Magazine
I T Y CK C P U #TO D TR O FO
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
from the editor winter 2016 | Volume 11, No. 1
Welcome to the 10-year anniversary edition of Topeka Magazine! We’re celebrating this milestone in the manner we know best—releasing a special edition, this one focusing on recipes, restaurants, iconic dishes and good eating. The foodie party begins with our cover—a delightful, whimsical tribute to Topeka’s growing foodtruck culture created by Kansas artist Marilyn Naron— and continues through every page of this issue with a gathering of some of our favorite recipes over the past ten years, a photo and recipe homage to potatoes (there’s a Topeka connection there), a very American story of a very Ukrainian borscht, a conversation and dinner with one of the city’s culinary trendsetters and our pick for the city’s top 25 iconic dishes. Food stories have been a staple of our publication since our first issue, and we think it is an ideal theme for uniting a community. By our very nature and name, our magazine seeks to be a publication relevant and respectful to all Topekans. This, then, is the symbolic table we’ve spread for our celebration. We’d be delighted if you take a seat and enjoy the feast.
A group of friends (from left: Dave Frederick, Elize Ramos, Forrest Wright, Ryan Wills, Jodi Wills and Greg Fox) raise a toast in Greg Fox’s home kitchen. (See related story on page 54.)
— Nat h a n P e t t e n g i l l , E d i t o r
Please contact us at topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com for all comments, subscription and editorial queries.
Editor Nathan Pettengill Art Director/Designer
Jenni Leiste
Copy Editor
Leslie Andres
Contributing Writers Linda A. Ditch Kim Gronniger Carolyn Kaberline Barbara Waterman-Peters Contributing Illustrator
Advertising Peterson Publications, Inc. publish@petersonpublications.com Representative (785) 271-5801 Ad Designer Jenni Leiste Contributing Jason Dailey Photographers Richard Daley Brian Goodman Katie Moore Bill Stephens Doug Stremel Mike Yoder
Marilyn Naron
Subscriptions $22 (tax included) for a one-year subscription to Topeka Magazine Sunflower Publishing GENERAL MANAGER
Katy Ibsen
Production Team Leader
Shelly Bryant
Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of Ogden Publications. Ogden Publications 1503 SW 42nd St Topeka, KS 66609
sunflowerpub.com topekamag.com
WHAT’S inside winter 2016 | Volume 11, No. 1
t o pe k ans 12 Artists of the Month
A recap of our most recent picks to honor the city’s art community
14 A good place to cook potatoes
A tribute to the tubers that gave our city its name
18 takeaway borscht
A heritage recipe accompanies a young woman and her new sisters to their new home in a new country
l o cale 22 our 10 favorite recipes
We select some of the dishes that we loved to cook again and again from the past decade of original recipes appearing in these pages
32 pull-out poster
Celebrating 10 years of Topeka Magazine covers
p o tat o l o g y 34 ode to the potato
An homage to Topeka’s tuber roots
Feat u r es 46 25 iconic topeka dishes
Our choices for the dishes that have shaped the city
54 The Rowhouse way
By tapping a collaboration of ideas, one restaurant has helped define Topeka’s taste and usher in new trends
On the Cover
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IT Y PC UCK #T O D TR O FO
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“The 10-Year Anniversary Food Issue Food Truck,” original illustration by Marilyn Naron.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
topeka talk
A mango and cream dessert from New City Café; photograph by Jason Dailey from the archives of Topeka Magazine.
Fall/Winter 2016-17
TOPEKA SR Katie's Victory
This November, we released the latest copy of our sister publication, Topeka SR, with the cover story of an area senior who worked as a real-life Rosie the Riveter. Go online at sunflowerpub.com to learn where to find a copy.
Meet Kathleen SherroW: a real-liFe roSie the riveter Who helped Win WW ii
+Being Santa, Naturally +Retiring with Alpacas +Preserving Trojan History
Our Biggest Treat
(Working with a talented group of contributors)
There are many people behind the production of Topeka Magazine, but the most valuable have been and continue to be our core of Topeka residents (and a few who have lived near Topeka) who write, photograph and contribute ideas for the publication. As a community publication, we simply could not have produced 10 years of an awardwinning magazine without them. Some of our contributors have moved from Topeka, and others are no longer able to work with us, but we want to thank them all for their work. So here’s a great, heartfelt dose of
we want to hear from you
topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com
gratitude for Pam Alexander, Thomas Fox Averill, Jamie Borgman, Julie K. Buzbee, Daniel W. Coburn, Jason Dailey, Anita Miller Fry, Meredith Fry, Marsha H. Goff, Jeffrey Ann Goudie, Kim Gronniger, Stacey Kessler, Carolyn Kaberline, Linda A. Ditch, Suzanne Heck, Cale Herreman, Kathy Lafferty, Vilay Luangraj, Vernon McFalls, Eric McHenry, Katie Moore, Cheryl Nelsen, Darby Oppold, Marian Rakestraw, Karen Ridder, Francie Forrestt Riley, Marsha Sheahan, Christine Steinkuehler, Bill Stephens, Debra Stufflebean, Nancy Vogel, Barbara Waterman-Peters and Sandi Wilber.
facebook.com/topekamag
@TopekaMagazine
Next Issue The next issue of Topeka Magazine releases in March 2017 and will be full of stories about homes and gardens. This issue will also revive our readers’ submission photography contest.
History Our #TodayInTopekaHistory project continues each weekday online on our Facebook and Twitter site. Follow us through social media for updates on the inspiring, monumental and sometimes quirky incidents from our city’s past.
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topekans
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016 Story by
Barbara Waterman-Peters |
Photography by
Bill Stephens
Artists of the
month A recap of our most recent picks to honor the city’s art community
Recent ceramic work by Monette Mark
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Monette Mark Monette Mark has transferred years of working as New York City graphic designer into a successful career as an artist and educator at Washburn University. The ceramic forms she creates are sensuous and appealing, almost demanding to be felt. “I like to show in galleries that allow touching,” she says. Pale colors, reminiscent of flesh, make up her usual palette. But this artist continues to evolve, exploring mural work and the chemistry of firing clay. “I am playing to see what I can do with the materials and ideas; my work is always in transition,” Mark says.
