TableScape Magazine OCTOBER 2023

OCTOBER 2023 | ISSUE | VOL 3

A FOOD MAGAZINE FOR FOODIES BY FOODIES

Sweet Autumn Treats 350 With Chef Overstreet Soup Sensations O

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

You’re Cordially Invited

By Joe Tetro

The mere mention of the fall season conjures up thoughts of apple picking and pumpkin patches for much of the country. It’s customary to drink hot cider, don flannel shirts, and embrace the season some affectionately call “sweater weather.”

Here on the Gulf Coast, we have a very different relationship with the season. While we do experience a welcome reprieve from the summer heat, we know that by mid-afternoon we will be looking for the AC and something cool to drink.

We do, however, vary our traditional menus to include soups and gumbos, root vegetables, and other farm market fare. You see, fall is football season in SEC country. Saturdays are spent watching the pigskin fly and the pork shoulder smoke. Football is a way of life here on the Gulf Coast, and celebrating with friends and family always includes good food, good times, and plenty of excitement.

Meet Chef Dorothy Overstreet who tells us about “honest food” and letting the food “speak for itself.” Learn what the change in the weather does to our coffee consumption, and what “professional” tailgaters are serving at the big game. While we may not drive to the country to view the falling leaves, we certainly have fall traditions that are uniquely “Gulf Coast.”

These are just a few culinary experiences we will explore in this month’s issue of TableScape Magazine. So, join us for the journey and invite your friends, because as Julia Child once said: "People who love to eat are always the best people.”

J. Tetro

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01

A Word from the Publisher

08

Cooking with Dad

14

Pumpkin Bread

18

The Art of Tailgating

26

Pot Roast

30

Soup Sensations

33

Sausage Ragu

36

Farm Market Finds

41

Smoking Beef Brisket

46

Sweet Autumn Treats

You‘re Cordially Invited

A BBQ Story

Traditional Tasty Goodness

Football and Fixins’

A Warm and Filling Meal

A Warm Hug in a Cup and Bowl A Home Cooked Comfort Meal

Local, Fresh, and Flavorful

Patient Perfection on a Plate

A Tasty Time of Year

50

350 with Chef Overstreet

55

Crawfish Pies

58

Coffee Anyone?

61

Advertiser Index

0

Owner • Kitchen On Main 3 Questions | 5 Minutes | Tasty Answers Flaky Crust and Cajun Seasoned So Many Choices

Show our sponsors some love

SDG

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Publisher Graphic Design | Editor In Chief Editor Danielle Rose Writers J Anthony Allison Marlow Jax Petro Danielle Rose Photographers Ken Fay Katelynn Hudson Jason Leggio Sales

Kimberly Cain | Kimberly@TableScapeMag.com Kevin Cooper | Kevin@TableScapeMag.com Jason Leggio | Jason@TableScapeMag.com Payton Moran | Payton@TableScapeMag.com Robyn Parham | Robyn@TableScapeMag.com Michael Steele | Sales@TableScapeMag.com

Technical Support

Nicholas Kearley

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251-955-1233

www.BrickOvenFoley.com

21040A Miflin Rd, Foley, Alabama Across the street from OWA

Visit Us on FaceBook for a Special Offer

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Cooking with Dad

By J. Anthony

Fathers and Daughters - a relationship that has as many highs and lows as the Dow Jones. But when the skinned knees, driver's education, and graduations are over, father and daughter are left with a story that belongs to them and them alone.

On a perfect fall afternoon, I ran into a father and daughter with an amazing story of their own. You see, I was visiting our friend, William Stitt, and enjoying the smell of molasses and hickory smoke as he cold smoked his small batch of bacon, when I met Chad and Kari Yarbrough of KEY’S Southern Spice.

R

KEY’S Southern Spice is a fusion of the R

South’s greatest flavors. It can be used as a rub or flavoring on just about anything. Kari, a senior at Fairhope High School, was taking a break from her nursing studies and anxious to tell their story.

