My Weekend With the SFA

October 31, 2011

I got back from the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual Symposium, where the focus this year was on the “cultivated South.” And this is what I did:

  • I hung out with a poet who knows how to spin verses on deviled eggs.
  • I tasted the first olive oil produced east of the Mississippi in over a hundred years.
  • I watched an opera. An opera about collard greens.
  • I drank a Manhattan with the country’s leading cocktail authority.
  • I ate a foot-long, heirloom radish.
  • I made a hard apple cider float, with great cider from Foggy Ridge in Virginia and freshly made vanilla ice milk.
  • I learned about the growth of community gardens in the parking lots of Atlanta.
  • I helped raise $270,000 from some amazing generous individuals.
  • I sang “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” with an owner of a popsicle shop.
  • I sipped punch from a bathtub.
  • I had lunch with the original publisher of Spin magazine.
  • I ate a slice of wild boar prosciutto.
  • I saw an amazing set of food-themed photographs from an incredibly talented young lady.
  • I snacked on boiled peanuts while watching a film about, what else, boiled peanuts.
  • I tasted far too many different bourbons than I can remember.
  • I had some of the best fried chicken, while staring in awe at the customer beside me who devoured 8 pieces in 10 minutes.
  • I took home a packet of pimento seeds, which I will plant in the spring.
  • I sadly learned about the demise of the native mirliton, but also was happily informed of one man’s quest to bring it back.
  • I spooned fig and bourbon preserves onto a country ham biscuit, confirming a match made in Southern heaven.
  • I rode on a school bus with a woman who wore a different Elvis t-shirt every day.
  • I had lunch with a fishmonger who brings seafood from the Gulf of Mexico to the West Coast.
  • I discovered that people will come up with crazy variations on common games, such as “Sexual Jenga.” And no, I did not play it.
  • I realized that I would like to have a bento box for lunch every day.
  • I smiled after a talented friend “blinged up” my name tag with Hello Kitty stickers (and more).
  • I chatted with one of the best chefs in the Triangle, only to learn that our families are from the same neck of the woods.
  • I was proven wrong: someone does make a good fried pickle.
That’s what I did this weekend, and this was just the tip of the iceberg. What did you do?

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The Global South: 2010 SFA Symposium (Freestyle)

October 26, 2010

Early morning flight, moon still full
Heading off to Memphis and the hills of Ole Miss.
I missed the first night, and lack of head pain thanks me
Driving down 55, wanting to go 90, knowing what’s ahead.

Ah, there it is, I see the Square, and of course there’s no place to park.
Wait, there’s one, just for two hours, but tickets ain’t much.
Into the Lyric, they’re talking ’bout the Gulf
How seafood’s so clean, and ready for your plate
So why’s so few ready to partake?

It’s an hour short of noon, Bloody Mary time
With President Linton reminding us of how we serve the cause.
I’m still a tad bit nervous, being the new kid on the Board
But meeting lots of people, is just another reward.
We are all old friends, even if we’ve not met.
It’s the SFA. It’s what we do.

What’s that, time to eat? Tamales in the heat?
It’s Robb Walsh and I, off to lunch, to the Powerhouse we go.
He tells me all ’bout Houston
And Tex-Mex history
I’m near last in line, craving for some grub
As my last bite was a muffin, at the Starbucks, back home.

Who’s that? Ann Cashion there? Yes my dear, dear friend, we share tales of old and new
It’s folks like her who draw me back, back to Oxford town.
We love the sweet potato salad, and piquant peas
Quail tamales are something new, with dessert just divine.

Talks of masa and rice lead to Geechee, not Gullah
In Philly no less!
It’s cane sugar Coke and domestic rum, refreshing, relaxing for the bus.
To Taylor we go. For catfish we eat, sharing peach moonshine, hoping not to spill.
Fullsteam’s on tap, goes well with the fish, even when it’s fried in a hip-hop wok.

