Stylin' Silent Auction

If you’re worried about all the delicious calories you plan to consume at this year’s A Taste of Glynn at the King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort on Marsh 25, Chris Beaufait of Monkeywrench Bicycles on St. Simons has a solution to that problem. Ride your bike! Or– even better– ride one of his bikes. Specifically- the fantastically stylish, unique, 3-speed Numbers bike by Electra. And the only place you’ll find one of those beauties around here is the Silent Auction at A Taste of Glynn.

            Chris is a bit of a hero for the Glynn Community Crisis Center. This year’s generous donation of the ultra-cool Numbers bike marks his seventh year as a major Silent Auction donor. All proceeds from A Taste of Glynn, including the popular Silent Auction, directly support the work of the Crisis Center at Amity House and Hope House for those how have experienced domestic violence.

            “This event is unique on St. Simons,” Chris pointed out. “Whenever you can have something fun to do for a good cause, you’ve hit a home run!”

            Good thinking. And consider another good pairing of ideas: food and exercise. Chris confessed that he never packs a picnic for his bike rides, preferring to ride to one of the numerous superb restaurants on St. Simons instead.

            “A good, sturdy bike ride burns off 500 calories in an hour,” he reminded us. “So hop on your bike and ride, and eat what you want!”

            Bike riding holds the secret ingredient of fitness: fun. “If it’s fun, you’ll do it. Bike riding doesn’t feel like exercise. You can ride pretty much anywhere here, and the whole family can enjoy being outdoors together. We have some excellent parks, plus Gould’s Inlet for the best views of the ocean. And don’t overlook our neighborhoods for good places to ride. We’ve got such beautiful homes and gardens and flowers. Bike rides are the best way to enjoy them.”

            After a good ride, Chris has one dinner on his mind: the brisket from Southern Soul BBQ on St. Simons, followed by a nice wedge of cheesecake. His favorite celebrity chef? Alton Brown, of the Food Network’s show, Good Eats.

            Riding the Numbers bike might not make you a TV star, but it would set you apart as a seriously styling cyclist. As part of the Fashion Cruiser line from high-end bicycle manufacturer Electra, the Silent Auction model sports a colorful top-quality paint finish embellished with numbers on the chassis and fenders, with hearts on the seat and chain guard. And the icing on the candy-pink bike with the striped spokes? Chris Beaufait grinned as he demonstrated the two-tone bell on the handlebar that sounds like a doorbell.

            “Everyone will know you’re coming!” he laughed.

            And you’ll know that when it comes to supporting a great cause in high style, you’ve arrived.

            Ride your bike, or drive and take a complimentary shuttle from Massengale Park to A Taste of Glynn on March 25, 2012, from 5-8 pm. at the King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort. Tickets are available at the King and Prince, and SunTrust Bank locations on Demere Road and Sea Island Road on St. Simons. In Brunswick, purchase tickets at LaiLai’s, Hattie’s Books, color me happy and Moore Stephens Tiller LLC. Or call the Glynn Community Crisis Center at 264-1348.

Photo by Lindy Thompson, Golden Isles Photography

Fearless

When it comes to a commitment to great food, it would be hard to surpass Nick Pajor, head research and development chef for King & Prince Seafood Corporation, a long-time corporate sponsor for A Taste of Glynn. Chef Pajor is generous with his time, ideas and enthusiasm, and recipes. His easy-enough-for-anybody recipes for pink lemonade margaritas and dangerously delicious hazelnut chocolate chip cookies can be found in the attractive A Taste of Glynn Cookbook.

            Nick Pajor’s day-to-day job requirements would make most of us, even the most passionate foodie, fall down in a dead faint. Starting with a basic seafood product, he creates a new dish with a unique flavor, application and recipe that sets what he calls “the gold standard,” or ultimate finished result. Think “best meal I ever ate in a high-end restaurant” type of standard.

            The next step is to work with a team of other expert chefs and food scientists at King & Prince Seafood to devise ways to process the items to reach this standard consistently in large quantity. We’re not talking about remembering to add the same amount of sage to Great-aunt Maude’s famous Thanksgiving turkey stuffing each year. We’re talking about creating a new seafood product that a commercial chef can prepare flawlessly in quantities of 500 plates or more for a convention center banquet. As if that wasn’t daunting enough, Nick and his colleagues must also be able to assure that same gold-standard quality and taste for 200,000 to 300,000 servings at a time in a manufacturing setting. Every one of those hundreds of thousands of servings of tasty seafood must carry the entire brand’s reputation on its own.

            No pressure, right?

            By this point, most of us would have fled the building, but Chef Pajor loves what he does. In addition to working out the technical details to support the creativity, he and his colleagues at King & Prince Seafood read and travel extensively, researching regional flavors, gathering ideas and inspiration. What is the next trend in food? What flavors will catch on like wildfire? His job, he admits, is a large serving of art, a good deal of science, a healthy measure of marketing smarts and a little touch of crystal ball-reading.

            “We look at everything when we travel, “ he explained. “What is served in local restaurants? What do food-truck operators serve? These are great sources of ideas, because they are authentic regional foods.  This is the way people really eat, and it’s exciting to see a modern infusion of different styles. A mixture of cultures makes for great food.”

            What advice can Chef Pajor offer to at-home cooks who are hesitant to venture into preparing seafood? “Don’t overcook it! Always use a thermometer and bring the fish to 135 degrees, then take it away from the heat. Let it rest five minutes–it will finish off of the grill or out of the oven. It gets too done if you leave it longer, and it loses a lot of flavor. In fact, that goes for all food.  If you cook it to the proper degree of doneness, you get better color and flavor.”

            “Just remember, “ he added with a grin, ”it’s already dead. No need to kill it again!”

            Another common mistake home chefs make is using the wrong application for cooking seafood. “People often grill when they should bake, or bake when they should sear,” Chef Pajor explained. “Look around on the internet for recipes. It’s a great source for new ideas and proper technique.”

            “If you are just starting out, try preparing salmon,” he suggested. “It lends itself to a multitude of flavors. Some people use cedar planks when preparing fish, but you might want to try wrapping the fish in cedar paper instead. That’s a really nice, easy meal. You can buy the paper in local grocery stores.”

            What’s Chef Pajor’s favorite dinner? He thought he might leave the seafood at work and indulge in a perfectly charcoal-grilled hamburger. No, cheeseburger. But not just any cheese- maytag blue cheese, topped with applewood smoked bacon and a slice of fresh tomato. With a helping of very traditional potato salad topped off with fresh dill or chives. Followed with an ice-cold beer.

            And how about is favorite celebrity chef? Nick Pajor likes Rick Bayliss. “I like what he’s done with the regionality of Mexican food.”

            For his final bit of advice, Chef Pajor encourages the rest of us.  “Be fearless. Cook what you like, and don’t pay attention to what you think other people expect. Simple flavors make the best meals.”

Elegant Island Living Magazine Photo Shoot

The June issue of Elegant Island Living Magazine includes a feature story on entertaining outdoors. Photographed by John Toth of The Darkroom on St. Simons Island, "A Taste of Summer" includes recipes from the "A Taste of Glynn Cookbook," which is a fundraiser for Amity House, Hope House and other Glynn Community Crisis Center programs and activities.

The spread was photographed at the beautiful St. Simons Island home of Adgate and Dargan Cole, and featured a variety of Elegant Island Living friends and associates from throughout the area. Too see the article online, visit the Elegant Island Living's website by clicking this link.