In support of FilmDayton‘s Dessert with Oscar Party Tonight – we are making Persian Style, Rose Water Ice Cream. Of course there will be lots of other desserts there tonight. What is FilmDayton about you ask….

“FilmDayton is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to building the Dayton region’s film community. We bring together local filmmakers, students and fans at monthly “Film Connections” meetings. We promote and support film events in the Miami Valley. We are building an infrastructure to encourage new film making in the Dayton area. FilmDayton originated from the DaytonCREATE effort to foster the growth of the “creative class” and strengthen the local economy.”

Scratch is proud to support FilmDayton, and frankly, any organization that contributes to the artistic diversity and therefore viability of our fair City.

Long Live FilmDayton !

Matt

The real irony in being a Chef, and what so few people understand, is that despite my proximity to so many delicious foods, I rarely have the time to eat my own handiwork.  Often times I am relegated to some convenience food or I may not eat at all.  In my case, I have been working for well over a year developing foods that I believe represent a near perfect, nutrient dense diet.  And what do I do…. send those meals off to my clients and eat a peanut butter sandwich. Well, I am here to say, now that we are going public with our new model of nutrition, I have an abundance of world inspired, nutrient dense meals to consume at every turn.  I breathe with a sign of relief knowing that my dietary fate is not in the hands of the broad line food industry, which will certainly kill me in the long run.

So, in case you are wondering, we are now selling our meals to anyone who is ready to have the burden of finding nutrition lifted.

Here are some circumstances that our brand of nutritional service will serve

Too busy to cook
Not knowledgeable enough to develop a well balanced, nutrient rich diet
Recovering from surgery
Type II Diabetes
Coronary Artery Disease
Cancer
Assistance taking care of loved ones unable to prepare their own meals

If our meals seem like they are what you are looking for – check out our website – or send off an email

I would be happy to share our story with you and help you as best we can

In case you are wondering, the picture is off my dinner tonight.  White Beans, Corn,, Sweet Potatoes and Kale seasoned with Fresh Thyme, Oregano and Basil. I added a little Sriracha hot sauce for a kick.  I feel great after eating it, as it is nutrient dense, low fat and low glycemic index.

Anyhoo, finally I can eat

Chef Matt
contact me

It never fails to  impart a warm fuzzy feeling when folks order up Southern Food, Soul Food, Cajun or Creole from me.  I suppose that Southern Fare, more so than other regions, demands a certain amount of love when preparing.  It seems to communicate the attitude of the cook directly to the guests…. In this particular case, the love was apparent:

Creole Shrimp (A Classic Creole dish consisting of shrimp in a spicy tomato based broth with a backbone of sauteed onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic – The Trinity)

Ginger Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Zucchini and Peppers with Lemon and Candied Onions

Bourbon Chicken (Not technically a Southern Dish, but a tasty, festival style indulgence)

Steamed Long Grain Rice and Cornbread

If that doesnt make you well up with the warm and fuzzies, I dont know what will.

It does no justice to this dish to call it simply “fried rice”.  In addition to traditional, fluffy Jasmine rice, our House Grains and Rice blend includes true wild rice as well as organic Red Quinoa and Green Lentils.  Why bother ?  The way we figure it, every component of your plate, even the humble rice represents an opportunity to upgrade the nutrition of your meal.  Without sacrificing a shred of flavor, we have now introduced a slew of desirable components to your daily intake. We have swapped out the simple starches in rice for some complex carbohydrates with a significantly lower glycemic index.  We have added fiber where there was none and therefore contributed to lowering your cholesterol and blood sugar.  With the addition of the Red Quinoa, we are giving you some plant based protein as well as adding zinc, phosphorous, magnesium and B vitamins.

In short, without too much work at your end, if you are eating our rice you may just be lowering your cholesterol and blood sugar; lowering your risk for Coronary Artery Disease as well as Cancer- and giving yourself a fighting chance of losing weight and fending off those irrepressible urges for carbs and sugar.

