SOUTHERN CUISINE Chefs Add Their Own Local Interpretations for an Eclectic Cross-Section of the Popular Regional Fare

SOUTHERN CUISINE Chefs add their own local interpretations for an eclectic cross-section of the popular regional fare. By Amelia Levin Courtesy of Saltyard Courtesy lassic Southern dishes— cuisine is evolving in that it’s a little a lot of cured meats, pickled vegetables, thanks to their comforting less about all the butter and cream and canned fruits and jams,” he says. appeal and bold flavors— and fried food and more about the Ccontinue to rage in popularity, regardless approach to ingredients.” northern interpretations of whether or not you’re in the South. As Even KFC has gone regional, recently a cuisine type, Southern-style food ranks Kevin Sbraga, chef/owner of The introducing Nashville-style hot fried third in popularity (39% of consumers) Fat Ham, Philadelphia, has proved chicken. “Southern cuisine is sort of behind Mexican and “contemporary that Southern food can be redefined like barbecue—the flavors are very American” food, according to Chicago- no matter your location, using local different, whether you’re in Memphis or based market intelligence agency Mintel. ingredients. Longing for the cuisine he the Carolinas,” says Leahy. grew up with during his years in the Many chefs are redefining what South, Sbraga, like Leahy, puts his own Southern cuisine means in different ingredient-centric spin on hot chicken, soaking the bird parts of the South and even in the in buttermilk and frying it in lard, then Given the diversity of Atlanta, Leahy North, zeroing in on specific regions tossing it with a cayenne-based hot says he doesn’t feel as driven by region from the Carolinas to the Deep South, sauce and resting the crisp meat atop a as he does by seasonal, local ingredients, Ham The Fat of Courtesy Louisiana and beyond as they add their slice of white sandwich bread baked at Courtesy of Magnolias Courtesy though he grew up in the South. own hyper-local spin to classic recipes Sbraga, his first restaurant. “Sac-a-Lait represents all things you while showcasing seasonal and native In spring, he pairs ramps and English can farm, hunt and fish here in the beyond black-eyed peas “We also make a boiled-peanut foods from their area. peas with simmered black-eyed peas for state of Louisiana,” says Carroll, who, In 2015, Culinary Institute of Charleston hummus, a classic Southern dish,” says chef-instructor Kevin Mitchell teamed up a colorful, sweet twist on the Southern like her husband, grew up in the state’s “You can’t talk about Southern food with Charleston chef BJ Dennis and April legume dish. In summer, he makes Sbraga. Peanuts additionally appear rural area. They source plenty of local McGreger, owner of Farmer’s Daughter, without mentioning Southern chef in a salad he makes with seasonal, a North Carolina artisan food producer, bruschetta with Georgia peaches, goat produce, grains, geese, wild boar, and author Edna Lewis, or perhaps Joe local mustard greens and benne seeds, for a first-of-its-kind Southern pea cheese, caramelized onions and thyme venison and acorn-fed hogs for their Randall from Savannah,” says Kevin Ham The Fat of Courtesy tasting meant to rediscover some of the to go alongside his popular housemade a Southern staple, along with a hot interpretations of Southern, Creole and Southern heirloom varieties. The group Mitchell, CEC, a chef-instructor at pimento cheese version. vinegar dressing. New Orleans dishes. Think hog’s head prepared 21 different types of cowpeas the Culinary Institute of Charleston beyond the familiar and most basic Even the cocktails at The Fat Ham cheese, tasso ham, and a play on “dirty black-eyed pea most Southerners grew at Trident Technical College, North For a play on KFC’s hot Nashville rice” risotto with ground boar meat, up eating. In a tasting and balloted vote: Charleston, South Carolina. “But buttermilk fried chicken, Leahy are ingredient-driven and Southern- onion, bell pepper and a pickled turnip Southern food is evolving in that swaps quail for the chicken and adds inspired. The head bartender “often The Pinkeye Purple Hull, a sweet, garnish (paying homage to the rows sturdy legume, won in the “black- chefs are creating a more modern take a poached vegetable escabeche with utilizes vanilla and caramel notes from eyed” category. of canned and pickled extra-harvest previous spread: Pan on an old Edna Lewis recipe. They sweet peppers as a cooling side. For the barrel aging to complement my bold The Brown Crowder, a simpler, sturdy vegetables she grew up eating). roasted scallops, cauliflower flavors and spice,” Sbraga says. “Since pea, was tops among crowder peas. are reaching back to traditions and hot sauce, he uses hot peppers from puree, horseradish and The Lady pea won in the cream pea cultivating heirloom ingredients.” the restaurant’s patio garden. He slow- the South is the home of bourbon, our Kelly Franz, executive chef at the fennel from Saltyard, Atlanta. category