Hitchcock Launches Pop-Up Series with Chef Alejandro Tress of Puerto Rico

SEATTLE, January 11, 2021 — Chef Brendan McGill and the Hitchcock team are thrilled to announce their latest pivot, Hitchcock Guest Chef: Street Food Pop-Up Series.

“Our pop-ups have saved us, creatively, financially, and spiritually, over the last year,” said Brendan McGill, chef and owner of Hitchcock Restaurant Group. “While brainstorming we got to talking about the top-notch chef talent across the world who aren’t able to cook right now, given the current COVID conditions, and the idea was born.”

Grant Rico, Chef de Cuisine of Hitchcock, and Paul Mancebo, Culinary Director of the restaurant group, both attended the CIA in New York and cooked at highly-acclaimed restaurants across the country. The lineup of chefs are friends and colleagues, many of whom cook in some of the world’s best restaurants. The Hitchcock team has invited eight talented chefs to Bainbridge Island over the next four months.

The Street Food Pop-Up Series will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am to 7pm.  Each visiting chef will create a menu of street food they are passionate about on the Vesta grill parked in front of Hitchcock Deli on Winslow Way. A thoughtful selection of wine, beer, and cocktails will be available. There is covered and heated outdoor seating, as well as limited indoor seating, when it’s allowed by the Governor’s new reopening plan.

The Street Food Pop-Up Series launches Friday, January 22 with chef Alejandro Tress. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, chef Tress attended the CIA in New York. He’s cooked at several of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated restaurants, as well as the highly-acclaimed Astrid y Gastón in Lima, Peru and Le Bernardin in NYC.

The January 22 to January 24 street food pop-up will showcase chef Tress’ take on classic Puerto Rican foods with some elegant twists. Using locally sourced products and authentic ingredients from Puerto Rico, the menu will include:

  • Alcapurrias – Dungeness crab and pumpkin fritters with cardamom-achiote aioli
  • Empanadillas – Shady Acres Mangalitsa pork empanadillas with local kiwi salsa verde
  • Charred Giant Pacific Octopus Salad with brown butter-pineapple sauce
  • Mofongo – mashed plantains with spot prawns, chicharrons, and sofrito sauce
  • Mamposteao – crispy rice and beans with mojo chicken and pickled onions
  • Fresh Piña Coladas with Puerto Rican rum

The February 5 to February 7 street food pop-up will feature chef Carlo Lamagna. Lamagna is the Philippines-born, Detroit-bred Ilocano chef and owner of Magna Kusina, in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of the CIA in New York, he spent time cooking in Chicago at North Pond, Perennial Virant, and running Filipino pop-up, Twisted Filipino, before heading the kitchen at Clyde Common in Portland.

Chef Lamagna’s menu will showcase street food of the Philippines. The menu will feature dishes such as Arroz Caldo, a chicken and rice porridge with chicken skin chicharrons; Crab Fat Noodles with Dungeness crab, crab fat sauce, squid ink noodles, and pickled corn chow chow; Ginataang Kalabasa a fire roasted kabocha squash with spicy coconut broth, roasted pumpkin seeds, and bitter greens; Inihaw na Baboy, a grilled pork chop served with rice and atchara; and Longipan, longanisa on pandesal with grilled cilantro relish.

The February 19 to February 21 street food pop-up will feature chef Osmel Gonzales. Born and Raised in Cuba, chef Gonzales is the Sous Chef at three Michelin Star restaurant SingleThread in Healdsburg, California. He also spent time cooking at Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain. Disfrutar is a two Michelin Star restaurant and #9 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list by San Pellegrino.

Chef Gonzales will showcase traditional Cuban street food sandwiches made with Shady Acres Mangalitsa pork and breads by Hitchcock Bakeshop. The menu will include El Cubano, El Lechon, La Frita de Chorizo, a gourmet chorizo burger, Masa Frita, a rice and black bean bowl with fried pork, and The Mad Yuca, yuca fries with spicy aioli and fried egg.

March and April welcomes chefs Berk Guldal, Stefano Schiaffino, Nicholas Leiss, Varin Keokitvon, and Justin McMillan. To stay up on all the latest chefs, dates, and menus, visit https://www.hitchcockrestaurant.com/streetfood.

“Our natural instinct as hospitality professionals is to gather people together and take care of them,” said McGill. “It’s been tough since that’s mostly not been an option the last year, but we’ve found street food to be the exception. With proper social distancing, eating foods that are meant to be enjoyed on the street actually works. Guests can enjoy these foods exactly how they were meant to, and nothing is lost in the translation.”

COVID-19 Safety Plan:

Any chef who is flying will be required to provide a negative COVID test within 72 hours of flying, and another negative COVID test upon arrival, and prior to the weekends pop-up event. Service will be executed within the current Washington state safety guidelines. This includes items such as: sanitization, usage of masks, and social distancing.

Chef Brendan McGill’s Hitchcock Deli serves sandwiches, salads, and soups made from meats raised on pasture and produce from the closest source of the highest quality. Enjoy organic coffee options along with goodies from Hitchcock Bakeshop. Hitchcock Deli is currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 3pm. For more information, visit www.hitchcockdeli.com.

Hitchcock Deli is located at 129 Winslow Way East on Bainbridge Island in Washington.

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