THE SPICE OF LIFE | CHEF MANEET CHAUHAN

When it comes to seeing our favorite chefs in an array of culinary shows, we always enjoy seeing Chef Maneet Chauhan as she is passionate about her food, always dresses the part, and has an array of restaurants on our list when we head to Nashville!

We took the time to sit down with Chef Maneet to find out about her culinary background, the first dish she created, her Morph Hospitality Group, how she approaches adding more restaurants to her portfolio, being a TV personality, her work on Food Network and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the dish that made you realize that you loved food?

CHEF MANEET CHAUHAN: It’s called aloo paratha. It is a potato-stuffed flat bread, cooked in ghee until it's crispy and served with homemade butter. My mom made it for me when I was young, and it was love at first bite.

AM: What was the first dish that you remember cooking?

CHEF MC: Matar paneer. It's Indian cottage cheese cubes in a spiced curry with green peas. I was in 7th grade and cooked dinner for my parents.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF MC: I was in 9th grade and my older sister was completing her undergrad. I used to meet her on campus and bring food with me. I then figured out I was the most popular kid on campus. That's when I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

AM: Tell us about your culinary journey in terms of where you trained and kitchens you worked in prior to opening your Nashville restaurant.

CHEF MC: I did my undergrad in India at Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) and then came to America to study at The Culinary Institute of America. I worked at restaurants in Philadelphia, Cherry Hill, Chicago and New York before opening my own business.

AM: How would you define your style of cooking?

CHEF MC: I consider my style of cooking to be global with a foundation of Indian flavors and techniques.

AM: What led to you opening Chauhan Ale and Masala House and why did you want to open this in Nashville?

CHEF MC: Nashville has such an incredible audience and such a diverse flavor palette that I really wanted to do something that had not been done before here. Chauhan Ale and Masala House is my love letter to Indian cuisine and Nashville - it's Indian food served with a southern flair.

AM: Tell us about what we can expect from this restaurant in terms of the cuisine and ambiance?

CHEF MC: It's a really fun restaurant and encompasses both traditional and modern India, with a very healthy dose of the South. That's in terms of both the decor and the food. There is a lot of fun and whimsy in the menu and in the space.

AM: Since opening Chauhan Ale you have the Morph Hospitality Group- can you tell us about each of the eateries?

CHEF MC: There is Chauhan Ale and Masala House, which is modern Indian mixed with a southern flair, The Mockingbird which is Americano with a retro vibe to it and then eet is fast casual in Disney Springs.

AM: Tell us more about eet by Maneet Chauhan is at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida.

CHEF MC: eet shows the best flavors of Indian in a very approachable manner, so think chicken tikka masala pizza.

AM: How do you go about deciding what restaurant to open where?

CHEF MC: I think it’s a combination. First is learning what we'll need for a space, second is figuring out if we have the right talent and third is determining what we are passionate about. If we are passionate about a particular concept or a particular idea, then that’s what we stick to.

AM: In addition to being a restaurateur, you are a best selling cookbook author with your first book Flavors of My World: A Culinary Tour Through 25 Countries, followed by The Journey, and more recently in 2020 Chaat - why has it been important for you to share your culinary point of view in this medium?

CHEF MC: I think being a chef is a lot like storytelling. You tell a story on a plate of food, and it’s the same story that I want to tell people through words and written medium. It's just a visual treat, for example the photos for Chaat we took in India. I like creating that excitement for people.

AM: What is the creation process for you with your cookbooks and are there plans for releasing another?

CHEF MC: There’s always plans for more! With cookbooks it truly is a group effort. I work with an editor and a co-author and they help give the book direction, because I have a lot of ideas!

AM: For years, we have enjoyed seeing you on Food Network whether you are a guest judge, competing, or hosting your shows! What led to you adding TV Judge/Host to your portfolio?

CHEF MC: It wasn’t something that I set out to do, but I got the opportunity then realized how much I enjoyed it. That's why I do it. I love to connect with people through the medium of television.

AM: When you're judging, what's your approach or formula when you are considering a dish or is there a competitor that sticks out to you?

CHEF MC: I think for me it has to be a combination of everything – the competitor has to show the right technique, develop flavor and show who they are and their culinary point of view on the plate. Those are the things I look for when I’m judging.

AM: You're the only 2X winner of Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions, what does that mean to you?

CHEF MC: It means that lightning can strike the same place twice! I’m very proud of it. It seems like a validation for my entire life of working hard and putting my heart and soul into what I do. It was a very surreal moment and I’m very grateful that it's proven I've chosen the right career!

AM: When you were competing in this show, was there a chef that you looked forward to going up against?

CHEF MC: I have realized the toughest person I can go up against is me myself.

AM: Everytime that we see you on air, we always enjoy seeing your accessories as well as your ensemble as a whole, clearly you have an interest in fashion - will we ever see you create a line or collaborate with someone?

CHEF MC: If I get the opportunity, why not!

AM: You have had a number of accolades from being a James Beard Award winner, breaking glass ceilings throughout your career, and being about presenting your point of view through cooking, what does it mean to you?

