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“Scratch Food” – Local Company Reaching New Heights

March 29, 2017 By Dayton937 Leave a Comment

The “Meals from Scratch” Team with Matt Hayden (right)

Chef Matt Hayden has been a foodie all of his life. He is the guy who binge orders delivery late at night, or whips up recipes for his family and friends at a moment’s notice. He has the kick-ass chicken recipe you love or the BBQ that melts in your mouth. He is also quite the giver to the community. He is always dedicating time and resources to one cause or another.

For the last 25 years Matt has been a fixture in the Dayton food community. First with his original ownership of the Pour Haus, with their pizza following and BBQ sauces. He also had a venture in Miamisburg called the Chimney Inn.

Those experiences lead him to open Scratch Food in Centerville off of Paragon Rd in 2010.

There is one more experience that affected him.

Laying out hundreds of meals for the day

Chef Hayden unbuttoned his shirt to expose a heart operation scar. This health scare turned his life around, and tuned him into the healing power of foods. Now, his business is growing but the most touching aspect, is how they are affecting the lives of Miami Valley residents. They are literally saving lives with their food.

HERE IS THE SKINNY ON SCRATCH FOOD:

—SCRATCH FOOD consists of 2 aspects

Chef Marshall Bartley shows an incredible Chicken Dinner

1)SCRATCH EVENT CATERING:
An upscale catering business that has been hosting large and special events for over a decade. All the food is made by chefs and they are used to catering for top area companies. They cater events like weddings with 150-300 or more, up to 3200 people event. They are involved heavily with Masquerage and of course the upcoming April 22nd Dayton Metro Library opening gala. Great opportunities for a Food Adventure.

2)MEALS FROM SCRATCH:
A carry out or delivery service of frozen, pre-prepared, nutrient dense meals. This service is for the convenience of busy schedule customers, or assisted living customers. It makes life easier for them. It also helps those who are sick and dealing with disease management like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Cancer. Are you just looking for convenient meals to fit your healthy lifestyle? They offer those as well. All dishes are made carefully and prepared by chefs to strict specifications, with the freshest ingredients.

—Scratch Foods employs some of the most talented local chefs. Chef Marshall

Frozen, prepared meals by chefs, for convenience, health or fighting disease

Bartley, a lifelong friend of Matt’s is just one of the experienced crew working hard to get results for health and taste. Another star is Kristen LeMaster, the event coordinator and Project Manager for the business. The other chefs on the team round out this talented crew.

—Scratch Food is always giving back to the community. Be it the Suzy Pender Memorial Fund, The Pink Ribbon Girls, or his latest, the April 22nd kickoff of the new library downtown. For decades he has helped countless local causes. Sisca, Boonshoft Museum, Antioch and the Bull Diabetes Center on Schantz Ave. and a couple more charities. Food Adventures loves their stuff.

—Besides battling heart disease, Matt has another motivation. Matt lost his mother at a young age, and she has been a source of inspiration to helping people battling illnesses. By working with Miami Valley Hospital, their often quoted mantra is “Let Food be Thy Medicine.”

Chicken Cakes with Sweet Potato Succotash

—Want some Meals from Scratch? Within 12 hours of placing your online order at this website, you will be contacted by email. They will set up a day and time, convenient for you, to pick up your meals from our Centerville location, behind the Paragon Supper Club at 767 Miamisburg-Centerville Road. Your meals can be picked up 7 days a week from 10am thru 7pm. Sometimes your meals can be picked up “on the fly” within an hour of placing your order. But typically, pickup time is agreed upon with Scratch to make sure that your order is properly handled.

—Between the Pink Ribbon Girls, Miami Valley Hospital and pickup orders, Scratch prepares over 1,000 meals each week. Are you in need of help because of a family member with cancer? GET INFORMATION HERE.

Garlic Chicken from Scratch Catering

—Are you in need of carryout or delivery meals? Catering needs? Nutritional Meals? Call 937-567-7850 or fill out this online form. This Food Adventure could change your life.

So what are the best eats from Scratch Foods? Catering wise and frozen meals wise …? Here are our patented MUST EATS..

MUST EATS FROM SCRATCH CATERING:

Ribs – smoked all day

—DEEP FRIED GARLIC CHICKEN at THE GARLIC FESTIVAL:
Unforgettable flavor in a deep fried chicken strip. Cheesy garlic goodness is what awaits you, with a sinful butter dip.

—BBQ BABY BACK RIBS:
Fall off the bone. with incredible homemade BBQ sauce. A taste you wont soon forget.

—SMOKED CHICKEN:
Quarters of chicken, that come out so juicy it is like it is baked. Again the BBQ sauce for dipping is a must.

—SMOKED PULLED PORK:
Matt used to travel the country to learn how to smoke meats. The results of his studies are a near perfect pulled pork.

