Lamb Fest 2021 provides lamb tastings galore

As the dust settles from Sunday’s event - or I probably should say, as the rain dries --  we find ourselves so incredibly grateful to have been able to bring back the Lamb Fest for the fourth year, after a 2020 hiatus.  

It was really incredible to see the new event footprint at the Southside Works come to life with smiling lamb enthusiasts tasting their way through the creations. The rain held off long enough for attendees to visit the tasting booths, often more than once: event goers were tempted and re-tempted and tempted again by your delicious dishes.  

The dedication and creativity the chefs poured into making such delicious lamb treats for everyone to try was nothing short of amazing. As they do every single day, Pittsburgh food community makes us so proud to be here working side by side with them. Lamb Fest 2021 was one more occasion to feel proud and honored to be a part of this community. No words could express our gratitude to these amazing folks. 

Below, you will find our lamb participants, our winners, and some honorable mentions, because all of the creative work and attention to detail can’t and shouldn't go without recognition.

Who competed and who were the winners of The Lamb Fest Cook Off in 2021?

Team 1: FFFF and a nice Chianti

Don Mahaney and Steve Bernhardt from Scratch & Co., along with Isaac DeBoer, deadfish (that’s always spelled with a lowercase d) brought the Southeast Asian influence to their lamb dish this year. Served on leaves of endive, their traditional Southeast Asian salad is more typically presented with pork, it was after all Lamb Fest! The flavors of lamb added an additional element of intrigue to the dish. Southeast Asian cuisine is known for combining five key flavor profiles - Sweet, Bitter, Salty, Spicy and Sour. The dish definitely brought the five flavors together for a very wowing bite that could transport you right to Northern Thailand. 

Team 2: Sheared Excellence

Under the direction of executive chef Kristin Butterworth, the Nemacolin Culinary team elevated outdoor picnic fare with a hand-made and -cased lamb sausage atop a split bun with a variety of condiments including a sweet and salty aioli that paired so nicely with the spices and flavor of the lamb. As is always the case with this creative team, they couldn’t be limited to just one savory dish. They turned their playful approach to dessert by substituting lamb fat for butter in lamb fat doughnuts topped with powdered sugar. You could tell who had enjoyed this treat by the dusting of powdered sugar that fell across many a sweater and jacket!

Team 3: Slamb Let the boys be boys

Honorable Mention

Simon Chough and Greg Smith of Soju, along with Umami’s Gary Marshall and Rafael Vencio from Amboy Urban Farm assembled their beautifully presented dish like a team that had worked together every day for years: it was like ballet over there! Tender chunks of smoked lamb doused in a richly sweet-and-savory mole sauce took center stage in their taco. This delicious duo was placed on a freshly-ground masa tortilla, warm and slightly crisped, and topped with the zing of fresh cilantro, finely diced onions, and a squeeze of lime. This group gets an honorable mention for exquisite teamwork.

Team 4: Casa Vandal

It’s simply not possible to go wrong with fresh-fried anything, and there’s no use trying to convince us otherwise. Keyla Nogueira of Casa Brasil and Joey Hilty of The Vandal brought their fresh fried Brazilian lamb croquettes to the festival this year in show stopping form, paired with a continental-style mint condiment. Their line trailed well into the aisle all day as they fried the goods and served them up piping hot - the only way to eat a croquette! The lamb, and the gluten free yucca base that brought a level of sweetness to the croquette you don’t get from potato, paired so well with the creamy mint sauce vert. 

Team 5: Northwest Shredders

2021’s Best Newcomers Award

The Northwest Shredders, led by Chef Feng Gao and Fengping Geng of Sakura Restaurant in Squirrel Hill, brought a taste of Chinese Cuisine unknown to most American palates. Hailing from the Northwestern portion of China known as Shaanxi - their dish is ascribed to the court of Song Emperor Zhao Kuangyin. It featured a homemade pancake, which is shredded, or maybe the more appropriate word is chopped, and then added to long-simmered mutton broth with vermicelli rice noodles, topped with crispy garlic, red pepper sauce (if you would like some heat) and fresh cilantro. This ultimate in Chinese comfort food really warmed us up on a cool fall day.  The Northwest Shredders are named as 2021’s Best Newcomers.

Team 6: The Under Dogz

Roger Li, Umami, NanBan & Parlor Dim Sum and Julio Perazza, Cobra & Round Corner Cantina, returned this year with their elevated take on a lamb taco titled “pure lamb,” which brought together both of their unique culinary backgrounds. The taco featured wonderfully spiced lamb with a green avocado sauce atop a perfectly handmade taco shell. There is something about a taco shell that makes or breaks a taco, and they served up a taco with the full freshness of gorgeous corn masa. Their dish brought the perfect symmetry of flavor you’re looking for in a lamb taco.

Team 7: Wood Fire

Festival Champions

Wood Fire by Chris Bonfili and Cory Hughes came to win this year with their lamb lettuce wraps. True to their name they brought the wood fire. The savory smoke reminded us all of the campfire that chilly fall weather begs for. They seasoned and ground their lamb with a  simple mirepoix that really enhance the dish but still let the lamb flavors shine. The lettuce wrap provided the perfect crunch and few leaves of cilantro atop provided the citrus element needed to balance the dish perfectly. This was both the crowd favorite and the Judges’ Pick for winner of the 2021 Lamb Fest.

Team 8: Lambaholics

Honorable Mention

Stephen Felder, Chris O’Brien and Dave DeVoss, all Lamb Fest alumni, joined together for Team Lambaholics brining a completely different approach to lamb to the festival this year, which made their dish stand out. They created a lamb terrine, which was reminiscent of a pate de campagne in the rough chop of its components. It was nestled atop a Mediterra baguette and garnished with pickled vegetables. This bite transported us directly to France with its elegant simplicity and refined nature. This dish was one of the Judge’s contenders for the championship and receives an honorable mention for their display of classic technique and their gorgeous balance of flavors and textures. In the words of one commentator: That was one classy lamb bite!

Team 9: Average Jo’s

Comfort food reigns supreme when the weather drops anywhere below 65 in our book, and the team “Average Joe’s,” a pun from a wonderfully campy dodgeball comedy, brought together Jacqueline and Nathan Schoedel from the Speckled Egg, Patrick Duffy, and RC Carter from Cioppino. They went full-on, stick-to-your-ribs comfort with their Sloppy Joe, which mixed slow-simmered ground lamb with braised leg and shoulder added in for texture. Topped with creme fraiche on a Mediterra bun, this wasn’t your average Sloppy Joe, this was next level deliciousness.

Story by Justin Matase / Lead Photography by Laura Petrilla / Lead Styling by Ana Kelly / Plates by Steelite International