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In 2015, Kari was about 8 years old and decided she wanted to spend more time with her dad, who had acquired quite a reputation as a backyard grill master. She asked her mother, Melissa, if she could use some spices and work up a special rub for dad's next BBQ adventure.

Melissa agreed and suggested she keep a record of the exact measurements, in case they wanted to recreate the experiment.

Needless to say, the experiment was quite a success. In fact, it was such a success that friends and neighbors kept asking for more, and the Yarbroughs were only too happy to oblige. That was, until the demand became more than the family could handle. Thus, KEY’S Southern Spice, R

LLC was born.

K.E.Y., Kari’s initials, became the name of the family’s new venture, and that’s not the only thing she lent to the label of her new company.

In keeping with the family’s mantra of God, Family, and Country, each 5 oz bottle also lists the chapter and verse of Kari’s favorite Bible scripture.

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The new business, needing a manufacturing company to mass produce their product, along with someone to print the labels, partnered with local businesses, allowing them to proudly produce a primarily Alabama product. They import spices from all over the world in increments of 250-500 pounds at a time, and are featured in over two hundred stores with customers from as far away as California.

Chad and Kari are humbled and appreciative of the help they have received along the way.

From Piggly Wiggly, who gave them their commercial start, to local restaurant owners that feature their product.

As the face of the company, Kari has been asked to be a judge at the World Food Championships, and has donated time and resources to Fight2Feed, a charity organization whose mission is to put an end to hunger. The company also once donated their entire inventory of t-shirts as part of hurricane relief.

As Kari finished her story and the autumn air grew colder, I remembered something my father told me when my daughter was born: “A father holds his daughter’s hand for a short while, but he holds her heart forever.”

Dad was right once again.

KEY’S Southern Spice can be found in Baldwin County grocers or at: R

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RECIPES

Pumpkin Bread A traditional flavor of the season wrapped up in a warm and inviting slice of goodness!

PREP TIME

15 MINUTES

COOK TIME

60 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME

90 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

½ cup vegetable oil (plus more for greasing the pan) 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 (15-ounce) can (about 2 cups) pumpkin purée 1 cup granulated sugar ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar 2 large eggs ¼ cup full-fat sour cream or plain yogurt 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

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RECIPES

Pumpkin Bread Continued INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 8½- or 9-inch loaf pan; line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.

Step 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.

Step 3 Bake until the loaf is puffed and set, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 60 to 75 minutes. Transfer the bread, in the pan, to a rack to cool for 20 minutes. Use a paring knife to cut the two exposed sides of bread away from the pan, then use the parchment to transfer the cake to the rack. Let cool completely. ENJOY!

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The Art of Tailgating

By Allison Marlow

When we checked in at the maternity ward for the arrival of our first child my husband had just one question for the nurse; “Can the hospital television access the Alabama football game?”

Football is life in the South.

Weddings are planned around the gridiron schedule. When we pick times for our Girl Scout troop outings, we look first at the Saturday matchups. We know if the Crimson Tide is playing a powerhouse school like Tennessee or Georiga, ain’t no one coming to a troop meeting.

Oh and if you’re new here, pick one.

Alabama or Auburn. You can’t be both.

Sure, the game is the draw. But the gatherings around the game are what breathe life into fall.

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‘Scuse me, did I say Saturday? Ok, ok. We rally around the Saints and the Falcons and occasionally the Tennessee Titans depending on how close to that northern border feels comfortable. College football is king in Alabama and tailgating is an art form.

Outside of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, the party starts hours, sometimes days, before kickoff. If you are lucky enough to hold season passes; a designation that has a waiting list several years long; there is a parking lot reserved for you.

For the rest of us; every street, lot, or open space around those stadiums smell delicious.

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Fans show up early in the morning to grill, baste and sear meats that fall off the bone. Side dishes are delivered in professional grade warming plates.

There are no Tupperware and aluminium foil covers here.

Don’t want to lug your tents and chairs to the game?

Local companies specialize in bringing the set up to you. Prices fluctuate by opponent but delivery of a tent, five chairs and a table for the Texas game cost $900.

