Millennial Made is part of Millennial Week which ran from June 13-20. Founder Natalie Moss has made a special effort to reach out to millennials who are usually over looked due to their youthful approach to the world. Millennials are quickly becoming the nation’s fastest-growing generation especially in the Nation’s Capital area. Millennials has the unique ability to tap into the social media world featuring Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and even new apps that appear daily. Their ability to get life trending is exactly what new Big Business is hoping to cash in on.

On Friday, June 19 (7-9:30pm), Millennial Made: Face Off was an event that paired cool gadgets and cooking technology. Each station featured a particular method of cooking in which the chef prepared the food. Upon entering 1776 at Check In, the Millennial receives an orange bracelet and a red ticket which is to be used for voting for the best dish of the four presented; the plastic bracelet has seemingly replaced the other plastic rip away ones as a lasting memory or a reminder hashtag. The event was held on the 12^th floor, at the elevator; Union Kitchen used a converted space separated into different areas which wrapped around the whole floor. The line to the left was shorter than the alcohol line so I ventured to Eco Caters first.

Eco Caters

Eco Caters uses handcrafted foods made 100% from scratch while minimizing the impact on the environment. All foods are primarily local and organic bought from local farms.

Beef Shoulder Carpaccio with pickled summer veggies and a white smoky sauce that was placed over top of the beef; the chef was a youthful young man who was very passionate about cooking this dish using the smoker. This eco-friendly method is able to take a big piece of meat and slice off pieces that would be good for a party.

Quickstep Catering

Quickstep Catering features new American cuisine combining reinvented interpretations of traditional dishes rooted in classical technique, while incorporating the flavors of cuisines from around the world.

They presented their version of “Steak and Potatoes” with hanger steak and potato from with a dehydrated version of A-1 shot. Quickstep used vacuum sealing and a precise water bath powered by a car battery. The potatoes were inserted a NO2 canister which produced a whipped, smooth effect. Along with the dehydrated A-1 shot, they used natural ingredients that are commonly found in the sauce.

Quickstep Catering was the winner of this competition!

Haute Saison

Aiming to prepare fine food for diverse events, Haute Saison crafts each dish by hand using seasonal fresh locally sourced ingredients.

This offering was a “pho-like” without the noodles, said by Sam Williams, one of the attendees. This slow cooked chicken roulade with celery root puree and yuzu was prepared by chefs that wanted to put an Asian influenced dish forward. The cooking method used innovative technology; celery was smoked and then purified with lemon and a clarified mushroom stock. Dried black rice which was then pureed, dried, and deep fried for a crunch element and added to the dish.

Dirty South Deli

Dirty South is a food truck that brings offbeat, chef driven sandwiches throughout the DMV. Focusing on familiar tastes with new twists, it’s more than just meat, cheese, and bread.

Dirty South Deli had the longest line and ran out of their lobster roll within the first 30 minutes of opening. I was unable to try the roll, however, I heard good things about it.

The millennials swarmed the Starbucks Powershot booth, which had three flavors (Vanilla Bean, Coffee, and Dark Chocolate) and alcohol (Bourbon, Gin, and Margarita (which was gone in a flash)).

They also had a great DJ, which makes sense because millennials respond well to the combination of to good music, good food, and of course alcohol. Their party planner knew exactly how to throw a millennial party. If this was targeted to a (much) older generation, a party goer could expect a string quartet however; this event was focusing on integrating cooking and technology, which means embracing the digital age.   I feel that food has become not only a business, but an experience. Millennials are seeking out the next “big trend.”

Final Feedback: The one glaring missing element was a desert; I would have loved to have a dessert to finish off this event. The proteins that were offered were expertly prepared but went too quickly. Maybe next year, the organizers could run an ad in the Express Paper rather than just advertising on Social Media. It was nice that many of the attendees used this event as a “meet up” to help with networking; I certainly made two new friends.

Signing off ,

Guest Blogger, Crystal (CLF)