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March 2007
In early spring as winter produce dwindles out there's a
strange ingredient gap in most kitchens. This time of the
year chefs experience the lull in their purveyors' product
lists and are challenged to be creative with what's available.
Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta
builds his eclectic, well-grounded menus around inspiring
local ingredients and defines seasonality as inextricably
intertwined with locality. His refined dishes work especially
well for the Easter holiday: celebratory and hearty. »
more
Recipes
from Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta,
GA
» Kumomoto
Oyster with Vodka-Pickled Ginger Granita
» Gratin
of Nantucket Bay Scallops with Jerusalem Artichoke Purée,
Parmigiano Reggiano, and Alba White Truffles
» Joyce
Farms Baby Hen, Pan Roasted Breast, Leg Sous Vide, Heirloom
Fingerling Sweet Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, Chestnut Game
Jus
» Metzger
Farms Berkshire Black Pork Belly with English Pea and Corn
Succotash
continued.
Fifth-generation Atlanta chef Linton Hopkins
was a pre-med student at Atlanta’s Emory University
and working at a local bookstore when he came across a guide
to cooking schools and decided, spontaneously, to make a career
out of it. He applied to the Culinary Institute of America
and worked in New Orleans at Mr. B’s and The
Grill Room at Windsor Court before opening Restaurant
Eugene back in Atlanta. The restaurant suffered
a catastrophic flood in its early days but Linton, along with
wife and sommelier Gina Hopkins, fought to survive, and the
restaurant has ended up a shining jewel in Atlanta’s
culinary scene. Nowadays Hopkins is best known for his refined,
elegant sensibilities which he showcases through a decadent
reworking of comfort food - Southern food at its best that’s
all at once comforting and sophisticated. Using local, often
underappreciated ingredients like Jerusalem artichokes, Hopkins
lends subtle notes of flavor and texture to his exquisite
dishes and in doing so tells a compelling story about family,
flavor, tradition and the struggles and joys of being a working
chef/owner. |
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