CHEF MC: Each and every time that I get an accolade it builds my confidence in who I am as a person, and it also pushes me to do much better. It's validation I was meant to do this.

AM: How do you balance having a successful career while also having a family and being a mother?

CHEF MC: Balance is a myth. You just make the best of whatever you are doing.

AM: Are there any projects that we should keep an eye out for that you would like to share?

CHEF MC: Just keep an eye out!

AM: We like asking our favorite chefs about their 9CH3FS ROUTIN3S that highlights 3 key things that you must have, do, and enjoy for your Mornings, Afternoons, and Night as a chef.

CHEF MC: That’s a tough question because every day is a very different day for me. My morning ritual after I get up is I have my chai, and then I take a few minutes just to figure out what my day will be like and how I want to conquer it. What I love about my life is no two days are the same. If I’m filming it’s a different day than if I'm home.

IG @maneetchauhan

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 80 Jessica Sloane | PG 82 + 85 Amelia J Moore Photography | PG 86 Maneet Chauhan |

Read the MAR ISSUE #112 of Athleisure Mag and see THE SPICE OF LIFE | Chef Maneet Chauhan in mag.

NEW YORK CITY WINE FOOD FESTIVAL 2024

We had a great time last year covering the Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival presented by Capitol One. So of course we were looking forward to attending again this year for the NYCWFF presented by Invesco QQQ which had a wide array of events taking place in Manhattan as well as Brooklyn for the first time! Over the 4 days from Oct 17th - 20th, we enjoyed a number of events along with attendees that had access to Grand Tastings, culinary demos, pier parties, dining experiences, walk-around tastings, cocktail parties, live entertainment, lunches, brunches, and master classes.

All of these festivities and good vibes supports God's Love We Deliver which cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves. To support the health of their clients, they provide ongoing nutrition assessment, education, and counseling. They serve people in need and their children and caregivers. To date, NYCWFF has raised $14.8 million to this essential cause!

There's nothing like interacting with your favorite Food Network stars, chefs at restaurants that have been your faves or new to be faves, culinary personalities, wine and spirit brands, restaurant groups, purveyors and culinary enthusiasts! There were laughs, surprises, discoveries and so much more!

SOUTHERN GLAZER'S WINE & SPIRITS TRADE DAY Hosted by Wine Spectator at Grand Tasting - Trade Day

We started our coverage with one of our favorite events that we attended last year, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits Trade Day Hosted by Wine Spectator at Grand Tasting - Trade Day which was held at Invesco QQQ Campus located at Brooklyn Army Terminal.

Heading into this event, we knew that we were looking forward to vendors that we had enjoyed last year including Bareburger, Johnnie Walker, and Hampton Water which is owned by Jon Bon Jovi and his son, Jesse Bongiovi to name a few!

One of our favorite bites of the day took place in the center of the action at Modelo's tent, who paired their Spiked Agua Frescas with tacos by Taqueria Ramírez who is based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

We also enjoyed swinging by Rosa Mexicano's booth as they had a fantastic pairing of Elote as well as a savory taco. We've had the pleasure of enjoying Happy Hour, lunch and dinner at this restaurant and it was great to see them getting in on the culinary fun!

We even swung by Food Network's large booth that served up a number of cocktals which was the perfect way to enjoy our dishes from Rosa Mexicano.

Last year, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chef Philippe Chow of Philippe Chow and as he participated again this year, we wanted to see what he was up to, why he was there this year, and to hear about his upcoming restaurant openings in Nashville as well as in Miami!

ATHLEISURE MAG: It was such a pleasure to interview you last year at this show. So I'm glad to see you again. Why did you want to come back to be at this festival today?

CHEF PHILIPPE CHOW: Last year was a success and I want more people to know who we are!

AM: Oh, amazing and what are you serving this year that everyone's getting to enjoy?

CHEF PC: Chicken Satay is my favorite!

AM: That’s great, I enjoyed it last year and am so glad that it is here as well!

When you're creating the menu for your restaurant what are the processes you go through to decide what will be on the menu?

CHEF PC: Every time I work on making new dishes, if I like it, it’s going to be something that will be on the menu!

AM: We know that Chicken Satay is your favorite dish! Are there two other dishes that you love having at the restaurant as well?

CHEF PC: Oh well, Peking Duck and another one is the Wagyu Beef Dumplings. That’s a new dish and it’s really good!

AM: Well obviously, we know the two restaurants that you have here in New York and the one that's in DC, but you're opening up one in Nashville as well as Miami! Are you excited about that? Why did you want to go to those two cities?

CHEF PC: I’m so happy! Those are 2 of my favorite cities!

AM: Oh wow! Well it’s always fun to catch up with you and we can’t wait until we dine again at your restaurant in the city and we’ll have to check out your new ones as well!

CHEF PC: Of course, we’re happy to have you!

