hard, but good lord do we have a good
time doing what we do. Every work
day is literally living the dream for me.
FT: Out of all of the
places you’ve traveled
to on the show so far,
which place stuck out
the most? Why?
AK: GOOD QUESTION! It’s so hard to
single one out, but there is a place that
always comes to mind first when this
type of question is presented: Luella’s
Southern Kitchen in Chicago. Yes, it
was some of the best soul food I have
ever had and yes, Chef Darnell Reed’s
culinary training helped give the
right polish to those ubiquitous fried
dishes we know all too well. But it was
Darnell’s story that got me. He was the
first person in his family to graduate
high school, and he first went into
trade tech and then scored a cooking
internship at the Palmer House, and
then from there went to culinary
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school. It all happened because the
right people saw his potential and kept
pushing him forward. When he recalls
an instructor from culinary school,
it is with a sincere reverence. He is
more appreciative than your typical
foodie fan boy dreaming to be a chef.
Maybe it’s because the chips he had
stacked against him growing up in the
Southside of Chicago, that he had a
whole different point of view on what
it means to “make it.” And this dude
has made it. He has triumphed.
FT: How much do local
ingredients matter to
you? What is the benefit
of having a meal that is
truly made fresh?
AK: Flavor is what matters. Tasting the
experience of “farm to table” or “eating
local” is what matters. As consumers,
it is easy to get caught up in labels. I
think it’s important to understand
where your food comes from, why it
costs what it does and most important
- taste and compare supermarket foods
and farmer’s market foods. Appreciate
what is behind the word “local.” The
other day I was at a fancy supermarket
that I go to occasionally for select foods
and I bought some local tomatoes
grown in Marfa, Texas. That night I
made some of the best burgers ever.
Now those tomatoes aren’t available
year round and even if they were, I
couldn’t afford them all the time. But I
will make the effort to get them when
I feel like making special burgers. And
that kind of recognition is important to
me. But eating kobe beef and tomatoes
grown by hipster farmers in Brooklyn
every day? Maybe in the next life.