FOUR QUESTIONS – FOUR CHEFS
WHAT IS THE ONE KITCHEN UTENSIL THAT YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT? CHEF SHAWN DAVIS I use a meat tenderizer for almost all my meats other than fried chicken. CHEF CHUCK WHITE A knife, and second would be the VitaMix because I use it for making dressings, purees, smoothies and almond milk Photo by Charlie Garrabrant
CHEF SHAWN DAVIS, aka Chef Big Shake, at the age of twelve began traveling to Fire Island in New York, where he spent his summers as apprentice to restaurateur Giovanni Palmero. Palmero allowed Shawn to work in every station of the kitchen, and Shawn eventually became head chef. Inspired by his daughter’s decision to exclude meat but not seafood from her diet, Davis founded CBS Foods in 2007 to create a meal that she would enjoy. Today, his company CBS Foods manufactures and distributes gourmet seafood entrees, made with the finest ingredients. The Original Shrimp Burger is now available in Jalapeño, Cajun, and Teriyaki flavors. Their core products also include the Lobster Slider, Lobster Pot Pie, and Lobster Mac and Cheese. In March of 2011, Chef Big Shake was a contestant looking for investors for his shrimp burgers on the television series Shark Tank. At the time, Chef Big Shake had already sold over 22,000 shrimp burgers, but his ultimate goal was to have it available in grocery stores nationwide. Although the Sharks did not make an offer to invest in his business, after the show aired, he was propositioned by three angel investors to invest in his product and company. He gladly accepted and the company has grown. Chef Big Shake is now taking on the new adventure of opening up the latest Franklin sensation of Hot Chicken and Fish on West Main Street. They specialize in fried chicken and fish with three levels of spice/heat. “I was tired of having to travel all the way to Nashville to get good hot chicken, so I opened up my own, and here we are,’ said Chef Big Shake. “Since the opening of the restaurant, we have been surprised at how much fun we are having simply by interacting with the customers on Facebook. We try to run different specials every day and that has been working really well. Last Thursday, we did a ‘Throwback Thursday’ special, and we asked people to call or come in and tell us their favorite old school song to get a discount. It was a lot of fun to hear people’s favorite songs when they came in to order.” www.chefbigshake.com
CHEF VINNY TARDIS A plating spoon, as they are quite versatile for a number of things I have to do in the kitchen. CHEF SEAN BEGIN A good 10 inch chef ’s knife
WHAT IS YOUR “GO TO” INGREDIENT THAT YOU LIKE TO USE FOR YOUR DISHES? CHEF SHAWN DAVIS Fresh garlic CHEF CHUCK WHITE Salt and truffle oil CHEF VINNY TARDIS Thyme and shallots CHEF SEAN BEGIN Homemade dressings and chutneys
WHAT ARE THE CULINARY TRENDS FOR 2014? CHEF SHAWN DAVIS Comfort food is always king, but I see more dark greens such as kale, mustard greens and collards in mainstream dining. CHEF CHUCK WHITE Buying local produce and locally raised meat CHEF VINNY TARDIS Ancient grains and vegetables will become the
star of the entree
CHEF SEAN BEGIN Farm to table and hybrid desserts such as our coconut pie cheesecake
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT WILLIAMSON COUNTY? CHEF SHAWN DAVIS We decided to raise our children here because we truly believe that Williamson County has good people, good schools and it is a place where we feel safe. I can’t think of any place that I would have rather raised my kids. CHEF CHUCK WHITE The people make Williamson County special. CHEF VINNY TARDIS It is ever growing with more diversity, yet it still keeps a small town feel. March 2014 YOURWILLIAMSON.COM 75