Time for bed. Fuck that shit. I need a drink. Some bourbon and beer.
Pabst BLUE Ribbon.
Time for last call, you’d think that that’s that. But later we stay,
Pableaux and Joe and Snack and me.
Speaking of snacks. Chevron knows oil, even for food
But not at 2:30. No chicken, no stick.

I’m too old for this crap. Stayin up with the moon. Sleep, I must sleep.
But I have people to meet
Friends to see. It’s the SFA, remember. It’s what we do.

Bring on the profs, after Amy and Kev. Talking ’bout talking. And the world, getting small.
Lam tears it up, and then just tears up. We’re in his palm, and he’s in our arms.
“Suck on the head,” Andrea cracks, Viet pride in Cali, expressed in food.
Not sure what he thinks, this rapper called Bling. With swoosh-laden boots
He stands before us, mostly white, over the hill. But he gets us. And we get him.
It’s the SFA. It’s what we do.

Ms. Bernstein gets us, too, with her Miami nice, serving chicken, and shrimp with all kinds of corn
Crunchy and popped and in hominy form.
I learn about lamb, from my new friend Craig, who’s a doc and a shepherd and a Shakespearean fan.
Ox tail. It’s rich, we need some red wine.
It’s called a tian. But to us, it’s something old as something new.
Nanner puddin, that’s what.

More listening and learning and talking and seeing
‘Bout Houston and Charlotte, so distant, so close.
Then how about a nap, a snooze, a rest?
But it’s time to honor those who’ve done it best.

It’s a film about men, Viet men who fish. Through winds and rains and plumes of crude.
They’ve lived thick and thin. And they’re here to stay.
Just like Calvin in Holmes, where they own their own land
And grow their own. And lend a hand.
One more honoree, Christiane’s her name. We’ve dined on her words, oft poisoned by her pen.
These folks are so proud. But not as much as we.
Because this is the SFA. It’s what we do.

Forty-three heads, of a bovine ilk, were buried in coals. Beef crack is mine.
Horchata with whiskey makes the crowd frisky,
Or was that the licks of Neuvo Banda Corral?
It’s corn one more time, but clear as day,
Don’t worry ’bout germs, it’s self-sterilized, that Mason jar rim.
We share, we hug, we laugh.
It’s the SFA. It’s what we do.

One final day, for the SYM-POS-I-UM. Doc Harris sells wares. But no one is buyin’.
The Mississippi Monks, start soft and start slow. And build it on up, making us move, making us believe
In the power of music, and togetherness and reconciliation.
I dance. I cry. I eat. I hug. I laugh. I say goodbye.

I’m in the SFA. It’s what I do.

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The Best Community Cookbook Ever — And Two Events to Celebrate It

October 12, 2010

Yes, I love the Southern Foodways Alliance.  Yes, I’m a member.  And yes, I’ve even been nominated to be on its Board of Directors.  So it should be no surprise to you that I’ll do just about anything this organization asks of me — not just because I’m a good soldier, but because there’s nothing this organization does that I don’t support.  Whether it’s a fundraiser for their film or oral history initiatives or for scholarships for burgeoning food writers, I’m going to spread the word.

This time, however, it’s different.  This time, the event is to celebrate a cookbook.  A fantastic, spiral-bound, community cookbook, suitably named, “The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook.”  The cookbook  is divided into chapters that represent the region’s iconic foods: Gravy, Garden Goods, Roots, Greens, Rice, Grist, Yardbird, Pig, The Hook, The Hunt, Put Up, and Cane.  It’s been edited, written and compiled by some of my favorite people in the world, including April McGreger, baker and pickler extraordinaire of Farmer’s Daughter in Carrboro, Chapel Hill’s great cooking instructor, Sheri Castle,  and Sara Roahen, author of the fantastic book on New Orleans, “Gumbo Tales.”  Heck, I even submitted a recipe for the book — and yes, it is a recipe for cooking one type of varmint.

To celebrate the release of the book, there are not one, but two events planned for this weekend in Chapel Hill.

The first event is this Friday, October 15th, at Foster’s Market in Chapel Hill (750 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd).  This event is a book signing and is free to the public — and, yes, there will be a little bit of food there.

