SF Food Wars

We are too bloated with bread and beer to write a witty paragraph, so here’s how it all played out today in a nutshell:

People’s Choice: Team #11 / Fire in the Fornix! / The Hurricane

People’s Choice Honorable Mention: Team #14 / Dark Horse Breads / Pear Walnut Bread

Photog’s Choice: Team #9 / The Fancy Boyz / Pain a l’Ancienne

1st Place: Team #19 / Jen Rosa / Rosemary Sourdough Bread

2nd Place: Team #20 / Rocket Baby / Cherry Poppin’ Walnut

3rd Place: Team #16 / Bread for Gold / Sour River Loaf

Thanks so very much to all competitors, attendees, and sponsors for making this such a fun event. Photos, recipes, and more coverage from Yeast Affliction to come!

(from left to right: Michel Suas, JT Tredgold, and Tamara Palmer)

As you glance over at the judges’ table this coming Sunday, you’ll notice a truly esteemed group of experts who will determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places–an easy task this is not!

Michel Suas is the founder and president of the San Francisco Baking Institute and Thorough Bread and Pastry. He is internationally recognized as an industry expert and thought leader, and is a strong advocate of using education to advance the appreciation and craft of artisan baking.

JT Tredgold is the Director of Bakery Operations at the beloved Bay Area artisan bread and pastry-maker Semifreddi’s, situated right across the bay in Kensington. JT has been part of the Semifreddi’s family for over 15 years and is currently part of Team USA, the national competitive baking team.

Tamara Palmer is our indispensable veteran judge who has graced our presence at every SFFW event to date! She is an SF food writer extraordinaire, author, DJ, and regular contributor to SF Weekly.

Thanks to all of our amazing sponsors, the winners of Yeast Affliction will be lugging home some serious loot! These companies are integral to our events and the enthusiastic local food community we serve, so please take note of who these incredible folks are when you’re out and about!

Check out what the future yeast victors will win:

People’s Choice:
$100 Cash, 2-Day Workshop at SFBI, Signed copy of Advanced Bread and Pastry c/o SFBI, $25 at Omnivore Books, Method Miracle Gift Bag, Savory Baking c/o Chronicle Books, Food: The History of Taste c/o UC Press, 1-year Subscription to 7×7 Magazine

People’s Choice Honorable Mention:
$30 at Tartine Bakery, Tartine Cookbook, Box of Confections c/o Bridge Brands Chocolate, Method Miracle Gift Bag, Savory Baking c/o Chronicle Books, Food: The History of Taste c/o UC Press, 1-year Subscription to 7×7 Magazine

Photog’s Choice:
The Double Shot Camera c/o Photojojo

1st Place:
$100 cash, 1/2 Keg of Your Choice c/o Thirsty Bear, Method Miracle Gift Bag, Savory Baking c/o Chronicle Books, Food: The History of Taste c/o UC Press, 1-year Subscription to 7×7 Magazine

2nd Place:
$50 at Bi-Rite Market, Method Miracle Gift Bag, Savory Baking c/o Chronicle Books, Food: The History of Taste c/o UC Press, 1-year Subscription to 7×7 Magazine

3rd Place:
$25 at Thorough Bread and Pastry, Method Miracle Gift Bag, Savory Baking c/o Chronicle Books, Food: The History of Taste c/o UC Press, 1-year Subscription to 7×7 Magazine

Don’t worry–None of these breads are made with cat!

Who knows which bread our crowd will fall in “loaf” with the most?? Your guess is as good as ours! For now, get an idea of what you’re soon to taste and check out the official Team and Bread names for Yeast Affliction! coming up in just about a week:

(official number / team name / dish name)

