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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Chefs Supreme
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Alice Waters in town today to speak at the CDC, it dawns on me that she is without a doubt the most influential chef of her time. Julia Child came first, but then there was Alice.
From her restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Cal., she has inspired an entire generation of chefs to think and eat locally, making la cuisine du marche (market cuisine) a benchmark for American restaurants and spearheading the slow food movement in the United States. Waters inspired millions to think about what they were eating as much as how it was prepared.
What chefs in Atlanta do you feel best embody Waters’ iconic image? Who are our most influential chefs? Why?
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Making a pitch for Georgia grown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state Department of Agriculture threw a get-together earlier this week to introduce farmers and specialty food producers to potential customers. Despite the dreary setting — a concrete building tucked away at the back of the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park — the event drew a nice mix of producers.
I spotted Linton Hopkins, chef/owner of Restaurant Eugene, trying some Springer Mountain chicken and talking about using it at Holman & Finch Public House, his casual watering hole that’s now scheduled to open in January, once grease trap permit issues are resolved. Hopkins also checked out the rich, Jersey milk and cream from Sparkman’s Cream Valley, a Moultrie dairy that raises its cows without artificial growth hormones. (You can find their milk locally in Harry’s Farmers Markets and Whole Foods Markets, along with 1/2-pound blocks of butter).
Janice Walters-Taylor of Appalachian Kitchens & Winery showed her jellies, most of them made with wines from Chateau Elan. The Blackberries & Pinot Noir Wine Jam was delicious, and so was the Blueberries & Merlot Wine Jam. She doesn’t sell yet at any gift stores in metro Atlanta, but is working on lining those up. For now, you can find her products on her web site or in some gift shops in the mountains, like Corks & Crumbs in Ellijay, Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge and the Heavenly Bake Shop in Hiawassee. The Chateau Elan gift shop also carries the jams, and she’ll be producing their private label jams soon.
Wild Georgia Shrimp, which promotes shrimp caught off the coast, was looking for a distributor who could get more of this sweet, sought-after shellfish into supermarkets. They’ve hooked up with Sysco in Jacksonville to make sure restaurants from Savannah south down the coast are selling local shrimp — it is the coast, after all, and shouldn’t they serve shrimp caught just a few miles away instead of ones raised in ponds in Southeast Asia? But they haven’t had as much luck cracking the Atlanta market.
Rancher Will Harris, who raises grass-fed beef at White Oak Pastures in Early County, was offering samples. Linton Hopkins wants to buy some and dry-age it for his restaurants. He’s also considering it for a showcase burger for Holman & Finch. Most of the state wineries had booths and offered pours, from Tiger Mountain Vineyards — you can taste their Petit Manseng at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead and at Woodfire Grill — to Meinhardt Vineyards in Statesboro.
Patrick Gebrayel, executive chef at Dunwoody Country Club and a guy who’s worked hard behind the scenes to connect restaurateurs with local producers, was on hand. So was Terry Coleman, who’s deputy commissioner of agriculture. The department sponsored the event to encourage food buyers to seek out products grown within the state, to give a boost to farmers and showcase the quality of Georgia grown. Exhibitors said they’d had a fair number of lookers, but not overwhelming crowds. Still, in a few weeks, maybe you’ll see more of these products turning up in restaurants.
When you eat out, do you look for local products? Does that influence where or what you choose to eat?