The second event has a lot of food, and this is a ticketed event.  It will be on Sunday at 4:00 PM at Chapel Hill’s 3CUPS (227 South Elliott Rd.).  If you just want to come and eat, it’ll cost you $25.  If you want one of these awesome cookbooks (all the cool kids have them), then that will cost you an additional 15 bucks.  That’s less than the Amazon price!  So, you get a soon-to-be iconic cookbook, lots of great food (with both cake and pie, as there will be a debate about which is better), lots of social interaction with writers, and all on a Sunday evening!  And because it is 3CUPS, there will be wine.  Tasty, wonderful wine.

So, get off your butt and head to Chapel Hill this weekend to buy a book — the best community cookbook ever!  And if you need more information, just check out the SFA’s Blog.

5 Comments | Books, Chapel Hill, Cooking, Events, Food writing, General, Recipes, sfa, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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Southern Pies — The “Must Have” Cookbook

September 30, 2010

We all receive gifts from time to time.  A bottle of wine, a nice piece of pottery, or a cookbook.  On Sunday, my dear friend Nancie McDermott gave me a copy of her newly published “Southern Pies.”  I have all of Nancie’s cookbooks (as she has been so kind to give me copies of them), and through these books she’s taught me a ton about Asian cooking and Southern cakes.  I’ve enjoyed the books, as they’re very accessible and interesting, and all of the recipes have been winners.

But of all these gifts, this one — this book of pies — is different.  This is not only a gift commemorating a birthday, but it’s a gift for everyone.  It’s a gift from Nancie to the cooking world.  Hyperbole?  Judge for yourself, but if you take a serious look at this book, you’ll see what I mean.

Last night after dinner, I finally got a chance to sit down and take a look at Southern Pies, and my first impression is that this may be the first time I’ve had a cookbook that makes me want to make every single recipe in it.  I’m totally serious about this.  Of course, there are the expected chess, lemon and coconut pie variations, but there are a number of very interesting pies of which I’ve never heard: green tomato pie, sliced sweet potato pie, vinegar pie, bean pie, and a plum custard pie.  There are fruit pies that have added substantial amounts of cream to them.  Rhubarb and scuppernong grapes are featured.

I’ve always been a huge pie lover, but I’ve gotten away from baking them in the past year.  That’s all about to change.  I’ll be sure to chronicle my pie baking escapades here, and I suspect my kids are about to learn how to make pie crust.

Thanks again for this wonderful gift, Nancie.  It will be treasured for a long, long time.

2 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Books, Cooking, Family and Food, General, Recipes, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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Lucky Me Tastes the Menu at Lucky 32

July 13, 2010

Image courtesy of Lucky 32

You might have heard of Lucky 32, and you might have even eaten there over the years.  There are  two Lucky 32 locations, one in Greensboro and the other in Cary near Regency Park, and until last year, I didn’t think much about the place.  My recollections of Lucky 32 were of a glorified, slightly high-end chain restaurant in the ilk of Tripp’s.  The menu was all over the place, with food representing cuisine from just about every major country.  People who have never been have told me that they thought it was a Chinese restaurant.

Last October, while attending the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual symposium, I was waiting in line to get some grub and started talking to this guy with long hair pulled back into a pony tail and a bitchin’ goatee.  He told me his name was Jay Pierce, and that he was the chef at Lucky 32.  In a moment of Southern food snobbery, I wondered what the hell a chef of a high-end Applebee’s was doing at the SFA symposium.  I quickly learned from Chef Pierce that Lucky 32 was a completely different restaurant, that it had a focus on Southern cuisine with locally sourced ingredients.  I couldn’t believe that Lucky 32 had changed so much.

A month or two later, I got an email from Jay, asking me if I’d be willing to come over and go through a tasting of the new winter menu.  I was intrigued by what they were doing, and so I came over at lunch time and joined Jay and General Manager Shane Garrity in a whirl-wind tour of about 15 dishes.  These were dishes that were sometimes classic Southern, but always inspired by Southern traditions.  I offered my comments to Jay, telling him what I liked and what I would change slightly.  I told Chef Pierce that Lucky 32 had become a high-end “meat and 3″ place, as the side dishes were as much of a feature as the mains.  He liked that concept, but frankly, I had forgotten about it until recently.