Michael Bradley After a long career as an educator, arts administrator and social worker, Michael Bradley is now retired and working in the ceramics studio at Washburn University where he investigates forms, techniques and new ceramic designs. In Bradley’s work, surfaces vary from smooth to strongly textured; colors dance across them in delicate patterns and lively marks. “Currently I am thinking about content such as environmental issues,” explains Bradley. But wherever his art leads, it will surely result in finished works that invite engagement and wonder.
About the Writer: Barbara Waterman-Peters writes, paints, exhibits, teaches and manages Studio 831 in the North Topeka Arts District (NOTO).
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topekans
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016 Story by
Linda A. Ditch |
Photography by
Bill Stephens
A Good Place to Cook
Potatoes A tribute to the tubers that gave our city its name
topekans
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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A
ccording to the official language project of the Kanza nation (the people who were living around Topeka in the mid 1800s) the name of our capital city is a variation of dópik’è, meaning a location where one could dig prairie turnips. Believed to be either Psoralea esculenta or Pediomelum esculentum, these plants are identified by field guides as having been common on the Plains. The city’s Euro-American settlers, however, began to refer to these flowering plants as a type of potato. Thus, the meaning of “Topeka” became accepted as “a good place to dig potatoes.” Even if this description for our city is a misinterpretation, it became strangely appropriate as waves of immigrants, such as the Volga Germans, settled in the area and found that the Topeka soil actually was a good place to plant and dig a staple of their diets—potatoes. We thought it was time to pay tribute to the humble root with a photo homage to potatoes on pages 34-43 and three of the best variations on the classic potato salad recipe.
Grandma’s Homemade Potato Salad
LeAnn Stephens and her daughter, Julie Kisler, gather in Stephens’ kitchen to create a classic family recipe, Grandma’s potato salad. The recipe’s name comes from its creator, Stephens’ grandmother. However, Kisler says, “I call it Mama’s potato salad because I make it with my mama.” Stephens describes herself as a dump cook because of her method of dumping everything together instead of being more precise. It’s a method she learned on her own. “My grandmother was a cook,” she remembers. “My mother was not a cook. Because she didn’t cook, I learned to cook. It was a matter of survival.” According to Stephens, the secret to Grandma’s potato salad recipe is to bake the potatoes the day before. Grandma also mixed it up in a dishpan, so a large bowl is required. In true dump-cook fashion, Stephens measures the mustard by squirting a line once around the bowl. The one recipe element that differs from the original is salt. Stephens explains, “Whenever I said we are making Grandma’s potato salad, everyone always said, ‘Don’t put as much salt in it as she did!’”
Recipe Feeds: 8–10 adults Prep time: 9 hours (includes baking and chilling time)
Ingredients 5 pounds potatoes Butter, for the potatoes 3 eggs ½ onion, diced 4 stalks celery, diced 12 to 14-ounce jar mayonnaise 1 tablespoon mustard 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes. Spread butter on the outside of the potatoes and wrap them individually in foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes, until cooked through. 2. While the potatoes are baking, boil the eggs until they are hard. Drain when done. 3. Place both the hardboiled eggs and the baked potatoes into the refrigerator to cool for about 4 hours (or you can leave them in the refrigerator overnight). 4. Unwrap the potatoes, peel, and cut into large dice. Place the cut-up potatoes into a very large bowl. (Grandma used a dishpan.) Peel and dice the hardboiled eggs and add to the bowl, then add the other ingredients. Stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. 5. Refrigerate for 3–4 hours, or overnight.
Larger potatoes work well for the Grandma’s Homemade Potato Salad recipe
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
topekans
From left: Neighborhood Potato Salad, German Potato Salad and Grandma’s Homemade Potato Salad
“I learned to cook. It was a matter of survival.” – LeAnn Stephens
Neighborhood Potato Salad
On a hot Saturday afternoon, neighbors gather on the back deck to drink cool beverages and chat. As the afternoon wore on, someone mentions being hungry. I suggest, “Want to fire up the grill? I think I have some hot dogs in the freezer.” That’s how it was in this neighborhood from my past. All of us were from other areas of the country, so not only did we become friends but we also created our own family—with the help of food. We celebrated Thanksgiving as a neighborhood, with everyone bringing their favorite family dishes to that year’s designated host home. If one of our actual family members visited for the holiday, they were included in the fun. Everyone had specialty food the rest of us always requested. Lee was the grill master. John made a savory sausage stuffing. Steve brought a family eggnog recipe that made us tipsy and happy. And Kathy brought a potato salad to every cookout. Different from traditional versions, the skin was left on the red potatoes, and the dressing featured sour cream and dill. It is the perfect accompaniment to grilled steaks and spicy sausages.
Recipe Feeds: 8 adults Prep time: 5 hours (including chilling time)
Ingredients 3 pounds red potatoes, cut into cubes with skin on ½ cup mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried dill 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried parsley ½ medium red onion, diced 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions 1. Boil potatoes in salted water until just done. Drain and set aside to cool. 2. In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients and then toss in the cooled potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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German Potato Salad
My paternal grandmother was a country cook. A large bucket of lard sat near her stove at the ready for any frying need, and everything from piecrusts to noodles and cookies were made from scratch and without any recipes. And that was the problem. Everyone in my family has a favorite dish that Grandma would make for family gatherings—noodles in chicken broth, apple dumplings, butterscotch pie. When Grandma died, her recipes went with her. Our memories stayed. My Uncle Pete (actually, his name is Roy, but everyone calls him “Pete” for some reason) wanted to make Grandma’s German potato salad, so he set out on a quest to figure out the recipe. Here is his final result. Served warm, this salad is a wonderful accompaniment to a smoky ham or pork chops—fried in lard, of course.
Recipe Feeds: 8 adults Prep time: 30-45 minutes Ingredients 5 slices bacon 1 cup chopped onion ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour ½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup hot water ½ cup vinegar 6 cups cubed cooked potatoes
Instructions 1. Boil and cube potatoes then set them aside. 2. In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to drain on paper towels. 3. Using 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the skillet (add oil if necessary to get the correct amount), sauté the onion until tender and translucent. Add the sugar, flour, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Gradually add the hot water and vinegar. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thickened. 4. Put the potatoes and crumbled bacon into a large bowl. Pour the warm onion mixture over the top. Stir to combine. Serve warm.
About the Writer: Linda A. Ditch is a Topekabased writer and writing workshop leader who specializes in culinary stories.
