Socially lubricated on mole stout, rillettes and tinned oysters, I walked away from my "interview" with The Chef knowing I got the gig. We talked charcuterie, New Orleans, staffing issues, product procurement snafus, masks, Spain, pretentious food … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home (Home Base #3 Asheville, NC)
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Dining During The Apocalypse: Lenoir
To speak ill of Chef Vivian Howard is to speak ill of the south. She personifies, with a folksy, girl next door vibe, bouncy North Carolina twang and neighborly affect, the small-town life of the rural Carolina coast. One can easily picture her … [Read more...] about Dining During The Apocalypse: Lenoir
Running Away From Home (Going Off The Grid)
Kristin’s belting out a convincing Me and Bobby McGee as she packs Peyton’s socks into a clear plastic travel case on the bedroom floor. That she hasn’t attempted to cash in on her God-given singing talent has always left me confused. She’s so … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home (Going Off The Grid)
Salty Words on Non-Tippers
When it comes time to pay your restaurant bill, do you instinctively default to one of these revealing gems: ‘I don’t believe in tipping.’ ‘In Europe, no one tips.’ ‘I’m sure the restaurant pays their waiters well,’ or similarly, the empty … [Read more...] about Salty Words on Non-Tippers
Running Away From Home (Exodus)
Moments before we valiantly fought off another tsunami of curious foodies, UNH graduates and their families, Kristin gathered our beloved staff together for a mandatory meeting in the booths. When she politely demanded that the entire crew—including … [Read more...] about Running Away From Home (Exodus)
Dining During the Apocalypse: One Offs, Strip Malls, WTFs
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
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 )