Flash forward to two weeks ago, when Jay invited me back to try to summer menu, which he was calling “Suddenly This Summer.”  I was excited to get back for two reasons.  First of all, because I had failed to write about my first tasting experience, but second, and more importantly, because I wanted to see what he was going to do with summer produce.  As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that the name of the restaurant had slightly changed; it’s now “Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen.”  It appears this transformation to a high end meat and 3 is complete, so I was anxious to eat.  This is what I tasted, and the comments I gave. Read the rest of this entry »

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Southern Folks and Southern Foodways

November 16, 2009
Ashley and Bill

Ashley Christensen, Bill Smith, and Smoked Chicken Wings

I’m sipping a cold beer on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, lazing about on a screened-in porch in rural Mississippi.  The conversation goes from football to Brazilian forestry camps and then to food.  Ah, the conversation always gets back to food, and that’s because I’m surrounded by chefs, who I’ve learned, love to “talk shop” more than just about any other professional I know.  These chefs include three winners of the prestigious James Beard Award, one who was recently nominated, and another who will likely win in the next few years.  Chefs love to talk about food, and so do I, so I feel right at home on this early November day. Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments | chefs, Events, Food writing, General, sfa, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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The Pit to Expand

August 6, 2009

pit-100Not the most earth-shattering news, but business has been so good for The Pit that they’re about to expand, according to pitmaster Ed Mitchell.  They’ll be opening a new take-out window where you can get as much barbecue as you want.  Mitchell told me that business has been extremely good, and you need reservations on Thursday through Saturday unless you want to eat very early or late.  Obviously, all the attention Mitchell and The Pit have been getting of late has really paid off.

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The Barbecue Song

January 21, 2009

My friend Kathi Purvis sent me a link to this wonderful, and quite accurate, song about barbecue.  Yeah, it was part of an Alka-Seltzer ad campaign from last summer, but it’s still cool.  I think I’ll have Rhett and Link, the front men for this song, come to the next pig pickin’ I do, as they are from North Carolina.

5 Comments | Barbecue, General, Southern food, Southern Food Culture, Video | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
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Tales of a Country Ham

December 12, 2008

I’m very fortunate to know a lot of fantastic food writers, people who make it their jobs to bring us great culinary stories.  One of those individuals whose work I love, and whom I adore as a person even more, is the Charlotte Observer’s Kathleen Purvis.  Kathi is, as my wife’s grandfather would say, “real folk.”  She’s someone you want to drink a beer (or 7) with.  She’s forgotten more food facts than I’ve ever remembered.  And she’s a super writer.

Earlier this week, Kathi wrote about country ham.  This is the South’s finest form of charcuterie, and frankly, it’s fading away.  The good stuff has been replaced by mass-produced, overly salty, shrink-wrapped crap.  But Purvis (and that’s how she introduces herself when she calls on the phone — “Purvis here”) wanted to see how an artisinal country ham maker practices his craft.  How to make a ham so beautiful, so utterly delicious, that you would pay big bucks.

And so she’s doing just that, making a ham with Byron Jordan in West Jefferson using only four curing ingredients: “Brown sugar, salt, mountain air and time.”  I love that.  Read Kathi’s story, which will tell a tale of a country ham, starting last January with a 300 pound heirloom Tamworth pig.  Part II is here.  See the great pictures and a video, too.  This is food journalism at its best.