IG @philippechow

THE BETTY BOOZE HARVEST HAPPY HOUR Hosted by Blake Lively

At the Betty Booze Harvest Happy Hour by Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Age of Adeline, It Ends With Us) attendees made their way to The Seaport at the Lawn Club to enjoy sparkling cocktails and of course to have great bites by a curated group of chefs. One of the restaurants that participated was Restaurant Yuu which is located in Brooklyn. Chef/Owner, Yuu Shimano talked with us about being at the event and what we can expect when we head to his restaurant this Fall.

AM: Why did you want to participate in this year's Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival?

CHEF YUU SHIMANO: The New York Food and Wine Festival is an important event for our industry. I also wanted to participate because it was for a good cause - God’s Love We Deliver, which cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves.

AM: Tell us about the event that you were part of!

CHEF YS: Blake Lively and surprise guest Michael Kors hosted the Happy Hour event. It showcased the launch of Blake Lively’s Betty Booze’s gourmet cocktails, handcrafted by Lively herself.

It took place at the Lawn Club where guests could play lawn games and socialize and try Blake’s new product.

AM: What did you serve guests?

CHEF YS: I prepared a very French dish, which was a Corn Consommé with Duck Confit.

AM: What can guests expect when they come to Restaurant Yuu?

CHEF YS: Upon arrival, Guests are seated at a beautiful L-shaped 19-seat tasting counter; a carefully curated collection of classical and jazz music plays as the curtain opens, the lights go up, and a row of chefs inside a kitchen is revealed. I personally greet each guest then with the clap of my hands, my team members scramble to their positions for the show to begin. This is our way of welcoming guests and making them feel special. It is high-level while having fun with fine dining.

AM: As we're in the fall and looking forward to the holiday season, are there any events that are going on that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF YS: We have an exciting event coming up on November 27th. We’re thrilled to welcome renowned Japanese bartender, Shingo Gokan for a special collaboration. Guests can look forward to a unique dining experience featuring a curated menu with exquisite cocktail pairings designed by Shingo for each course.

IG @restaurant_yuunyc

MEET CUTES NYC PRESENTS TACOS & TEQUILA HOSTED BY MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO PART OF THE PERDUE EVENT SERIES

We continued from the events earlier in the day to Wall Street at night for Meet Cutes NYC presents Tacos & Tequila Hosted by Chef Michael Voltaggio part of the PERDUE Event Series at Hall des Lumières. This is one of the later events on the schedule and perfect to enjoy on a Friday night! Knowing that we would be able to enjoy some of the best tacos in Manhattan and Brooklyn as well as an array of tequila and mezcal brands as well!

Chef Michael Voltaggio was the host for the night and he also launched his brand new tequila at the event, Marcado 28. Last year we had the pleasure of having him for our JUL ISSUE #91 cover, so it was great to catch up with him to find out about his participation in this year's festival, this tequila, and upcoming projects!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed having you as our cover last year and it's great to see you at Tacos & Tequila! Before we delve into why you're at this event, we enjoyed the latest season of Bobby's Triple Threat. What do you love about this show and do you have a favorite episode from this season?

CHEF MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO: Bobby has created something very special with triple threat. We function as a team and he’s the best coach we could ask for. My favorite thing is the individual cooking POV’s that each chef challenger brings to the competition. Win or lose, we learn from every chef that walks into the club.

AM: You're hosting Tacos and Tequila! Why do you enjoy participating at Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival?

CHEF MV: Lee Schrager has been putting on both South Beach Food and Wine and New York Food and Wine for many years. As our industry continues to evolve, so does the festival year after year. I get excited every year to see what events we get to host and or be a part of. It’s always fun to reconnect with my peers twice a year as well as have the opportunity to eat, drink and party with all the fans.

AM: You just launched and debuted Marcado 28 today at Tacos & Tequila! Why did you want to partner in this tequila and how did this come about?

CHEF MV: I look at every project as an opportunity to learn something new. My goal is always to absorb as much information as I can, and the reward is getting to share this information and these experiences with as many people as possible. With Marcado 28, I was given an opportunity to learn everything from building a unique brand, to the history and production of tequila with a family that’s been doing it for generations. This is bigger than just a new spirit, it’s the spirit behind the spirit that I’m excited about. It’s the authenticity and commitment to creating something special that attracted me to this project and every partner involved has contributed their passion and expertise to create a tequila for everyone.

AM: You also worked with 2 tattoo artists to create the art for the labels. Why is this tequila also a love letter to tattoo culture and why is someone's tattoo story so important?

CHEF MV: More about the love letter of defiance. We all have something defiant about our personal stories and this is not to be dismissive of those stories, but rather embrace and share them in a communal and positive light, while having some fun.

AM: It's always fun to see what you're up to with your restaurants Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse and Vulcania! Is there anything that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF MV: My brother, Bryan and I are currently working on a new project in our hometown of Frederick, MD.

IG @mvoltaggio

@marcado28tequila

After chatting with Michael, we navigated a number of the restaurants participating, we also took in the immersive space that continued to change with digital art throughout the night which made you feel like you were in an art gallery.

