Chef Robbie Jester & the Governor's Cook Off

Local Boy Makes Good
A Tale of Chef Robbie Jester, Harbor House & the Governor’s Cook Off

It is true that the best things come in small packages. Like the email that appeared in my inbox one day that said “Hi, I’m Robbie Jester, Chef at Harbor House Restaurant in Worton”. He was interested, he went on to say, in what we were doing with Homegrown and Green, because he believed it really tied in with what he was doing at Harbor House – about 80% of what they serve up is locally grown and produced, even down to the Delaware Pike Creek Roasted Coffee and the Hop-Ocalypse
IPA beer from Clay Pipe Brewery in Frederick.

And so it was only fitting that Robbie join us on the radio to tell everyone in the area what he was doing over at Harbor Housewww.harborhousewcm.com (the “wcm” after the name stands for Worton Creek Marina – as in “Take a look at this view!!!”).

Robbie is one of those people who has always been a chef. He started cooking things in the Harbor House kitchen when he was about 12 years old, and has always enjoyed working with food. After getting a degree as a massage therapist (my husband was amazed at my restraint that I didn’t ask Robbie to take a crack at that kink in my shoulder), he came back to cooking and attended the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York.

The results of this are pretty amazing. It’s clear that Robbie has tremendous respect for the local growers and producers – both for their long, hard work, and their commitment to producing top quality foods. And he knows his stuff. “What’s best out there right now?”, I asked. “Berries. And peaches. White peaches. And corn. The bi-color and the white”, came the answer. “What’s the difference in the corn?”, asked me, who never met an ear of corn she didn’t like. Bi-color, it seems, is earthier, good for sauces and cooking. White corn is just sweet, sweet, sweet – eat it and love it.

Robbie’s been head chef at Harbor House for three years, and he’s come  know his customers well and how to deliver the things that are oing to keep them customers. “I’ve worked in kitchens where chefs get angry if a customer asks them to change something in a dish. Not us. We want you to tell us what you want.” That’s not just empty words – it’s the real deal. Go to their website – there’s no menu posted (but there are some fantastic dishes pictured) – instead it says “If there’s something you’re craving, call us”.

And they do get calls. Customers come for special occasions. Customers sail over from Annapolis. Customers come (and return) because when they come in they could well find their favorite dish named after them on the evening menu. I’ll get to that in a minute. Customers come because of the food.

Let’s back up to that first email I got from Robbie. Because what it didn’t say was “And one of my dishes was just picked as one of the 16 selections in Governor O’Malley’s ‘Buy Local Cook Out’!” (If you want to read more about this, and about the other Shore winners like Lew Dodd of Cedar Run Farm, Margaret Frothingham of Arnold Farms, Vic Priapi of Priapi Gardens, and Eileen & Michael Jacobson of Kent County, go to www.chesapeakefoodie.com, a fabulous website put together by Elise Kolaya – she REALLY knows food!)

Indeed, in the Salad category, there’s the recipe:

 

Maryland Crab, Blueberry, Lemon-Cucumber and Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Honey-Lavender Vinaigrette

Chef: Robbie Jester, Harbor House Restaurant

Producer: None other than our own radio sponsor – Wayne
Lockwood of Lockbriar Farm.

Now I got really excited when I read this because a month or so ago I had one of Wayne’s lemon-cucumbers and I’ve been craving one ever since. Robbie assures me that they are coming back. It’s a 68 day growing season, he explained, so they will arrive shortly. So go to Lockbriar or one of the markets where they sell (you can find the listing on their website www.lockbriarfarm.com) in the next few weeks and try some.

Meanwhile, back at WCTR, Robbie brought some samples of his salad with him for us to taste. It was the one time I wished we were doing video radio so everyone could see them. Some dishes look good. Some taste good. Some have a wonderful aroma. This has it all – in triplicate. WOW! “Is it on the menu?” I asked breathlessly. And indeed it was. So nothing would do but we had to head to Harbor House for dinner.