Tailgaters for that same game who wanted to up their experience with a bigger tent, television, 20 chairs, four tables, ice chests, linens, (in crimson and white of course), all neatly tucked within white picket fencing could have that set up for a cool $5,400.

And that’s just the basics.

There are decorations, signs, not on cardboard mind you, but crafted out of plywood and painted by professionals. Some tents have chandeliers and flags peeking out from beneath.

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Revelers are decked out too. Themed hats, hair ties, earrings, and shoes compliment game day outfits that are runway ready, never simply jeans and a team t-shirt.

And the food, oh the food never stops.

In the early morning hours the air fills with the smoky flavors that make your tongue drip and your mind regret choosing coffee and donuts to start the day.

Ribs, mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, it’s all here. Whether you are at the game or not.

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Backyard tailgating gatherings around the wide screen television are just as fanciful, with the benefit of no traffic.

Here the grill is fired up before the morning coffee finishes brewing.

Chicken smokes nearly the whole day, never touching a flame.

Hamburgers are dressed up with grilled veggies, exotic sauces and specialty cheese.

The boiled peanuts and fried okra stave off the gathering crowds until the main course is ready.

If the game isn’t on in your house, you know the score anyway.

The neighborhood erupts in cheers with each touchdown and fills with exasperated shouts for each call against the home town heroes.

Twilight falls, twinkle lights under tents glow, and beer bottles clink. All is right with the world in Alabama.

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When:

January 26 - 28, 2024

Where:

The Barn Reid Loper 20451 Matthew’s Way Silverhill, AL 36576

To Register and Details:

The Men's Coaching Weekend is a unique environment for men committed to learning a relational paradigm for growth.

Throughout the weekend, men learn new relationship skills and benefit from interaction with other men.

The goal for each participant is to learn how to communicate openly and assertively, and receive constructive input that will serve as a blueprint for how he can begin to grow in all areas of his life.

Led by Philip K. Hardin, M.A., M. Div. LMFT, LPC a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Life Coach who specializes in couples in crisis, men's issues, and life & relationship issues. He is the Director of Business & Professional Outreach, Intl., which seeks to bring men, couples, and families into wholeness and full maturity.

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RECIPES

Pot Roast A warm and filling meal chock full of flavor

INGREDIENTS

3 pound boneless beef chuck roast Kosher salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons canola oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 medium red onions, cut into quarters 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 12 to 16 pieces, about a pound 8 cremini mushrooms, halved 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 1 head garlic, top cut off to expose cloves ¾ cup tomato paste 2 bay leaves 3 sprigs rosemary 1½ cups red wine, preferably cabernet 4 cups beef broth

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RECIPES

Pot Roast

Continued

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. On the stove top, heat oil in a large Dutch oven, or other heavy roasting pan with a lid, over medium-high heat. Sear the meat until a dark crust forms, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove meat to a plate.

Step 2 Reduce heat to medium and add butter to the pan. Melt the butter and add the whole head of garlic and vegetables, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the vegetables start to color, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3 Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it darkens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Step 4 Add bay leaves, rosemary and wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a thick gravy consistency, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 5 Return meat to the pot. Add broth, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven.

Cook for 2 hours 20 minutes.

Step 6 Let roast sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Remove meat to a cutting board to slice. Discard bay leaves and rosemary stems. Squeeze any garlic cloves remaining in their skins into the stew and discard the skins. Serve slices of meat in shallow bowls along with the vegetables and a generous amount of cooking liquid ladled over top.

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Soup Sensations

By Danielle Rose

As the weather begins to go from sweltering to cool and inviting, our appetites long for heartier fare. A bounty of seasonal ingredients that are perfect for creating delicious, comforting soups lends itself to another page on our regional menu.

Here are a few popular soups you can find in Lower Alabama this fall season: Gumbo Gumbo is a classic Louisiana-style soup that is loved throughout the Gulf Coast. It typically includes a combination of meats (such as chicken, sausage, or seafood), vegetables (like okra, onions, and bell peppers), and a rich, flavorful broth made with a dark roux. Gumbo is often served over rice and is a staple during the fall and winter months.

