serves 12 Ingredients: 6 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 large carrot, chopped 4 cups water 3 stalks celery, chopped 1 yellow onion, chopped 1/2 cup salted butter 6 cups whole milk, divided • Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons chicken soup base 3 tablespoons salted butter 3 tablespoons flour 16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, with some reserved for garnish 1 teaspoon salt 3-4 slices of crispy bacon, chopped, for garnish • Minced parsley, for garnish Directions: In a large pot over high heat, combine the potatoes and carrot with water to cover and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender.

In a separate large skillet over medium heat, sauté the celery and onion in 1/2 cup butter for about 8 minutes until softened.

Drain all but about 1 cup of the water from the potatoes and carrots; add 3 cups milk. Reduce heat to low and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the onion and celery mixture to the pot and stir in the chicken soup base. Heat slowly.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat three cups of milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and add the cheese 1 cup at a time, stirring to melt and combine.

Add the cheese sauce to the soup pot, stirring to combine. Warm the soup through. Garnish with more shredded cheddar cheese, crispy bacon bits and minced parsley. Serve with warm bread.

“Part of what we’re trying to do with the gospel of good taste it to get people around the table again, where they can build relationships and communicate with one another. Food is that great bridge that brings us all together.”

— Sam Peters

The Pastor’s Pantry

8019 Hayport Road, Wheelersburg 740-352-2008 or patterfamsauces.com

Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017 | 7

“Part of what we’re trying to do with the gospel of good taste it to get people around the table again, where they can build relationships and communicate with one another. Food is that great bridge that brings us all together.”

Those who visit Pastor’s Pantry Cooking School come with an open mind and leave with a full stomach.

Sandy Dutiel has attended and speaks highly of it.

“My son and his new bride booked their wedding rehearsal dinner with Sam, and our dinner met and indeed exceeded my expectations, largely because I expected delicious food, but the added bonus of Sam’s witty, cookingshow-like presentation, which combined wonderful stories of his culinary adventures with practical tips and techniques for achieving his gourmet results from my kitchen at home,” Dutiel said. “I highly recommend Pastor’s Pantry’s products and their cooking class experience to any ‘foodies’ out there looking for the real deal when it comes to a great gourmet cooking and eating experience right here in Southern Ohio.”

The Patter Fam Sauce Company was founded in 2009, with the goal to create sauces and seasonings with layers of flavor to enhance the natural goodness of food. Offering sauce, salsas and seasonings for those who enjoy sweet or spicy, you’ll find a flavor for you. Their blend of vegetables and spices are specially crafted to create a unique “pleasure for the palate.” Enjoy Patter Fam Sauces on meats, stirfry, dips and snacks.

On track for Christmas

8 | Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017

Festival of Trees and Trains Nov. 17-26

By Chris Slone Photos by Pam DeCamp The Festival of Trees and Trains, now in its 33rd year, is set for Nov. 17-26.

Over the last two seasons, there were more than 16,000 people who attended the festival at the Paramount Arts Center, 1300 Winchester Ave., in Ashland, Kentucky.

Last year, there were more than 110 items on display.

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The train has been described as the “largest G-scale� train east of the Mississippi. In the past, the massive train occupied much of the balcony area. However, now the train has been separated into two sections.

One section can still be spotted in the balcony, but the second section has been moved to the lower theater area.

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Many residents have spent time in their childhood at the festival. Now, those same individuals can be spotted bringing their children to the Paramount as this time-honored tradition is all about family.

Visit pacfott.org for more information.

Joseph Pratt

Front Porch

Profile Front Porch Profile offers a personal glimpse into the lives of notable people in our communities

By Chris Slone

Executive Director, Main Street Portsmouth What’s your favorite holiday?

My wife, Sara, and I treat the entire season of fall like Halloween. We love everything about the holiday and that time of year, from stories of Ichabod Crane to haunted houses. We’ve traveled as far as 10 hours for the right haunted festival. We also spend this time exploring abandoned places and reading up on regional history.

Do you have a favorite social media platform?

The only platform that matters, in my opinion, is Facebook. It adapts with the time and has a way of connecting every age group that utilizes it with different levels of involvement.

New vacation spot every time or same vacation spot? Why? My wife and I take a lot of weekend trips to explore the many corners of Ohio and other neat locations in the tri-state. It isn’t technically vacation, but it is something we love to do as frequently as possible. We aren’t comfortable unless the road is under our feet.

I am known for mixed drinks, because I burn everything else.

Where do you take visitors when they’re in town?

We have a wonderfully progressive downtown, and I look forward to showing further growth years and years and years from now.

I also make sure to take friends to Shawnee Lodge and to any restaurant owned by Tonya and Martin Miranda. We especially love Sonoras Mexican Grill.

What do you love most about your community?

If any word describes my community, it is resilience — and it is why I love home. We have been improving our financial stability, increasing jobs, bringing in outside grant dollars, rebranding the downtown and saving historic properties through redevelopments, growing as a college destination, and inching towards success every year. We are as resilient and unmoving as the foothills surrounding us.

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There’s so much creativity happening outside of the 8 to 5, a way for folks to help with the household budget or just express themselves in a way their jobs don’t ask of them.

Send a photo of a finished item, cost, social media info and your contact info to amcgeesterrett@aimmediamidwest.com.

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14 | Salt | Southeast Ohio | November/December 2017

And one more thought...

“The sin both of men and of angels was rendered possible by the fact that God gave us free will.”

— C.S. Lewis Taken at the Festival of Trees and Trains in Ashland, Kentucky. Photo by Pam DeCamp.

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