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topekans
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016 Story by
Linda A. Ditch |
Photography by
Bill Stephens
Takeaway
Borscht A heritage recipe accompanies a young woman and her new sisters to their new home in a new country
topekans
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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T
here are two clues that sisters Tatiana, Natalie and Angela Jenkins did not grow up in Topeka. The first is a trace of a mesmerizing, lovely Ukrainian accent and the second is the three sisters’ unshakeable preference for Ukrainian cooking. “I remember our first day here and we go to Old Chicago,” Tatiana says one recent Sunday afternoon while chopping parsley and working with her sisters to prepare their favorite Ukrainian dishes. “Mom ordered me a salad. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t right.” Next to her, Natalie is busy making a Ukrainian salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, oil and vinegar. She notes radishes should also be included, but the sisters forgot to buy some. In any case, for Natalie, a radish-less salad is still preferable to what she conceives of as American food: pizza, tacos and olives. The one exception is McDonald’s, the sisters’ fast-food shop of choice. The third sister, Angela, busies herself at the stove tending to a pot of soup her late Ukrainian mother taught her to make when she was eight years old. The simmering mixture consists of chicken legs, onions, potatoes, and cabbage simmering in a tomato-based broth. It is a borscht variation common in portions of the former Soviet Union, just not the beet-based borscht that many Americans associate with the name. There are dozens of variations of this staple dish. And while all of them might be good, Angela doesn’t recommend mixing up recipes. “You can put in beets, but it tastes weird,” she says with a grimace. Of course, having three sisters in a kitchen does not always lead to consensus. For a few minutes, the cooking is interrupted by a heated discussion in Ukrainian—a barbed-vowel debate over the ideal amount of water for boiling potatoes. But otherwise, the sisters work in harmony. After all, together, these young women have already faced more hardship and difficulties in their young lives than most adults. All three lived in the same Ukrainian orphanage, which they call a boarding school. But in 2013, Angela, now 19, had the opportunity to spend the summer with Don and Lisa Jenkins of Topeka. It was a period with a set return date—but it left open a possibility of formal adoption at some point afterward. At the end of the summer, Lisa took Angela to New York to join the other boarding school students returning to Ukraine. There, Angela introduced Lisa to her friends Natalie, now 17, and Tatiana, now 19, sisters who had been at the orphanage for 11 years after their parents were deemed unable to care for them. Angela shared her wish that not only she be adopted—but that Tatiana and Natalie be adopted with her as sisters. The Jenkins decided to make that dream come true. On their first visit to Ukraine in November 2013, they discovered Tatiana and Natalie had a little brother, Roman, now 10, who lived in an orphanage for special needs children because he has microcephaly. The Ukrainian government informed the Jenkins that if they wanted the girls, Roman had to be adopted, too. The couple decided to take them all.
Three sisters, (from left) Tatiana, Angela and Natalie Jenkins, combine their talents in the kitchen to create a heritage Ukrainian meal.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
The adoption was finalized in February 2014, but the struggle wasn’t over. The family was trapped for almost a month in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev due to the street fights between pro-European and pro-Russian forces. Once the family was able to leave, the girls settled into their Topeka home and started classes at Seaman High School. Here, life seemed to smooth out. The sisters’ English improved and they made friends. They went to school dances, rollerskated, bowled and became a part of the family’s softball team. In the fall of 2015, they started their senior year and made plans for graduation. That was when Don Jenkins suffered a massive stroke after open heart surgery. What followed was five weeks of going to StormontVail hospital’s intensive care unit to visit him, and then being separated from both their new parents as Don and Lisa spent the next three months at rehab facilities in Nebraska.
The recovery continues, but Don was able to attend his daughters’ graduation and send them off to college. This year, the sisters are firstyear students at Washburn University. Tatiana is following her dream of studying art. Angela and Natalie are in the physical therapy assistant program, inspired in part by the therapists who helped their dad learn to walk again. Their experience might be an atypical story of teenage life in America, but life— like borscht—comes with all sorts of possible variations. Back in the kitchen, the sisters put finishing touches on their Ukrainian meal. Borscht is ladled into large bowls and topped with a huge dollop of sour cream. The boiled potatoes are tossed with browned onions and hot oil and dressed with a sprinkling of parsley. Then, in true universal-teen style, the UkrainianAmerican trio pull out their cell phones to snap photos of their creations.
About the Writer: Linda A. Ditch is a Topekabased writer and writing workshop leader who specializes in culinary stories.
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Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
Angela’s Heritage Borscht Feeds: 6-8 adults Prep time: 60–90 minutes Ingredients 2 pounds chicken drumsticks 2 tablespoons oil ½ large onion, diced 1 carrot, grated 2½ pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
1 large can (29 ounces) tomato sauce 1 bag (10 ounces) coleslaw Salt and pepper, to taste Sour cream, to garnish
Instructions 1. Place the chicken drumsticks to cook in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover the legs by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. 2. As the drumsticks simmer, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and grated carrot. Sauté until onions are tender. Set aside. 3. Skim the top of the water in the pot to remove any foam and excess fat from the cooking chicken. Add the potatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes. 4. Add the cooked onions and carrot (with the oil), tomato sauce and coleslaw to the pot. Continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, another 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 5. Serve the soup in large bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
Ukrainian Potatoes Feeds: 4–6 adults Prep time: 30 minutes Ingredients 3 pounds small red-skinned potatoes 2 tablespoons oil
½ large onion, diced ½ cup chopped parsley
Instructions 1. Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes into a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 10 to 20 minutes. 2. As the potatoes cook, heat the oil in a skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the onions and sauté until browned. 3. Drain the cooked potatoes and place in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked onion with the oil and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Toss in the parsley.
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Locale
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016 Story by
Carolyn Kaberline |
Photography by
Bill Stephens
Our 10 Favorite
recipes We select some of the dishes that we loved to cook again and again from the past decade of original recipes appearing in these pages
Over the past ten years, Topeka Magazine has published more than 60 recipes, providing dishes for all occasions from casual backyard gatherings to formal affairs. But most importantly, these dishes have come to us from kitchens across the city: heritage recipes, family favorites and original inventions. For this anniversary issue, we reconnected with the chefs who created some of our favorites and bring their recipes back to you.
