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Many of you may recognize my son, George Angelos, as the owner of Chick-fil-A. Many, however, are unaware that prior to introducing the Mid-Ohio Valley to what has become one of America's favorite brands, most recognized him as a competitive distance runner and coach. His career began in 1983 at the age of 13 where he placed fourth in the nation, setting a state record in the 1600 that lasted for 27 years and culminated in 2015 being inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame, 32 years later.
During his 32 plus career, he excelled at cross country, track and road racing for PHS, Ohio University and then running for the Asics On the Run West Virginia Elite Racing team. He ran the Boston Marathon, Chicago, New York City, Pittsburg, Columbus events and every distance in between. My favorite was when he ran the original marathon in Athens, Greece that finished in the Olympic Stadium. I fondly remember Parkersburg News and Sentinel sports editor Dave Poe writing an article about him entitled 'King George' when he was at the peak of his competitive career.
As a coach, he led his cross country teams to unparalleled success at Parkersburg High School. In 1992, as a 23-year-old who had never coached a day in his life, he inherited a high school program that hadn't won a championship in a decade. In short order between 1992-1999, his teams were ranks #1 in all or part of four of his seven years leading the program. This included capturing two WV State Cross Country Championships, a runner-up, six Regional Championships, crowning 2 individual state champions, 11 All-State individuals and the program's first U.S. Top 30 National ranking.
We joke that these days he's not "King George" but "Chicken George." And while he doesn't compete and only assists as a coach on teams, his son Franklin, is now following in his parents' footsteps as an excellent runner. It was great Saturday to see him giving back to the sport he loved by hosting the 11th Annual Chick-fil-A Road Races. The event was held on the campus of Parkersburg High School and hosted more than 250 runners/walkers in the 10K run (6.2 miles), 2 mile walk and 2 mile run. Additionally, there were upwards of 100 participants in the kids' races. It was a beautful day and a wonderful event to be a part of as not only did my entire family participate, but I also jumped in to walk the 2 mile at the last minute. It was also for a great cause in that a portion of all proceeds from the race went to the Dirk Bosgraf Strecker Cancer Fund.
Each participant received a nice t-shirt, a Chick-fil-A plush cow upon finishing, a free post-race Chick-fil-A sandwich meal and a nice awards ceremony. The kids ran for free, yet still received a t-shirt, medal and Chick-fil-A kids' meal was well.
The event's race director was Chip Allman, who is a good friend of George's and also directs the News & Sentinel Half Marathon. The race committee included Lou and Lynda Molinaro, Kevin McCleary, Sharon Marks, Elaine Nicols, Marchell Allman, Dave Hall and Joe Corra. These individuals did a great job and George is always quick to point out that they are 100 percent responsible for the success of the event.
What a great event and a super way to spend a Saturday morning!
Before I forget, it was our son George's father and me that pushed him to enter the original Athens Marathon for several years and since we are all of Greek heritage, a wonderful way to add the original Marathon to his list of running events. Now, however, we have started suggesting to our grandson, Franklin, that he must also follow his father's footsteps by taking part in the race in Greece when he is older and his running skills developed fully.
The family all accompanied George to Greece in 2006, and hopefully will also accompany Franklin later. It was a real thrill watching George finishing and entering the Ancient Olympic Stadium where he crossed the finish line with an American flag in one hand and a Greek flag in the other hand.
Happy Father's Day! A day to give them special recognition and honor them.
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Barbecued Beef Brisket
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 garlic clove, minced
Brisket:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 fresh beef brisket (2-2 1/2 pounds) trimmed
Combine the first nine ingredients in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until brown sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a disposable aluminum pan. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown brisket on all sides. Place in aluminum pan, turning to coat with sauce. Cover pan tightly with foil. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat 2-2 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender, adding additional briquettes as needed. Remove brisket from pan; tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim fat from sauce in pan. Cut brisket diagonally across the brain in thin slices; serve with sauce.
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Grilled Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Salad
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 large sweet red peppers
1-1 1/2 pounds medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the first seven ingredients; set aside. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill red peppers over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the skins blister, turning frequently. Immediately place the peppers in a large bowl; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, drizzle sweet potato slices with 2 tablespoons dressing; toss to coat. Set remaining dressing aside. Arrange potato slices on a grilling grid; place on a grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until tender. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Peel off and discard charred skin from peppers; seed and coarsely chop. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, peppers, celery, onions and cilantro. Whisk the reserved dressing; pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.
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Blueberry Slump
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup milk
cream or whipped cream
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, water, lemon peel and juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk quickly; stir until moistened. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto berries (makes six dumplings). Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Do not lift lid while simmering. Spoon dumplings into individual serving bowls; top with sauce. Serve warm with cream or whipped cream if desired.
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Super Banana Splits
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon cherry extract
6 medium firm bananas, cut in half lengthwise
6 scoops each strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream
whipped topping, chopped nuts and maraschino cherries with stem
In a small heavy saucepan, cook and stir chocolate chips and cream over low heat until smooth and blended. Remove from the heat. Stir in extract; keep warm.
Place two banana pieces in each of six shallow serving dishes. Top each with a scoop of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Garnish with whipped topping, nuts and a cherry.
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Old-Time Custard Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 pints heavy whipping cream
In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.
Whisk a small amount of hot milk mixture into the eggs; return all to the pan, whisking mixture reaches at least 160 and coats the back of a metal spoon. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Stir cream into custard. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Allow ice cream to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in the refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving.
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Kiki Angelos is a food columnist for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.