A SLICE OF THYME
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culturedriven chef popups, happening at Foxy. Such a simple concept, and within its simplicity are layers of intention and creativity. Just like an album release or an art show, these popups allow the local chefs who are usually bound to a set menu that may change seasonally, to express them selves creatively in a way that have never been seen before. The veil is lifted for a night, which entices people to step out, drink, and min gle with one another before digging into the only art form that can be eaten, and only exists in our memories and in photos of it. Food is so unique, it honestly humbles me pretty frequently. It is such an intimate thing to feed people, and have to that privi lege is such an honor, as most chefs who love what they do will tell you. These pop ups that have been happening create such a deeper connection between the chef and the people they are serving. This past weekend James Levens, who is doing the chefing over at Smith Brothers Butcher shop, put on a very wellattended ramen popup at Foxy. When I showed up, there was literally a line around the build ing, which told me that people had been waiting for this since the last pop up. As I scanned the line, I saw people of all ages and races, who stepped out to embrace the pulse of the city. I got a chance to ask James a couple questions about what that meant to him. “I choose ramen simply because there isn’t any real ramen available in the city. We’ve actually been doing popups for a couple years now, and the idea has always
been to create an event that is unique and gets everyone excited about the experi ence,” he tells me. Mission accomplished, because I talked a lot of people who were excited to see something like this happening. Born in Savannah, but cooking around the country, James’s inspiration for cook ing came from wanting to eat out as a kid, which he was clear in saying was no jab at his mom’s cooking. “Food gives me the energy to live,” no pun intended, “and I honestly hope these popups only create more in the future, and it inspires creative people in our industry to see they can do more than the job in front of them,” he said. “We plan on having more popups in the future, as we love the collaboration with Foxy Loxy, and we would love to expand and have an open kitchen space one day.” Which is exactly what we need to con tinue the progress in the direction we want. Let’s have open spaces that create a vibration of community, and allow those who want to express themselves have a place to do that. The arts are what is going to bring our city into the light that we want to see it in, so we have to support the arts not just in the present, but for the future as well. If we can pour energy into something that will provide us an identity, we can build the foundation for that to be sus tained and evolve for many years to come. Food is culture. Art is culture. Food is art. Let’s embrace what is going to bring us the change we are looking for, as we keep stirring that pot. CS
FEB 1-7, 2017
Chef James Levens says, ‘The idea has always been to create an event that is unique and gets everyone excited about the experience.’
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