Dining Notes

STUFFED WILL DESCRIBE THE MAN, NOT THE 'ZA

A local culinary student and his buddies are sacrificing their guts for a little glory — and a shot at free food — at an Omaha pizzeria this weekend.

Zach Born, a student at Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for the Culinary Arts, said he and some friends are fielding at least two teams to tackle the “Big Joe Challenge” Sunday night at Frank’s Pizzeria.

The task: Two people have to eat a 30-inch, 12-pound pizza in one hour without purging.

At stake: Winners get the ginormous pie, which normally feeds 15 to 20 people, for free. And they get a free pizza every month for a year — about a $350 value. Losers get more than heartburn: They have to shell out $75 for the Big Joe.

Hotdog- and pie-eating contests are nothing new.

But competitive eating is hotter than ever these days. Shows like the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and the Food Network’s “Chefs vs. City” routinely pit ordinary humans against extraordinary portions of food.

And eat-it-and-it’s-free challenges have proliferated at restaurants across the country in recent years.

Frank’s owner Joe D’Elia said he modeled his challenge after one he heard about in St. Louis: “I thought it would be cool, something goofy to put Frank’s on the map.”

Four groups have taken the challenge since D’Elia laid it down a little more than a year ago. He said one got about three-fourths of the way through, but no duo has yet bested the Big Joe, which involves 4 pounds of crust and 2 pounds each of sauce, cheese, pepperoni and sausage.

Born said he loves Frank’s regular-sized pizzas and has a strategy to win the challenge.

“I have been eating a little more than I usually do over the course of the week to prepare my stomach,” Born said. “On Sunday I plan on having a Bloody Mary for breakfast, a light lunch and then I should be good to go.”

* * *

TRADING PLACES

In a somewhat unusual turn of events, Jeff Camp and Travis Brink have swapped roles at Tony Abbott’s French Café & Bistro.

Camp, the restaurant’s executive chef for the past year, said he recently accepted an information technology job. Brink, the restaurant’s sous chef since summer, was promoted to executive chef. Camp said he is staying on, as Brink’s sous chef, while the restaurant searches for another sous chef.

* * *

'BOX' OPENS NEXT WEEKEND

“The Recipe Box,” a long-in-the-works special about Nebraska home cooking, premieres at 7 p.m. Central time Nov. 29 on NET Television.

The show was produced by NET and is hosted by Brian O’Malley, a chef instructor at Metro’s Institute for the Culinary Arts. It features Nebraska cooks, their recipes and the stories behind them.

* * *

HIRO 88 SETS SIGHTS ON 2010

Hiro 88, an upscale Old Market version of northwest Omaha’s Hiro Sushi, is still in the works for the jLofts building near 13th and Jackson Streets.

Co-owner Norma Yin said this week that construction delayed the anticipated November opening. She said she and her husband, Martin, now hope to launch Hiro 88 in January.

* * *

DINE NOW, SAVE IN JANUARY

The rest of the year, when you dine at Islamorada Fish Co., the Council Bluffs seafood restaurant will send you home with a certificate good for $10 off a $30 purchase Jan. 4 through 29.

* * *

GET SWEET ON KOLACHES

The Benson Grind, 6107 Maple St., is hosting its second annual holiday kolache festival from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Admission is $10 per person. That includes brewed coffee and all-you-care-to-eat kolaches and other treats from the Verdigre (Neb.) Bakery, which will be taking holiday orders for its signature sweets. Proceeds benefit the Benson Library.

— Nichole Aksamit

Got restaurant news, questions or tips? Call food writer Nichole Aksamit at 444-1069, or e-mail nichole.aksamit@owh.com. Dining Notes runs Fridays.

« Food & Dining

Share