Locale
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Pakodi (onion fritters)
This recipe appeared in the fall 2011 edition of Topeka Magazine in an article highlighting some of the favorite homemade dishes appearing at the annual Topeka India Fest. Jaya Challa contributed this recipe that is a popular appetizer in her southern India, where she grew up as a child. Challa has lived in Topeka for three decades and oversees a medical clinic in the city, but her pantry remains filled with caraway seeds, nutmeg, saffron, cilantro, cinnamon and other spices essential for authentic Indian dishes. Since she first provided us this recipe, Challa says she has experimented with it by adding either tender baby kale or chopped dill to the recipe. If you want to try this variation, place 3/4 cup of kale or 1/4 cup of dill into the dry ingredients—either works, says Challa, but don’t use both in the same recipe.
Ingredients 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil for frying ½ cup besan (chickpea flour) ½ cup rice flour 1½ teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ½ bunch finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon mint leaves (optional) 8 to 10 curry leaves 1 tablespoon finely chopped green chili Salt to taste 3 Vidalia onions (finely sliced) 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions 1. Heat 2-3 cups of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. 2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, adjusting spices to taste. Add ginger garlic paste, cilantro, mint, curry leaves, chili, salt and sliced onions. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil into dough. Let the mixture sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Moisture from the onions should release and form a semi-stiff dough. If the mixture remains stiff after 30 minutes, add a small amount of water to create a semi-stiff texture. 3. Heat frying pan to medium or medium high heat. Drop small portions of the onion mixture into the pan. When the fritters turn golden brown, drain them on a paper towel. Serve hot. Continue adding oil and onion mixture until finished.
Soup
Yellow Curry
Tuptim Thai’s yellow curry soup recipe appeared in the spring 2010 issue of our magazine. The restaurant has changed hands since then, but current manager Vincent Mustacchio says this soup remains a staple on the menu (though red and green curry soup are now also served).
Ingredients 14-ounce can coconut milk 4 ounces choice of meat (chicken, pork or shrimp but tofu or mixed vegetables can be used for a vegetarian option) 4 ounces cooked potatoes, chopped into bite-size chunks
½ of a small yellow onion, chopped 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder (use the pre-made brand of your choice) 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
Instructions 1. Heat coconut milk in a medium saucepan until boiling. 2. Add meat and continue boiling. 3. When meat is done, add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer until onions are soft, about 2 minutes, but adjust to preference. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over cooked rice.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
Chef Alli’s recipe of Cowtown cheese grits appeared in the winter 2014 issue of Topeka Magazine as part of a series of recipes celebrating the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library’s Big Read selection, the Western classic True Grit. Two years later, Chef Alli often works as a consultant for farm and ranch organizations while presenting classes on pressure cooking— especially electric pressure cooking—at the Fairlawn Plaza shops Kitchen Gallery and Sweet.
Feeds: 8 to 10 people Preparation Time: 60 to 90 minutes, not including roasting Ingredients: 4-5 roasted green chiles, skins removed (see roasting directions below) 1-2 roasted jalapenos, skins removed (see roasting directions below) 1 head roasted garlic (see roasting directions below) ½ cup chopped cilantro
Cowtown
Cheese Grits
6 cups chicken broth 1 1/ cup hominy grits 3 eggs, beaten ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Kosher salt and ground white pepper
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees if using a glass baking dish). Spray a 9-by13-inch baking dish (or 10-by-12-inch cast-iron skillet) with nonstick spray and set aside. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, place roasted green chiles, jalapenos, cilantro and garlic; process until smooth and set aside. 3. To a large saucepan, add chicken broth and grits and combine well; bring grits to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and continue to cook, whisking often, while grits thicken. 4. When grits have thickened, remove from heat. Place eggs into a bowl and temper them by adding a small amount of hot grits; stir to combine. Add tempered eggs to the saucepan of grits and combine well; stir in butter, cheeses and the prepared chile-jalapeno-garlic mixture. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, then pour mixture into prepared baking dish. 5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, uncovered, until center is set. Let grits rest for 10 minutes before serving. Grits may have a cornbread appearance on top, but should be soft and silky on the inside. How to Oven-Roast Green Chiles and Jalapenos: 1. Cut chiles and jalapenos in half lengthwise and use a small spoon to scrape out seeds and membranes. 2. Preheat oven broiler. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil and spray with nonstick spray. 3. Spread chiles and jalapenos cut-side-down across foil on baking sheet. 4. Place baking sheet under broiler, keeping a close eye on peppers as they will blister quickly. When peppers are blackened and blistered, remove from oven. Immediately pull foil up around peppers and close tightly to steam for 10 minutes. Open foil and rub peppers with fingers to remove blackened skin; it should slip off easily. Peppers are ready to use. How to Oven-Roast Garlic Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. With a sharp knife, slice off pointed head of garlic, exposing the ends of the cloves. Wrap garlic loosely in heavy foil and bake for approximately 50-55 minutes or until garlic head feels soft to the squeeze. Remove from oven and let cool completely. To use garlic, turn head over and squeeze gently to force out roasted cloves. Using a fork, mash cloves in a bowl until garlic forms a paste.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
Pepper Salad
Jenny Hodge’s Famous
Although this has not been the best year for growing peppers because of all the moisture, Norman Hodge still grew enough for his wife, Jenny, to make her famous pepper salad that was shared in our spring 2011 issue. Since the recipe makes use of several types and colors of peppers, it’s perfect for special occasions. After teaching for 30 years at Indian Creek School in the Seaman District, Norman now works for the Kansas State Historical Society and conducts tours of the capitol building. And this coming summer, he plans on planting more peppers.
Ingredients 5 Italian variety yellow peppers 5 Italian variety green peppers 5 Italian variety red peppers ½ red onion ¾ cup sugar substitute ½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ scant cup olive oil ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning ¼ teaspoon basil 1 garlic clove, minced Salt to taste Pepper to taste
Instructions Slice peppers and onions. Combine in a large bowl with remaining ingredients.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
Crème
Brûlée
Prepared at least twice a year for special occasions, Rebecca Martin’s crème brûlée, also known as burnt crème, requires only four ingredients; however, she says the addition of grated orange peels or liqueur will add even more flavor. Martin, managing editor of Mother Earth News, says the dish, which appeared in our spring 2013 edition, is simple to make and is best if made with local ingredients.
Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream ½ cup granulated white sugar 1 vanilla bean 5 large egg yolks
1½ tablespoons Grand Marnier orange and cognac liqueur, (optional) Grated orange peel, optional Extra granulated sugar for torching
Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place four empty ramekin dishes in a pan as deep as the ramekins. 2. Mix cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Using a small sharp knife, horizontally split vanilla bean and scrape seeds out. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. (Martin takes a whole vanilla bean pod and carefully slits the pod open lengthwise to expose the many seeds contained in it. She scrapes the dull side of a knife along the pod to remove the vanilla seeds and puts them in the saucepan along with the pod itself. The vanilla pod and seeds infuse a rich flavor into the crème and sugar mixture.) 3. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer, making sure the mixture does not boil, which could result in scalding. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently for up to 10 minutes. Strain into large measuring cup. 4. Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Slowly whisk crème mixture into yolks. Caution: If you add too quickly you’ll have scrambled eggs. Divide custard mixture among ramekin dishes. Pour hot water into the pan surrounding the ramekins so that the water comes up to nearly the top of the ramekin. (The water helps the custard mixture cook evenly once they are placed in the oven and cool slowly after they come out.) Transfer the pan to the oven. 5. Bake custards for about 35 minutes until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken. 6. Cool for 30 minutes until the custards are at room temperature; the dessert can be refrigerated for up to two days.
7. Prepare the topping just before serving by sprinkling 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of custard. Light torch. Keep torch moving on the surface of the custard until the sugar caramelizes. Let sit for 30 seconds to one minute, until the sugar hardens.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Pastachina Joanie Underwood’s heritage Italian dish found in the fall 2015 issue of this magazine has become a Christmas meal tradition for her family. Underwood traces the dish’s heritage back to her family’s branch of immigrants from the Calabria region of southern Italy. Now that her husband is retired, she is looking forward to a tour of Italy, so she can learn more about Italian cooking.
Preparation time: Approximately 3 hours (ideally prepared one day to one week in advance)
Feeds: 8–12
Meatballs Ingredients 1 pound ground beef round (can substitute turkey) 2 slices dried bread (soak in water, then squeeze out water) ¼ cup Parmesan cheese ½ teaspoon salt
Pasta ½ teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon parsley ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon oregano 2 eggs beaten with a fork 1 23-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
Instructions 1. Place ingredients in large bowl and mix. Use a small ice cream scoop to form meatballs, then drop meatballs into a skillet of boiling water. Remove when they turn gray. Transfer to a pot of spaghetti sauce of your choosing and simmer for one hour.
Ingredients 1 32-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce 1 16-ounce box of mostaccioli or rigatoni, cooked al dente ¼ cup mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup provolone, shredded ¼ cup ricotta 2 boiled eggs, sliced ¼ cup Parmesan, shredded
Instructions 1. Layer ingredients in a large casserole dish starting first with the sauce and meatballs, pasta, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and sliced eggs. Repeat twice, then end with the sauce and Parmesan on top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and center is hot.
28
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
Pound Cake Baileys Irish Cream
Even though she gives programs on cooking and writing around Topeka and neighboring cities at festivals, church events and most recently at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, Linda Polly, author of Midwest Moms Recipes & Advice from the Heartland, still finds time to cook and share food almost weekly with friends, family and charities. This is one of her recipes from a spring 2010 edition story where we asked cooks to prepare a St. Patrick’s Day dish. Polly offered this sweet and extremely easy dish as a tribute to the thrift and adaptability of her Irish ancestors.
Ingredients 1 package (18-ounce) yellow cake mix 1 package (3.4-ounce) instant chocolate pudding mix 4 eggs 1 cup oil
½ cup Baileys Irish Cream liqueur 2 teaspoons vanilla Glaze ½ cup powdered sugar ¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
Instructions 1. Combine all ingredients 2. Beat with electric mixer for 3 minutes 3. Pour batter into bundt cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes 4. While cake cooks, combine powdered sugar with liqueur, stirring until it reaches desired consistency. 5. Allow cake to cool before topping with glaze. 6. Garnish with fresh strawberry or other fruit.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
29
Soup
Rum tum ditty
Cool weather is the perfect backdrop for both football and warm soups, and Jenna Powell Runyan’s heritage recipe for rum tum ditty soup printed in the winter 2007 issue of Topeka Magazine manages to combine both. Born in the kitchen of Runyan’s grandmother and inspired by the family’s love for all things K-State purple, the soup is similar to taco soup but not as spicy. Runyan notes the soup even bridges the greatest divides as her “big-time KU basketball fan” husband often requests it.
Feeds: 8 Ingredients 1 pound of hamburger 1 onion, chopped 1 can of dark red beans (not drained) 1 17-ounce can of canned tomatoes (not drained)
1 17-ounce can of whole kernel corn (not drained) salt and pepper to taste 2/ pound of Velveeta cheese (cut in chunks)
Instructions 1. Brown hamburger and drain fat. 2. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese). 3. Simmer 2 hours on a low heat setting. 4. Just before serving, reheat and add cheese. Tastes great served with taco chips and relishes. Variations of this recipe: 1. If you have a lot of time, it may be made in slow cooker/ crock-pot. 2. If you’re in a rush, simply heat (don’t simmer) and add cheese right away. Serve when cheese has melted. Takes roughly 30 minutes!
30
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
Kale Soup
Holcomb’s Sausage &
Shawnda Holcomb and her husband, Jessy, are known to many in Topeka through the popular restaurant they own, Cook’s American Grill. At home, Holcomb cooks a variety of dishes, including this sausage and kale soup that appeared in the winter 2014 edition of Topeka Magazine. It’s particularly popular at the Holcomb home in the winter months, and the recipe comes from Jessy’s sister, Kelsey, who also furnished the original kale seeds for their garden.
Preparation time: 1 hours Feeds: 4-6 Ingredients 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil ½ pound all-natural pork breakfast sausage or ground pork 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 6 cups organic chicken broth
1 diced carrot 1 cup diced onion 1 cup chopped kale Dried sage, to taste Lemon pepper, to taste
Instructions 1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon into small pieces. Saute the sausage until brown. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the sausage and stir. Cook the flour for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with the chicken broth, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get up all of the brown bits. Add the carrots, onion, and kale. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with the sage and lemon pepper. 2. The soup can stay warm on the stove for as long as you wish. Shawnda Holcomb serves it with biscuits or cornbread muffins for Sunday supper. Shawnda also suggests adding any vegetables, such as celery, or a few potatoes if you like.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
31
Natalie Davis contributed this frittata recipe in the fall 2013 issue when the eggs for the recipe came from her family’s backyard chickens. Although she no longer keeps chickens at her central Topeka home, Davis says she still prepares frittatas at least twice a month for her husband, Aaron, and their four children. Traditional Italian frittatas often include such ingredients as ham, sausage, steak, spinach, yellow squash, onion, carrot and garlic. Davis says her children love many of the frittata variations, “as long as there’s lots of cheese.”
