Tennessee Purple Hull Pea Hummus Recipe by John Klyce Minervini Now you, too, can make Keith Bambrick’s legendary Tennessee Purple Hull Pea Hummus. The chef recommends sourcing your peas locally, from Yia and Geneva’s Homegrown Produce of Middleton, TN. You can find them at the Agricenter Farmers Market, as well as several other farmers markets around the city. 3 cups dried purple-hull peas ½ medium-size yellow onion 2-3 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves Juice of 2-3 lemons 2-3 T tahini paste Olive oil Sriracha hot sauce to taste Salt and pepper to taste In a medium pot, boil 2.5 quarts of water. Reduce to simmer. Add peas, onion, bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until peas are tender, not mushy. Drain. Remove bay leaves. Allow to cool slightly. In a food processor, blend peas, onion, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste. Salt and pepper to taste. Sriracha to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with homemade pita or flatbread.
From Busboy to Big Kahuna McEwen’s Keith Bambrick is giving New York a taste of Memphis Story and photos by John Klyce Minervini Getting asked to cook at the James Beard House is a big deal. For a chef, it’s like being nominated for an Oscar. So when Keith Bambrick got the call, he didn’t know what to think. “I actually thought it was a joke at first,” confesses Bambrick. “I thought the guy was messing with me. But then I figured out he was serious, and I was like, yeah, of course!” The James Beard Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit that promotes the culinary arts by honoring talented chefs. Bambrick, the executive chef at McEwen’s on Monroe, is one of just a handful of Memphians to be asked to cook at the foundation’s Greenwich Village restaurant—a group that includes such notable names as Felicia Willett of Felicia Suzanne’s and Ryan Trimm of Sweet Grass. But even among this elite crowd, Bambrick has a special claim to fame: he never went to culinary school. He started his career as a dishwasher and busboy in Jonesboro, AR. From there he worked his way up through the kitchens, moving from waiter to bartender to kitchen manager to salad chef to sous chef—before finally being named executive chef of McEwen’s in 2010. “I actually think everybody should come up through the kitchen,” he says. “It helps you stay grounded, and it keeps you from being a jerk to your staff.” Bambrick, age 38, is a rangy guy who wears his hair in a short ponytail at the base of his neck. He says he learned his passion for cooking from his father, who let him help out in the kitchen, growing up. That’s also where he learned to be mostly vegetarian. “My dad got sick,” says Bambrick, “and a lot of that had to do with his lifestyle and his diet. It was kind of a wake-up call for me.” 34 / 4Memphis
At McEwen’s, Bambrick is known for his modern takes on classic Southern dishes; things like the Tennessee Purple Hull Pea Hummus and the Grilled, Coriander-Crusted Duck Breast. Although he is mostly vegetarian, he says he does eat a fair amount of fish, as well continually sampling the meat dishes he has developed at his restaurant. “Don’t get me wrong,” adds Bambrick, “I would never send something out without knowing what it tastes like. Plus, I mean, meat’s freaking delicious.” Bambrick estimates that he spends more than half of his waking hours at McEwen’s, often working 60-hour weeks. In his free time, he enjoys playing wiffleball in a recreational league that meets on Sundays in the parking lot of Minglewood Hall. He says it’s a good way to relieve stress with some of his fellow staff, who also play in the league. “I played baseball when I was a kid,” remembers Bambrick. “So it’s kind of a way to be a kid again. Plus you’re encouraged to have a beer in your hand at all times.” For his August 20th “performance” at the James Beard House, Bambrick is pulling out all the stops. The meal will begin with three plated hors d’oeuvres, including a Creole-braised pulled Berkshire pork shank with stone-ground cheddar grits and tobacco onions. That sets the tone for an unforgettable fivecourse meal, including pan-seared Mississippi Striped Bass and roasted sweet corn mac ‘n cheese. But it wouldn’t be complete without the last course, McEwen’s Famous Banana Cream Pie. “I want to show them what Memphis is all about, from a food point of view,” Bambrick said. “I want to show them that you can prepare these dishes in a way that is innovative and precise while still staying true to their heritage.”