ࡱ!  "!` "AWN1... .*>>H   i *  i  Describe how you got into the world of cooking. I started as most kids do: dishwashing. You gotta work behind the sink before you work behind the stove. I was 17 and just out of high school. My mother, she taught me everything I know. She said it was either college or a job, and school really wasn t for me. A buddy of mine was washing dishes at the local pub and got me the job. Within four weeks, one of the chefs was out for a few days, and the owner stuck me on the line makin pub grub. After a while, people were starting to talk about my burgers and we had a line out the door. I say it s because of how I cooked the onions. I caramelized  em. Within a year, I was head chef, and I never left. That was 20 years ago. How would you describe your style of cooking? Rich, savory, heavy, spicy...I was the oldest of four, so I helped my mom around the kitchen a lot. I m originally from Atlanta, and we re known for our hearty soul food. The only salad you re gonna find at my restaurant is potato salad. I don t really write down any of my recipes, but I d say they re pretty consistent. I do stick to the recipes when it comes to some of the menu items I retained from the previous owner, Don Schultz, from way back. A favorite around town is the mushroom and brie burger with caramelised red onion and the battered sweet potato fries. Where do you get the inspiration for your recipes? I actually experiment a lot with my kids at home. They love cooking, and they give me plenty of ideas. That s why a bunch of menu items are named after them. Kids don t know what typically goes with what yet, so they have no prejudices or preconceptions about ingredients. They throw the strangest things together, and it ends up tasting amazing. That s why we have wings with a chocolate dipping sauce. Those are flying out of the kitchen during football games. I also pay close attention to other cultures are borrow bits and pieces from their cuisine. I combined some ever-popular chocolate hazelnut spread with a creme brulee, and it ended up being a huge success. I also like experimenting with some of the chili peppers and spices in Indian curry. It s a taste not everyone is familiar with. What keeps your business in this town? I couldn t imagine leaving this town. I ve traveled all around the world over the years, but every time I end up excited to go home. This place is just perfect. I know everyone s name, and they know mine. The people are so warm and generous and fun. It s like a celebration everyday. I ll definitely be cooking here when I m old and grey. Maybe the kids will take over one day. What separates chefs like you from cooks like myself? You could be a chef! *laughs* Everyone can cook. Everyone. The only thing that separates chefs and cooks is business. When you re at home and you re crafting up a little masterpiece for your family, you can really take your time and do things gracefully and calmly. I have to do the same thing but five times as fast. I have to make sure everything is incredibly delicious and hot at the same time, every time. If you mess up a dish at home, your girlfriend might smile and tell you it s delicious and eat the whole thing while actually hating it. Customers aren t going to do that, and I certainly don t expect them to. It s just more intense than cooking at home. I love it though. I couldn t imagine doing anything else. ^b   &*vxzlp"" h>{6]Zh>{ 6]Z`b  (*xznp""""8$ & Fd$d%d&d'd(d)fNOPQRA$"""8$ & Fd$d%d&d'd(d)fNOPQRA$,1h/ =!"#$% Z 2 0@P`p2( 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p8XV~OJPJQJ^J@ Normal4$$dA$]^`a$3567>*B*CJOJPJQJ\]^JaJphPP{ Heading 1$dxA$5CJ$\aJ$PP{ Heading 2$dhPA$5CJ\aJZZ{ Heading 3$dPA$5B*CJ\aJphfffZZ{ Heading 4$d(A$6B*CJ]aJphfffZZ{ Heading 5$d(A$5B*CJ\aJphfffZZ{ Heading 6$d(A$6B*CJ]aJphfffDAD Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No ListH>H{Title$dxA$5CJH\aJHhJh{Subtitle$dhPA$'6B*CJ0OJPJQJ]^JaJ0phfffH *"""H Gz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial7Georgia@"h!r4d2X?>{2Unknown  FMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89qOh+'0   0 8DLXx @@@Aspose.Words for Java 11.8.0.01 Normal.dot@՜.+,0 PX` l  Title    !"#$%&'()*+,-./01246789:;<>?@Root Entry F@1Table CompObj3qWordDocument.*SummaryInformation(5DocumentSummaryInformation8= !