Got Ideas?

Foodies and aspiring chefs — and by aspiring chefs we mean home cooks, students or anyone who loves to cook — are encouraged to enter The Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge to become Wisconsin’s next great food entrepreneur. If you’ve got an innovative idea for a food business, go to www.hotwater247.com and submit a short application and a photo of your recipe or product concept.

The challenge, sponsored by Milwaukee Area Technical College and Reliable Water Service, coincides with the kick-off of MATC’s new Entrepreneurship Center, which opens this spring to help aspiring entrepreneurs with comprehensive resources and training to take a business concept from dream to reality.

The entry deadline is May 18. The grand prize winner will receive $2,500 in seed money from Reliable to start a business, a comprehensive entrepreneurial consultation package from MATC, and a gift certificate for professional cookware from The Boelter Cos. Finalists will be selected in mid-June to participate in a final judging event at Cuisine, the student-operated restaurant for MATC’s culinary arts program in late summer.  

Judges for the contest are Justin Aprahamian, chef de cuisine for Sanford Restaurant and semifinalist for the James Beard Award, Rising Star Chef; Lynn Sbonik, co-owner of Beans & Barley Deli, Market & Full Service Café; Andrea Marquez-Paquin and Andrew Paquin, owners of La Luna, a local company providing fresh, authentic Mexican food products sold in select grocers’ freezers; and George Flees, general manager of Parkside 23 restaurant in Brookfield featuring American food featuring fresh, local ingredients.

Spice is Nice

There is a “Man Vs. Food” episode waiting to happen Wednesday nights at Trocadero Gastrobar, 1758 N. Water St., during Spice Night. Start out slow with some jumbo Buffalo Chicken wings and work your way up to the Black Widow wings — wings so hot (made with the ghost pepper, the world’s hottest pepper) you have to sign a disclaimer before you can eat them. At 75 cents per wing, how many can you eat?

The Spice Night menu includes other hot offerings, from tacos to burgers to drinks (Devil’s Cocktail, anyone?). You might want to order an ice-cold glass of milk for $1 to neutralize the spice, or as a perfect side to a slice of chocolate cake made with bourbon chile sauce and strawberries.

(Wood)working it

Urban(wood) Encounter is back for 2012 during Gallery Night and Day on April 20 and 21. See what can be done with wood otherwise deemed worthless. Furniture will be on display at the Design Within Reach Milwaukee Studio, 167 N. Broadway.

The stair treads and flooring used in the recent green redo of the Clock Shadow Building, 538 S. 2nd St., are a great example of this local natural resource. They are made from Milwaukee area ash trees removed due to Emerald Ash Borer devastation. The artwork in the space is by Jennifer Espenscheid of Soma Gallery.

Urban(wood) Encounter is presented by Wudeward Urban Forest Products and sponsored by Woodcraft of Milwaukee and Town and Country Resource Conservation and Development.