today is the day...

galleria at erieview. 12 o'clock noon.

beer-cheese soup with crouton and chive.

house-made matzoh.

open-faced sauerbraten samich.

warm german potato salad.

braised red cabbage.

see you there, cats and kittens.

...here we come.

it's officially on. tuesday. january 27. location to be announced.

a little help from our friends...

from last wednesday's cleveland scene, courtesy of mr. douglas trattner:

Don't be surprised if, in the coming weeks and months, you stumble across an unexpected gourmet luncheon, complete with china, glass and linen, in the lobby of the Terminal Tower. Or smack dab in the middle of Public Square. Or perched atop a HealthLine station. "The weirder the better," says Greg MacLaren, chef of Marigold Catering (216.566.5400) and co-conspirator of the nascent Renegade Lunch Project. A cross between performance art and community outreach (with a soupicon of PR), these first-come, first-served plated lunches are designed to bring people together in a deliciously spontaneous way. And while not required to pay a cent, diners will be asked to contribute at meal's end to a charity or cause. "A few weeks back, I had this crazy idea," explains MacLaren. "What if Ben [Bebenroth, of Spice of Life catering] and I started doing random, free, plated lunches around town? Cleveland needs more interesting and strange things happening." Recently, a dry run was held at the Marigold Catering kitchens, both to test the waters and to enlist partners who might assist with the logistics of pulling off such feats. One of those in attendance was Greg Peckham, executive director of Cleveland Public Art. "This concept totally appeals to me," Peckham says. "In the same way our organization attempts to bring people together through desirable public spaces, they are trying to activate public spaces by bringing people together with food." Regardless of the location, the two-course meals will be prepared on the spot by MacLaren and Bebenroth, whose easygoing chemistry encourages conversation among participants. "These events foster interaction between people who may never have occasion to meet," adds Peckham. "It was a moment of brightness in the day. And the food was spectacular." To keep the monthly events as spontaneous as possible, dates and locations will be released last minute.

pretty awesome mention...and as it happens, i think you'll be seeing one early next week. yay!

help!!!

hey everybody!!! we're trying to line up lunches for january, february, and march and we need some locations, ideas, or suggestions of people we can contact to get us lined up somewhere. we're ready to roll, so help us get this show on the road!

ben and greg in black white

someone sent us this swell black and white picture from the foodbank demo. i feel it depicts us as serious culinary professionals engaged in our craft. this depiction is of course wrong. when this was taken, we were drinking apple cider martinis, beers, and trying to avoid starting to clean up.

ben and greg's renegade lunch launch lunch

whew. well, we did it. today at noon, we invited 30 lucky, select guests to marigold/spice of life HQ for a sample renegade lunch. the meal consisted of roasted red pepper soup and potato soup ladeled yin-yang style and a cleveland-tastic entree plate of our handmade gnocchi with sauteed cabbage, brined and smoked chicken, pickled fennel, and a paprika-cream sauce. the tasty lunch began with a cider spritzer and ended with coffee and some homemade mille feuille triangles glazed with turbinado sugar. hopefully, the guests will help us both get the word out about the project and open some doors for us to actually host these things around town. we're still looking to do this in public sometime in january, so stay tuned. for the record, neither ben nor greg did anything to injure or embarrass themselves, so the lunch must have been a success! a very special and heart-felt thanks to brian, beverly, cheryl, dana, jess, and mable who all worked so hard to make the warehouse into a giant communal dining table with two fools like us for the centerpiece.

ben and greg at the foodbank!

the boys were given the chance to bring their particular blend of cooking demo, comedy, and drinking on the job to the foodbank on friday, december 5th for a birthday party/benefit. the night was a blast and a big success. notice all of the liquor and sugar-free redbulls in front of greg. no wonder ben's the one who's sweating.