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Corn and Crab Chowder With the abundance of fresh seafood available, a corn and crab chowder is a popular choice. This hearty soup combines sweet corn, succulent crab meat, onions, potatoes, and cream for a rich and satisfying dish that is perfect for cooler autumn days.

Sweet Potato Soup Sweet potatoes are a staple in Southern cuisine, and they shine in a delicious fall soup. This creamy soup often incorporates flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to enhance the natural sweetness of the potatoes. It can be garnished with bacon, green onions, or even a drizzle of maple syrup for added depth.

Brunswick Stew Brunswick stew is a thick, hearty soup that originated in the South. It traditionally includes a combination of meats like chicken, pork, or beef, along with vegetables such as corn, lima beans, and tomatoes. The flavors meld together during a long cooking process, resulting in a comforting and flavorful stew to be enjoyed on a chilly fall evening.

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Butternut Squash Soup Butternut squash is a versatile ingredient that can be transformed into a velvety soup. The squash is roasted, pureed, and then combined with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This soup is often finished with a swirl of cream or a sprinkle of toasted pecans for added richness and texture.

These fall soups showcase the Lower Alabama region's love for comforting, flavorful dishes that celebrate the seasonal bounty.

Whether you're enjoying a steaming bowl of gumbo or savoring a creamy sweet potato soup, these soups are sure to warm both your body and soul during the autumn months.

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RECIPES

Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 10 ounces mild Italian sausage, casings removed 6 ounces 90% lean ground veal 1 small (6-ounce) white onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 3 medium celery stalks (about 4 oz.), trimmed and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) 2 small carrots (about 3 1/2 ounces), peeled and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 3/4 cups water 3/4 cup tomato juice 3 (5-inch) thyme sprigs 2 fresh bay leaves 1 (5-inch) sage sprig 1 (5-inch) rosemary sprig

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RECIPES

Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù)

CONTINUED

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium. Add sausage and veal; cook, stirring often to break meat into small crumbles, until meat is browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened but not caramelized, about 8 minutes.

Add wine; cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven, until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Stir in 1 3/4 cups water and tomato juice.

Using kitchen twine, tie together thyme, bay leaves, sage, and rosemary to form a bouquet garni; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 2 hours.

Remove and discard bouquet garni.

Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Keep ragù warm over low until ready to serve.

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Farm Market Finds

By Allison Marlow

Just as the Fairhope Farmers Market was about to shutter for the evening, a customer arrived specifically to find Joy Hunter.

Out-of-town guests were on the way for the weekend and just one local product topped her list to serve them: Joy’s peach jam and 3 Mango Salsa.

The customer was a regular at the weekly Fairhope Thursday market and Joy’s stand, better known as MJ’s was her, well, jam. The handcrafted spices, jams, and salsas were a favorite of her chronically ill husband too.

Joy knew them well.

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But the last jar of peach had just sold and Joy, who crafts the products in her kitchen between working as a nurse and tending three teenagers, hadn’t made salsa in a while. Wouldn’t you know that before her guests’ suitcases hit the floor that weekend, Joy had the goods delivered.

Ravenous cult followings for local favorites; dedicated producers who deliver above and beyond; such is the delight and divinity of the local farmers’ market.

Here specialty, hand-crafted items are propped next to stacks of vegetables grown just around the bend. In a place where the season sometimes seems to never change the tables burst in turn with the colors of spring, summer and fall and in doing so deliver the most delicious offerings of the year.

Purchases at the farmers market are not singular moments. They are on-going discussions, carried from week to week. They are a patient walk-through by a farmer to a new resident in the best way to serve those collard greens. They are a sharing of information, stories and the expanding of a shared community with each new face.

When Joy hands a customer a jar of product she isn’t selling an item, she is giving you the key to create your own best meal. She shares recipes. She explains the most delicious way how to use it and how to start your own journey in the kitchen. “It’s not just about buying the product,” she says. “It’s about how they can create something new as well.”