Preparation time: 30 mins. approx. Feeds: 5 Ingredients 9-10 fresh eggs 1 bunch fresh carrots 1 small onion ½ summer squash 2-4 garlic cloves
½-1 cup grated cheese 1 small handful fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley Salt and pepper to taste Butter (sufficient to grease an ovenproof pan or wok)
Instructions 1) Grease a large oven-proof pan with butter and set on burner. Do not turn the burner on yet. 2) Chop up all of the veggies to the size of your liking and add them to a large mixing bowl. 3) Add grated cheese, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the top of the frittata after it’s done cooking. 4) Turn the burner to medium-high setting. Start cracking eggs into a mixing bowl. 5) Mix everything thoroughly, then pour mixture into the now-hot frying pan. Set timer for five minutes and do not mix or stir once it is in the pan. 6) After five minutes, allow frittata to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, but check often as you proceed with the next step. 7) Place the oven rack at the very top, and turn the oven to broil. Once the frittata has cooked through, except for the very top center, place it in the oven, next to the broiler, for four minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. 8) Using oven mitts, remove the frittata from the oven. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and serve.
Davis
Frittata
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it was a blast that crowned an incredible, long career as an athlete, and now as a community volunteer. it was a shot that earned Gil Carter a place in baseball legend. Carter is on the other end of his sport from the high school rodeo competitors who share the pages with him in this spring edition. At the start of their young lives, they might or might not continue in their sport and leave a legacy as large as Carter. But that doesn’t make the present chase of their dreams any less compelling—for them, their family or the fans who might enjoy watching them in the ring. we hope you enjoy our tribute to Carter, the rodeo rising stars and other topekans in this issue of Topeka Magazine.
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Nonetheless, here’s the one big truth that comes out of all the missed record-keeping and retellings like a fast ball down the middle: That night, Gil Carter hit one heck of a wallop.
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Topeka Topeka
the records from the Carlsbad Potashers minor league baseball team note that on the night of August 11, 1959, Gil Carter—the subject of this edition’s cover story—hit a home run for a distance of 650 feet. But that was a safe estimate, a fudging of caution and disbelief when the actual measurements indicated 730 feet. Carter, a topeka native who has since returned to live in his hometown, remembers the distance set at 733 feet. Any way you mark it—that home run would have been a record. Could have been. But minor league teams at that time didn’t have a hotline to officials from the Guinness world Records. And so, baseball’s longest-home-run title officially belongs to Mickey Mantle, who whacked a ball 634 feet at an away game in Detroit in 1963.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
potatology Photography by
Doug Stremel
ode to the
potato
Tater Tot
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Fall 2016
potatology
potatology
ode to the
potato
Spud Muffin
40
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
potatology
ode to the
potato
Spudnik
potatology
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
ode to the
43
potato
Hot Potato
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
features 46
25 Iconic Topeka Dishes
54
The RowHouse Way
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
Ic on
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Dish
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Story by Linda A. Ditch Photography by Mike Yoder Illustrations by Marilyn Naron
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
Every region has—or should have—a unique range of dishes that represents its taste and character. In Topeka, these dishes are a combination of categories and recipes that reflect the town’s history and changing palate.
47
We asked our staff to join food writer Linda Ditch in assembling this list of the city’s 25 most iconic dishes, divided into 5 categories of 5 dishes (plus a bonus listing of 5 iconic drinks). These dishes do not necessarily represent one person’s or our group’s personal favorites, but rather the ones that best capture Topeka’s taste. Another list might be more trendy, more guiltypleasure, more caloric, or more nouvelle cuisine—but these are the dishes we believe to be the most iconic for Topeka.
Bob o’s D ouble C heeseburger opul ar and enduring.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Winter 2016
is p
48
We’re in the land of beef, so of course burgers are done large and well in Topeka. In the capital city’s most crowded of food categories, these dishes have reached iconic status for their popularity and longevity.
Bobo’s Double Cheeseburger 2300 SW 10th; 785-234-4511
Ask a Topekan where to get a hamburger, and chances are the first place they’ll recommend is Bobo’s. The restaurant is a city landmark, frying up its famous burgers since 1948. The original steakburger and the Spanish burger all have loyal followings, but Bobo’s double cheeseburger is the most popular and enduring.
The Pad’s Pad Burger
Chuckburger’s Chuckburger
1730 N.W. Topeka Blvd.; 785-234-3596
2318 SE 6th; 785-354-1540
Different from most quarterpound burgers, this one is topped with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and mayo.
Prize Package Double Cheeseburger 1420 SE 6th; 785-232-5764
An old-school fried cheeseburger at a reasonable price. In some sense, these are a Topeka version of midsized sliders. Order two.
The burger is good, but the Topeka twist comes from the signature Chuck sauce. It makes all the difference.
Speck’s Original Speck Burger 2105 SW Mission Ave.; 785-272-9749)
Eat this massive three-pound burger and the loaded plate of French fries served with it in 45 minutes or less, and your meal is free. That’s a proposition that has done in many Topeka bellies. Which is a shame, because this burger stands on its own. Order it … and share it with a couple of friends.
Winter 2016 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
ka .
e th e ts p c e To efl r n i o it d urr foo ster B an c i Lupita’s Mon ex of M ution natural evol
Tortilla Jack’s Burraco 1618 SW Washburn Ave.; 785-232-4091
Topeka is rich with Mexican food, a category that is everchanging as new communities arrive and shape standard dishes. Authentic Mexican and Central American cuisine is easily found, but the most popular dishes emerge as a synthesis of cultural tastes.
This bean and cheese tortilla has fueled many an Ichabod’s late-night study sessions and satisfied nighttime cravings for generations of Washburn University students—all at a low price.
Lupita’s Monster Burrito
1423 SW 6th; 785-357-7521
732 S. Kansas Ave.; 785-234-6340
As you would guess, this burrito gets its name because of its plate-filling size. A 10-inch tortilla is filled with rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and your choice of meat, and then smothered in queso sauce. Lupita’s Mexican restaurant has been around for more than 20 years, and the monster burrito is a newer creation that, in effect, reflects the natural evolution of Mexican food in Topeka. It was thought up by the founder’s son, David, approximately 10 years ago after customers challenged him to make a giant burrito. Luis Fernando “Fernie” Munoz, who now runs the restaurant, explains the burrito pays homage to David and his mother, who are both gone now. “We use my mother’s original recipes. The meat is spiced how she did it. The rice and beans are her recipes. The lettuce is cut how she wanted it. My mother’s recipes make the monster burrito what it is.”
