CHEF JERRY EDWARDS
Chef's Expressions
9526 Deereco Road
Timonium, MD 21093
410-561-2433
About CHEF JERRY EDWARDS
Jerry Edwards CPCE is owner and Corporate Chef of Chef’s Expressions Catering and Consulting, He is also owner of Wine Express and “Elements by Chef’s Expressions”, an event design firm. He is a Past National President of “The National Association of Catering Executives” NACE, having served an unprecedented 3 terms. In 2007, Jerry was inducted into the NACE Hall of fame, an honor bestowed to only 5 other people in NACE’s 48 year history. Jerry is famous for his monthly wine dinners that have grown to over 125 attendees per month. Each dinner is a 5 or 6 course meal that is specially prepared to pair perfectly with the wines that have been chosen for the evening. Besides having built one of the most successful Catering companies in his region, Jerry has traveled the world, training and assisting Caterers, Chefs and Event Planners to animate their guest’s culinary experience. Jerry is the Food editor for Catersource Magazine and writes a column entitled “From The Chef” for each issue. He was recognized by “Special Events Magazine” as a top 20 industry leader to watch; by “Catering Magazine” as Wedding Caterer of the Year 2000; by “The Academy of Tourism and Travel” as Caterer of the Year 2000 and nominated as Industry Leader of the Year 2004. He was the first Catering member of the Year for NACE in 1992 and 1993. In 2004, he won the Nation’s Capitol “Iron Chef” competition and also won the Baltimore NACE Iron Chef competition. He has won over 30 industry competitions including three ACF Gold Medals and the prestigious “Best Chef” for the Meals on Wheels Culinary Extravaganza. His recipes and accomplishments have been seen in the following National Magazines: Food Arts, Special Events, Catering Magazine, Catersource, Culinary Trends, Restaurants and Institutions, Restaurant Hospitality and Chef. He is very active in many charities for children’s issues, social causes and adult diseases. Jerry is the current spokesperson for Meals on Wheels of central Maryland. Each year he spearheads a Chef’s Dinner that has raised over $60,000 in the past seven years. Other charities and activitiesclose to his heart are: St. Vincent’s Center, Baltimore City Schools “Days of Taste” program, The National Academy Foundation for High School Hospitality Students Annual Awards Gala, The American Heart Association, Poverty Solutions, The Greater Baltimore Learning Center, The Academy of Tourism and Hospitality, The American Cancer Society, Cystic Fibrosis, The Baltimore Zoo, The Sister to Sister Program, The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, The Domestic Violence Center and Turnaround. Jerry also sits on the board of The American Institute of Wine and Food; The Academy of Tourism; Travel and Hospitality and The NACE Advisory Council. He is an active member of The Chaine de Rotiseurs, ISES, NACE, AIWF, IACP, ICA, National Restaurant Association, Baltimore Development Corporation, Downtown Partnership, Greater Baltimore Committee and BACVA. Jerry lives in Baltimore with his wife Julie Brown -Edwards and his two daughters Amanda and Stephanie. He recently completed a 1 year stint as host of “Talk Cuisine”, a radio program that focuses in discussing the pleasures of entertaining and cooking. His newest venture is “Wine Express”, which specializes in private wine tastings of uncommon wines. Since his career in catering consulting and administration has taken off he finds peace and solitude in his custom-built Tuscan style kitchen where he creates wine dinners for family and friends. Jerry is currently working on two books, one for the industry titles, Catering from a Chef’s Perspective and for the general public “Seasons of the Grape” a book on seasonal cooking and wine pairing in wine growing regions from Australia to South Africa.
A recipe from CHEF JERRY EDWARDS…
BRAISED PORK BELLY
AND CREAM OF ONION SOUP
• PORK BELLY- MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS
• 1 1/2 qt water
• 1 (2- to 2 1/2-lb) piece fresh pork belly ( about 3 inches thick) with skin and bones
• 1/4 cup Chinese rice wine (preferably Shaoxing)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 6 (1/4-inch-thick) slices fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons regular soy sauce (sometimes labeled “light” or “thin” soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed rock sugar (sometimes labeled “yellow rock candy”)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Boil Liquid and spices together . Cover Pork belly and braise for 2-3 hours at 275 degrees, partially covered with foil or loose fitting lid.
Remove from pan when cooked and reduce juices to a sauce, adding cider vinegar to taste.
Roast pork in 400 degree oven to crisp outer layer and serve along side a Cream of Onion Soup and Crisp Bread like Papadum or Lavosh.
CREAM OF ONION SOUP
• 2 Large Sweet Onions, preferably Vidalia or Mayan
• 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup of Whole Milk
• 2 whole Star Anise
• 1 tsp Canola or Grapeseed Oil
• Sea Salt and White Pepper
•
Cut up two large onions into 8 sections. Place in roasting pan or a clay pot and lightly toss in canola or grapeseed oil. Season with salt and Pepper, then cover and Roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from pot or pan and place into 2 cups of Heavy Cream, 1 Cup of Milk and the Star Anise. Let simmer, but not boil for 30 minutes.
Transfer hot liquid to blender and puree. Be careful to put a towel on top of blender lid as the liquid will expand when pureed and may splatter. Do this in 3 batches.
Run the soup through a sieve and season to taste. If it is too sweet, lemon juice or Rice Vinegar may be added to balance out the flavor.