Foodievents

Alma De Cuba’s Reini Alfonso to Occupy Fishtown

Frankford Hall at night.
Frankford Hall at night. Photo: Starr Restaurants

As the hundreds of protestors who turned out in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street at City Hall today hunker down for a prolonged sleepover outside Dilworth Plaza, Alma De Cuba chef Reinaldo “Reini” Alfonso is gearing up for his own campout on Frankford Ave. Occupy Fishtown? No, not really. He’s going to spend the night out under the stars Saturday while tending to the 180-plus pounds hog he and Frankford Hall’s chef Jim Davidson are smoking for Sunday’s pig roast, which is one of the many Oktoberfest-y things going on at the beer garden. “I’m just going to be hanging out there and keeping an eye on the temperature,” Alfonso told Grub Street. “Hopefully I’ll be warm enough. If not I’ll go get in my car and turn on the heat.”

On Saturday he will set a smoker up in the lot next to Frankford Hall, and with his camp chair, radio and cooler full of beer in tow, smoke hundreds of pounds of pork shoulders. After closing time, he’s bringing his rig into the beer garden’s patio, throwing the pig on and spending the night.

In keeping with the German theme Alfonso who trained extensively in Germany and was a member of competitive barbecue team while living in Memphis, will rub the pork in a traditional Austrian cure. When ready to serve on Sunday, he and Frankford Hall’s crew will dish it up on pumpkin seed kaiser rolls with pumpkin vinaigrette slaw and whole grain mustard barbecue sauce.

As for those camped out across town at City Hall, Alfonso said, “if I was there, I would certainly be the most popular guy, because I’ll have a lot of food.”

Alma De Cuba’s Reini Alfonso to Occupy Fishtown