How has it evolved through the years? Or has it basically stayed the same?I always consider new Takedowns. The World's Biggest Jerk Off a few years back featured 30 different jerkies and boy, oh boy, I didn't realize how yummy jerky could be! I should do one of those in Austin. A lot of businesses tend to strive to get bigger, and they lose something. I only sell a small amount of tickets, so the home cooks aren't stretched to the limit. I don't ever allow in pro chefs, who bring with them a seriousness, a professionalism and a sense of entitlement I don't like.Not to mention a whole host of weird issues, because all chefs have serious issues. I like my events to at least have a whiff of those takedowns I first hosted in my living room. It's just a party is all!
Do you have a favorite Takedown of all time? I'm kind of partial to my meatball takedown right now. A good meatball is so yummy!What about a least favorite? Or a category that was just kind of disgusting?I never do a takedown of a food group I would hate. I've been floating the idea of an insect takedown, but to be honest I don't want to eat bugs that bad, and I'm not starving, so there's no reason for it to'e up. Every now and then, some freakazoid will go way off book and show up with a crazed version of the dish I asked for. And I'm just glad they exist. They could be a hero or a villain that day at the takedown, but if you show up with an ice cream to a mac and cheese takedown, people are going to talk about it. Which is super dope.
I see there's another Mac and Cheese Takedown going to Brooklyn next. Have you done others in the past?In the past five years I've brought Mac and Cheese Takedowns to Brooklyn, Boston and Milwaukee, where it got pretty cheesy actually. It never gets old, because mac and cheese is the happiest dish in the galaxy.What were your impressions of this Mac and Cheese Takedown?I loved that even as SXSW gets in full swing, I didn't really see a lot of lanyards it had the stink of a real local Austin event. Nice little secret gathering for the cooking underground. I love that the Austin Facial Hair Club always represents, and that people like Missy Farahani and Amber Gulley are such loyal regulars to a takedown!