At Heritage Fire, top chefs from critically acclaimed kitchens assemble for one delicious evening. They compete for the title of ‘Heritage Hero’ in an outdoor, open-fire cook-off. The various nationwide destinations feature 20+ local talent who each serve a unique dish. Hundreds of guests enjoy unlimited bites paired with beverages during the walk-around feast.
After indulging in each dish, attendees have a difficult, albeit delicious, decision to make. In the end, votes are collected for the ‘Best Bite of the Day’ and a Heritage Hero is crowned!
Chef Nick Leahy of The Usual was the first Heritage Hero champion on the 2022 tour. The winning bite of the evening was a delicious gochujang glazed pork belly with smoked spring vegetable succotash made by Leahy and his team.
Using heritage breed protein from Peterson Craftsman Meats, a multi-generational family farm, Chef Chris Ikeda of Pau Hana took home the title of Heritage Hero. Ikeda and his team served a Hawaiian-style pork hash shumai consisting of shrimp, macadamia nuts, water chestnuts, and micro greens from Dragsmith Farms.
Chef Joey Healey of Little Fib Nashville crafted a Berkshire heritage breed pork belly tostada sourced from Blue Well Farm. Ingredients included southern salsa verde, corn milk crema, pickled red onion, and chow chow dusted pork rind.
Guests couldn’t resist grabbing a second serving of the juicy Demkota Ranch Beef New York strip by Chef Owen McGlynn of Asheville Proper. Heirloom tomato chimichurri, embered vidalia onions, and tallow ash aioli were paired with the show-stopping steak.
Tuna Carnitas and Chicharron Tacos by Chef Johnny Curiel of My Neighbor Felix was deemed the ‘Best Bite of the Day’ at Heritage Fire Snowmass. Ingredients included delectable avocado salsa and escabeche de habanero.
Chef John Valenton and Chef Chris Cave truly brought the smoke show to Napa with smoked and seasoned wagyu picanha and St. Louis pork ribs. Following their passion for flavor and quality, the Mac BBQ team sourced their protein from Papa Wagyu and TREX.
Chef Jorge Ramos of Cebada Rooftop prepared Demkota Ranch Beef steak tlayuda. Guests had a choice of salsa roja or salsa verde alongside mouth-watering oaxaca cheese, pickled red cabbage, and avocado.
Guests couldn’t get enough of the ‘Grilled Head to Tail’ sausage by Chef Michael Puglisi. The dish included radicchio XO sauce, pickled vegetables, and baby gem lettuce. Puglisi is the founder of Orange County’s premiere whole animal butcher shop, Electric City Butcher.
Chef Brandon Olson and Chef Shaui Wang of King BBQ were the dynamic duo behind the house-made la chang. The dish consisted of krab dip, ritz, and hot mustard BBQ. The final winning bite of the 2022 tour included products supplied by Holy City Hogs.
Raised by our forefathers, heritage breeds are the traditional livestock of small family farms. They thrived in the era before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice. Indeed, these breeds were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to their local environment. Our goal is to showcase the importance and benefits of keeping these sustainable farming practices alive through our Heritage Fire events. Interested to learn more? We made it easy. Check out Everything You Need to Know About Heritage Breeds.