Smoked Chicken

We have tried a dozen of these frozen meals over the past month and have some favorites. Here are our “MUST EATS”

MUST EATS FROM MEALS FROM SCRATCH:

—HOMESTYLE MEAT LASAGNA WITH FRESH GREEN BEANS:
You wont believe the food was made and frozen a couple of weeks ago, it tastes like freshly made. Each forkful of lasagna and sauce is a taste of comfort food.

Meat Lasagna and Green Beans

—CHICKEN CABBAGE ROLLS:A unique, healthy take on an old comfort food. But guess what, it works. Try this for the surprise of your night.

-CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH CAVATAPPI PASTA and FRESH GREEN BEANS:
Just enough sauce with the chicken and pasta, make this a delightful dish.. Again the freshness is amazing and we can’t believe it was not just made.

-CHICKEN CURRY with CAULIFLOWER, SWEET POTATOES and PEAS:
Indian dish, with fresh veggies. It is unique and flavorful, and the spiced chicken is the best part.

-ORANGE CHICKEN WITH FRESH BROCCOLI and RICE BLEND:
Probably Big Ragu’s Favorite Dish. Worth a treat sometimes.

Chicken Cabbage Roll

-SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN WITH COLORADO SAUCE, BLACK BEAN MASHUP and RICE BLEND:
The sauce on the chicken and the bean mashup steal the show. A great tasting dish that doesn’t taste healthy, but it is. Try this high nutrient dense plate to curb your appetite.

-ASIAN CHICKEN BLEND with BROCCOLI, SESAME SLAW and RICE BLEND:
Great tasting slaw on top of chicken with that Asian taste. The veggies and rice go perfect with it. They nailed the flavor on this one.

-OLD WORLD CHICKEN CAKES WITH SWEET POTATO SUCCOTASH:

Beef and Vegetables

So delicious and inventive, it is amazing how healthy the dish is. One of those plates you cant get enough of, forkful after forkful.

So there you have it… our MUST EATS …

Often imitated, never duplicated, you can find Food Adventures on Facebook here. No rules, just fun !

Browse the photos below from our numerous meals with Scratch Food.

The Chefs stand behind their meals…

MEALS FROM SCRATCH MENU

Chicken with Colorado sauce and black beans

Chicken dishes that are heart healthy

Preparing hundreds of meals

Beef Brisket Catering sample

Simple chicken and broccoli with rice

Lasagna

Orange Chicken

Packaged up

Promo code for discounts !!

MealsFromScratchFood.com

Orange Chicken dish

Chicken Parm

Another healthy dish : Asian Chicken

The sesame slaw is good

Curry chicken dish

Submarine House Kicks Off 2017 Cheesesteak Challenge

February 3, 2017 By Dayton937 Leave a Comment

The Super Duper Cheesesteak from Submarine House

The annual “Super Duper Cheesesteak Challenge” has started across the Miami Valley at every Submarine House, proceeds of which this year go to the Pink Ribbon Girls. January 30th was the first day that Dayton area residents could partake in this food challenge for charity.

The Food Adventure Crew has been a part of the event for more than 3 years and we have seen almost $50,000 raised for Dayton’s Children Hospital during that time.

On Fat Tuesday, February 28th, 7pm, Food Adventures with Dayton Most Metro and Dayton Dining will be hosting a “one night only” qualifying event for charity at the new Centerville Submarine House Bar & Grill location at 503 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd., next to Adventure Golf for 16 contestants! Everyone is welcome to come watch and cheer …. but first

The Super Duper Challenge t-shirt

***WHAT IS THE SUPER DUPER CHEESESTEAK CHALLENGE ?????

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

—WHEN: Starting Jan, 30th you may take the challenge at any Submarine House location through April 2nd.

—WHAT: You must eat a 16 inch SUPER DUPER CHEESESTEAK, with “The Works” toppings in less than 16 minutes. Super Duper means this 16 inch sub has triple the meat and triple the cheese of their normal subs. The Works includes: Cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, homemade oil & vinegar dressing & pepper relish. Grilled Mushrooms also come on the sub. Important – NO topping substitutions, you have to eat it as is with all of the ingredients. This is not a baby challenge. So bring your loose pants.

Take the Challenge !

—WHY: If you complete the challenge, your sandwich is free and you win a T-shirt. A portion of the proceeds goes to The Pink Ribbon Girls charity.

—COST: About $23 up front, which is refundable if you complete the challenge successfully. You can take the challenge at any Submarine House, alone or with a group of friends from Jan 30th through April 2nd.

The top 10 fastest times will see the competitors called back in April for the “store championship semi-finals.”

Food Adventures is hosting a special night Fat Tuesday Feb 28th at 7pm

The winner of each store will advance to the FINALS April 22nd, 1pm at the new Huber Heights Bar & Grill Location at 5376 Taylorsville Rd.

*** SPECIAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT ***

We are looking for a few hungry men and women !

Cooking up Cheesesteaks

Food Adventures is hosting a one-night only, Qualifying Round for charity event related to the Cheesesteak challenge.

*WHERE: The new Centerville Submarine House Bar & Grill,
503 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd (next to Adventure Golf)

*WHEN: Fat Tuesday Feb. 28th, 7pm

*WHAT: 16 contestants (to match the 16 inches of sub) will have a shotgun start and we will see if anyone qualifies with a top 10 store time.

Food Adventure Cheesesteak Qualifier 2016

*WHY: A portion from all food and drink sold that night will go to the Pink Ribbon Girls charity, so come out and root on your favorite friend or family member.

We do have a few contestants signed up already for this event:

Chef Hayden is ready

1)-MATT “PORKCHOP” HAYDEN:
This local chef owns Scratch catering and has promised to bring his love for food and appetite to the event and measure his munching skills. Can he successfully eat that 16 inch sub in 16 minutes? We welcome this newcomer to the charity event!

Bryan Suddith, cleansing his palate

2)- BRYAN “BABY BLUES” SUDDITH:
This nationally acclaimed Slam Storyteller and lover of good grub, joins the contest once again this year. He qualified last year, and this year is looking to beat his time of 14 minutes, 13 seconds. Can he do it? And can he beat his time from last year? Vegas is setting strong odds that he can!

3)- JOE “THE MINISTER OF MEAT” AMSTUTZ:
A new contestant, not much is known about this participant, but by his nickname, we expect a promising competitor. He is currently in training for the event in an undisclosed location. Can the “minister of meat” handle 16 inches of heaven? Be there and find out!

4)- STEVE “THE BIG RAGU” MILANO:

Big Ragu looks to redeem himself

This Dayton foodie looks to redeem himself after last year’s disappointing failure, where he did not finish the sandwich. Will the Big Ragu beat the Super Duper Cheesesteak on Fat Tuesday?

5)- ONE OF THE CHROME DIVA’s:

Special Participant from the Chrome Divas

One of the women’s charitable motorcycle groups, the Dayton Chrome Divas, will be bringing in a female contestant. Can she show the fellas who is boss? We are super excited to have this special guest as part of the Super Duper Cheesesteak Challenge event.

6)- “THE GARLIC CHAMP” KEVIN SORICE:
The “senior” division champ from last year, impressed the crowd with a time of 9 minutes and

Kevin Sorice “The Garlic Champ”

19 seconds. Can this Italian Stallion show up the young guys this year? The Garlic eating champ of Garlic Fest thinks so ! Be there to see this man vs. bun.

7)- JOHN “HAMBONE” HAMMOND:
John is back and looking to beat the challenge this year. Last year he could not quite finish the sub, but this year he is as determined as ever. Come root for John, this guy never quits! Can Hambone hammer this challenge? Watch him as he tries to knock out the 16inch Super Duper Cheesesteak and put his reputation where is mouth is !

That leaves spots for 9 more contestants! If you want to participate, email us at foodadv@yahoo.com

Again, this qualifier will be held at the new Centerville Submarine House at 503 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd.

Chef and Jax are guest Judges from Food Adventures

Guest Judges will be Hungry Jax and Chef House from the Food Adventures blog. They will have stopwatches ready and waiting. They will be making sure every morsel of food is swallowed for the official times. Don’t miss this fun event, we are expecting a good crowd. Bring your friends, family and co-workers to cheer on your favorite. There promises to be a lot of hooting, hollaring, and eating ! Don’t forget, Submarine House has a great beer selection at the Centerville location.

Get Cheesey with the Super Duper Cheesesteak Challenge going on now !

Remember, this is all for a great cause, so 16 inches of heaven are waiting for you ……….. See you at the Submarine House !

***UPDATE: A Special Appearance from former champ KRIS MICK.. he will be scouting out the competition and may put on an exhibition to show the crowd what a record breaker looks like… You may know Kris, who is a yearly fixture in the Finals competition. This college footballer from

Kris Mick ,former Champ, will be in attendance

Troy, Ohio has a cult following and is also known for his popular Submarine House commercials.

Still hungry? Tackle more Dayton foodstuffs with Food Adventures on Facebook – LIKE us HERE.

We are not food critics. We are original Dayton foodies who love to eat! This is our passion, not our job, and we leave no plate unturned!

Check out our photos below, from past Super Duper Cheesesteak Challenge events at Dayton’s original Submarine House…

2016 champ of the whole thing – Andrew Oakes

Its you and 16 inches of super duper cheesesteak heaven

Food adventure qualifier

Chef House was a guest judge at the Vandalia Cheesesteak event last year

Dig in

Jax and her time keeper helpers

Cheesesteak- you have to eat this in 16 minutes and it is free

The finals 2016

Im done !