We took some time to talk with Tiny's Cantina with a fun conversation with Chef Cenobio Canalizo and Mathew Glazier, President of the GlazierWorks which is a restaurant group that includes this property as well as iconic eateries including Michael Jordan's The Steak House in Grand Central Terminal, Strip House, and Monkey Bar to name a few.

We talk about Chef Cenobio's culinary journey, Tiny's Cantina, the flavors of Mexico, and why they wanted to participate this year at the NYCWFF.

AM: Chef Cenobio, what was the first dish that made you fall in love with food?

CHEF CENOBIO CANALIZO: Ooo that’s a question!

MATHEW GLAZIER: I want to hear this because I'm learning about you!

CHEF CC: No, no.

MG: We've worked together for 28 years.

AM: Ok, that’s a long time!

MG: That’s a question that I don't even know the answer to!

CHEF CC: Well, the first time, which I think I did was make homemade tortillas.

AM: Ooo

CHEF CC: Yes. In Mexico when I was eight years old.

That's the first that I learned. It was making tortillas and that's when I started cooking.

AM: Wow. And what was yours?

MG: It was probably pizza! I’m from NY so it probably has to be pizza! I remember when pizza was a lot less expensive then it is now.

CHEF CC: You know what’s crazy? So my partners, we come from Mexico and they used to go like out of state selling flowers, right? So one day I stayed with all my brothers and they said that I had to make the tortillas and I was like really? So I did it.

MG: They were much more authentic.

CHEF CC: The funny part is I got some avocados and there were 3 of them and that’s not enough for my older brothers. So what I did was chop the avocados and I made some guacamole and I added some water and I made some soup avocado! It was so good and you’re dipping the tortilla it was so good!

MG: He’s so creative!

AM: Tell us about your culinary background and how did you come to Tiny’s Cantina?

CHEF CC: Everybody asks me like, what school and where I came from and my answer is I learned in the kitchen. So, every restaurant I worked in, I learned from there! When I started working, I was a dishwasher in 1994.

AM: Wow!

CHEF CC: In 1995, like, I moved to the kitchen and I started learning like everything, like from scratch. Desserts, pantry, grill and all the way to chef!

MG: We actually do kind of the same thing now with the guys we have and it’s actually interesting to watch. It's not lost on him, you know his path and a lot of guys or women, you know, you start in the kitchen and you start from the beginning and, you know, it's a craft. You gotta learn like the right way. And it's very interesting for me to watch. I think if somebody, we just gave a raise to last week, he started as a porter and then he went to the line and now, he earned that position and, you know, hopefully God bless, you know, he becomes whatever he wants to be.

AM: That’s amazing!

MG: I don't think it's a unique story to us. It’s kind of still what's special about kitchens. But he kind of skipped over the fact that he had 2 Stars from the New York Times for the steakhouse.

AM: Which is amazing!

MG: We had a restaurant called Strip House and you're not old enough to remember working at a restaurant, called, Arizona 206, which was before that. I'm speaking for you so that I can give the concise version.

But then you also had, you know, Mike, who's the Head Chef of Michael Jordan Steakhouse Grand Central and then we, we actually sold a bunch of our restaurants to Tilman Fertitta CEO/Owner of Landry's.

And then we ended up doing a barbecue restaurant in Brooklyn. So that wasn't his craft, and then he turned it into his craft. He's the guy who smokes the meat. It's a labor of love because there's no shortcuts and then in 2021 right next to Morgan's there was a small restaurant which is literally why it's called Tiny’s. Some people insult me and say those are Tiny’s because I'm a big guy. No, it's Tiny's because the restaurant's small and I was speaking for him but you know we've known each other for a very long time. This is the opportunity for him to do like you make the ham tortillas and to make the things he's talking about, make his stuff that, you know, that he learned when he was younger, which is kind of kind of cool!

AM: Wow!

MG: He does the hard work. I'm the pretty face. But next year I do the hard work and he's the pretty face.

AM: Plot twist!

MG: We do odd and even years.

AM: Well, why did you guys want to be at this event? I mean, I love tacos, love tequila and mezcal. So why did you guys want to do it?

CHEF CC: I mean, I think this event is great. It's a great opportunity for the restaurant and for my company. To bring it in this event, it’s not just 100 people, it’s a lot of people! They’re going to be able to know about the restaurant a little bit more. Tiny’s Cantina, it's a small place next to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. So we want to spread the name and for people to try our food and to know more about our authentic Mexican food.

AM: Why did you want to do it?

MG: We have a Mexican restaurant and it's a Mexican restaurant event! No seriously, we've done it for years with different restaurants, you know, we have done barbecue. There are so many events that this festival has! This one's one of the fun ones! It’s late at night and it's a different type of atmosphere. I think you can take the food seriously without being too serious about it. When I look around at those who are participating, they're fabulous, and we’re people coming together and in a way providing the festival goers who are customers to let them have a good time. Let them get exposed to some restaurants! This year, they're focusing on Brooklyn, which is great.

AM: So great.

