Lineup led by culinary author and James Beard award winner Hank Shaw
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have revealed the 2022 presenters for the Wild Game Cooking Stage, sponsored by Walton’s Inc., at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. Headliner and keynote speaker Hank Shaw will be joined by Jack Hennessy of Braising the Wild, Wade Truong of Elevated Wild, Bri Van Scotter of Wilderness to Table, Rachel Hogan of Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge, and Jonathon Tremblay of Walton’s Inc., to provide flavorful wild game demonstrations at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb. on March 11-13.
“This is the most unique and exciting line up of wild game chefs we’ve ever compiled,” said Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s public relations manager. “Each individual on the stage brings a unique flavor of wild game cooking inspired by their outdoor and culinary backgrounds. We all owe it to the quarry we pursue to prepare the highest quality meals possible for our friends and family, and this collection of chefs can provide some tremendous inspiration for at home wild game cooks of every skill level.”
National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic presented by Federal Premium Ammunition will be the nation’s largest trade show and convention for upland hunters, producers, sport dog owners, and wildlife habitat conservationists. The event will also highlight Pheasants Forever's accomplishments in the state of Nebraska, home to 59 Pheasants Forever chapters, four Quail Forever chapters and over 8,000 total members statewide.
Wild Game Cooking Stage Presenters
Hank Shaw – Shaw is the creator of the James Beard award winning website and food blog “Hunter Angler Gardener Cook” and the author of five wild game cookbooks. He was born and raised on the East Coast before earning a master’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to pursuing a full-time career as a wild foods writer, Shaw worked as a newspaper reporter in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, New York and Virginia. He founded “Hunter Angler Gardener Cook” in 2007 and the site has since become one of the most popular sources of wild game recipes in the world. Today it boasts over 1,100 recipes detailing preparation for everything from pheasant and fish to squirrels and big game. Shaw is also a longtime member of Pheasants Forever and a Life Member of Quail Forever.
Jack Hennessy – Author of the Braising the Wild, Hennessy’s outdoor heritage stems from the backcountry of Washington state where he pursued upland birds and big game animals while attending graduate school and later working as a line cook at the famed Elk Public House in Spokane. Hennessy has made a name for himself by authoring wild game recipes for a variety of publications including the Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation, Outdoor Life, Petersen's Hunting, Gun Dog Magazine, Field & Stream, Outdoor News, and Project Upland, among others. Hennessy serves as a senior account manager for Idea Ranch, a PR and marketing agency producing print and digital content for outdoor brands such as Barnes Bullets, Schrade Knives, Under Armour Hunt/Fish, and Carhartt.
Wade Truong – A millennial outdoorsman and first-generation hunter from the state of Virginia, Wade Truong is a self-taught chef who loves cooking for friends and exploring new ingredients related to wild foods. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Garden & Gun. His passion for cooking and sharing food is the foundation of his obsession with the outdoors and the resources they provide. He spends all of his free time hunting, fishing, foraging and exploring the bounty of the land and water. He believes that the more we participate with our environment, the more we understand that we need to protect it. Truong and his partner, Rachel Owen, are authors of the blog Elevated Wild, designed to promote a deeper sense of pride, rootedness and nourishment from wild game recipes.
Rachel Hogan – Hogan is an avid adventurer, outdoorswoman and certified natural foods chef. After a Lyme disease diagnosis in 2008, she became interested in nutrition’s role in her recovery and the continued fight to maintain quality of life. Turning the high–quality protein that game meats provide into modern and healthful dishes is her signature. Rachel has been executive chef and upland hunting guide in South Dakota for the last eight seasons at Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge, utilizing her field bred English springer spaniels. Her culinary work has been featured by various magazines, including Covey Rise.
Bri Van Scotter – an Scotter is a professional chef, author, hunter and television host who also created the culinary blog and series Wilderness to Table. An adult-onset hunter, Scotter turned to wild foods in order to explore nutrition and the modern food system more deeply. Her career as a chef led her to naturally pursue quality ingredients and she quickly discovered what a wonderful source of nutrition wild foods are. Hunting has since become much more than a source for organic food for Van Scotter, and she now travels the world for hunting experiences, as well as spear fishing and fly-fishing. A professionally trained chef and pastry chef, she has worked at some of the best restaurants in the United States and is a two-time published author of the wild game cookbooks, Complete Wild Game Cookbook and The Easy Venison Cookbook.
Jonathon Tremblay – Originally from Upstate New York, Tremblay moved to Kansas in 2013 and began working for Walton's Inc., building his knowledge and love of all things related to sausage and wild game cooking. As the Media Manager for Walton's and the administrator for their informational website, www.Meatgistics.com, Tremblay has conducted hundreds of videos, livestreams, and podcasts on how to produce the best snack stick, summer sausage, or bratwurst with your purchases from Walton's Inc.
Wild Game Cooking Stage Demonstrations:
- Sous Vide Pheasant Breast with Chimichurri
- How to Make Pheasant Snack Sticks
- Building a Better Stew
- Homemade Wild Game Pasta
- Sweet and Spicy Pheasant Skewers
- Getting More Out of Upland Gamebirds
- Jalapeño Popper Pheasant Sliders
- How to Make Pheasant Summer Sausage
- Perfect Venison Made Simple: Sous Vide Backstrap
- Crispy Pheasant “Cordon Bleu”
- Fast Fowl, Fast Food: Phez-Fil-A Sandwich
- How to Make Pheasant Fresh Sausage
The 2022 National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic will take place at CHI Health Center in Omaha on March 11-13. Tickets and more information can be found at: PheasantFest.org.