Friday, July 21, 2017
When Governor Larry Hogan and First Lady Yumi Hogan hosted the 10th annual Governor’s Buy Local Cookout July 20 at the Government House in Annapolis, a student chef from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at the Universities at Shady Grove’s entrée was featured.
Keshav Poudel, a native of Nepal, and fellow Hospitality and Tourism Management student Timothy Yu served their “Tandoori Style Rabbit Pita Pocket Sandwich”-one of 19 recipes selected out of 45 entered-to the 500 guests in attendance. The two partnered with Liberty Delight Farm in Baltimore County as a supplier of the locally raised rabbit; a requirement of the contest to incorporate a product from a Maryland fresh food supplier.
The cookout kicks-off Maryland’s Buy Local Challenge Week, July 22-30, that encourages Marylanders to eat at least one locally grown, made or harvested product each day. Buying local, Governor Hogan said in a release, “gives consumers fresher, more nutritious and better-tasting food, and it helps to keep Maryland’s agricultural industry strong, diverse and sustainable.”
For Poudel, who will graduate in December from UMES’ Hospitality and Tourism Management program in Rockville, it was a chance to shine-again!
“He is hardworking and has been very successful in the program,” said Susan Callahan a chef instructor with UMES’ program. “This is only the third year in 10 that USG has been chosen to participate.”
“It was my pleasure to present South Asian flavor in the state of Maryland where the South Asian population is on the rise,” Poudel said. “I was honored to work with the owner/farmer from Liberty Delight to create wholesome, complex and authentic flavors from their local ingredients. It is wonderful that Governor Hogan is using the Buy Local initiative as a platform for Maryland farmers. I am delighted to be part of the campaign that encourages consumers to buy local, cook local and eat local.”
Recipes were chosen based on “availability of ingredients, geographic representation, maximum use of local ingredients and creativity.” Submissions to the contest will be published in the “2017 Buy Local Cookout Recipes” cookbook available online on the Maryland’s Best website.
Tandoori is a type of clay or metal oven used in India. The process of making a Tandoori dish is its ingredients and the cooking process, Poudel said. “Tandoori Chicken is famous in South Asian kitchens. The chicken is marinated overnight in a yogurt base that is heavy with Indian spices such as cumin, coriander, cardamom and turmeric which are baked off in the Tandoori clay oven.”Gail Stephens, assistant director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-7580.
