It was late one night two years ago and Jason Bowers was crossing the lobby of the Hotel Phillips in his chef whites. Celebrities are a regular occurrence at the downtown hotel and the executive chef is rarely star struck. But when he saw Phil Anselmo -- the lead singer for Pantera -- the major heavy metal fan was initially speechless.
He summoned the courage to walk up and tell Anselmo that if he needed any food that he was the man for the job before heading back to his office. Two minutes later, his phone rang and a very familiar voice was on the line.
"Hey, Bowers. You still up to cooking me some food? So, I went up there and delivered it myself. I was so nervous, my hands were shaking and I couldn't get the camera to work on my phone. So he had his girlfriend take a picture of us," Bowers remembers.
Nearly two years later, he got a message on his Facebook page. And there waiting was the photo above.
On Wednesday, chef Bowers talked about how he got started in the kitchen and yesterday he confessed that he'll never let a raw tomato pass his lips. Today, he's got a guide to his top five summer beers.
5. Tank 7. On Thursday, he confessed to trying to sneak it into his beer and cheese soup at 12 Baltimore whenever possible.
4. Boulevard's The Sixth Glass. It has unique flavor notes. It's almost like drinking straight liquor, but it's smooth at the same time. It gets you where you need to be quicker than most.
3. Pete's Wicked Ale Strawberry Blonde. I could drink this any time of day. [In February, The Gambrinus Company announced that Pete's Wicked Ale would be discontinued]
2. Guinness. It's a nice chugging beer. There's only two ways to drink it -- out of the tap and the pressurized can. I don't understand how people can drink it out of the bottle. The can sounds like a rocket. It has to be cool.
1. Guinness.