1. Doughtron 3030 / East Coast Sourdough

2. LisaRuth’s Lovin’ from the Oven / Seeding Is Believing

3. The Muffin Top / Martha’s Inside Out Barcelona Bread

4. Sour Flour / SF Special

5. Team BasilBrain / Fabulously Flawless French Herb Bread

6. Scarlette Poppy / Chipotle Cheddar Bread

7. Wild At Hearth / Ciabatta Bing Ciabatta Bang

8. Bake My Breath Away / 40 Cloves Garlic Sourdough Rounds

9. The Fancy Boyz / Pain a l’Ancienne

10. Marylene Williams / 100% Sprouted Grain Bread

11. Fire in the Fornix! / The Hurricane

12. Team Mayfield Bakery / San Francisco Sourdough

13. The Naan Project / Rani’s Naan

14. Dark Horse Breads / Black Pepper and Fig Sourdough

15. The Itty Biddies / A Nutty Sourdough

16. Bread for Gold / Sour River Loaf

17. Wild Yeast / Semolina Sourdough with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts

18. Go Nuts! / Nuthing but Net

19. Jen Rosa / Rosemary Sourdough Bread

20. Rocket Baby / Cherry Poppin’ Walnut

BREAD! BEER! Get ready to unleash the yeast beast in you!! We’re making a carb-crazed entrance into 2010 with a not-to-miss event co-sponsored by the breadlords at the San Francisco Baking Institute: “Yeast Affliction! All-out Artisan Bread Bakedown & Craft Beer Tastiness.”

Join us at our special off-site venue,Thirsty Bear, as 20 bread-bakers go head-to-head with their yeasty scratch-baked loaves! Local butter and olive oil promise to be outstanding accoutrements. In addition to 1 free beer ticket that comes with admittance, you will also enjoy Thirsty Bear’s $4 organic craft beer specials the whole time so you can wash down those solid carbs with some liquid ones!

***CLOSED*** Call for Competitors:
Do you often find yourself up at the butt crack of dawn making yeasted bread from scratch? If you make an artisan yeasted bread (rye, sourdough, walnut, multigrain, etc.) that is TO DIE FOR and want to compete, please send an email to with the following info: Name, phone number, email, dish name, and dish description.

The bread MUST be yeasted. We’re looking for hand-shaped bread leavened with yeast. Roulades/fillings/added extras are acceptable as long as they are *baked-in* and not added post-baking. Sorry, but viennoiserie (breakfast pastries) will not be considered. Timeliness and enthusiasm are key because we will select our 20 competitors within just a few days.

***SOLD OUT*** Ticket Seekers:
This is a 21+ event! IDs will be checked. Tickets (limited to 200) will go on sale on Wednesday, January 13th at 12pm noon! They are $14 and include 1 free beer ticket. Just click the “Get Tickets” button on this site, sffoodwars.com, which will appear when they go on sale. Limit 4 tickets per ticket buyer. Got questions? Check out our FAQ section or email us at .

Last but not least, we’d like to bestow upon you one last crowd favorite recipe! Just in time, in the last throes of 2009, have one last fixins hurrah with this multi-generational Southern family favorite before the New Year’s dieting guilt sets in. Team Mimi & William’s “The Emancipation of Mimi’s Cornbread Stuffing” is laid out in time frames meant to have the dish perfectly ready for dinner! Continue reading for recipe…
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Apple Pie? Pumpkin Pie?? There’s absolutely no need to make this tough decision thanks to Team Sweet + Savory’s “Look Ma, No Crust! Apple Pumpkin Pie-brid” recipe!! This crowd favorite dish melds two classics into one to-die-for creation that will be a hit at your holiday party!!
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photo courtesy of Chris Rochelle at CHOW.com

We need a surly guy with a mullet and a white tux jammin’ on a red baby grand while he sings about Great Balls of Spinach! Team Hustle & Pout nailed it with these one-bite beauties topped off with a signature cranberry reduction! These are the perfect hors d’ouevres to preempt holiday gluttony! Continue reading for recipe…
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photo courtesy of Chris Rochelle at CHOW.com

The holidays are NO time to start, continue, or even entertain the thought of a diet. In honor of that, Team Karwan’s Kitchen proved that calories are king when they won the People’s Choice Honorable Mention award with their artery-clogging dish, “Jiffy Corn Casserole and I Don’t Care (about the calories)”! A simple recipe, a fantastic flavor, and a sure-fire food coma…what’s not to like?? Continue reading for recipe…
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Our judges’ top pick was proof that ye naught need thy bird, nor thy carbs, nor thy hot dishes to find thy victory at ye olde Food Wars! Team Ready, Willing, and Mable scored 1st Place with “Tangy Love – A Fresh, Raw Cranberry Relish,” the perfect accoutrement to your upcoming holiday meal. Give it a try!
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