Quail evoke an image of a hunting amidst briar patches with a pack of bird dogs in rolling hills (or so I’m told). Given his background, it’s no surprise that Dean Fearing, one of the godfathers of Southwest cuisine, is so adept with my favorite game bird. I’ve been lucky enough to experience his fried quail at high-profile food festivals more than once in the past couple years. He prepared a particularly delectable version at the latest Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. This year’s multi-day event, which attracts some of the best chefs in the United States and beyond, culminated in the sand, on a Ko Olina lagoon, with live music and fireworks filling the air.

For his latest culinary feat with my fine feathered friend, the quail, Dean Fearing deep-fried the juicy bird. He plated each half-bird with smoky bacon-enriched Gun Barrel City greens and sweet-spicy jalapeño creamed corn. The serving size easily doubled any other booth that circled the sand, cutting into my appetite, which is the most important currency at food events. Still, considering the quail was so good, it was impossible to complain. Dean Fearing and quail are a potent combo at culinary events. Hopefully the third time I encounter his cooking, he serves quail again.