Kordsmeier - Atlanta chefs table: extraordinary recipes from the Big Peach

Kate Parham Kordsmeier is an Atlanta-based freelance food and travel writer for more than 75 publications, including USA Today, Travel + Leisure, Wine Enthusiast, the Washington Post, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Vegetarian Times, and dozens more. After stints in Los Angeles, Italy, Dallas, and Washington, DC, Kate returned to her hometown of Atlanta, where she also reports on wine and spirits, health, and other lifestyle topics, and develops recipes for publications like Cooking Light and Fitness. Kate is also a columnist for FoodService Director and Simply Buckhead. As a travel writer, Kate has been wine tasting in Bordeaux, salmon fishing in Alaska, wildlife searching (and wine tasting) in South Australia, pasta making in Tuscany, snorkeling in Hawaii and Turks & Caicos, film-festing in Toronto, working on a cattle ranch (and wine tasting... are you sensing a pattern yet?) in Napa Valley, skiing in Whistler, cave diving in Riviera Maya, and exploring, mostly by way of food, cities like Istanbul, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, New Orleans, Philly, Tuscany, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Nashville, and Baltimore, all in the name of journalism. Before starting her freelance career, Kate worked as an online copywriter for Neiman Marcus. Kate graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism and a B.S. in consumer journalism.

Photographer Heidi Geldhauser brings a very particular mindset and technique to the table when shooting food. To Heidi, the opportunity to work with a talented chef resonates with her own artistic training, as color and composition, lighting and mood play such integral roles in documenting food in the careful manner it deserves. Her philosophy: Since this is the only opportunity for the dish to be captured and preserved in image before it is enjoyed by the diner, attention to detail and to the chefs intention for the food are paramount. Heidi has been shooting at top Atlanta restaurants for several years, working closely with several of the citys most prominent public relations agencies. Her conversations with chefs over that time have informed her own appreciation of not just how great food tastes, but how it is presented, and how thoughtfully planned and well-executed photography can and should be part of what draws a crowd to a culinary space. An Atlanta native, Heidi attended Atlanta College of Art and struck out on her own right after graduation. Her years of self-employment reflect the combination of free-spirited creativity and business-minded savvy that drives her professional life. When not documenting the Atlanta food scene, Heidis photographic specialty is all things weddings.

Writing this book couldnt have come at a better time. After relocating back to my hometown of Atlanta after many years away, it was exactly what I needed to become reacquainted with the vibrant dining scene and inspiring chefs and restaurateurs in the city. This book is truly for themI couldnt have written it without their unwavering passion for putting good food on the table and their generosity of spirit in sharing their recipes with us. Likewise, Id like to thank the restaurant publicists who helped me collect all the recipes, schedule dozens of photo shoots, line up interviews and tours, and mostly answer what Im sure felt like a thousand e-mails from me.

To Heidi: This book wouldnt work without your incredible photos. You have filled these pages with such beauty and wonder, and I am forever grateful for your partnership in this project.

Id also like to thank my editor, Tracee, who always knew what she wanted and helped me execute that vision in the kindest way possible. Tracee, our industry needs more editors like you!

And finally to my husband, my friends, and my family, who listened to me chatter incessantly about Atlanta restaurants. I know I was in constant fear of missing my deadlines, and your support is truly what allowed me to actually meet them. They say it takes a villageI believe nothing to be more true. Thank you all for bringing this book into existence and making it so wonderful.

621 NORTH AVENUE NE

ATLANTA, GA 30308

(678) 904-0160

4THANDSWIFT.COM

OWNER AND EXECUTIVE CHEF: JAY SWIFT CHEF DE CUISINE: JEB ALDRICH PASTRY CHEF: LAUREN RAYMOND

Plenty of restaurants profess a farm-to-table philosophy. Few actually walk the talk, but Jay Swifts modern American hot spot, 4th & Swift, surpasses the overused buzzword with their very own 3,000-square-foot farm to boot. Expect a bounty of turnips, beets greens, and tomatoes on the Baltimore natives menu, which Swift frames with his son Jeb Aldrich, a Johnson & Wales grad hailing from Charlestons Peninsula Grill and Atlantas own Canoe and now-shuttered Jol. The father-son duos refined comfort food (think, velvety sweet corn soup spiked with crab, crispy brussels sprouts salad, and melt-in-your-mouth roasted venison with spiced squash) is the perfect complement to the chic warehouse setting, which takes up residence in a former engine room situated in historic Old Fourth Ward, complete with warm pendant lamps, exposed brick walls, and high ceilings. Dine on the gorgeous patio during warmer months, when heirloom tomatoes appear on most tables, usually alongside Swifts legendary Three Little Piggies, a plate full of pork done three ways. Inside or out, you can devise your meal from the Market Menu, which changes nightly, or opt for the five-course tasting menu. Whatever you do, finish with the sticky toffee pudding. And dont forget about Sunday brunchSwifts house-made pork schnitzel and brisket hash put tired scrambled eggs to shame.

(SERVES 68)

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

10 ears sweet yellow corn, kernels and juice removed, cob discarded

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1 quart vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 ounce steamed lump or jumbo blue-crab meat

2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

cup crme frache

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

Bring a large saucepan to medium-low heat and add oil. Add the corn and onion, sauting for 4 minutes. Add half the stock and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool.

Transfer most of the corn mixture to a blender, filling it about halfway. Add the heavy cream and carefully pulse on low speed to get started safely, then puree at high speed until velvety smooth. (Note: Add more stock if the mixture is too thick.) Strain mixture and return to saucepan.

Bring the soup to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with crabmeat, chives, crme frache, and a sprinkle of Old Bay.