MG: So we're two Brooklyn restaurants right here and you know it's exposure. You know we've been playing in the barbecue world for a while. We have been doing these barbecue competitions for awhile and this event is special. Tonight’s event has a little bit of a party vibe and hopefully, everybody has a good time! We have a great space up here!

AM: So what are we eating tonight? What are you guys serving?

MG: I'll give the terrible English version – Birria De Res which we debated what does Birria De Res mean. If you want to hear where that came from –

AM: I would love to.

MG: So I was like, what does Birria De Res mean and he’s like beef. So I said, what the De Res part? And he was like beef. So, you gotta take it out of context. So how long do you roast the beef on the bone for?

CHEF CC: Ok so let me just explain a little about how we do it in the restaurant. So at the restaurant, basically we serve it with some consume and some marrow bones. Here, we serve it with some onions and cilantro. I braise the beef for 4-5 hours, I cover it and do not open it and you leave the whole piece of meat inside and that's the way how we cook it.

MG: I’m still trying to understand.

CHEF CC: Well basically Birria, you can do it with different meats. You can do it with lamb, or any kind. So the Res is the type of meat and that’s what we say in Spanish. So Birria is the Res and the Res is beef. That's what we're serving tonight with the 3 different sauces.

AM: Yum!

CHEF CC: We have avocado, which this one is mild. Medium is pumpkin and Chile de Arlo which is smooth and spicy!

MG: We did this event last year and throughout the whole event I was going, Pumpkin, but it's not seasonal. So we actually do it all year round.

AM: When we come to the restaurant, what are 3 dishes that we should eat and both of you need to share your picks!

MG: You give two and I'll give one.

AM: Okay!

MG: Because you're the chef and as I said, I’m the pretty face!

CHEF CC: Number one.

AM: Okay.

CHEF CC: Number one, do you want to start with an appetizers? If you want to start with an appetizer, we have a great Guacamole Tropicale. Why is it Guacamole Tropical? It’s because we we garnish with some mango, grilled pineapple, and pumpkin seeds.

For an entrée, I have a bunch of dishes but try the Birria Tacos it’s just special. It has that flavor with that Romero and the tacos that way that we do it with the tortillas, you need to try that. That's number two. My other entree try the Fajita! The Fajita has that smell and that flavor. When you bring it to the dining room with that smell and you have the aroma with the herbs.

MG: It's great. Our restaurant is so small when you sell one, people just keep purchasing it!

CHEF CC: We do shrimp, steak, and chicken.

Now the new one we have is a fajita and is a surf and turf we do it with lobster and steak for 2.

MG: My favorite is actually the least expensive Taco on the menu which is a popular thing to say. Well you know what it is?

CHEF CC: Yes, the Chicken Tinga!

MG: No!

CHEF CC: Which one?

MG: Taco al Pastor!

AM: Yes! I love Taco al Pastor!

MG: You know why? Because what he does to make these tacos, you should explain the culinary side of it.

CHEF CC: So the Tacos al Pastor, I started doing a little bit and you know, my daughter, she really knows, she's 16 years old. She really knows about these tacos because she travels to Mexico a lot and she really knows about good Taco al Pastor. Every restaurant we go to - she only smells it and says, “I don't like the stock, this is not the original,” but somehow I did it with my tacos at Tiny’s.

You know the way that we have the color, how we cook the meat! It's a killer and she loves it!

MG: It's fun. Actually you know so we've been doing this a while and, you know, this restaurant compared to most - the food's just good and there's no pomp and circumstance to it. We've all done fine dining. This is all about the food and it's, you know, like for me it's just very refreshing.

We had Strip House and I remember when I was doing side carving chickens table. Like, enough of that! This is coming into eat and to enjoy yourself. Hopefully you have 5 drinks and you're not driving and you go home. That's the nice thing about being a New Yorker and being by the Barclay Center.

Just enjoy yourself and it's not expensive. Mexican food is very competitive in New York. It just is and the market won't take very expensive. It's all very reasonably priced and it's just good food, enjoy it and get a little on your shirt and then go home. It’s very different than what we did before and I think that it’s very good to have fine dining. In that world, you care how many inches the fork or the knife is from the table. Like we're not driving ourselves crazy, right?

CHEF CC: Yeah!

MG: I really like that he puts in the work in the kitchen and I think that we have the easy job in the front of the house because we just have to serve it. It takes four minutes to serve and it takes five hours to make it.

It's fun. Actually, you know so we've been doing this a while and, you know, this restaurant compared to most - the food's just good and there's no pomp and circumstance to it. We've all done fine dining. This is all about the food and it's, you know, like for me it's just very refreshing.

We had Strip House and I remember when I was doing side carving chickens table. Like, enough of that! This is coming into eat and to enjoy yourself. Hopefully you have 5 drinks and you're not driving and you go home. That's the nice thing about being a New Yorker and being by the Barclays Center.

Just enjoy yourself and it's not expensive. Mexican food is very competitive in New York. It just is and the market won't take very expensive. It's all very reasonably priced and it's just good food, enjoy it and get a little on your shirt and then go home. It’s very different than what we did before and I think that it’s very good to have fine dining. In that world, you care how many inches the fork or the knife is from the table. Like we're not driving ourselves crazy, right?