A previous contest

Ragu with Andrew Oakes again 2013 and 2016 champ

The Super Duper Cheesesteak – a Dayton legend

Last Year’s Food Adventure contestants 2016

Dayton’s Chef Showdown Champ Named

March 20, 2016 By Dayton937 Leave a Comment

There was sizzle, drizzle, sear and even a little bit of fire when nine of Dayton’s premiere Chef’s went head to head in a Chopped inspired “Chef Showdown” Saturday. With three qualifying rounds on Saturday, chefs had 20 minutes to turn a mystery basket with 4 ingredients into a winning dish at the Dayton Home and Garden Show at the Dayton Convention Center.

On the Kroger stage, event emcee Jim Bucher helped introduce the mystery baskets, created by event producer Lisa Grigsby, of Dayton Most Metro. Basket one included Lychee Nuts, Chicken, canned spinach and cranberry cinnamon goat cheese. Chefs were able to supplement their appeizer with ingredients from the Kroger pantry.

The contest judges, brought in from Dayton Most Metro included: Kevin Rankin, Laura Rea, Duane Myers, Ann Roberts and Steve “Big Ragu” Milano

Local culinary fans packed the room where the competition took place at 11am, 1pm and 3pm respectively, and the results are in….

ROUND 1 WRAP UP:

Chef Candace Rinke, from Hawthorn Grill won round one with her chicken appetizer on a pita triangle. She barely edged out 2 other delicious chicken creations. One from Chef David Glynn, of Dayton Country Club, who incorporated numerous ingredients into a large chicken dish, and Chef Aaron Braun of Meadowlark who wowed the judges with his bacon wrapped chicken and goat cheese.

Chef Rinke’s Winning Chicken on Pita Appetizer

ROUND 2 WRAP UP:

Chef Mariah Gahagan, from Lily’s Bistro was victorious in round 2 with a salmon dish that flowed with a perfect melody of flavor, from edge to edge with greens and avocados. Close behind was Chef Richard Roberts, of De’Lish Cafe, who made a salmon pita appetizer with swiss cheese, and used a blow torch for a carmelized smoky flavor. Chef Crystal Coppock, from Wheat Penny also made it a tight race, with her salmon seared on spinach, with bamboo shoots, but as timer buzzed she realized her Tamarind sauce (one of the required ingredients), which was absolutely killer- according to the judges, didn’t make her plates.

ROUND 3 WRAP UP:

Scratch Catering owner Chef Matt Hayden took the winning honors in the final round in an epic battle that included a temporary flare up of flames. Using scallops, Matt concocted a deep fried fritter (Indian Pakora) with an amazing Indian influenced Tandoori sauce. Following close behind was Chef LeeAnne House, from HouseMade Sauces. LeeAnne’s appetizer was a colorful combo of sauteed greens, peppers and veggies with scallops on bruschetta. Also keeping the contest close was Chef Nathan Vance from Salar Restaurant, who

Round 2 of the Chef Showdown: Chef Gahagan, Chef Coppock and Chef Roberts

wowed the crowd with his unshakable concentration during the hectic round. Nathan’s creation included placing the scallops over greens, with some sauteed veggie and a delicious sauce drizzle.

SUNDAY’S CHEF SHOWDOWN FINALS:

At 1pm today at the DAYTON HOME AND GARDEN SHOW at the Convention Center, the three advancing chefs met up for a final round of competition. This time around they had 25 minutes to turn 5 mystery ingredients into an entree. As the clock started, it was revealed that shrimp, black beans, asparagus, canned peaches and canned tomatoes were the base for the meal.

Just a few minutes into cooking Chef Mariah’s burner malfunctioned and Chef Matt left his station to assist here, and Chef Candice reached over to pull Chef Matt’s saute pan off the fire, so his food didn’t burn. This sense of teamwork, even in the middle of a competition, just exemplifies the character of our local culinary community.

Judges Ann Roberts, a local foodie, Alexis Larsen of the DAI and writer for Dayton Daily News and Executive Chef Don Warfe of Christopher’s spent a good 10 minutes, tasting and deliberating and commenting on the expertise of the entrees from all the chefs. Warfe, who spent time on tv for Gordon Ramsey’s” Kitchen Nightmares” questioned the chefs about the use of ingredients and complimented the flavors of the food. Larsen shared she “was impressed with the ability of the trio to turn canned ingredients we often have in our pantry to fresh tasting, flavorful meals.” Ann Roberts had the honor of announcing that the “bread salad” created by Hawthorn Grill Chef/Owner Candace Rinke won her the title of Chef Showdown Championship and $500 cash from the Dayton Home & Garden Show.