Food for Thought

This Saturday at BRIDGES we bring back what many people think of as the best event in Memphis–Connections: Food. It's also the beginning of our 2011/12 celebration of 25 years of innovative, inspiring, professional dance. In nourishing our bodies and souls, this creative event sets the “barre," so I asked the choreographers to think about the concept of design. As they have worked with their chefs and others, look what has resulted:

You will be treated to an appetizer inspired by diamonds---did you know that long ago, they were thought to have been bits of stars that had fallen to the earth? First, enjoy Karen Carrier’s outdoor signature “Bling Bling” cocktail, Apalachicola oysters, steamed shrimp in lime sauce, steak crostini, and more. Remember Perry Como’s Catch a Falling Star and Put It in Your Pocket? This is one song Travis Bradley used to capture a choreographic gem of purity and innocence that makes your heart smile and has inspired the wonderful first course, Diamonds in the Raw, of sashimi, blue fin tuna gravlax, ponzu brown butter, jeweled wasabi tobiko, candied lime zest and shiso mint sorbet by Chef Mindy Son.

Julie Niekrasz thought about how the wallpaper watches what would go on in a room over the years. (And she chose as one of her songs Unchained Melody with the Righteous Brothers singing.) So Chef Chef Shaggy Duffee from Bayona in New Orleans created Homespun, duck paillard, swiss chard carbonara, cracklin’ and grappa-macerated cherries.

The main course’s work, choreographed by rising new creative dance maker Matthew Neenan from Philadelphia, is a response to a painting by Arshile Gorky, "Water of the Flowering Mill.” It is a fiendishly fiery, rollicking concoction, and when you see what our dancers are given to do, you will know once again why our company is honored nationwide. And former Memphian Ellis Dixon has designed a rich pallet of costumes to accompany the espresso dark-chile chocolate and black pepper roasted lamb loin, butternut squash parmesan and garlic mash, and negroamaro fig demi-glace by Chef Jason Severs.

Kendall Britt’s work closes the evening for the dessert course, based on what he thought of as the way human beings can design their own happiness. And, zydeco composer and artist Marcella Simien wrote the music for this warm and gently happy work…accompanied by Chef Jenny Dempsey’s fudgey euphoria: dreamy chocolate fudge, red sea salt, white chocolate red peppercorn gelato and rose sugar.

I can't wait to take my seat at the table, hopefully, beside you.

-- Dorothy Gunther Pugh