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After a lifelong career as a nurse, Joy says passing on information, not just cures, is in her nature. It’s carried over into her role making jams. “It’s the mindset that we are not here to do it for you, but to teach you to do it for yourself,” she says.

While cookbooks with all their precise numbers may be hard to follow and following along with a cooking show may be intimidating, a farmer’s market is often the perfect place to learn about local fare.

New to the South? Fresh veggies here look a little different than in other parts of the country. Okra and collard greens fill the tables and there are as many types of beans and peas as there are stars in the sky. For the full farm to table experience, head out to a Pick Your Own farm. In spring, blueberries abound in south Alabama.

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Fall pumpkins are largely shipped into the state’s most southern regions but carrots of nearly color are still popping up.

Pro Tip: you can make purple lemonade with the skins of purple carrots.

Yellow summer squash, and peppers will continue to thrive through the fall if temperatures remain above 70, not a tough request most years. In Lucedale, Mississippi, Charlie’s U-Pik offers fall squash, purple peppers, cucumbers and more by the bushel. What they can’t grow they ship from other farmers further north; meaning apples and pumpkins are traveling from farmer to farmer, fresh and ready for fresh fall pies.

Joy says local is always her first choice. Soon, she and her teens will head out to fill bags with satsumas grown in the neighborhood. She’ll craft jelly and then hold back enough of the tangy-sweet fruit to craft Christmas citrus jam. Though customers clammer for her product now, Joy says building that product has taken time. She perfected her recipes with skills and tips she learned from her grandmother, a process that saw plenty of jam tossed in the trash. “I have thrown plenty of batches down the sink.

You keep learning, you keep tweaking, and you don’t give up,” she says.

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RECIPES

Smoking Beef Brisket When it comes to smoking beef brisket, patience is a virtue.

For a 12- to 14-pound brisket, it takes anywhere from 9 to 12 hours in the smoker. We think it’s time well spent.

INGREDIENTS

1 (12- to 14-pound) whole brisket 5 tablespoons coarse black pepper 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt 2 tablespoons onion powder

(optional) 3 tablespoons yellow mustard or olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 Preheat the smoker to 265°F. Use oak or other hardwoods

Step 2 Place the brisket on a work surface so the fatty side is underneath. Trim away any silver skin or excess fat from the brisket and flip the brisket over, fat side facing up.

Ideally, you want to keep about 1/4-inch layer of fat all over the brisket to act as a protective barrier during the long cook.

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RECIPES

Smoking Beef Brisket

Continued

Step 3 In a small bowl, stir together the pepper, salt, and onion powder (if using).

Rub the brisket with mustard or olive oil and apply the seasoning evenly over all sides of the brisket.

Step 4 Place the brisket in the smoker with the point side (thicker side) facing the fire box.

Close the lid and don't open it for 6 to 8 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Step 5 Spread unwaxed butcher's paper on your work surface, remove the brisket from the smoker, and place it in the middle of the paper. Wrap the brisket until it is completely covered and fold the paper over twice, with the brisket ending right-side up (the side with the fat cap).

Place the wrapped brisket back in the smoker, right-side up, and do not remove it until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 203°F. The time to achieve this temperature will vary; 3 to 4 hours.

Pay attention to the feel of the wrapped brisket. As it begins to soften, begin probing the brisket to get an idea where the temperature is.

Step 6 Let the wrapped brisket rest, wrapped, for 1 hour before unwrapping it to slice and serve.

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Sweet Autumn Treats

By Allison Marlow

Need a break from pumpkin spice? How about caramel, cinnamon, or rich red velvet whose cerise hue is as lovely as the fallen leaves that crunch under your feet. These are the flavors of the season as the air turns chilly and jack-o-lanterns seem to magically appear on stairs and doorways downtown. Yes, fall is so much more than pumpkin spice.

