From the Kansas countryside of Trego County, in a barn almost 100 years old, the State of Kansas is trying something new!
“To expand taste buds!” said executive chef, Ean Mong.
With a gourmet menu that starts with appetizers, like buffalo meatballs and lettuce pork wraps, this farm-to-table dinner is the first of its kind sponsored by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Called “The Taste of Kansas,” the meal showcases what local growers have to offer.
“You don’t have to go to Kansas City or Denver to get good food,” said Mong. “You have it right here in western WaKeeney, Kansas.”
“Yea, we can have a great time grilling and barbecuing, but we can also get a little more fancy than that, too!” said Lexi Wright, coordinator of the “From the Land of Kansas” program.
The venue used to be a livestock operation, but is now Shiloh Vineyard, surprising many people that grapes will grow in western Kansas.
“In fact, we have the same kind of soil that’s in the Champagne region of France,” said owner, Kirk Johnston. “We just have a little different kind of climate.”
Diners were in for more surprises, from the cocktails, made from Boot Hill Distillery’s Red Eye Whiskey, to the salad.
“So we’ve got a hydroponic greenhouse here in Grainfield, Kansas, that all this lettuce came from,” said Mong, as he prepared 80 dishes for the first course.
“This is a Scottish egg with arugula nested in a sweet vidalia onion sauce,” said Mong’s wife as she helped him.
Inside is a boiled egg surrounded by a mixture of bison, sausage and pork fat. The reviews?
“Excellent. Very good!” said one couple, nodding approvingly.
“I’ve never eaten a Scotch egg before in my life,” said Olivia Reiter of Ellis, Kansas. “I was very unsure what it was, but I tried it, and it was delicious.”
The food kept coming, each course grown locally and made with a Kansas flair.
“So what we have going on here is a rack of lamb, garlic crusted,” said Mong. “We have a sorghum risotto and grilled asparagus spears. To top it off, we’re going to have a veal demi-glace sauce over the top.”
Even the dessert, a sunflower chocolate cake, puts familiar flavors together in a new way.
Organizers know not every person at the dinner will like every dish, but maybe this whets their appetite to try and buy more Kansas foods.
The state ag department plans to hold another “Taste of Kansas” dinner next year, but when or where has not been decided yet.
This year’s meal cost $70 per person.
