There are so many reasons to head to Thompson Savannah’s cozy-chic rooftop Bar Julian right now and order this month’s Knead-to-Know pizza. What Husk executive chef Chris Hathcock and sous chef Nick Carlisle concocted to top executive chef Rob Newton’s signature dough is unique, vibrant, and balanced with every bite.
Pizza purists might pale at putting shrimp on a pie, but the big chunks of locally sourced Georgia sweeties pair perfectly with Hathcock’s scratch-made ‘nduja, a spreadable Calabrian sausage more smoky than spicy that makes even soppressata seem simple. Whipped with ricotta, the ‘nduja makes an unctuous undercoat that is a supreme stand-in for sauce.
“A lot of people buy it,” Newton said, hailing the Husk team's pork creation, “but he’s making it. It’s really special.”
Husk brings in a whole hog once a week from Grassroots Farms (Waverly) and uses every part from snout to tail. For this preparation, Hathcock and his crew ground the belly, which has the ideal fat ratio for making ‘nduja, mixed it with spices and fermented it for a few days before hanging it out to dry for up to six months.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“It’s a labor of love,” he said with a smile. “It takes a long time. You don’t know how it’s going to turn out until you cut into it.”
The primary spice in the profile is smoked paprika, making it more akin to Italian sausage than, say, pepperoni, and it's a suitably fatty facsimile that can be whipped easily with other ingredients.
This pizza, which debuted on March 1 and is on the Bar Julian menu through the end of the month, is layered both literally and figuratively, beginning with Newton’s dough, which I would eat plain by the pound.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
The shrimp from Tybee and Ossabaw Island are the costars, the heads used to infuse a paprika oil that introduce even more layers of flavor. Sea beans from Heron Farms in Charleston, S.C., “provide texture and some salinity to the dish,” said Hathcock, who highlighted the produce’s ecological benefit.
“Every pound of sea beans they sell restores an inch of coastline in the Lowcountry.”
Savannah’s Gannon Organics arugula is dressed with caramelized onion vinegar to finish the flavorsome pizza palette. “It’s all keeping in the style of the southeast, which is Husk’s m.o., while at the same time being collaborative,” said Hathcock, who wanted to build a pizza that “segued from winter into spring.”
“It’s a real light, clean pizza,” Newton added.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Common Thread’s chef de cuisine Joseph Harrison kicked off Bar Julian’s Knead-to-Know series last month, producing a pizza with little neck clams atop a white wine cream base finished with pecorino, chicories, tomato vinaigrette, and lemon.
Serendipitously, I sat with chefs Hathcock and Newton on Bar Julian’s peerless balcony as the sun slowly set on March 14: Pi Day.
“I just wanted to do something to work with... people like Chris and Joseph,” Newton said of his vision for visiting pizzaiolos, “just as a way to invite people in to [see] what we’re doing here.”
For every one of the special pizzas sold during the month, a portion of the proceeds is donated to the guest chef’s chosen charitable organization. Hathcock’s pies are supporting Renegade Paws Rescue, a volunteer-based pet rescue nonprofit dedicated to caring for abused, injured, or unwanted dogs throughout the Coastal Empire.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“People get so lost in their kitchens, and I think it’s important for chefs to get together,” he added. “If we can have some fun and also attach a charity to it, and everybody gets to know each other a little better outside of Instagram, it’s just a win-win-win across the board. That’s the definition of community."
Another happy by-product of this collaboration was Hathcock’s sharing his local shrimper with Newton. In the relatively short time Newton has been in Savannah, helming all culinary operations at the gorgeous Eastern Wharf property, he has been treated to what is a more cooperative than competitive spirit among the city’s eateries.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“For chefs that are trying to do food that is of a certain place and is of a certain seasonality, taking it very seriously and treating it like a craft, I think it’s important that we know each other,” he explained.
If March marches past you, no worries: Chefs Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee of Heirloom Market BBQ (Atlanta) will be bringing their pie game to Bar Julian in April. Newton expects that their celebrated kimchi and smoked short ribs will play starring roles.
As if we needed more great reasons to eat more pizza.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Husk chef Chris Hathcock dips deep into the Lowcountry for his Bar Julian pizza collaboration
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