We called for reservations. Gave the names in our party. And sure enough when we got there we found “Angels Klompus” on the menu (shrimp wrapped in bacon served with horseradish honey mustard) and Garland Lobster. And we could also try dishes named for Betsy, John, Chuck, Carol and Lloyd – to name a few. It’s the kind of touch you find at a place like The Inn at Little Washington.

The menu alone was worth the price of admission, but the food topped it all. I got lost in the Honey-Lavender Vinaigrette, and I am not embarrassed to say I was eating it with a spoon and begging Robbie to bottle it and sell it. Hmmm. Maybe that’s our next adventure – Homegrown and Green: The Store! The traditionalists in our party went with crabcakes – “the largest lumps in the world” – but I went off the reservation with Jambalaya – “the Creole Classic with Eastern Shore Flair”. Spicy where it was supposed to be, smoky and flavorful – mmmmm.

I’m no food critic, but we do travel a lot and like to try good restaurants wherever we go. Recent stops include a couple of culinary school restaurants and renowned eateries. They should all just close and go home. Chef Robbie Jester puts them to shame.

I enjoyed the Delaware Pike Creek Roasted Coffee. We all had dessert. I couldn’t pass up the white wine and cinnamon poached donut peaches served with fresh whipped cream and berries, though it was hard to turn down the Berry Shortcake with Lockbriar Farms berries and cherries served over country style sweet biscuits. Rave reviews as well for the French Apple Crisp and Valencia Orange Sorbet. We left knowing we’d had a very fine meal. And then remembered on the way home
we forgot to try the Maryland’s Harvest Sangria! Well, it just means there’s another visit to look forward to. I hope it will be soon. 

Just a little Taste of Life on the Shore

After a hectic week on the western Shore it was good to get back over the bridge to “life on the Shore” -  poking around at the Crumpton auction, stopping in at The Finishing Touch and Bookplate in downtown Chestertown, enjoying a delightful meal at the Imperial Hotel. Friday morning it was back in the saddle and on the air at our local radio station 1530 AM WCTR where I had the opportunity to interview Barbara Ellis (www.EasternShoreGardener.com) about the Plant A Row for the Hungry program (www.gardenwriters.org/par). Like many Eastern Shore entrepreneurs, Barbara wears a lot of hats, and we ended our interview hearing about her latest venture: Fur and Feathers Pet Sitting Service. All things to all people.

It reminded me, what with the launch of the West Annapolis 2^nd Sunday Neighborhood Green Market (see our Upcoming Fairs & Markets link on the left), I’d been remiss in getting the story about Cassinelli Winery & Vineyard (www.cassinelliwinery.com) posted. Al Cassinelli was kind enough to give me a personal tour of the Winery, and I couldn’t have asked for a more hospitable host.

Al and Jennifer Cassinelli started their vineyard just outside of Church Hill four years ago and are now celebrating their grand opening in a big way. We had the pleasure of serving up their Reisling, Merlot and Rose this past First Friday and it got rave reviews. Another genuine Eastern Shore entrepreneur, Al and Jennifer both have day jobs – the Winery is a family affair, with both kids lending a hand, a dog to greet visitors and a cat to keep the mice at bay.

Stop by on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 for a wine tasting. You’ll know you’re getting close by the long white fence running along Route 213. If you can’t get over to Church Hill, check their website and catch them at one of the upcoming wine festivals. And if you’re not a wine connoiseur, they’ll be happy to have you stop by seasonally to pick apples, peaches or pumpkins.

And if you like Festivals, save the date and come over to next year’s Delmarva Chicken Festival (www.dpichicken.org). This year’s Festival took place June 19 and 20 at the 4H Queen Anne County Fairgrounds in Centreville – the first time in this location. There was a huge turnout, and we had to park at a distance and take the shuttle to the Festival – no ordinary shuttle – they were all tractor-pulled get ups with long wooden benches. We could hear the music and smell the aromas on our ride in, so we were ready to go as soon as the wheels stopped moving.

