Florida’s Top Chef Promotes Fresh Produce One Dish At A Time
April 17, 2012 
Nothing sells freshly grown or raised food better than a beautifully prepared dish dreamed up by an expert chef. Florida holds a special distinction in this regard by having the only full-time agricultural chef in the nation. His name is Justin Timineri, AKA, The Florida Chef.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a chef,” he says. “All of my family were amazing cooks, so I was always in the kitchen poking around trying to figure out what’s going on. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to follow this path and have such passion and excitement about what I do even to this day.”
Timineri channels his passion for food into developing fun, fresh, and healthy recipes using the vast array of fresh produce, livestock, and seafood produced in Florida. He’s employed by FDACS and has a research and development kitchen at the Department’s Tallahassee headquarters.
Timineri offers a service to Florida growers in which he will create recipes using the farmer’s given commodity. The dish will be photographed professionally and shared with the grower to use in marketing materials.
“It is a lot of fun getting in the kitchen and working with all the great commodities we produce.”
Road Warrior
Timineri travels the state and country promoting fine foods with a taste of Florida. His celebrity began to grow in 2006 when he won the Food Network’s contest for best domestic seafood dish. He is in demand at important food shows and key industry events like Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit.
Timineri says he loves to visit schools in Florida to teach kids about the healthy choices farmers provide with their crops. “One of my favorite school outreach programs is called Extreme Cuisine,” he says. “We go into elementary and middle schools around the state and set up a remote kitchen in the auditorium or gym and teach kids how to prepare their own meals.
“If you put a bowl of fresh guacamole in front of a young kid, they’ll look at you like you are crazy. But, when we make it together and talk about it, they are really interested and want to taste it and go home and duplicate it. This has been one of my passions because it is evident we have problems with food-related diseases and children are not getting this education in schools. We are trying to change that at the Department.”
Having An Impact
Timineri says the results of his labor take a lot of different forms, whether it is the annual cookbook put out by his team at FDACS or brochures to promote particular commodities. In addition, he uses Twitter and Facebook, as well as blogging to help spread the Fresh From Florida gospel.
In March, Timineri began filming his cooking segment to be aired on the third season of “How To Do Florida” (HowToDoFlorida.com), which airs on cable networks across the state. He intends to keep reaching out and spreading the word about all the good things grown in the state in any venue possible.
“We are so lucky to be here in Florida where we have 47,000 farms and more than 200 edible commodities produced and the amazing seafood coming out of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic,” he says. “We have this virtually year-round supply of fresh commodities we can take advantage of in the kitchen. Based on the eMails and thanks I get from people across the state, I believe we are making a difference in promoting what we grow here.”
Check out some of Chef Justin’s Fresh From Florida recipes on the following pages
Citrus Glazed Gator Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup key lime juice
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 4 leaves fresh thyme, chopped
- 4 leaves fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds alligator ribs
Citrus Glaze
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sweet butter Preparation
Prepare a citrus marinade by combining all ingredients except alligator ribs in a glass bowl; blend thoroughly. Set aside 1/2 cup marinade for basting. Pour remaining marinade over ribs and thoroughly coat all pieces; refrigerate in covered bowl or sealed zipper-type bag for 1 to 3 hours.
Remove ribs from marinade and discard used marinade. Heat stove top grill or gas grill to medium heat. Grill ribs for 45 minutes or until tender, basting frequently with reserved 1/2 cup of marinade. Prepare Citrus Glaze while ribs are grilling by combining all glaze ingredients, except butter, and simmering for 15 minutes or until thickened. Add butter in small pieces; heat until butter is melted. Keep warm at low heat until ready to serve. Remove ribs from grill and baste with Citrus Glaze.
Yield
4 servings
Nutritional Value Per Serving
Calories 639, Calories From Fat 150, Total Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Total Carbohydrates13 g, Protein 105g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.10g
Sweet Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 bacon strips, raw, diced small
- 1/2 cup onion, diced small
- 1/2 cup red pepper, diced small
- 2 cups sweet corn, cut from cob
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup russet potatoes, diced medium
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Yield
Approximately 1 quart
Florida Strawberry Tiramisu
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds strawberries
1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves
1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/3 cup orange juice
1 pound Italian mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
52 crisp ladyfingers
Preparation
Whisk preserves, 1/3 cup orange liquor, and orange juice in 2-cup measuring cup. Place mascarpone cheese and 2 tablespoons orange liquor in large bowl; fold just to blend. Using a whisk, beat cream, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons orange liquor in another large bowl to soft peaks. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream mixture into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream a small amount at a time. Slice half of strawberries. Spread 1/2 cup preserve mixture over bottom of 3-quart serving dish or a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange enough ladyfingers over strawberry mixture to cover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4 cup preserve mixture over ladyfingers, then spread 2 1/2 cups mascarpone mixture on top. Arrange 2 cups sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture. Repeat layering with remaining lady fingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Slice remaining strawberries. Arrange over tiramisu and serve.
Nutritional Value Per Serving
Calories 504; Total Fat 36g; Cholesterol 117mg; Sodium 342 mg; Total Carbohydrates 40g; Protein 8g.
Click here to see more Fresh from Florida recipes.
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