Brittney Hill, owner and baker at Sugar House Custom Cakes, in Fairhope, crafts sweets for a living. But baker seems too simple of a title. Purveyor of joy or merchant of the mouthwatering might be a better fit. Her custom cakes are booked through January of next year and her calendar is routinely filled months in advance. There is little wiggle room as each order is precisely made to fit the recipient’s sugary desires.

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Need a Scottish highland cow licking its buttercream nose? She’s done it.

Anna and Elsa, Mickey and Minnie, giant beer steins, delicate wedding flowers and surfboards – Brittney has created them all into cakes and everything is edible. She’s a busy lady.

Each morning the display cases on her Fairhope Avenue shop are filled with rows of icing-topped cupcakes in every color. The most popular of late is caramel. Caramel Apple to be exact.

Ready?

You may want to prepare yourself to be hungry. Here we go.

The Caramel Apple Cupcake is caramel cake baked around apple pie filling. On top, caramel icing is sprinkled with streusel and a gooey caramel drizzle. We’ll give you a minute to consider heading to the shop right now. Yeah. It’s autumn in your mouth.

But that’s just one. Brittney also crafts Salted Caramel Cupcakes topped with mini pretzels.

One of her personal favorites is pairing caramel with coconut. “It may sound odd, but it is a great balance,” she says. “You can even add some chocolate for that Girl Scout Cookie vibe."

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In honor of the spooky holiday season, Brittney also specializes in monster mashup cakes. Who needs buckets of candy when you can have two cake flavors mixed in one crazy creature confection? The Red Velvet and Cookies N’ Cream combo is a fan favorite.

Sometimes the best cupcakes don’t look like cupcakes at all. Graveyard cakes, crafted from chocolate crumble cake, have candy bones hidden under edible tombstones. A shovel-shaped spoon is provided to dig out the delicious goods.

So sure, enjoy your pumpkin spice, but give those other flavors a try.

You may just find a new fall favorite.

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0

350 WITH CHEF OVERSTREET In this edition of 350 , we had an opportunity to sit down with Chef Dorothy Overstreet, owner and executive chef at Kitchen On Main in Daphne, Alabama 0

TS: Ok Chef; Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, and why?

Chef Overstreet: Dinner. Originally, when we decided to open Kitchen on Main, I did have a daytime job as a Drug Rep. I worked during the day at the pharmacy, and at night I’d come over to Kitchen on Main, where I was the Executive Chef. So, we wanted it to be a place that you could come in the afternoon to have a nice glass of wine and a good steak right here in the neighborhood. We wanted it to be casual, but fine-dining where you could get a steak or a great piece of fish without getting in the car and driving anywhere. Even as a chef, dinner is my favorite.

That’s my thing.

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TS: Tell us about your culinary journey.

Chef Overstreet: My father used to cook gumbo for the Fleet Blessing in Bayou La Batre. It was thousands and thousands of people. And they had, even though they didn’t call it this, a kitchen brigade. They had someone cutting all the vegetables, someone making the roux - which was usually my father - and then someone sautéing vegetables. I loved how it all worked, mechanically, in the kitchen.

My mother was a great cook - pretty much all of my family, they were just all really good cooks. My aunts, my uncles… a lot of my cousins do different things with food, aside from restaurants. It was just a love of food. I wanted to know the ins and outs of food, so I eventually went to culinary school. I went to Le Cordon Bleu - I loved it. I just wanted to know more and more about food.

I worked with a chef in Nashville for a short period of time who would work with Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill. I learned a lot - quickly - from some of the best. With these chefs, it was all about fresh food and cooking it right, and that’s kind of our thing at Kitchen On Main. All we care about doing is buying the absolute best quality we can get, and just cooking it right. If you cook it right, it’s going to tell the rest of the story. All you have to do is take a great piece of fish say, black grouper - and you sear it appropriately, and the rest is history on their plate. And that’s all we’re trying to do here at Kitchen on Main. I want to present really good, fresh food to my customers.

TS: What do you think makes Kitchen on Main unique?