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Living Life to Its Fullest

December 9, 2008

mel-melton
Most 59 year old men are starting to plan for their later years in life, for the time when they slow down, take on fewer responsibilities, and simplify. Mel Melton is no such man. Melton, chef and co-owner of Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse in Durham, is looking to go faster. To do more. To live life to its fullest. See, Melton is not just a chef, he’s also a musician and a farmer. His band, Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos, recently opened for BB King in Durham. Melton has played with the likes of Sonny Landreth, CJ Chenier, and Buckwheat Zydeco. He partied with Janis Joplin in 1968 after she played a gig at Duke. He’s learned to cook from Paul Prudhomme. And less than a year ago, he and his business partner Antonio Almaleh, decided to open a cajun/creole restaurant in the Triangle. Read the rest of this entry »

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An Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Birth

November 18, 2008

44076_nelsons_pig1

Here I was, surrounded by icons of North Carolina barbecue: Wilber Shirley of Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro.  Chip and Charles Stamey of Stamey’s Barbecue in Greensboro.  Samuel Jones of the Skylight Inn in Ayden.  And Ed Mitchell of Raleigh’s The Pit.  We were assembled there to celebrate the release of the fantastic book on North Carolina barbecue, Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue, written by John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney.  Mr. Mitchell was getting ready to pull a pig off his cooker in the kitchen, and folks were just having a grand time.  I truly felt that I was not worthy to be around so many barbecue dignitaries, but they weren’t the ones drawing my attention.  No, Andy Price was the person I really wanted to get to know, and that’s because this young accountant is about to open a small, Eastern-style barbecue restaurant in Lumberton. Read the rest of this entry »

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Most Important Food Story of the Year

August 13, 2008

Andrea Weigl and Shawn Rocco of the News & Observer have put together an article and multi-media presentation that should be required reading for everyone over the age of ten. This is the story of a pig, a cute Ossabaw hog that has made its way to the abbatoir. A pig that will be dinner in a week’s time. The article itself is graphic and gut wrenching, but is as well-written and objective as anything you’ll find. This isn’t a story that you usually see in the food section of a newspaper, with inherent space limitations and over-editing. This is a well-rounded, detailed journalistic piece and includes a side story comparing the small operation of the packing plant used for the Ossabaw with the large, industrial plant of the Smithfield Packing plant in Tar Heel, NC. This is top notch writing and photojournalism, pure and simple. Rocco’s pictures juxtapose sweet shots of piglets with a scene of “dead pig walking” and a somewhat eery photo of a small plastic pig in the cup holder of the truck taking the pig to the slaughterhouse. Frankly, I have not seen a story as compelling as this in any paper or magazine this year.

As a father of four children, I believe it’s my duty to ensure that my children understand how we get our food. Whether it’s the heirloom tomatoes, the Frosted Mini-Wheat or the barbecue, my kids should know that food production and processing isn’t always pretty. Sometimes, it really hurts.

This story was the second reminder I’ve had of this in the past month. The first time was when we were in Alaska, on a small boat in Resurrection Bay near Kenai Fjords National Park. The primary purpose of the boat trip was to see wildlife and scenery, and boy, did we ever see some sights! However, we also stopped two times to fish, once for silver (coho) salmon and the second for halibut. My 12-year old daughter, who doesn’t eat much meat at all (and absolutely no fish), was looking forward to catching a fish or two. She got really excited when her younger brother hooked a feisty salmon, even though we couldn’t net it. When her 70 year old grandmother brought the first fish into the boat, she was ecstatic. But that was all to change. The crew brought out a small club and brutally and quickly ended the salmon’s life. I hadn’t prepared my daughter or any of my children for that reality. And she couldn’t handle it, starting to bawl from witnessing the cruelty of meat. Just as Morrissey and the Smiths said, “Meat is Murder,” and my daughter just witnessed a killing.

And a small part of me is glad she did.

Many of you are thinking that I’m an awful father for thinking it’s a good thing for your child to hurt, but that’s not the case. I suspect my daughter already had issues with eating meat because of humane reasons, and this incident may make it worse. I know it bothered her later that day when that salmon was on our dinner table, but she saw first hand how the fish gave its life for our nourishment. She knows that the world of food, including fish and other meat, is not pretty. She knows that her chicken drumstick really came from an animal, an animal that was killed to satisfy her hunger. I don’t think she’ll need to go into therapy, thank god, but she’s forever changed. A little less innocent, perhaps. And after many of us read Weigl’s articles, we might be, too.