CHEF CC: Yeah!

MG: I really like that he puts in the work in the kitchen and I think that we have the easy job in the front of the house because we just have to serve it. It takes four minutes to serve and it takes five hours to make it.

Look, t's fun. I don't think anybody really loves the way that I think of Tiny’s in my mind, but I think it's like a bar and everybody should walk and be like, oh my God, the food's good. It’s kind of under the radar. People are coming in for the games and we're packed for every event.

AM: Yeah, being by Barclays is such a great location.

MG: We only have like 10 tables.

AM: Wow.

MG: 18 bar stools and they're coming in. It just kind of blows you away. This is a very understated route, you know. It’s about the food. We're not all dressed up. We're doing what we like to do.

Being at the Barclays Center, and I’m sure a lot of places have this, but if Justin Timberlake is performing, we have that crowd, when the Liberty is playing we get that crowd and we have such a diversity of people that come to our restaurant and of course being on Flatbush Avenue is diverse by its nature!

You know, price - not everybody can afford to go out and spend on the million dollars. We've been in those restaurants where you're our average check, you know, is $125 per person. That's not everywhere and not everybody can afford to do that.

For some people and it's in New York, money is no object. That's not my customer on Flatbush Avenue. My customer may be going to the Nets. So I gotta make sure that we're providing a value, you know, you got to go in there and say that was worth it or else.

PF: How much is the surf and turf?

MG: That’s the most expensive item on the menu and it’s like $42,

CHEF CC: It’s for 2 people!

AM: Oh okay!

MG: We give you half a two pounds lobster. I know because I just bought them. A 2-lb lobster is $26 so that’s $13, a pound.

How big is the steak that is on there?

CHEF CC: 8oz. We serve it with a side of rice and tortillas.

MG: So that's probably one of our higher food cost items. So the tacos, I like the pork – the Tacos al Pastor is $13 on the menu!

IG @tinyscantina

@cenobiocanalizo

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Paul Farkas

Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see New York City Wine Food Festival 2024 in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | CITY WINE TOURS

Wine is definitely one of those beverages that we enjoy drinking with our meals, sharing with friends and knowing more about it. We took a moment during NYFW to checkout City Wine Tours which allows you to choose a neighborhood where you will visit 2 eateries to know more about 3 wines that you will sample at each place as well as appetizers at the culinary destinations. You walk away knowing more about the varietals, taking notes about the wines you enjoy during the tour and being able to flex your wine muscles.

Back in 2011, 3 wine-drinking friends; Dan Andrew, Rick Goldberg, and Christian Iannucci began this company in Boston in 2011. Wes Narron joined as Chief Wine Ambassador soon after. Wes believes that learning about wine should be as much fun as drinking it.

For those in Boston, you can select tours in North End, South End, Back Bay and Harvard Square. In NYC, these tours are available in Soho, West Village and Upper West Side. Those in Philadelphia can go to Old City, Center City and Fishtown.

When it comes to pairing restaurants within the tours to the wines, City Wine Tours tries to find restaurants that have a wine list pricing based on value, rather than obscurity or exclusivity. Then they set up the 6 wines like you would see at any official wine tasting. They include a sparkling wine, dry white, sweeter right or rose, light bodied red, medium to full bodied red and something interesting.

In addition to signing up for a tour that has various people within it, there are options available when it comes to private ones as well. City Wine Tours wants their guests to have a great experience. They have put together corporate dinners, in-house or in-office tastings, Match.com dating events, wine blending competitions, birthday tours, bachelorette tours and intimate 2-person tours (where the dessert was a marriage proposal).

PHOTO COURTESY | Galli

In terms of adding a twist to offerings that are available and providing options to stimulate their guests, they have tried various approaches such as Sparkling Wines only, Big Red Wines only, Mommy's Night Out as well as Wine and Chocolate.

City Wine Tours' focus is to continue to add more options in the East Coast and then to spread through the rest of the US. For those in Washington, D.C., Nashville and Providence, keep your eye out for this experience to roll into these areas.

CITY WINE TOURS

Visit the website to check your city!

www.citywinetours.com

IG @CityWineTours

Read the Sept Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | City Wine Tours in mag.

THE DENIM FACTOR

The global denim business is a $100 billion dollar industry and is a staple in our wardrobe. We had the chance to talk with Andrew Olah and his daughter Emily Olah, who are luminaries in their industry. Together with their team, they run a series of businesses that further the denim industy from Olah, Kingpins (which we attended earlier this summer) and Denim Days. We sat down to find out about the upcoming Denim Days taking place this fall.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed checking out Kingpins and are looking forward to Denim Days in NYC this fall. We look forward to being media partners this year. Tell us about your backgrounds and how it led to where you are now.

ANDREW OLAH: Well we’re really excited to talk with you about Denim Days! Let me share a little about me first. I’m second generation in the textile sales business so early on I kind of changed it and switched to denim. We’re from Canada and we used to do every kind of fabric.

