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Home cooking downtown
By James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta

A fun event with serious cooking.

That's how promoter Buddy Jones describes the Down Home & Soul Food Cook-Off scheduled for May 26 in the Garden Street Plaza.

The event will feature as many as 20 food booths serving up what now is described as comfort food by culinary types. But before that trendy term was coined, people just called the "cuisine" home-cooking.

"It's food that you remember growing up [that] your mother cooked," he said. "You just smell it, and the memories flood in."

A feast of barbecued chicken and ribs, several versions of gumbo, red beans and rice, collard and mustard greens, corn bread, cobbler and ice cream will be served up during the day-long event.

Like jazz and blues, Jones said, this type of rib-sticking food is unique to America. Soul food developed from people sharing fruits, vegetables, meat and recipes with each other.

And contrary to what some people think, "soul food" isn't just made by African-Americans, Jones said.

"No one has a monopoly on soul food," Jones said. "It's an American cultural food."

Expect to see food booths from local restaurants Crawdaddy's and Granny & Papa's, as well as Hanford caterer Leroy Spiceman, who specialized in Cajun food.

Besides all the food and drink, you'll hear a wide variety of music, with local jazz, blues, reggae, flamenco and zydeco bands performing. An African drum circle is also scheduled to perform.

There will also be space set up for people to play cards, dominoes, board games and chess, Jones said. There will also be a bounce house for children.

"It's going to be an old-fashioned get together where people can just hang out, have good food, listen to good music," he said.

If you're worried about the weather being too hot to enjoy an outdoor festival, Jones has a tip.

"If it gets hot, just drink more lemonade or beer," Jones said.

Also helping, he said, are cooling systems, such as misters, that will be set up for the event, he said.

There's no admission price for the day-long event. Booths will sell one serving of food for $3. You can wander the plaza mixing and matching the various offerings.

During the event, five anonymous judges — Jones wouldn't even hint who they were — will roam Garden Plaza to evaluate the food. The public will also have a say in the determination of the "winning" cook by putting tickets into boxes at each booth. At the end of the night, Jones and the rest of the organizers will tally up the judge's votes and the people's tickets to determine the winner.

"It's going to be like 'American Idol,' " Jones said. "But only with good food."

The reporter can be reached at jward@visalia.gannett.com.

Location: Garden Street Plaza, downtown Visalia, Main and Garden Streets, Visalia
Starts: 2007 May 26 - 2:00pm
Ends: 2007 May 26 - 10:00pm
Website: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070518/ENTERTAINMENT01/705180311/1040/ENTERTAINMENT