for its soft, creamy taste and bar program features over 180 American Photo by Kenan Hill a consistency like mashed potatoes. roasts Georgia white shrimp with salt, acclaimed Magnolias, Charleston, Nick Leahy, chef/owner of small-plates opposite: Grits, shrimp The Petite Rouge took first among pairing it with comeback sauce, Jackson, whiskeys, ryes and bourbons.” South Carolina, set about to redefine and sausage served at the field peas as a water-tolerant, restaurant Saltyard, Atlanta, shares Mississippi’s, answer for a rémoulade Lowcountry cuisine with contemporary Magnolias, Charleston, hardy pea that can stand up to both a similar view. “There is definitely a with mayo, homemade chili sauce and imprints and a focus on local, seasonal, South Carolina. floods and heavy braises. lot more interest in Southern cuisine louisiana and lowcountry The Tresimino White won among plenty of paprika. He pickles and cans heirloom and artisan foods. top: Kevin Sbraga of The Fat outside of just the South,” he says. Samantha Carroll, co-owner of Sac-a- Ham, Philadelphia, puts his the rice peas for its sturdiness and fruits and vegetables sourced from the buttery taste. “Southern influences are making their Lait in New Orleans with husband Cody While Lowcountry cuisine is primarily own spin on hot chicken. garden and from local farms. Photo by Michael Persico way into contemporary American Carroll, has done extensive research to considered coastal fare from South bottom: Collard greens at restaurants in different cities around “A large part of Southern cuisine is about rediscover old Louisiana recipes from Carolina and Georgia hallmarked by The Fat Ham. the country. But I also think Southern preserving to reduce waste, so you see her family and others in the region. seafood stews or boils, “Charleston Photo by Jen Woodruff 26 Sizzle SUMMER 16 WWW.ACFCHEFS.ORG www.sizzle-digital.com 27 NEXT ISSUE early greens in salads. She also uses the Carolina, Columbia, to further study root vegetables berries for chutneys, a Charleston staple. the history of Southern cuisine. He has Depending on the weather, she’ll source partnered with the Southern Foodways different types of tomatoes for a variety Alliance on projects (see sidebar). of dishes, and chutney, too. For her spin In Gullah cuisine, also known as on fried green tomatoes, Franz adds Geechee in slang terms, rice is a key white cheddar, caramelized onion grits ingredient, most commonly used in and local country ham. perloo, a one-pot, simmered dish similar Considering Charleston’s abundant to a Louisiana-style jambalaya that might summer corn, she favors the Silver also include shellfish, meat, tomatoes, Queen variety, a Southern delicacy potatoes, sausage, okra and/or oysters. with larger kernels and a sweeter flavor. “Slaves had only one pot to cook with, She prefers it for creamed corn and for so they had to make a full meal with meat for use in the stew, which includes southern foodways alliance a Lowcountry-inspired succotash also that one pot,” says Mitchell. red and green peppers and tomatoes. The Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, Courtesy of Saltyard Courtesy featuring heirloom butter beans or local Mississippi, is a nonprofit organization crowder (or field) peas simmered until Rice, specifically Carolina gold rice, is Most recently, he explored the history founded in 1999 by author John Egerton is known specifically for its chutneys, just tender. She may pair the succotash prevalent in Gullah cuisine, “because of Nat Fuller, a prominent African- with 50 founding members in partnership benne seeds, shrimp and grits, pimento with The Center for the Study of Southern with crabcakes or a bourbon/buttermilk- that’s what made Charleston one of the American caterer and restaurant owner Culture at the University of Mississippi, cheese, crabcakes with tarragon and marinated catfish with a Creole-inspired richest cities in the world in the late who was born into slavery and freed Oxford, to document the diverse food fried green tomatoes. They’re on every rémoulade sauce spiked with green 1700s and 1800s,” Mitchell says. in 1865. Fuller hosted a memorable, cultures of the changing American South. Members of the organization include menu,” Franz says. Tabasco, pickled okra and celery. high-end, biracial dinner celebrating academics, chefs, food artisans, farmers, Some artisan grain companies and food George Washington’s birthday following writers, photojournalists, illustrators, She explains that Southern cuisine is banks are focused on bringing back filmmakers, documentarians and other Franz isn’t afraid to fuse Southern dishes Charleston’s surrender to the Union in historically defined as “cooking with love,” with Latin influences, such as in her chili- Carolina gold rice, often thought of as activists interested in furthering the study which he integrated Southern dishes of Southern cuisine and food traditions aka, butter or bacon fat.

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