Voices
State Plate: The Case for Arkansas Cuisine
Words by Best Chef Lee Richardson Arkansas is reasonably the South’s most overlooked and underappreciated contributor to the recent emergence of our newfound American foodie consciousness. This state is a virtual unknown. It doesn't have the tourist and commercial draws of a coastline or booming metropolis. Prior to the recent interest in sustainability and small-farm agriculture, the busy, bustling, rat-racing public - forever in search of newer, bigger and better - had little interest in the small-town feel of The Natural State. Today, Arkan..
Best Chef Gavin Kaysen opens his first restaurant Spoon & Stable
LEFT TO RIGHT: Best Chef Gavin Kaysen plating; Day Boat Scallop Crudo - green apple, shiso, chilies, scallion vinaigrette The significance behind Best Chef Gavin Kaysen’s newest venture, Spoon and Stable, is quite literal: his obsession with spoons, combined with the fact that the restaurant was built in a horse stable dating back to 1906, drew inspiration for the name. After working with Best Chef Daniel Boulud the last seven years, Chef Gavin returned home to Minneapolis to open his dream restaurant in the North Loop Neighborhood this past November. He was inspired by the cuisine of his ..
Chad Clevenger of Atlanta's Alma Cocina Turns Mexican Food into Fine Dining
For Best Chefs America Chad Clevenger has cooked all types of cuisines. He's been a personal chef for celebrities in France, a chef/owner of a fine dining restaurant, a chef/owner of a food cart, and a restaurant consultant. At Alma Cocina, he cooks Mexican food, a cuisine that's not looked at as high end unless you create new ways to interpret it. BCA: Where and how did you develop your love of Mexican and Latin cuisine? CC: I attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Texas. There's a lot of Tex-Mex food in Austin and many Southwestern restaurants. The food at one rest..
Pano Karatassos Fuses his Greek roots with Vegan and Vegetarian Options in an Upscale Kitchen
Kyma, part of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group owned by my father Pano I. Karatassos, is the only upscale Greek restaurant in Atlanta, as well as the only restaurant to offer a white tablecloth vegan and vegetarian menu. My roots are in Greece, and I grew up on Mediterranean fare. I began cooking at my father’s various restaurants when I was 16 years old, and went on to train under some of the most famous chefs in the country after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. My entire life has been based in the culinary arts so I have a sincere appreciation of upscale di..