Indie Grits Kickoff Party

My apologies for being the worst blogger on the face of the planet.  In my defense, a new round of classes just started for me and work has been utterly insane, so the motivation to do anything other than study, work, eat, and sleep has been in short supply.  But I'm back now and am even trying a new lunch spot today, so stay tuned.


I really wanted to do an in-depth post on the Indie Grits kickoff party that I was lucky enough to attend, but given that it was two weeks ago, it's not really very timely.  Instead, I'm going to link you over to a post on the subject by my plus one for the evening, The April Blake.  She has a great recap of the event, including some of the activities we participated in (make your own Lite Brite anyone?), and the food we ate.  The event was a blast, and it was packed.  The music was entertaining and the dance floor was at capacity.  A good time all around.  Many thanks for the tickets.


The one thing I really do want to comment on was Chef Scott Hall's catering.  He and his staff set up a grits bar - lots of grits plus some amazing toppings.  Here's the thing.  I don't like grits.  It's mostly a texture thing.  I don't really like oatmeal or cream of wheat or things of that nature either.  Usually, I can manage to choke down about a spoonful of grits, and that's only when they are more cheese than grit.  So, despite knowing how awesome Scott's cooking is, I was a little unsure of how much I would be able to eat.  I fully intended to take my customary small spoonful and then top it with super fresh ingredients like wasabi peas (amazing), cilantro & lime slaw, fried leeks (again, amazing), marinated mushrooms, strawberries, bleu cheese, collards, and assorted salsas.  And then I tried the grits.  And they were divine.  They were so creamy and so well flavored (and vegan!) that I could have used a lot less of the toppings.  If grits were always like this, I would eat them way more often.


Right.  So head over to April's blog and read her post.  And then, hopefully tomorrow, head over to my Facebook page for my own pictures of the event.


I hope some of you were able to make it to some of the Indie Grits events.  The schedule looked amazing, but unfortunately, I was only able to make it to the kickoff party.  If you made it to any of the other events, and want to recap them, let me know.  I'll be happy to post a guest blog or two.

Indie Grits Film Festival

Sometimes Columbia offers some really awesome events.  One such event begins this weekend, and runs for 10 days (April 19 - 29): The Indie Grits Film Festival.  Created and presented by the Nickelodeon Theatre, Indie Grits is about much more than just film.  While there are several films to see (obviously), there is also music, crafts, art, and, of course, food.  Make sure you check the website (or the full press release after the jump) for a full listing of events.  But for those of you just interested in the food aspect of Indie Grits, here's a quick rundown:

• Slow Food Columbia at Indie Grits Dinner.  This is basically the kickoff party.  You can preview the festival, listen to a couple of DJs, and make your own Lite Brite (!), but most importantly, you can sample Chef Scott Hall's Artisan Grits bar.  Scott Hall is the mastermind behind Hungry Lady and Columbia favorite, Bone-In BBQ.  Hall also owns Scott Hall Catering & Event Design, and as such is serving up Adluh stone ground yellow grits with assorted toppings like wasabi peas, crispy fried local herbs, shallot cream, artisan cheeses, assorted chutneys and salsas, and more! Slow Food Columbia is sponsoring a few of the ingredients so that more sustainable, local ingredients can be included.

• Slow Food at Indie Grits: Sustainable Chefs Showcase. This event is Sunday, April 22 at 4 p.m. at the All-Local Farmer's Market at 711 Whaley. This event was incredibly popular last year! At least 10 chefs from all of the best restaurants in town will be serving tastes of a dish made with at least one sustainable, local ingredient (most use plenty of local ingredients).

• And finally, we have a few Make events including an event at Motor Supply where Chef Tim Peters will teach you how to make your own charcuterie, and an event with Kristian Niemi at Rosso is also going to teach attendees how to make something wonderful at another Make event. 

• There are also a few foodie films being shown, including Eating Alabama, which just premiered at SXSW.

As it happens, this Hungry Lady has an extra pass to the kickoff party.  She is currently taking applications for someone to be her plus one.  If you have any interest in attending (and come on....it's totally worth it because of the Lite Brite station), just let me know.  It's from 7-11 p.m. this Thursday at 701 Whaley.

Need more info?  Check out the full press release after the jump....