Taco Casa Bean and Cheese Burrito The world has changed since Taco Casa opened in 1963, but this popular staple has continued to satisfy.
Taco Via’s Sancho 5300 SW 21st; 785-272-8030
Another favorite dish filled with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce, covered in a cheesy queso sauce. Order the platter to get refried beans and chips on the side.
Taco El Sol Steak and Potato Burrito 2124 SE 6th; 785-232-2556
A top seller at this authentic Mexican restaurant, this burrito is filled with seasoned steak, potato and cheese.
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With strong Old-Europe culinary roots, Topeka kitchens reflect a heritage of long days out in the fields ended with replenishing, homemade meals. Now, these dishes are called “comfort food,” but for many Topekans, these dishes are the definition of home cooking.
Porubsky’s Chili 508 N.E. Sardou; 785-234-5788)
C. W. Porubsky’s Deli and Tavern has been a mainstay in Topeka’s Little Russia neighborhood since 1947. And one of the main reasons for this is the house chili created by the grandmother of owner Charlie Porubsky, Jr. and served for decades. Quite simply put, this is Topeka’s gold standard of comfort food. But, don’t try to order a bowl on Fridays. The chili is only available Monday through Thursday because, back in the day, the food and household goods for the store were delivered on Fridays around lunchtime, so everyone was too busy to serve chili.
Hanover’s Pork Tenderloin 1034 S. Kansas Ave.; 785-232-1111
While Hanover is best known for serving breakfast, their pork tenderloin has won local renown for both its size (massive!) and taste (delicious).
Cook’s American Grill’s Country Fried Steak 1936 SW Gage Blvd.; 785-271-1415
A classic diner blue-plate meal of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans (or corn) and bread.
Chick-a-Dee’s Sausage Gravy and Biscuits 3036 SE 6th; 785-233-0216
The full order of two biscuits coated in sausage gravy has kept customers satisfied until dinnertime. a’s pek od. o T t fo li is for ’s chi om Porubsky c f o dard gold stan
McFarland’s Hot Roast Beef Sandwich 4133 SW Gage Center Dr.; 785-272-6909
Just like Grandma’s, with tender, flavorful roast beef covered with rich, dark gravy. Add in a side of mashed potatoes and green beans, and it feels like Sunday dinner at home.
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bo uf fin e o r sb fo u’ d s r a a Y nd ez ta Ch s a set
Fine dining is a relatively new concept in the 150-year history of the town. The dishes that made this list all reach a universally high standard, while also influencing the culture of eating out in the Kansas capital.
Chez Yasu Boeuf Bourguignon 2701 SW 17th; 785-357-1003
For 14 years, Chez Yasu (named for former chef Yasushi Hatasawa) has served classic French cuisine in a stylish, romantic atmosphere. The boeuf bourguignon has been on the menu since the beginning, and is continued under new head chef, Pablo Flores Few dishes are more associated with this gourmet French cuisine. (Julia Child made it on her first television show.) Essentially, it is a beef stew made with braised, boneless beef short ribs, onion, and mushrooms in a rich, flavorful red wine sauce. And the Chez Yasu version has set a standard for fine dining in Topeka for over a decade.
RowHouse Restaurant vegetarian entree
Topeka Country Club Grille Room “Le Fume” KC Strip
515 SW Van Buren St. 785-235-1700
2700 SW Buchanan 785-354-8561
Since opening a decade ago, RowHouse has helped define a style of authentic Americana based on local and seasonal produce. The vegetarian options tend to be surprise combinations but are always delightful, satisfying experiences.
Topeka has always had a goto location for quality steak. It’s in our culinary DNA. The Grille Room upholds this tradition with their dish of certified, Kansas-raised Black Angus beef.
Luis’ Place Killer Salad 435 S. Kansas Ave. 785-350-2028
In its past life, this gourmet salad with citrus tones had a cult following at New City Café, the former venture of owner Luis Guillen. Now the salad is back under a new name. Long may it live.
Tuptim Thai Tuptim Passion 785-266-2299
Though perhaps most famous for its money bags (an appetizer similar to crab rangoon), this restaurant has set a standard for quality gourmet Thai. The Passion dish—based largely on seafood and red curry—is an example of the staff’s ability to defy any low expectations for Midwest kitchens.
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Before candy was shipped by the truckload, dessert was the lovingly made and highly anticipated culmination to a good meal. These dishes reflect that well-prepared approach to desserts, each with loyal following throughout the city.
Bradley’s Corner Café Banana Meringue Pie 844 N. Kansas Ave.; 785-235-0086
Long before the NOTO district was hip, this café was a destination for pie lovers. Bradley’s makes a banana meringue pie that would make your grandma proud, but honestly, any flavor of pie they make has a loyal following and won’t disappoint.
G’s Frozen Custard and Yogurt Brown Bread Frozen Custard 1301 SW 6th; 785-234-3480
For more than 20 years, G’s has made frozen custard, which is richer and denser than traditional ice cream. Brown bread may seem like a strange flavor choice, but not for Topeka. Sandy Colley, who owned the shop until her son bought it a few years ago, says brown bread flavor ice cream was a popular treat sold and delivered around Topeka by a horse-drawn cart in the 1920s.
Annie’s Place Cinnamon Rolls 4014 SW Gage Center Drive; 785-273-0848
A made-fresh-daily way to start the morning. These rolls have jump-started the day for generations of Topekans.
Hazel Hill Caramel Apples 724 S. Kansas Ave.; 785-215-8883
. e gu ud ro ri n e p a am m nan nd a b a a gr kes ur s ma e yo Bradley’ k a m ould pie that w
Hazel Hill, a fresh, innovative shop when it arrived in Topeka, helped to set a standard for local-made sweets. But it would not have been able to do that had it not created a range of popular items. Sure, the chocolates are great, but Hazel Hill takes caramel apples to a whole different level, with flavors ranging from a cheesecake and apple pie to Oreo and M&M.
Billy Vanilly Death by Chocolate Cupcake 4036 SW Huntoon St.; 785-228-2300
For the past decade, Billy Vanilly has defined gourmet treats in Topeka. This popular choice is made with dark chocolate cake, a bittersweet chocolate ganache dip, and chocolate velvet frosting. What a way to go!
