Levy chef creates ultimate s’more

It seems like chefs have been hanging out around the campfire lately. But instead of telling ghost stories, they’re dreaming up cool new ways to rock the s’more, a classic treat that’s made a serious comeback in the dining world.

But the Girl Scouts were first to the party, publishing a s’mores recipe in a guidebook back in 1927. And just recently, the s’mores Girl Scout cookie became the first new cookie added to the collection in decades.

Celebrating the Girl Scouts and National S’mores Day earlier this month in Indianapolis, local chefs gathered at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to create their own unique spins on s’mores to feed a crowd. Each sweet s’more variation sold at the event for $5, with proceeds helping to fund programs for the Girl Scouts of Indiana, tech and science programs in particular.

“This was a fantastic event, and we were honored to be a part of the inaugural year,” says Megan Vohs, senior sous chef with Levy at the Fieldhouse.

Vohs and her team created a Rice Crispy bar-s’mores hybrid that may just end up on the stadium menu later this season. “It’s more of a play off a Rice Crispy treat…who doesn’t love eating that?”

The s’mores bar started out with brown sugar smoked in the house barbecue smoker, lending a campfire layer of flavor. In a 40-gallon skillet, butter was melted down along with marshmallows. After things got gooey, Golden Grahams cereal was folded into pans with the marshmallow mixture, forming the bars as it cooled. A drizzle of chocolate and a perfect blackened char on the surface of the marshmallows with a dash of flaky finishing salt completed the treat.

Other s’mores created by local chefs included churros graham cracker profiteroles with smoked Mexican chili chocolate; chocolate-dipped graham cracker pretzels with toffee and bacon; and Thin Mint palmier cookies with mint marshmallow.

Vohs is looking forward to a season of serving around 20,000 Pacers fans per game, and hopes to incorporate the s’mores into the menu.

“We were surprised with how amazing the response was,” Vohs says. “I’ll definitely be looking into how we can bring these great treats to more guests.”