Fire & Fusion chef competition returns (virtually)

A friendly contest featuring local chefs who are asked to create their best dishes in under 30 minutes using “mystery” ingredients, the Fire & Fusion executive chef competition will be held virtually this year — and the winning chef will be chosen by viewers based on production and stage presence while making their dish rather than the taste of their dish.

“It became obvious that we wouldn’t be able to have an in-person event,” said Judy Kunz Porter, director of marketing, communications and development for the Nashua Senior Activity Center, which hosts the event, “but it’s also our biggest fundraiser of the year, so we knew we needed to find a way to have it.”

The competition, now in its eighth year, will feature Mike Morin of 106.3 Frank FM radio as the host. It has been professionally produced and will stream on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. on the Senior Activity Center’s Facebook and YouTube pages. A number of local public access television stations are also carrying the broadcast, including Channel 96 in Nashua, Channels 12 and 191 in Hollis, Channel 23 in Manchester and Channel 20 in Hudson. Channel 96 will then air the show every day for the following week.

“It’s kind of an interesting twist, because for the past five years we’ve sold out the event at 350 tickets,” Porter said. “So more people than ever before are going to get to enjoy it now.”

Throughout the last couple of weeks, Porter, along with a crew from Molloy Sound & Video, met with each of the six participating chefs to tape their segments, which were then returned to the studio and edited for production of the show.

As with previous competitions, the chefs are all from local assisted living or long-term care facilities, a feature that came along with the event’s conception. Rejean Sheehy of The Courville at Nashua, a previous Fire & Fusion champion, is returning this year, while a few new faces, like Bailey Fischer of Bridges by Epoch at Nashua and Joanne Johnston of Benchmark Senior Living at Nashua Crossings, are competing. Other contestants include Hilton Dottin of Bedford Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Dennis Hickey of The Courville at Nashua – Aynsley Place, and Guy Streitburger of The Arbors of Bedford.

Usually the chefs are not given their ingredients until the start of the 30 minutes to make their dish. But this year, Porter said, they were given out shortly before taping and will be revealed to the viewer at the top of the show when it airs. Each chef was required to utilize all of the ingredients that were given to them.

“They knew they had no more than 30 minutes to spend, and most of them took between 17 and 20 minutes to make their dish,” Porter said. “We were amazed, and I think viewers will be too, at the number of different ways they used the same ingredients. I think especially because people are cooking more in their homes, it may open their eyes to try and switch things up a little bit.”

The show, Porter said, is expected to run about an hour and a half, featuring each of the six chefs’ segments in succession. At the end, audience members will be able to vote for their favorite chef online at nashuaseniorcenter.org, on Facebook @nashuasac or by calling 889-6155. Voting will be open for one week following the event’s air date.

“That’s new this year,” she said. “People will get to vote for whoever they think had the best production and stage presence.”

The conclusion of the show will also feature a raffle of more than 50 items. For $35 you can be entered into the raffle for a chance to win prizes, like round-trip airline tickets, passes to Disney World, ski lift tickets, wine baskets, restaurant gift cards and more. The raffle will run through Sept. 15, with drawings to take place shortly after.

Featured Photo: Chef Hilton Dottin of Bedford Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Photo courtesy of Virtual Fire & Fusion.

8th annual Fire & Fusion executive chef competition (virtual)
When: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
How to watch: Stream the competition on the Nashua Senior Activity Center’s Facebook or YouTube pages, or on multiple local public access television channels, including Channel 96 (Nashua), Channels 12 and 191 (Hollis), Channel 23 (Manchester) and Channel 20 (Hudson).

Col’s Kitchen opens in downtown Concord

By Matt Ingersoll

[email protected]

Bow native Jordan Reynolds found out in June that Willow’s Plant-Based Eatery in Concord was closing permanently. Less than two months and countless hours of construction later, a new vegan restaurant has reopened in Willow’s place, with Reynolds and former Willow’s staff member Rob Ray at the helm.

“Willow [Mauck], who’s a friend of mine, called me up … to say that she decided to permanently close,” said Reynolds, who’s been vegan since the age of 17. “I’ve wanted to start a vegan company for a long time. I had planned on starting a food truck, but then all the gigs we had planned were getting canceled, so that ended up not happening. … So when Willow called, I just thought that maybe it was my time to get the torch passed.”

Col’s Kitchen, named after Reynolds’ nine-year-old pit bull, opened its doors on Aug. 12.

Despite the eatery’s quick turnaround, its concept — what Reynolds refers to as an “eclectic, all-American” approach to vegan foods — has been years in the making. Col’s Kitchen features a well-rounded menu of plant-based options, from appetizers and salads to entree-sized meals, desserts and brunch items on Sundays.

After signing a lease for the space in late July, Reynolds said, he spent 10 or more hours a day for nearly three weeks renovating the restaurant’s kitchen and dining space, all with the help of family members, friends and community members who volunteered their time. They put down a new hardwood floor with pine from a local sawmill, painted the walls and chairs that were donated to them, and even built their own tables out of wooden boards and gas pipes.

Col’s Kitchen’s opening day coincided with Restaurant Week, a program of Intown Concord’s Market Month. The eatery was so well-received on Day 1 that its staff ran out of food three times over the course of the day and had to repeatedly replenish its stock, according to Reynolds.

“We got killed, but you could call it a pleasant surprise,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how many people would come out during a pandemic, but they were more supportive than we imagined. … Vegans were certainly hungry after not having a place here for a few months.”

Reynolds said it was important not only to give vegan customers options they would not otherwise have, but also to make the menu accessible to everyone. Seitan (pronounced “SAY-tan”), for example, is a high-gluten wheat flour used as a protein in Col’s Kitchen’s stroganoff and Philly cheesesteaks in lieu of meat.

Other options include Buffalo cauliflower wings with ranch, Brussels sprouts with sweet garlic sauce, seared tofu pad Thai with rice noodles and veggies, various smoothies and milkshakes, and coffee from White Mountain Gourmet Coffee.

Some dessert items Col’s Kitchen has featured out of the gate have been macarons, pies and root beer floats. You can also get a “pie shake,” made with either apple or strawberry rhubarb pie.

“We put a piece of pie in a blender, crust and all, and then add a couple scoops of ice cream and a little dash of milk in and just blend it up,” Reynolds said. “It’s like pie à la mode, but in a glass.”

Currently the eatery is open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, with brunch available on Sunday mornings. That menu features pancakes, Belgian waffles, tofu scrambles and “Scram Sammy” sandwiches with options like chili cheese and Buffalo seitan.

Reynolds said the plan is for Col’s Kitchen to be open seven days a week.

“We want to start bottling up our own sauces for sale. We make the Buffalo sauce, the ranch that goes with [the wings] and we make the Thai peanut sauce,” he said. “We’re also looking into making our own ice cream in the next couple of months.”

Buffalo Seitan Scram Sammy. Photo courtesy of Col’s Kitchen.

Col’s Kitchen
Where: 55 S. Main St., Concord
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for brunch (hours may be subject to change)
Contact: Find them on Facebook and Instagram @colsplantbased, email [email protected] or call 227-6778