In an event benefiting DC Central Kitchen, a collage of local chefs coalesced in the newly opened Art and Soul on New Jersey Avenue for a bread battle of buttery proportions. Being the resident southerner at DCfüd, a purveyor of carbohydrates and a vapid believer in healthy competition, Biscuit Bash 2016 called to myself and many district dwellers for an array of biscuit-based noshes alongside local brews and craft cocktails courtesy of Art and Soul’s mixologist, Lee Bonds. All participants were allowed to exhibit their inner food critic, voting for the best biscuit rendition of the evening.

The event was cozily nestled in the warm, yet sleek ambience of Art and Soul, spilling out from their bar and onto their patio space where the stars of the show, the Culinary Class from DC Central Kitchen, were showing off their skills. If non-stop carb-loading directly from the hands of the competing chefs wasn’t pleasing enough, knowing that all the proceeds benefited DC Central Kitchen was the jelly on top. Since all of the participating vendors donated all the food, their creative genius and dough-rolling hard work, every single competitor deserved an award; however, the people spoke and Alex McCoy of Alfie’s Alfie’s was voted best biscuit while Jerome Grant of Mitsitam won for Judge’s choice. Check out the line-up and some shots from the evening, and get hungry for next year’s Biscuit Bash and follow me on Instagram @celiareynolds with #DCfüd. 

• Chef Evan Scarlatelli of Southern Efficiency: Sea biscuit buttermilk biscuit, rolled (fried) oysters, sweet/spicy tomato jam, chives. Without a singular doubt, the fried oysters with tomato jam from Southern Efficiency was my favorite bite of the evening; frankly, I could’ve cared less for the biscuit it was on. Needless to say, if there is more where that came from, I’ll be paying them a visit soon. 
• Chef Alex McCoy of Alfie’s: Spice roasted goat biscuit with Jezebel sauce and cress. This biscuit was topped with beautiful heaps of fresh dill and mint; the goat was roasted in spices reminiscent of the middle east while the Jezebel sauce paid perfect homage to Southern fare. Being comprised of fruit jellies and mustard, Jezebel sauce is a throwback from after church dinners, traditionally served on ham biscuits. Best damn biscuit of the evening with the added perk of seeing Chef McCoy light up after thoroughly explaining his roasting process and why he chose goat to top his biscuits. The line for this biscuit was wrapped around the room, and rightfully so. I did shamelessly partake, not once, but twice. Whoops. 
• Chef Brandon Byrd of Goodie’s: Peach Cobbler Biscuit. As a Georgian, this screamed comfort food. Rather sweet for my personal liking but what could be more southern than peaches on a biscuit? 
• Chef Hamilton Johnson of Honeysuckle: honeysuckle biscuit with she crab fondue, Maryland crab meat, trio of roes, melted leeks. Again, more Southern shout outs with the guys from Honeysuckle.  She-crab soup is a traditional American staple of many seaside cultures including our own little enclave of Maryland; however, I couldn’t help but be taken back to St. Simon’s Island with this creamy, roe-rich biscuit topper that presented more like biscuits and gravy. Surprisingly, this was the only biscuit/gravy rendition of the evening … maybe next year. 
• Chef Matt Baker of soon to open, Gravitas: Buttermilk biscuit with Rhubarb jam, whipped creme fraiche and pickled strawberry. The most balanced flavor pallet of the evening. The creme fraiche was light and airy, the biscuit itself was perfectly made and the pickled strawberry was a very needed acidic balance to the savory heaviness of a very creamy biscuit from Matt Baker. For Biscuit Bash to an homage to biscuits, this was one of the only biscuits that could have stood alone without the accoutrement. 
• Chef Jerome Grant of Mitsitam (smithsonian NIMAI): Green chili and pecan biscuit, rabbit sausage, duck egg, huckleberry preserve. This biscuit combo won the judge’s choice, a bit of a surprise to me. Perhaps I received a “bad duck egg,” but the biscuit was fairly dense; however, the rabbit sausage was rich, fatty and flavorful. As was a theme of the evening, the topping out did the biscuit. An absolute shame considering that a perfectly executed pecan biscuit would dominate any bread basket. 
• Chef Andrew Markert of Beuchert’s Saloon: Banh mi waffle biscuit, roasted pork shoulder, chicken liver pate, cucumber jalepeno relishes, pickled carrot and radish. Definitely the most interesting biscuit of the evening, being pressed and cooked in a waffle iron, the finished biscuit was crunchy on a larger surface area and the nooks cradled the messy toppings perfectly. 
• Tiffany MacIsaac of Buttercream Bakeshop: Cream Biscuit Bar. This was a biscuit play ground with toppings ranging from chocolate sauces, passion fruit and basil cremes, ginger strawberries and more. The cream biscuit from Buttercream Bake shop was more scone-like in technicality having heavy cream in lieu of the traditional butter in most biscuits. This was most successfully rendered biscuit of the evening that deserved the buffet of toppings offered, but really didn’t need them.  I paired my biscuit with basil creme, blueberries and a lemon sauce. 
• DC Central Kitchen: Culinary training class, fried chicken and biscuits. Fried Chicken on a biscuit with pepper jelly. I would have slapped my momma but she is safely in Alabama. Instead, the food induced fits of violence were channeled into destroying this classic biscuit combo. 
• Chef Louis Goral of Rural Society: Cielo y Mar Biscuit, Foie gras torchon, charred baby octopus, bourbon luxardo cherry glaze, orange. I WILL be paying Rural Society a trip. Foie gras is a weakness of mine, but rich foie gras countering chewy baby octopus balanced perfectly with an acidic top end and a sweet over note … made me happier than a pig in the sunshine (you’re welcome for the idiom). Whether on a biscuit or a stale vanilla wafer, undoubtedly, this creation was the most creative and well-rounded bite of the evening. 
• Chef Tadd Ruddell-Tabisola of the BBQ Bus: BBQ “Buscuit” Bahn Mi. Pork Shoulder braise in hoisin, sesame, soy and brown sugar. Topped with sweet-spicy-tangy house-pickled daikon radishes and carrots, finished with cilantro and sesame seeds. Served open face on a cornmeal scallion “buscuit.” Stellar pork shoulder, I cannot wait to track this bus down and break other kashrut laws. 

Other Libations from the night:

• Ice Cream Jubilee: Blue berry pie, Banana bourbon caramel, mango habanero, thai iced tea, gin and tonic sorbet.
• Mixologist, Lee Bonds of hosting venue, Art and Soul: “Ricky Got Smoked” Barr Hill Gin, charred applewood syrup and lime

-CER