Chef Overstreet: I think just being honest with food. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. There’s a lot of amazing chefs that do a lot of gastronomy and other things that are very different. I’ve been around it and I’ve been taught a lot of it, but I just think it comes down to honest food. I mean, that’s what I like to eat. I like things that are fancy and amazing, and I think my food is fancy because it’s very good, high-quality food. I don’t have to have caviar on everything or a little sprig of this and that to change my dish - it speaks for itself. And it should speak for itself.

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TS: Talk to us about presentation.

Chef Overstreet: Lord, that’s important to me.

As my mom always said, “You eat with your eyes first.” And I believe that, one thousand percent.

Sometimes food doesn’t have to be amazing if it looks amazing on the plate, but I want mine to be both. We strive to have a very good, clean presentation at Kitchen on Main.

It’s very important to me how we plate things, even if we’re during a rush. I want it to all look amazing and beautiful on that plate. I use micros, flowers, things like that, because I think it does take the dish to another level. All of our dishes are really thought out. Like our buffalo oysters, when you go into the oyster there’s a sauce on it that goes into pickled fennel, then goes into a spring mix that’s dressed. And you take one bite of all of that together. We don’t just throw these things on there to look good. I want to truly think things out to where ingredients go together and complement each other.

You want sweet, salty, crunchy - you want all those elements to be in there. You know, our barbecue shrimp have bok choy on the bottom and pickled onions on the top, and there’s a reason for that - the acid cuts through the sweet.

There’s reasons for the things that we do. Every little special we do, we try to think every element out. We’ve tasted it, we know it tastes good, and we know it makes sense together. Again, honesty is what I try to go for, and I just want every element to taste good that’s on that plate that I serve you.

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TS: So, what would you say your speciality is?

Chef Overstreet: I think our black grouper. It’s ordered more than any item I have on the menu. We get it all the time, fresh, and when we sear it, it’s just very honest - very simply done.

We make a beurre blanc sauce with risotto and a vegetable, usually a green bean or a broccolini, but something that goes with it. That one has always been one of the biggest selling items. Also, our steak frites. We use a 14 oz ribeye - it’s beautiful. It’s delicious.

I have a one page menu, and I do that because it’s all fresh. We have three or four specials that we rotate out, and if something really sticks and people dig it, then we’ll keep it on the menu. From day one, it’s always been a one page menu because everything is absolutely as fresh as you can get it.

TS: As this is our seasonal issue, talk to us about fall food.

Chef Overstreet: Right around this time of year, we always do Chilton County peaches, or wherever we can get fresh peaches, for cobblers and other desserts.

We’ll do some things with pumpkin, of course. But, we normally always do gumbo when it’s cool weather, and we’ll do gumbo on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

It’s a part of my father’s recipe and my sous-chef’s recipe, so it’s a combination of the best of both worlds. It’s a real gumbo with okra, seafood, shrimp, crab, everything that’s Creole. We do use a little filet, but we brown the roux first. We brown it in the oven or in a black skillet before we even start with the fat and before making the actual roux itself. To me, it just adds another quality of depth.

We use the shrimp shells to make our stock. The crab claws also get bigger in the colder month, so we love that, and we do she-crab soup.

We rotate our specials, so I might do a pork chop with some butternut squash risotto, so we think about bringing in the fall elements depending on what we can get our hands on.

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TS: Do you source all that locally?

Chef Overstreet: I try to. I try to get as much as I can locally, but if it’s not seafood here, it’s going to be Louisiana. If it’s not produce here, it’s going to be from within Birmingham and down, and maybe a little bit from Louisiana over.

But, if we can get it right here in town, of course we’re going to. Anything we can get locally, we’re going to do it.

TS: Anything else you’d like to say in closing?

Chef Overstreet: Well, I’d like to say that I have an all-girl’s staff in the kitchen.

My sous-chef, my line chef, and another chef who helps with plating. So, I have three women, besides myself, and we do all of the food. We always have.

We have a couple of guys, one bartender and one dishwasher. So, that’s my staff.

Most of them have been with me since the day we opened, through everything.

So, I love my kids here, and I hope they love me just as much.

