Chef Eric Gabrynowicz and members of our amazing culinary team WOWED at the James Beard House on 12/11! They prepared a Taste of Tupelo, featuring elevated Southern dishes with incredible flavors and responsibly-sourced ingredients.
“I equate the experience to hitting home runs in Yankee stadium. You don’t realize how special it is until you are actually doing it and you have that moment of realization of who has done it before you. Every legend of the culinary world has cooked [at the James Beard House]. It’s like realizing Babe Ruth stood where you are standing,” said Chef Eric about cooking at the James Beard House.
Top left: Shrimp & Grits cooking! Bottom left: Chefs Eric and Jason plan for the meal. Right: James Beard himself.
The James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.
Chefs are selected to cook at the Beard House based on a variety of criteria, including national or regional reputation and known use of high quality, seasonal, or local ingredients. We were honored to be chosen, especially during the holiday season!
In addition, the JBF has numerous Impact Programs that are committed to establishing a more sustainable food system through education, advocacy, and thought leadership. Reducing our footprint by offering sustainable and responsibly-sourced ingredients is very important to us at Tupelo Honey!
Snow Worries
With the first snowstorm of the season headed towards Asheville, Chef Eric and team loaded up their van and drove to New York City over the weekend to make sure they made it in time! No amount of snow can keep this killer team from doing their thing.
Chefs Eric Gabrynowicz, Jason Malone, Chris Gibson and Carey Ball
Let’s Get Cookin’
Our all-star culinary team truly rose to the occasion for this event. Chef Eric was joined by Senior Culinary Director Jason Malone, as well as Executive Chefs Chris Gibson of Greenville and Carey Ball of Raleigh. This team’s expertise and passion is evident in every dish they place on the table!
“Our Tupelo chefs work so hard day in and day out and deserve to be celebrated as much as possible. I was honored to be able to share such a historic kitchen with them for a day,” said Chef Eric.
A Taste of Tupelo
Chef Eric prepared an amazing menu that highlights the best of what Tupelo Honey has to offer. “I took the same approach to the James Beard menu as I do to our menu every day at Tupelo. I look for opportunities to show off exciting flavor profiles and ingredients while staying true to who we are and respecting the cuisine we love so much,” he said.
Hors d’Oeuvres included fried green tomato bites, blistered okra, pork confit grilled cheese sandwiches, and honey-dusted chicken wings. The main courses stole the show, however:
- Charred Broccoli with Kale, Crispy Hominy Salad, Harissa–Honey Yogurt, Pickled Shallots, and Sweet Potato
- Blackberry–Habanero Pork Belly with Kohlrabi, Peanuts, Cilantro, and Radish
- Shrimp and Grits with Peperonata, Goat Cheese, Grilled Lemon, and Hickory Nut Gap Farm Chorizo
- Sweet Tea–Lacquered Duck with Foie Gras Dirty Rice
- Caramelized Squash–Grit Cake with Cider, Sorghum, and Buttermilk
Our resident Beverage Master Tyler Alford expertly paired each dish with the perfect wine.
We loved having the opportunity to show off our Southern-inspired cuisine at the Beard House. It is a testament to not only our delicious food, but also our amazing team who continues to blow us away with their skills, knowledge and unwavering dedication to their craft!