Kansas City Chef Craig Adcock creates
the most delicious rum cakes, which happen to be available at
The Rum Barrel. And we just got a note from him saying that he'll be at the South Beach Food & Wine Festie. Check it out!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (February 14, 2012) -- Chef Craig Adcock is the first Kansas City to appear at the
SoBeWFF. And he'll be bringing the heat and some sweet in a big way.
One of a few chefs in the nation that grills the 3.5" steak over an open flame, Adcock will present his signature dish of the "Tomahawk Chop," a massive 4.5-lb. bone in rib eye cut--inspired by collaboration with the beloved and late Kansas City chef John McClure--and two 35-inch pans of paella to be prepared over a peach wood fire on the beach.
After the SOBE event, Adcock, owner of
Belly Up Bar-B-Que, will have served well over 200 of the Tomahawk Chop from coast to coast over the past year.
His main SOBE entrees will be followed up with Adcock's famous dessert,
Jude's Rum Cake. A mainstay of Adcock's catering business, thousands of the cakes are shipped annually nationwide. They're also sold at a dozen Kansas City restaurants, upscale grocery stores Dean & Deluca, and at
Pat Croce's Rum Barrel restaurant in Key West. Adcock hopes to launch the Key West Rum Cake line later this year for cruise lines.
No stranger to celebrity catering, he recently cooked at the Playboy Golf tournament, backstage for Elton John
concerts, and fired up the grills and 600 lbs. of meat at the SXSW
Music Festival.
With his characteristic gleam in his eyes, Adcock jokingly refers to himself as the "only non-catering caterer" he knows.
When he's not "non-catering" for Playboy bunnies or baking rum cakes, Adcock takes an active role in community service, teaching at Culinary Cornerstones, a Kansas City based non-profit helping guide adults to stable employment.
"I need to stay true to that inner voice and be nice," Adcock says. "Hopefully, the success will follow."
Just four years ago, Adcock worked in a corporate cubicle, moonlighting on nights and weekends to feed his cooking passion. He made the life-changing decision to take his side business and passion,
Belly Up Bar-B-Que, into a full time career.
"The leap was one of the best and hardest things I've ever done. Kansas City has an amazing food scene," Adcock said. "I get to share my fare locally and travel quite a bit. It's not just about the money, the journey and the experience matter. Being nice matters."
Adcock's spirit of doing things his own way is reflected by his catering style -- a blend of chef, charismatic host and sommelier.
"I get to cater my way, flying solo - sort of a modern day tapas experience of "small bites throughout the nite" from 6 p.m. until midnight," Adcock said. "A new dish comes out every 45 minutes or so."
Adcock's menus are eclectic, everything from grilled lobster tail paired with popcorn and a cool Central Coast Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier blend, to small plates of bagna cauda, tuna tartare, seafood, or "old skool bbq" of ribs, brisket, pork, salmon.
Given his accomplishments in such a short time, Adcock seems to be taking the fast track to celebrity chef status.
Craig Adcock can be contacted online through Belly Up Bar-B-Que and Jude's Rum Cake, via phone at 913.526.6708 or email at craig @ bellyupbbq.com
Tequila Lime BBQ Shrimp Skewers topped with pico de gallo. Served with rice and veggies: $18