First stop, the Baby Chick Display, including a hatching incubator and a petting station, a delight for kids and grown ups. Events like these give the non-profit organizations an opportunity to publicize their work and to raise money.

We sampled traditional food stands like lemonade from the Queen Anne Volunteer Fire Company, and the innovative Farm to Table Livestock Club’s Frozen Cola. We had hoped to catch up with Kent County Tourism Development Director Bernadette VanPelt and her trusty assistant Jen Davis, but there was just too much to see.

What with the petting zoo, baked goods, music and displays, there was plenty to do. We did catch up with our buddy Lisa Ford and her ingenious recycled craft (and I did my all out best to get her signed up for our Annapolis Market – it’s looking good!).

We were a day too early to catch Jack the Penguin, the band in which Keith Thompson plays (WCTR Jock and master of the boards for Homegrown and Green on the radio), but with good reason. Tonight we’re heading to the Prince Theatre www.princetheatre.org to catch Short Attention Span – 5^th Annual 10 Minute Play Festival. Friend Mark Sullivan, husband of Francoise Sullivan, graphic & web designer extraordinaire, of www.moo-productions.com, has a play in the series, and it will be great to catch up with them. 

                                                                   But the highlight of the Chicken Festival is the infamous Giant Fry Pan

used every year at the festival. The original pan was built in 1950 by Mumford Sheet Metal Works in Selbyville, Delware. It measures 10 feet across and 8 inches deep, with an 8 foot handle, and weighs 650 pounds. It has the capacity for 160 gallons of oil and 800 chicken quarters. That’s a lot of chicken. And all of it was being eaten by many happy festival goers – even those who never eat anything else fried all year long!

The highlight for me, however, was more than the chicken. This is rural America at its best. There were people of all ages, and many three-generation families. They were participating in one of our oldest ways of coming together around shared interests and values, based on one of our most traditional economies. I picked up a fact book from the American Farm Bureau Federation. You might be interested to know that today 98 per cent of all U.S. farms are individually or family-owned, accounting for 86% of farm products sold. Americans spend just 10% of their disposable income on food, less than Japan, France, China, the Philippines and Indonesia, for example. And when it comes to preservation and environmentalism, farmers are part of conservation programs addressing soil erosion, wetlands preservation and restoration, air and water pollution, and wildlife habitat enhancement.

If you missed the Festival, no worries. You can catch an Agricultural Fair in just about any County in Maryland. Go to the Maryland Association of Agricultural Fairs & Shows website www.maafs.com and click on the Members Fairs link on the left.

Any if I’ve got you thinking about a trip to my corner of the shore, well come on. Start with a visit to www.kentcounty.com for information about events, attractions, activities, lodging, dining – just about everything you want to know. Here in Kent County we have nine museums, small towns to kick back in, the Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, and some spectacular public landings to put in your kayak or canoe. Enjoy the pick-you-own pleasures at Lockbriar Farm www.lockbriarfarm.com, the sponsor of Homegrown and Green on the radio. If you’re here on Saturday morning (and now Wednesday from Noon to 5) you can catch them and other local farmers in Fountain Park in downtown Chestertown.

And if you’re thinking of spending the night, Joe at the Imperial Hotel will put you up and Chef Tom Pizzica will feed you right www.imperialchestertown.com. Or you might go for one of America’s Top Ten Most Romantic Inns, right here in our backyard – the Brampton Inn www.bramptoninn.com. Between the breakfast and desserts, you may never leave the property. Owner Danielle Hanscom will be my guest on WCTR on Friday, June 26. Tune in and hear all about what it takes to make National Geographic’s Top 150 Stay List. Catch a little music and the local scene at Andy’s www.andys-ctown.com. What more can you ask for? As for me, I’ll be here on the Shore. Or in Annapolis. Or somewhere in between. Wherever it is, life is good.