I grew up in jeans and in the 60’s, jeans weren’t so accessible and they didn’t have any connotation of any kind of social position. In my culture they did, but not in the rest of the world. I couldn’t wear my jeans - some schools wouldn’t allow you to wear them etc. So it’s all I wore and when I got to represent companies that made denim or corduroy I loved it because I knew that I could wear it – how could you not wear what you were selling? Even in the denim industry back in '97 when I was thinking of moving to NYC, I had to think about it because I would have had to wear a suit.

Eventually, we moved the business to fabrics in denim. I worked for the first denim mill ever outside of the United States which was a really lucky job. It was an Italian company – the Italians impacted the denim industry really really early on being the first ones to use denim in non-traditional shapes. In the American history of denim if you look at vintage pictures, it’s all workwear related and very traditional styles.

The Italians were the first ones to say, let’s make a sexy top, a sexy dress etc. I don’t know if you have ever heard of a company called Fiorucci that’s what they did – fashion tops and fashion bottoms in weird shapes. No one had ever heard of that or thought of it in America really. Obviously there were no fabrics in the United States to do that and when people were sourcing they realized it was cheaper for them to make that shirt outside of the US and to do it in Asia so this started to happen there and this started the denim industry in Asia. The Italians impacted the industry because they  enlarged what was seen as a jeans industry by the shapes and the sizes and by women's wear.

The second job that I got was to work with a Japanese company. Again, the Japanese have a huge impact on the jean industry globally – I’m talking about global business and not just American. So the Japanese recreated vintage. Their emulation of vintage was better than the original vintage. It’s like someone copying a Mustang from ’65 and making it 10 times better than the original one and yet looking the same – that’s kind of what they did. They’re obsessed with the components and application so their obsessions make them uncompetitive. They have their own cache. So the company moved to NY in ’98 and we wanted to meet customers and we already had 20-30 customers but we wanted 70 so we started Kingpins as a tradeshow because we wanted to meet more customers and have them come in, hand out their business cards and say hello. When we first stated in the beginning, we used to do personal introductions to everybody because the shows were small.

Kingpins started in 2004 and we never even charged anyone for it, it was just a party and we did it for 2 or 3 years, until 2007 when the recession hit, and we switched the business model to being for profit and now Kingpins is the largest tradeshow in the industry for supply chain – not to boast and quite accidently. It was never our aspiration but it just happened. Our Amsterdam show is really really huge.

AM: And why Amsterdam?

AO: We picked Amsterdam because the community in Amsterdam loves jeans. The late mayor of Amsterdam was a believer in jeans and he felt it was the business for his city. They did a study and they found that Amsterdam had more jean brands per capita than any other city in the world. Which is easy when you have a population of 700,000 – a little more difficult if you’re a city like Tokyo, Istanbul, Sao Paulo* or LA even. That was their mantra and the fact is the fact that that is their business in Amsterdam. They have a lot of brands there and they made it their business to celebrate that to go with what was working for them and to try to get brands in this vertical to move there because they have an industry. They have the culture there and the population loves it there!

Do you ever notice that when we’re there people wear more denim there then here?

EMILY OLAH: Oh yeah 100%.

AO: It’s kind of weird because we’re jeans people and you go there and everyone is wearing jeans. Even in hotels the people working in the hotels and the restaurants - even the uniforms are jeans or denim! It's kind of weird whe you first see it. When we first went there, we stayed in this brand new boutique hotel and ever since people wore jeans and even their aprons were denim!

But anyway, we decided to do it in Amsterdam and there was also the issue of the House of Denim – have you heard of that?

AM: NO!

AO: Over the course of my career, of 40+ years I was frustrated that there wasn't a school for those in the denim trade. We all got jobs and we had to just learn o the job, but there ws no place to learn outside of that.

I have produced a class on jeans for 14 years at FIT which is known as the Capstone Course and they're preparing for their 5th year anniversary. Recently it was announced that there would be a New Jean School in Milan - so this is the start of a big difference in our industry as we grow up!

Now the House of Denim in Amsterdam started the first jeans school in 2012. They're also planning on putting a laundry in the city so that people can wash their jeans.

So in doing our supply chain tradeshow Kingpins there, they said that they wated to do a festival known as Denim Days which led us to doing it there.

What we didn't realize was how many people all over Europe and Turkey and other countries liked Amsterdam and loved shopping there. They loved going there and being their for inspiration. It was an amazing decision.

AM: So Emily, before we delve into Denim Days, how did you get into the denim industry?

EO: I went to college for biology. I was not a good student so I went and had various jobs. One day I got a phone call from my father and his friend – they were in a taxi. He said I needed to go to Portugal and learn the business with our family friend. I had to get my life together, learn Portuguese in 6 weeks if I was serious. I said yes. I packed up my life, learned Portuguese in 6 weeks (I went to language school 4-5 days a week) and moved there about 6-8 weeks after.
I worked in a garment factory and worked in our friend’s shirt factory. I worked in every department learning each component of it together through it’s complete process. I had to make a garment where the pattern was made by me, sewn by me, finished by me and it had to be approved before I could work from the office.