Edit: Please also read Weigl’s first piece about this particular pig that came out in Sunday’s paper.  Great, great writing.

11 Comments | Alaska, Family and Food, Farms, Food writing, General, Southern food | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
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Local Food Writer Has a Moose-Excellent Blog

August 12, 2008

My friend Debbie Moose is an expert on subjects as broad as deviled eggs and tailgating. She flat out knows Southern food, and I always enjoy chatting with her about all things culinary.

She has recently started to blog, and you’ll see why I enjoy her writing so much. She certainly loves her some heirloom tomatoes, but she can’t help herself from craving some bacon, lettuce and mayo to go with them. Attagirl! The blog is still in its infancy, and she’s only publishing once a week or so, but check it out. I think you’ll enjoy it.

1 Comment | Cooking, Food writing, General, Southern food | Permalink
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Ice Cream, Uncooked

July 1, 2008

The only ice cream cookbook I have ever owned is the Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.  I think I got it as a Christmas present along with a Donvier ice cream maker, back in the late 80s, when Ben & Jerry’s was all that and more.  And so I made ice cream — a buttload of it.  Combined with my suddenly sedentary lifestyle, I’m blaming Ben and Jerry for much of my weight gain over the years.  The bastards. Read the rest of this entry »

13 Comments | Books, Cooking, Family and Food, General, Recipes, Southern food | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
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Eno Restaurant & Market to Open in Durham

June 26, 2008

The folks behind Raleigh’s Zely & Ritz have combined forces with local food enthusiast and bon vivant Jamie DeMent to open a new farm-to-table restaurant in Durham, Eno Restaurant & Market.  Scheduled to open at the end of this year, Richard Holcomb and Sarig Agasi, will open in partnership with Holcomb’s Coon Rock Farm in the Fire Station Building in downtown Durham.

A native North Carolinian, DeMent was raised around her family’s farm supply store and developed an interest in organically farmed foods and environmental issues after seeing nearby farms slowly disappear throughout her childhood. Holcomb, who began Coon Rock Farm in 2005 after 20 successful years as a software entrepreneur, is pleased to have a new outlet for his heirloom vegetables and pasture raised meats including chickens (and some of the best eggs around), pork, lamb, goat and more.

The restaurant’s menu will be dictated by Coon Rock Farm’s harvest and the season.  In addition to the vegetables, expect to see house-made bacon, whole hog terrines, pates and sausages. Eno will tap into other local providers for dairy products and other staples for the restaurant.

One of the cool parts of Eno comes from their restaurant staff work-share program, where cooks and servers alike will be involved in the growing of vegetables and raising of livestock.  It’s their belief that this involvement of the staff from farm to restaurant will make a big difference in what is ultimately put on the diners’ plates.  Very interesting.

In addition, Coon Rock Farm will offer its goods at a retail market adjacent to the restaurant , essentially bringing the farm to the customer.

Eno Restaurant & Market will serve lunch and dinner daily, and brunch on the weekends.

Eno Restaurant & Market

Rogers Alley

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC

www.enorestaurantandmarket.com

3 Comments | chefs, Durham, Farms, General, Restaurants, Southern food | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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World’s Simplest Cobbler

June 26, 2008

(This is a big old cobbler with lots of peaches before baking.  Photo courtesy of Jason Perlow.  I don’t have a shot of the finished product, so you’ll just have to make it to see how good it looks!)

People love them some cobbler.  I knew I made a lot of people happy when I recently posted my recipe for Bill Neal’s Four Berry Cobbler, which certainly wasn’t a secret (I don’t believe in secret recipes, quite honestly — especially for home cooks).  But that’s not the only type of cobbler I make: one of my favorite desserts is a simple peach cobbler where the crust makes itself.  Yup, you don’t have to make a biscuit dough and cobble it on top — you  start with a simple cake-like batter that creates its own crust as you bake.  It’s extraordinarily simple, and you really can use any kind of fruit you want, but I prefer peaches.