So when we say its not just Fried Rice…

We’re not kiddin

Here I am again…. praising those gifted young individuals that have the courage to steer from the status quo in order to create a truly memorable menu for their special day. As it happens, this young couple celebrates life’s great and magical elixir – BEER. In collusion with these two brew fanatics, we fermented a powerful concoction of appetizer pairings that do rightful justice to history’s oldest prepared beverage.  Inspiration was in corner today – they loved everything – we decided that the wedding menu will be:

Spicy Turkey Dim Sum with Apple Hoisin Sauce

Triple Cream Brie Tartlets with Candied Myer Lemon Peel

Smoked Chicken Salad Profiteroles

Fried Potato Thangs with Warm Remoulade

Pumkin Spiced Sweet Potato Samosas with Butter Tamarind Sauce

Dark Pumpernickel Muffins with Spinach Dip Filling

Kielbasa, Potato and Sauerkraut Filled Egg Rolls with Bacon and Caraway Sweet and Sour Sauce

I have no doubt that this menu will make those craft beers SING ! ! !

It is not as often as you might think that we serve food to true epicures.  Plenty o’ folks talk the talk to keep up appearances – expound some foodie vernacular here and there for conversation’s sake -but we know the difference.  Last Friday we served one – and with his permission, we pulled out most all of the culinary stops.  The menu consisted of:

Brie-filled Crispy Fried Wontons with a Spicy Brown, Asian Pear Sauce.

Fresh Polenta medallions topped with Candied Onions and Rasted Roma Tomatoes

Pan seared Foie Gras over butter-grilled Farmhouse Bread with Port infused Cherry and Apple Compote (crazy good)

Osso Buco style Braised Beef Short Ribs with reduced Pan Sauce

Seared Duck Breast A’ Lorange

Duck Fat Whipped Potatoes

Carrot Bundles

Dessert of Espresso Ice Cream filled Profiteroles with White Chocolate Cinnamon Mousse and Candied Meyer Lemon Peel

Our thoughtful fare would not have sung without the diligent precision of our Event Captain, Zach

Anyhoo – it was a feast for a true Epicure – hats off to you sir !

After over a year of development, Scratch is fast approaching the launch of its most ambitious endeavor to date.  With the growing need for an up-to-date model of nutrition, we embark towards a brave new world, where food and medicine cooperate like never before.  Faced with an epidemic of diseases attributed to and/or elevated by poor nutrition, Scratch is poised at the forefront of food revolution that has only just begun.  Despite a historic understanding of the benefits of  anti-oxidants, phytochemicals, flavonoids, superfoods, etc –  it was not until recent and shocking statistics of America’s health that the proverbial bell began to toll. Adorned with a dietary model free from traditional constraints, Scratch will count on its long established expertise in world flavor and knowledge of disease fighting foods to create the most nutritionally sound and utterly delicious meals available. Keep your eyes open as we unveil cutting edge resources to assist and educate .  Our goal is simple – impart food and knowledge FOR A BETTER LIFE. !

For those of you who are unaware, there is a new sheriff in town.  And by sheriff I mean a saucy, irreverent cupcake maven named BAKED.. (an extra period because they have a period at the end of their moniker) This chica is quickly becoming my go to girl for cupcakes. From what I understand, she bakes cakes, but I have not gotten past her ludicrous flavor profiles.  The no-brainer is her Guiness Chocolate with Peanut Butter frosting.  Hows about Lemon Coconut Lavender or French Toast with Maple Bacon Frosting.  She was even kind enough to adapt my Mother’s Carrot Cake recipe a couple weeks ago.  Anyhoo – check her out on facebook and keep your monocle on this one, she’s feisty, and it looks like she is here to stay

Baked. i say

Early this year we had the pleasure of catering Antioch College’s Alumni Reunion Weekend.  It certainly presents its share of challenges catering to over 300 people, up to 3 meals a day for 3 days. As daunting as those numbers are, the real challenge was to meet our shared goal of nearly 100% local and sustainable products – everything from the animal proteins and produce to local honey and stone ground flour from local wheat.  These beautiful pancakes are made of local, stone ground flour from Bear’s Mill in Greenville, Ohio.  These wholesome beauties left you with a great feeling in your tummy. Being raised on simple starch, bleached flour pancakes, I had never experienced such a nutritious breakfast in my life.  Did I mention that we adorned our pancakes with locally harvested and produced Maple Syrup from Flying Mouse Farms in Yellow Springs. Needless to say, the event was a great success, and we maintained over 90% local and sustainable products. I’m sure over the next few months, as we plan their next Reunion Weekend, we will unveil all sort of documentation of this forward thinking event.