3 questions with Chef Duane Nutter of One Flew South

Once, when I was working at The Ritz-Carlton, someone, via room service, requested egg white omelets with diced hot dogs and raw onions—the onions had to be raw. The hotel had a kid’s menu, so hot dogs were available, but I had to leave the line, get the manager on duty to open up the storeroom, get the hot dogs and prepare the dish while there were 400 other people dining [in the main restaurant].

Currently, what’s the most popular item on your menu?

This week it’s the pork belly sliders; last week it was the hamburger. Earlier this year it was the spicy tuna rolls followed by the thyme roasted pork belly with a black-eyed pea salad and arugula salad. Those four items rotate for the number one spot.

Is it more challenging as an executive chef of a restaurant at an airport or an in-town restaurant?

It’s the same challenges as an in-town restaurant, but add things like national security and more. There have been two or three bomb threats that people probably didn’t hear about in the news; everyone is on the train, so when it breaks down, they are late; a plane had a fire and deliveries were prohibited because the delivery gate was closed, but I was running out of food. There are a lot of unforeseen things that happen that has nothing to do with the regular food world.

BONUS: When you’re not at One Flew South, where do you dine in Atlanta?

Lately, my favorite place has been El Super Pan. I’ll sit at the bar and eat a Cuban sandwich, empanadas with the spicy chile oil or something [special] that [the staff] makes for me.

One Flew South, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Concourse E, 6000 N Terminal Pkwy., Atlanta. 404-816-3467, www.oneflewsouthatl.com.

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