Not all restaurants on the highways and byways of this often beautiful country have proven themselves portentous havens of culinary revelation. Sometimes it’s the grungy little store front in that cookie cutter strip mall across the way from the Old … [Read more...] about Dining During the Apocalypse: One Offs, Strip Malls, WTFs
About Spencer McMillin
Embracing My Shortcomings
At fifty-one, I realize that I am not the best cook on the planet. I’m not even in the top million. I say this not as a disingenuous stab at garnering praise—the ego maniac’s self-deprecating ploy—but as a man honest with himself and his … [Read more...] about Embracing My Shortcomings
Dining During the Apocalypse: ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
I’d lived in Memphis twenty-nine years before being sucked into Asheville, North Carolina’s pachouli-scented culinary orbit. And it happened completely by chance. Kristin was snoring, full-drool in the passenger seat. My son Luke, our reason for … [Read more...] about Dining During the Apocalypse: ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Dining During the Apocalypse NEW ORLEANS
Maybe the pandemic isn’t in its death throes yet, but if you have a pulse, you can feel it begin its retreat. That means a lot of you will be going to New Orleans soon. It’s inevitable. Especially for Memphians. You may be contemplating a po’boy … [Read more...] about Dining During the Apocalypse NEW ORLEANS
Running Away From Home (Good Soldiers )
One of the first concerns I had about inheriting another chef’s staff was mutiny. The chef job at Ciao Italia wasn’t my first rodeo. I’d walked into war-bonded kitchens as the new guy many times before. If the fired previous chef was highly … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home (Good Soldiers )
Running Away From Home (Ciao Trattoria and Wine Bar)
As I sit here wracked with pain; in my legs, my back, my head, shoulders, forearms, even my eyeballs and my temples, I feel equal parts relief and dread. Kristin and I just ran the gauntlet, bouncing back and forth between a crush of eager … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home (Ciao Trattoria and Wine Bar)
Dining During the Apocalypse: THE ORDINARY, Charleston, South Carolina
According to the Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, the dynamic duo responsible for some of the best restaurants in Memphis, Sean Brock, famed chef of Husk in Charleston, was—at least in 2015—not the best chef in the South. Ok. They didn’t say that per … [Read more...] about Dining During the Apocalypse: THE ORDINARY, Charleston, South Carolina
DINING DURING THE APOCALYPSE
One day you’re going to say fuck it and travel again. Mark my words, it’ll happen. Especially if you’re a foodie. One day you’ll wake up tired of riding the Habitrial between the bathroom and the living room or the cubicle and car and you’ll start … [Read more...] about DINING DURING THE APOCALYPSE
Running Away From Home Week 6
Week 6 Listening to Peyton interact with her fourth-grade class at Newmarket Elementary on a Zoom call is pure delight for my weary soul. As I sit on the sofa nursing aching legs, Peyton’s teacher is forging through with a spirited lecture on … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home Week 6
So You Think You’re a Chef (Part 5)
To be a chef, one should… …be able to think on a dime and remain flexible. You have 400 people coming to your banquet facility for a wedding today. It’s 2:30pm, the guests will be there at 6 and you’re cutting it close. Like … [Read more...] about So You Think You’re a Chef (Part 5)
