Flavor rules: Chef says healthy eating is a matter of taste

Former Carolina Panther Mike Rucker listens to Chef Peter Reinhart as he prepares focaccia Thursday. Photo by David Livengood, Salisbury Post.

A selection of healthy snacks was prepared by Lisa Canada. Photo by David Livengood, Salisbury Post.

A selection of cheeses was prepared by Lisa Canada. Photo by David Livengood, Salisbury Post.

Almond Biscotti. Photo by David Livengood, Salisbury Post

Dr. Steven H. Zeisel, director of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, welcomes guests to the Healthy Harvest event. Photo by David Livengood, Salisbury Post

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.comKANNAPOLIS — Science, cooking and football came together Thursday night at the N.C. Research Campus in a culinary demonstration that was informative and entertaining.

Not to mention delicious.

Acclaimed baker Peter Reinhart created five different focaccia breads with the help of retired Carolina Panther Mike Rucker during a cooking class and cocktail fundraiser at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute.

Dr. Steve Zeisel, institute director, provided "nutrition patter" throughout the evening, explaining to 30 guests why Reinhart's ingredients were not only good tasting but also good for them.

Focaccia is an airy, sponge-like bread that Reinhart topped with everything from a Grand Marnier and balsamic vinegar glaze to potatoes with parmesan cheese.

Reinhart, who helped spark the resurgence in artisan breads, also served his signature focaccia covered with walnuts, bleu cheese and onion marmalade. He described it as "a trilogy of flavors that explode in your mouth."

The chef-on-assignment at Johnson & Wales University and owner of Pie Town in Charlotte, Reinhart spoke passionately about bread and called pizza "the universal food."

"Pizza is simply dough with something on it," he said. "Nearly every culture has its own version of pizza."

Reinhart called on Rucker to help prepare the focaccia. A Kannapolis resident and supporter of the N.C. Research Campus, Rucker mixed marmalade, spread cheese and dimpled dough for nearly an hour.

"I was just like a kid in a candy store," he said afterward. "I love this."

Rucker became interested in healthy eating about halfway through his nine-year career in the National Football League, when he hired a nutritionist and saw dramatic results.

"My performance improved, my body fat went down, my muscle mass went up and my energy level increased," he said. "What you put in your body makes a difference."

The former defensive end said he wants to increase awareness about the Research Campus and its mission to improve health and nutrition.

The Nutrition Research Institute might collaborate with Rucker again, Zeisel said.

With his help, the institute "may be able to reach out to other populations that might not have thought of us," Zeisel said.

The event also marked the beginning of a new partnership between the Nutrition Research Institute and Johnson & Wales.

Zeisel said he hopes to help the culinary school develop a nutrition curriculum, while chefs can teach the institute "the art of preparing fine food."

Reinhart divulged a few pointers during the demonstration. He said he always reminds his students that while nutrition is important, "flavor rules."

Customers "will try something good for them once, but if it doesn't taste good, they won't try it again," he said.

Using a portable kitchen outfitted with an overhead mirror, Reinhart gave an occasionally frenetic cooking lesson that included tips like using unbleached flour (it has more flavor) and cooking homemade pizza at the highest possible temperature.

No scientific slouch himself, Reinhart rattled off the differences between fructose, sucrose and glucose and described the chemical changes occurring as he added yeast to flour, water and salt.

"I'm talking about drama," he said. "If you had a microscope, you could see a whole show going on as we speak."

Bread plays an important role in many religions because it serves as a great metaphor, Reinhart said. Wheat is harvested and killed to make flour, which is brought back to life with yeast.

Rucker used the bread metaphor to describe the Research Campus, which stands on the ruins of an abandoned textile mill.

"It was dead and they brought it back to life," he said.