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Justus Drugstore Restaurant chef Jonathan Justus recently received quite the title.

Lord of Rice.

The title, which is all his for the next year, stems from a phone call Justus received from Patrick McDonnell with Food Arts magazine.

He asked Justus to participate in a rice recipe competition. He was contacting chefs such as Justus who are known for promoting sustainability.

Justus did what he does best and got creative in the kitchen. He created a green onion and poached bass risotto cake. The entrée’s details include peashoots that Justus grew on his restaurant’s patio with the help of TJ and Tara Dickson from Gower and bean tendrils from Linda Hetzel’s farm near Liberty. He topped it all off with two sauces — one lemon, one smoked tomato.

The invention produced a nine-page recipe, which he sent to the judges.

Justus’ recipe won, earning him a trip last week to Cebu, Philippines, for the annual World Rice Conference as well as the title.

“It’s all pretty bizarre,” he said with an excited smile before he left for the trip.

The International Rice Research Institute plays a big role in the conference. The institute’s mission “is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable.”

The mission is one Justus believes in. He’s passionate about the critical role rice plays internationally and wants to spread that awareness.

“More people in the world sustain on rice than anything else. People survive on it. If we didn’t have rice, there would be massive starvation,” he said.

While the conference’s agenda included sessions on rice production and trade, it also included a new, fun event that involved Justus: The first Lord of Rice Competition.

“Do you believe your rice is the best brand in the world? Prove it,” a conference brochure stated.

Companies could enter their rice. And then “world-renowned chefs” including Lord of Rice Justus were to judge the entries.

The winner, like Justus, would also receive a title: Best Rice in the World.

Smithville Editor Nancy Hull Rigdon can be reached at 532-4444 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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