This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Hugh Acheson’s cooking demonstration at the Savannah Food and Wine Festival. Acheson, who is the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of several Georgia restaurants including The National, Five & Ten, Empire State South, and The Florence, is also the writer of the cookbook A New Turn in The South. He kindly agreed to an interview, and these are his responses:
Anna Mae Kersey: What initially motivated you to start cooking? Did you always want to be a chef, or was there a specific moment in your life that caused you to choose that career?
Hugh Acheson: I started cooking for work after school. It was the regular trajectory of dishwasher, to garde manger, to line cook. Jobs allowed me to excel and contribute in a way I never really was able to in school. Even though I come from a very academic family I was never very good in school.
AMK: What is it about the Southern cuisine that has caused you to center your focus on that particular region?
HA: I think I am just lucky. If I was in Iowa I’d concentrate of the food of that community. It just happens that I live in the most storied and documented region for American food. Southern food is an endless topic. I love that.
AMK: What is your favorite dish to make for the holidays?
HA: Leek bread pudding. It’s a crowd pleaser.
AMK: What is your proudest accomplishment as a chef/restaurateur?
HA: Employing lots of people and making an impact on food policy in my area.
AMK: Could you tell us about some in season produce we should be buying for fall/winter cuisine?
HA: Squash, lettuces, apples, pomegranates, Brussels and sweet potatoes. It’s a beautiful time of year.
AMK: What is your absolute favorite meal/restaurant?
HA: Oysters and caviar at Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia. The oysters are ridiculously fresh and the bar is fantastic.
AMK: What would you say is your message as a chef?
HA: Pay attention to what you eat, purchase, and put on the plate and realize that it takes not much more than palpable zeal and hard work to cook better than 98% of other people.
If you’re in Athens, Atlanta, or Savannah areas make sure to stop by one of Hugh’s acclaimed restaurants featuring community-conscious quintessential Southern cooking! Photo credit: Emily B. Hall
Anna Mae Kersey is a "part-time southerner" and arts enthusiast. In addition to her work as a journalist, she is a singer/songwriter, pianist, harpist, model, and enjoys yoga, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family. She attends Mercer University where she studies pre-law, philosophy and psychology.
