The FAMILY? Cast: Food & Music Is Life, Yes? Host, Dogwood & Saint Didacus Frontman Chef Josh Kemble "Cooks Up" Punk/Food & Drink Pairings (Tasting Menu, Part Deux)
I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed an interview NO ECHO founder Carlos Ramirez conducted with San Diego Punk/Hardcore frontman turned chef, business owner, and podcaster Joshua "Josh" Kemble. I was almost instantly intrigued and gave Josh a Follow on both Twitter (@thegrexican) and Instagram (@joshkemb,) who soon Followed me back. Before too long, Chef Josh & I connected on Twitter talking about potential food and drink pairings to accompany Praise's then-just released album, All In A Dream, which I was listening to one night whilst cooking dinner for my family. Chef Josh & I quickly started swapping ideas (and recipes) back-and-forth and soon landed on a scrumptious ideas for a collaborative feature for The Witzard.
I sent Chef Josh a Punk/Hardcore Spotify playlist I've been compiling in recent months, let him pick a handful of favorites, and, then, did some unique Punk food pairings, much like on his The FAMILY? Cast: Food & Music Is Life, Yes? otherwise known as The Punk Chef Pairing Podcast (@thefamilycast.) So, go check out Chef Josh's one-time band, Dogwood—featuring former Yellowcard bassist Sean O'Donnell—and his new Punk/Dadcore band, Saint Didacus. Cue up Chef Josh's second round of hand-picked tunes by EXCIDE, Knelt Before, The Callous Daoboys, SAMIAM, ILL COMMUNICATION & KOYO and enjoy his one-of-a-kind Punk food and beverage pairings down below the break!
EXCIDE - "PERDITION NOW" (New Mortality 'zine)
Appetizer: "Brunch Shots & Cones"
Savory waffle cone, sweet potato mash, fried chicken, beet honey.
Beverage: Shot of milk (or almond milk) in an iced-over glass, chaser of Old Harbor Ampersand [Cold-pressed] Dark Coffee Liqueur.
Moving on to the full menu...
KNELT BEFORE - " 生 き る しか ない (LIVE WITH MYSELF)" (Earache Distribution/Wrecking Crew Records)
Menu Item: "The Ultimate Spread"
Charcuterie and artisanal cheese board, persimmons, rosemary crackerbread, togarashi-spiced almonds, pickled watermelon rind, fresh rambutan, roasted bell pepper and feta spread, multigrain baguette, honeycomb, marigolds, [and] barleywine mustard.
Beverage: Burning Beard Brewing's New Fang American Pale Ale
N/A: Prickly Pear Arnold Palmer
THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS - "A BRIEF ARTICLE REGARDING TIME LOOPS" (MNRK Heavy/Modern Static Records)
Menu Item: "They Shouldn't Look Like Octopus Tostadas (Vegan)"
Compressed watermelon poke, mirin and sake reduction, citrus-poached golden beets, tamari-glazed persian cucumber, scallion, toasted sesame seeds, brown rice vinegar, calrose rice, garlic wontons.
Beverage: Beverage: Ketch Brewing Kamakura Rice Lager or Hitachino Red Rice Ale
Wine: Luis Pato Baga Natural
SAMIAM - "LIGHTS OUT LITTLE HUSTLER" (Pure Noise Records)
Menu Item: "Something There Between You"
White truffle risotto, kalamata, butternut squash, and pine nut-stuffed portobello, grana padano, truffle and maldon sea salt, bay leaf oil, parsley, [and] candied lemon peel.
Beverage: Burning Beard Brewing [Beard Blue Ribbon] (B.B.R.) Lager, tallboy can
Wine: Oaked Chardonnay
ILL COMMUNICATION - "A LECTURE IN SURVIVABILITY" (Safe Inside/Another City Records)
Menu Item: "Failures & M'Steaks"
30-day dry-aged ribeye, parsley and cilantro compound butter, confit garlic yukon gold smash, micro-amaranth, sherry vinegar and garlic-grilled broccolini, micro-chives, [and] shallot oil.
Beverage: Torched Citrus Old Fashioned, San Diego Distillery's 18 YR Canadian Rye [Whiskey]
Wine: Pick any red wine you've ever heard of; this dish has all the pairings!
KOYO - "TEN DIGITS AWAY" (Pure Noise Records)
Dessert: "Chef's Kiss"
Sugar Kiln Cookies: Dark chocolate black Oaxacan mole, mazapán Snickerdoodle, sea salt.
Beverages: Provecho! [Coffee Co.] Roasters Cafecito, Mezcal de Armadillo Negro Wild-grown Ancestral
Instagram: @sugarkiln, @provechocoffee, [and] @mezcales_armadillo_negro