This recipe came from the wonderful cookbook, Coastal Carolina Cooking, which is very near and dear to me because the first chapter focuses on my wife’s late grandparents, Emest and Katherine Taylor, from the Currituck County town of Maple (population 50, including livestock).  This cookbook is a treasure trove of wonderful stories and great recipes, but the one I use more than anything else is the one for Cherry Cobbler.  And I rarely make it with cherries. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ed Mitchell Kicks South Carolina’s Butt on NBC

June 23, 2008

Raleigh’s Ed Mitchell went head to head with South Carolina pitmaster James Hagood on NBC’s Today show this morning, in a battle between NC and SC barbecue.  Of course, Ed’s barbecue was the unanimous winner among the three judges.

Click here for the video.

And be sure to look for newlywed Greg Hatem in the background!

4 Comments | Barbecue, chefs, General, Restaurants, Southern food | Tagged: , , | Permalink
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New North Carolina Barbecue Book Coming

June 23, 2008

I received in the mail a notice from UNC Press about a book that will be coming out in November, a book on North Carolina barbecue with the title, “Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue.”  Yeah, I know — “Just what we need, another barbecue book.”  That’s what I thought, too., until I saw who wrote this sucker: John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney.  I know each of these individuals, but Will McKinney is a friend who may be more knowledgeable about NC barbecue than anyone I know.  How knowledgeable?  Well, how many people have spent HUNDREDS of hours gathering oral interviews from owners and pitmasters of NC barbecue establishments?  How many people can say they founded the North Carolina BBQ Society — when they were a student??? McKinney has a passion for barbecue that few can match, so I’m quite sure his contributions were invaluable to this book.

John Shelton Reed is not a historian or a food writer by trade; he’s a sociologist, and that makes this book even more exciting in my mind.  It’s the human dynamic of barbecue that fascinates me, and I really can’t wait to dive into this book.  Professor Reed and his wife are two of the leading authorities on Southern culture (if you haven’t read their book, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South, you need to), so I’m pretty darned sure that this book on barbecue won’t disappoint you.

2 Comments | Barbecue, Books, Food writing, Restaurants, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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Four Berry Cobbler

June 9, 2008

Many gastronomes have a food “epiphany,” and I’m no exception. It was either 1985 or 1986, and my roommate and I went to Crook’s Corner for the first time. Crook’s was still run by Bill Neal, the “godfather” of Southern cooking, and I remember that meal like it was yesterday. She crab soup. Pimento cheese. Shrimp and grits. And a dessert that has become my primary summer staple — a four berry cobbler featuring sweet butter biscuits.

I talked to Bill Neal a fair amount back then, when I’d sit at the bar, being completely clueless about food and slowly soaking things in. I was a major science geek — working on my Ph.D. in molecular pathology of all things — but I had a love for history. And Bill Neal was certainly a food historian. Read the rest of this entry »

6 Comments | Chapel Hill, chefs, General, Recipes, Southern food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Buttermilk Pie

April 22, 2008

When strawberry season hits, I first think of strawberry shortcake, then Belgian waffles. But right after that, buttermilk pie comes to mind. Buttermilk pie with fresh strawberries. OH MY GOD!!!!

Most Southerners understand the glory of buttermilk pie, but others would choose any other dessert in the world before this classic dish. It’s really nothing more than a simple custard pie, with a touch of lemon and nutmeg to round out the flavor profile. It’s also very light and is very good with fresh berries or a berry coulis. I last wrote about buttermilk pie several years ago on eGullet, and I’m resurrecting the pictures from that time to show you how simple this dish is. Even if you don’t know how to make pie crust (and you MUST learn), you can always use a store-bought version.

I use Bill Neal’s recipe, which is lighter than a typical version because egg whites are beaten and folded into the custard. The tanginess of the buttermilk and lemon offsets some of the egginess and cuts through the richness, so this is really perfect. I also use really fresh, local buttermilk from Maple View Farm. This stuff is a bit richer than what you typically find in the grocery store.

When you take your first bite of this luscious custard treat, be sure you thank me. Yes, it’s that good. Photos and recipe are after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

8 Comments | Cooking, General, Photos, Recipes, Southern food | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

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