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RECIPES

Crawfish Pies These large crawfish pies start with a flaky crust, and they’re filled with loads of fresh Louisiana crawfish tail meat, cream cheese, and a special blend of Cajun seasonings.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 gallons plus 2 tablespoons of frying oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped celery 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco® pepper sauce 1 (1 lb.) package frozen crawfish tail meat, thawed 1 (15 oz.) package refrigerated 9-inch pie crust Dash of your favorite Cajun seasoning

Optional: Serve with pico de gallo salsa

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RECIPES

Crawfish Pies

CONTINUED

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour 2 1/2 gallons of Oil in a deep fryer; heat to 375°F.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of Oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery to pan; sauté 3 minutes.

Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.

Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates.

Combine vegetable mixture, cream cheese, flour, lemon juice, salt, and hot sauce, stirring well. Fold crawfish into cream cheese mixture; stirring to combine.

Cut each 9-inch pie crust in half to form 4 semicircles.

Using a slotted spoon, place about 1 cup crawfish mixture in the center of each crust half; fold edges over, pressing to seal. Crimp edges with a fork.

Fry pies at 375°F for 5 minutes or until golden, turning once.

Serve immediately.

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Coffee Anyone?

By Jax Petro

As we enter the season of hoodies and shorter days, thoughts of caffeine and other hot drinks fill my head.

In no particular order, let’s discuss a few of my favorites.

The reigning king of fall drinks is undoubtedly the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

This classic fall coffee flavor is a favorite amongst many coffee lovers of all ages.

It typically includes espresso, pumpkin spice syrup, steamed milk, and is topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, and just screams (no pun intended) flannel shirts and Halloween.

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After I’ve had my fill of pumpkin spice, theres always the Caramel Apple Latte, a delicious combination of caramel and apple flavors just perfect for the season. This apple pie in a cup consists of espresso, apple-flavored syrup, caramel sauce, steamed milk, and whipped cream. This guilty pleasure reminds me of holiday baking and the apple picking of my youth.

What’s fall without maple syrup or in this case, the Maple Pecan Latte?

The sweet and nutty flavor combination makes me glad we live on the Gulf Coast and have access to pecans of every variety. This espresso concoction of maple syrup, pecan syrup, steamed milk, and cinnamon feels and smells like breakfast in a cup, and is a satisfying and energetic way to start any autumn morning.

The Gingerbread Latte feels a little like cheating on Christmas trees in October. We are happy to see them, but not quite ready. This offering of espresso, gingerbread syrup, steamed milk, and whipped cream may have to wait until after Thanksgiving, but like Christmas it won’t be far from my mind.

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Finally, and if I had to pick a favorite, this would be it - the Cinnamon Roll Latte.

I don’t know what it is about cinnamon, but this delicious coffee flavor feels like a warm embrace on a cold evening. As I sip my cup, I can almost feel the crackle of the fire and the smell of hickory. Espresso, cinnamon syrup, vanilla syrup, steamed milk, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, is my emotional equivalent to Linus’ security blanket.

Wherever you get your coffee this autumn, be adventurous and try something new. The plethora of quality coffee shops on the Gulf Coast has offerings for every taste and every mood. Ask your barista their suggestion, and thank them when you are transported to the land of pine straw, campfires and good friends. You will be glad you did.

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ADVERTISER INDEX SouthPaw Solutions Page 4 www.SouthPawSelling.com The Brick Oven

Page 6

www.BrickOvenFoley.com

Prodisee Pantry Page 11, 32 www.ProdiseePantry.org John and Co Photo Page 11 www.JohnandCoPhoto.com Downtown Cigars Page 12 TableScape Magazine Page 23, 48 www.TableScapeMag.com Fish Camp

Page 24 www.MensCoachingWeekend.com

J.Leggio Photography Page 32 Cuestion Spirits Page 43 www.CuestionSpirits.com Bill-E’s Bacon

Page 62 www.BillesBacon.com

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TableScape Digital

Fairhope, Alabama www.TableScapeMag.com

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