Thursday, September 27, 2007
Al Pollard's memory lives on through scholarship fund
Larry Bly
Larry Bly has plenty on his plate these days. He's got two TV shows on Cox Cable Roanoke. Click ahead for details and showtimes.
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I wasn't a close friend of Al Pollard. But you didn't have to be in order to feel a kinship with the guy. Everyone whose life he touched would tell you that, me included.
Al, with his partners, ran quite a restaurant empire: Corned Beef & Co. and Frankie Rowland's in downtown Roanoke, and 419 West near Tanglewood Mall. There was also a Frankie Rowland's in Winston-Salem, which unfortunately burned to the ground shortly after opening and never reopened.
No matter how busy Al was, he always came over to say "hi." That's a true restaurant guy!
He always had time for his kids and was involved in the community on many levels. He also enjoyed his rock and roll. I'll never forget standing behind him while he danced through the entire 90-minute Tower of Power show at the Roanoke Civic Center. He was a blast.
When Al died suddenly and much too young a few years back, it shocked everyone. Today, his interest in the culinary arts lives vicariously through the Al Pollard Memorial Foundation Scholarship Fund.
Now in its second year, it has become a force to be recognized, raising well over $65,000 -- thanks to a legion of hardworking friends and cohorts -- toward scholarships for those intent upon becoming cooks, chefs or otherwise engaging themselves in the culinary field. Some of this year's money will help fund the new Culinary Arts Institute now taking shape across from the old historic Dumas Hotel in the Gainesboro section of Roanoke.
I had the pleasure of MC'ing this year's Chef Competition at the Roanoke Country Club last Friday night. Five of the valley's finest chefs not only prepared food for the hundreds who attended the evening's gala and auction, but were kind and sporting enough to engage in a little friendly competition, which was really more of demonstration for the grateful crowd. Putting on quite a show (and creating some very exciting dishes) were the Hotel Roanoke's Billie Raper, the Shenandoah Club's Roger Light, Kroger's top chef, Steve Alls, Zak's Cafe's Videnia (V.V.) Redman, and Table 50's Michael Caudell.
They were paired with Al Pollard Memorial Foundation Scholarship Fund recipients: Evan Burkholder, Meagan Carpenter, Cindy Waldron, Heather Cypher, Douglas Ulrich, Anthony Smith, Amber Walters, Joseph Kraska and Crystal Ford. Congrats to all.
I'm not a golfer, but those predicating in the golf tournament can be thanked as well for their share of proceeds raised. A good time (despite the occasional showers) was had by all.
Mill Mountain Zoo brought some critters for petting in the front lobby of the Roanoke Country Club. I hung out briefly with a barn owl, opting to ignore the 10-foot python or whatever that big yellow snake was. I had a great time and look forward to the event next year.
Last weekend I got in the car around noon and headed down to the Henry Street Heritage Festival in Roanoke's Elmwood Park. I wanted to enjoy what our esteemed president sometimes calls "The Afro-American Experience."
Except -- it wasn't last weekend. It's this weekend, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. In addition to great fun, food, dancing and conversation, you can enjoy five different well-known musical acts on the main stage.
Admission is $8 per adult before 4 p.m.; $10 adults, from 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (to cover the stage entertainment), $2-children, 6-12 years of age; children 5 and under free if accompanied by an adult, or someone who acts like one.
I've been attending the Henry Street Festival since way back when they actually had it on Henry Street. It's one of our best celebrations.
Finally, I've been on the trail of the famous local Kenny Burger for months now. There's a place in Salem that claims to sell them, but they're never open and most recently looked like they may never be again, so I gave up on them.
Then an old friend, Ray, tells me that someone serves Kenny Burgers in Buena Vista. It still carries the Kenny's name, original location and original recipes, on Magnolia Avenue.
For those of you who grew up in the Roanoke Valley -- and even for those of us who came along in the early 70s, Kenny's was a local chain that had great food. Their chicken was deep fried pleasure. Even the little bread roll was deep fried and very crunchy (Hey! It wasn't as sinful as today's deep fried Twinkie!).
But the star of the menu was always the Kenny Burger.
What made it different from all other burgers? The sauce.
Mr. Kenny's homemade red sauce went on every order. Most places just dipped the burger in the sauce once it was fried. My friend Ray claims that some of them, including the one in Beuna Vista, had some fancy device for squirting or rubbing the sauce onto the burger.
No matter, the sauce was king. And the recipe survives. Mr. Kenny himself bottled the stuff for years.
Well, at last, I've located a Kenny Burger within blocks of my ad agency at the Roanoke City Market Food Court.
Burger in the Square now offer's Mr. Kenny's burgers. The sauce is about the same, though the beef patties at Burger in the Square are fat, fresh, juicy, and hand patted -- something the Kenny Burgers never were. They were smallish and pre-formed frozen, but we loved them anyway.
How does it stand up against the original? Thirty-plus years dims the memory, if not the taste buds. I was always crazy about the originals. This one's pretty good, but it's so sloppy that it should be served with a straw. The sauce tastes just as I remembered it: piquant but a perfect match for a beef burger. I got mine without condiments, not wanting anything to skew my taste buds for the basic burger and sauce. I'd give it an A-plus.
As with all burgers at Burger in the Square, it's a bargain at $3. You have to order a double bacon cheeseburger to reach the $4.68 charge, but be prepared to stand in line. It's not for nothing that this Burger does one heck of a business.
Bly for now!
