Here in Atlanta, Kimbal Musk is likely best known as the brother of Elon Musk.
But today at Virginia Highland Books you can meet Chef Kimbal Musk, the Tesla board member, philanthropist, restaurant owner and author, when he appears to sign copies of “The Kitchen Cookbook: Cooking for Your Community,” a collection of more than 100 recipes released March 12.
“The Kitchen Cookbook” features recipes served and inspired by the Kitchen, a chain of American bistros based in Boulder, Colorado, with locations in Denver and Chicago.
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
Musk co-founded the restaurant, which he describes as “upscale-casual,” in March 2004. Published on the Kitchen’s 20th anniversary, the cookbook emphasizes community-building through shared meals while telling the story of Musk’s journey from tech entrepreneur to restaurateur.
“It’s not like recipes and pretty pictures; it’s ‘what’s the vibe?’” Musk said in a virtual interview before arriving in Atlanta.
In the book, Musk, who along with his brother Elon made a small fortune in 1999 after their startup Zip2 was acquired by Compaq for more than $307 million, talks about discovering his passion for culinary art while looking for his next endeavor. He decided to attend New York City’s French Culinary Institute, where he graduated in 2001.
Living just steps from the World Trade Center at the time, he was impacted by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Because of his proximity to the fallen towers, he had access to the surrounding area and volunteered his cooking talents, preparing meals for firefighters and first responders working at Ground Zero.
It was one of the moments that guided his decision to dedicate his life to community cooking and put him on the path to finding similar experiences through food.
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
One dish highlighted in the cookbook is wood-grilled striped sea bass with salsa verde. A recipe from chef Hugo Matheson, Musk’s co-founding partner at the Kitchen, symbolizes their partnership, as Matheson cooked it on the first day they met after Musk moved to Boulder. Musk calls it “an unforgettable meal, completely unlike anything I had experienced in New York,” in the cookbook’s introduction.
For those looking into “The Kitchen Cookbook” for simple, crowd-pleasing dishes, Musk also recommends the whole roasted chicken, whose crisp skin comes from being patted dry and sitting in a refrigerator uncovered before going into the oven. He suggests pairing the poultry dish with a side of urfa chile-marinated carrots with whipped feta.
Cookbook enthusiasts can find Musk’s book at both locations of 3 Parks Wine in Atlanta, as well as Virginia Highland Books.
His two-hour book-signing event also gives him a chance to talk about Big Green, a philanthropic organization he co-founded to promote food education and address accessibility gaps. He says Atlanta is a primary market for Big Green’s major initiatives like establishing gardens in underserved schools.
Wande Okunoren-Meadows serves on the governance committee of Big Green, and is the executive director of Hand, Heart and Soul Project. The organization focuses on Clayton County and develops education models on building gardens for children and families to grow, cook and eat nutrient-dense foods. Okunoren-Meadows credits Musk for being present when needed to discuss planning and execution of Big Green’s goals.
“It wasn’t one of those performatory things,” she says. “I think I was taking more photos of him than his crew for documentation. He was engaged the whole time.”
Credit: Courtesy of The Kitchen
Credit: Courtesy of The Kitchen
This isn’t Musk’s first visit to Atlanta. He’s visited often over the years, usually being toured by Michael Bertozzi, the Kitchen’s culinary director and former executive chef of TWO Urban Licks.
“We wanted (the cookbook) you to feel like you’re in our restaurants. We want it to feel (like) action, we want you to feel energy. It’s a shared plates restaurant so it’s all about farm-to-table shared plates, but put ‘em all on the table and just let the hands dive in. And we wanted that vibe in the cookbook,” Musk said.
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
Credit: Courtesy of Melcher Media
“Vibe” is a word Musk seems to enjoy using, not only when describing his cookbook but also his experiences dining in Atlanta restaurants. “It’s a city that eats out. That’s a very important point that people don’t appreciate about a lot of other cities. If you get a city that loves eating out, then chefs are going to show up because they’re going to want to compete for that business.”
IF YOU GO
2 p.m. March 14. Free. Virginia Highland Books, 1034 North Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. vahibooks.com
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