King + Duke's Executive Chef EJ Hodgkinson will cook a "Toast to Atlanta dinner" at the esteemed James Beard Foundation House this Saturday, May 16. Here we chat with Hodgkinson about his menu, which he crafted to showcase King + Duke's style.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Many call you the farm-to-table expert of Fry’s restaurants- how have you come to earn that name?
I think I earned that reputation through being supportive of the farms and people within the Atlanta community. Growing up, farm-to-table was more a reality (and necessity) for me, and not a trend. As I became a part of the Atlanta restaurant scene, I turned to those around me to find the best possible ingredients for my food, it just so happened to turn out that that food is right here in Georgia.
What is your goal with the menu at Beard House?
My goal with the menu at the Beard House is to showcase what I am about: highlighting that local matters, serving approachable food without pretension, and reminding those that though food is a necessity for survival, a meal with friends and laughter is something much more! The ingredients I will highlight will be whatever is available throughout the Southeast- we'll be getting in some amazing tomatoes as well as field peas and beans. This year I was honored to receive Springer Mountain Farms ‘Celebrate the Chef Award’ for my commitment to locality, and involvement within that community, and I will be featuring Springer Mountain Chicken in one of my courses during the dinner.
Go through some of the menu items for the Beard House dinner and talk about how they are inspired by King+Duke’s literary monikers.
As a chef, when the seasons turn, I get excited! There's a sense of nostalgia for dishes I did years before when the same ingredients comes back in season, it inspires me! King + Duke, while inspired by literary figures, is about that same nostalgia: we have the words 'Every season of every year' over our front door, and we take a classical approach to the food. We also use preservation techniques to coax and create flavor that you wouldn't otherwise expect.
- "Best Part of the Rib-Eye" à la Wellington with smoked mushroom duxelles, bone marrow potatoes, King crab butter, and horseradish
- The Wellington at the end of this dish title is an interpretation of the classic dish beef Wellington. The dish so ubiquitous that I first read about it in fiction before knowing of it as an actual dish. It's a playful nod, if you will, to the classics both literary and culinary.
On King + Duke, how does the open hearth complement the flavors compared to using another cooking method?
Our open hearth is a 24-foot fire breathing beast! Through the careful use of wood solely as the cooking medium, we can season and flavor food unlike any other restaurant. We have specially designed grill grates that actually catch every drop of juice, collects it in a tray, and we can baste meats and vegetables with those drippings. While other methods of cooking have their benefits, there is nothing like the flavor and the feeling of eating in King + Duke: it is something truly unique and special, you can smell the wood burning, too.
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