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Drinks like the PT’s latte helped usher in Topeka’s coffee sophistication.
What’s a nice meal without a good beverage to go with it? Here are our choices of iconic Topeka drinks.
PT’s at College Hill Latte 1635 SW Washburn Ave.; 785-408-5675
PT’s arguably helped usher in Topeka’s coffee sophistication. And its latte continues to set standards. The drink’s espresso is made from coffee beans purchased directly from the grower and then roasted here in Topeka. And the latte is made by talented baristas who have won national competitions.
Blind Tiger’s Tiger Bite IPA 417 SW 37th St.; 785-267-2739
This India Pale Ale is described as being Midwest style, which means a beer that is a little sweeter with more malt flavor and less hop bitterness than found elsewhere in the States.
Ree’s Fruit Farm Apple Cider 2476 K4 Hwy.; 785-246-3257
This cold, sweet beverage is full of apple flavor from localgrown fruit and a link to the area’s rich history of farms and orchards.
Top City Root Beer www.topcitysodapop.com for list of locations
An old-fashioned non-alcoholic root beer made here in Topeka. Hey, we were a big Prohibition town.
Glaciers Edge Winery Catawba Wine 1636 SE 85th, Wakarusa; 785-862-5421
A sweet white wine good enough to attract beer and cocktail fans and a reconnection to the region’s nearly lost vineyard heritage.
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RowHouse Way The
By tapping a collaboration of ideas, one restaurant has helped define Topeka’s taste and usher in new trends Story by Kim Gronniger | Photography by Brian Goodman
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or the past decade, chef Greg Fox has helped set the standard for fine dining in Topeka through his RowHouse Restaurant and its emphasis on fresh, seasonal and exquisite dinners. Currently, Fox and his crew typically serve up to 70 meals Wednesday through Sunday nights, and when they have free time they like to do much the same, joining forces to cook and entertain. On this night, Fox and his outgoing sous chef, Forrest Wright, have invited friends to Fox’s home for a celebratory dinner. The two chefs share an appreciation for fresh flavors and delightful flourishes—the sprinkle of an unexpected spice or a colorful squiggle of sauce. However, they also have distinctive differences in their approaches. Fox represents an older generation of chefs that ushered in the localvore era in the 1990s and through the turn of the century. Wright is part of a newer generation of chefs and the trend of molecular gastronomists, those who flourish on transforming foods through preparation. In the kitchen, their different approaches show up in many small ways. Fox prefers little cuts, and Wright likes big chunks. Fox prefers a dominant plant-based approach to meals, whereas Wright likes to incorporate meat—a lot of it. Of the two, Fox is the one who continually tidies as he goes. “I have to clean up as I go,” says Fox. “That’s my unbreakable rule. At the end of the day, you’re tired so it’s a good habit to get into.” Fox, a Topeka native, started his cooking career with Ted E. Bear’s at 19 before leaving the area to work for Sheraton, Hyatt, Starwood and other hoteliers. Although he didn’t attend a culinary school, Fox ran a successful coffee bar and lunch bistro in Nashville before deciding to return to Topeka in 2005. He opened the RowHouse Restaurant in 2007. “It’s turned out to be exactly what I hoped it would be,” says Fox. “I thought I’d bring in rotating chefs from other cities, but instead I’ve had a series of young people serving as chefs. I can let someone else’s vision come to the forefront, and I can be the helper.” Wright, who has worked in kitchens since he was 14, had been creating most of the RowHouse menus, which Fox would vet.
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Many of the dishes are favorites culled from Fox’s cookbook, but the sous chef frequently makes suggestions. Meals are prepared and sampled by the entire crew before being placed in front of guests. “At 4:30, we serve our staff, and there have been days when something hasn’t turned out like we thought it would, so we have had to adjust quickly,” says Fox. “Guests start arriving at 6, so we have to recover from our mistakes and figure something out.” “Many cooks are afraid that whatever they’re cooking won’t be perfect, but it’s like an art form,” says Wright. “I like to be courageous in my approach.” Fox agrees: “You have to be flexible and forgiving if you mess up a dish. Just keep cooking.” Flexibility is also key when tailoring meals—an increasingly important skill over the past decade as chefs adapt to accommodate food allergies and dietary restrictions. “We may only have a few minutes to reconstruct something without pepper or gluten, but we can alter dishes on the fly,” says Wright. Wright lived in various states and South American countries before moving to Topeka in 2000. Those travels helped him develop a preference for bold flavors. “I was the kid who ate bugs, and I’ve eaten every part of every animal you can think of,” he says. “I have an affinity for exotic things. I like to experiment with different spices and sauces and see what happens.” Fox’s go-to gastro delight as a youngster was a sandwich concoction he dubbed the Fox Burger: white bread with an assortment of whatever cold cuts and condiments he found in the fridge. Just as the chefs’ tastes have evolved from bugs and bologna, respectively, so too has Topeka’s food scene as more entrepreneurs and chefs open venues catering to increasingly diverse and sophisticated palates. “We have a little bit of everything with room for more,” says Fox. “We’re on the precipice of major change.” “Younger people are putting down roots here,” agrees Wright. “It’s a delicate time right now for Topeka. As new restaurants and businesses open, we need to nurture them.”
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One characteristic of RowHouse over the past decade has been exactly that—its generous championing of other restaurant venues. Fox is known for praising other Topeka and regional restaurants on his website, even detailing where he likes to eat out on his days off. Fox also seeks inspiration from other kitchens and extracts ideas from restaurants he visits in Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville and other cities. “We eat meals at other restaurants and observe regional food trends, but we don’t try to recreate their dishes,” says Fox. “We look for nuances that we can make to improve on them.” On this particular night, back in Fox’s home kitchen, the two chefs work well in narrow confines, which are bigger than the nine-foot-square space they need to stay within at the restaurant. Their meal is a main course of homemade ravioli stuffed with lamb seasoned with herbs from the garden, drizzled with a lemon thyme butter sauce and then topped with a medley of roasted butternut squash, plums, parsnips and kale. To go with this, there is an artfully arranged charcutie board with foccacia to start, a tomato and basil salad and homemade brownies to finish. It’s a meal that represents the best of two generations of cooking in Topeka, and that hints at the changes that may come to our plates in the coming decade. And for Fox, it’s another successful collaboration, followed by clean-up and plans for creating the next week’s lineup of seasonal delights.
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