AO: They wouldn’t let her out of the factory until it was approved.

EO: I was failed like 20 times. I sewed my finger, it was like your sleeve is a centimeter shorter then the other sleeve, try again So I eventually passed my production sewing job and I started
working in the office.

AO: Who were your customers?

EO: My customers were Paper Denim, Burton Snowboards, AG and Marc Jacobs. So I had the American market and the factory that I worked for was a boutique factory so we did small runs. We did all kinds of products and not just shirts – it was shoes, bags, sweaters etc. In Portugal, all of the factories around us did small run production so I would just have to drive in a 50km radius to go to factories that did any kind of production. And then when I was ready to leave from Portugal I had been working with Rogan for awhile and got an internship with them here in NY.

AO: At that time, he was one of the most renowned designers in the industry.

EO: He was growing his business really quickly and there was this small staff of like 6 people when I went there as an intern. They had me running to midtown to check on their garment factory and whether their production was going ok and in 2 weeks they were like, “we have this new brand and we want you to run it.” I was like, “really ok”. They said, “it’s a really big opportunity, we’re going to do jeans and t-shirts. Production is already set you just have to deliver the goods.”

AO: And that was Loomstate.

AM: Oooo we love Loomstate wow!

EO: I did all of the product development and the production. Jared who works here now, also worked there and developed the sales. That’s how I got started in the business.

AM: Wow everyone loved their jeans and the shirts were great! So how did you make your way here?

EO: So I worked for several brands in the premium area on the production side. I eventually moved to LA because a lot of them were there and I wanted to come to NY. I had an opportunity to work for the factory that I stated with and that brought me back to NY and I worked out of the Olah office. That’s sort of the beginning.

AO: A few key things happened that led to her being at the Olah umbrella. We never hired her.

EO: Yeah his business partner hired me.

AO: True, what happened was she was working with AG and Rock and Republic and then she moved back to NY to work with the Portuguese guy that she started with and we paid her salary because they weren’t going to pay her enough so we said there are things to do around the office and she had her own world and it had nothing to do with me so I thought that that was cool. Then he and I had some issues and the relationship got funky and one day when the relationship ended, she had no job, but was in our office. So we tried to see what she could do to justify her being her.

My partner kept telling me that she was really smart and I was glad to hear that, but I didn’t think about it.

EO: And now 11 years later, here I am haha.

AM: So what do you do here?

EO: So our business is segmented into 3 areas and I straddle all 3 in an operational way, but I spend most of my time in the events world like Kingpins and Denim Days.

AM: So how will Denim Days this year be different then Denim Days last year?

AO: One thing that we will do which is different is that we are changing the speaking. We had people speak last time. The day before we did Legends. But this year we will have something everyday on Sat and Sun all day long so the speaker element will be amazing.

EO: Right like speakers and workshops that will be engaging to the consumers that come in and it won’t be on a separate day. Quite honestly, our Legends last year were a bit more B2B. The access to the attendees will be a lot greater this year.

AO: If you come in and feel what’s going on, it will all be in one big room. It’s going to be much better this year!

EO: I think 2019 will be a big evolution because we are going to move Denim Days to be the same week as Kingpins so it allows us to have denim events for 6 days in a row as opposed to being segregated.

AO: Then it will be a proper festival because it will be 6 days in a row with B2B and B2C.

EO: It will be a lot more dynamic that way and will engage a lot more people.

AM: What made you want to introduce Nashville to Denim Days?

AO: They asked us. But they have started the Nashville Fashion Alliance* and the NFA people are nice and their arguments for the fashion industry to move there to me is compelling. They remind me a lot of Amsterdam.

EO: Yeah their local government is very similar to Amsterdam.

AO: Yes you have access to the mayor, the Senate, Senators, the governor – there is a whole level of community. When you have academia, politics and commerce mix, it’s like the perfect moment. It’s like nirvana – it doesn’t happen here, but when it happens, everyone is on the same page. All the people are not competitors you’re doing the same thing and it becomes a community. Amsterdam has nailed it – accidently – but they are in this status and if they don’t screw it up, it’s brilliant. Nashville sees it and is trying to create it and I believe that they will. Then they have the music industry and so when they came to us, we said yes. They said they would help us with the media. Little cities in many ways are the future. So it’s interesting for us.

AM: So what trends are you seeing in denim that we should keep an eye out for fall of this year and more specifically for Spring 19?

EO: It’s about fiber and performance.

AO: The biggest thing – everyone wants something special. In the old days, if you wanted something special it was about having the Jordache name on it and that was something special.

EO: And that was enough.

AO: I remember I had a friend telling one of the Hilfigers at the time that they should just sell their label at the checkout counter because you have all the same jeans. So Polo could be $5 for the label and Tommy could be $6 and this one is $10 and Levi’s could be $3 and you just stick it on because it’s all the same stuff. That’s the history of the jeans business.

Exceptional jeans products right now – I think that everyone makes exceptional jeans products so then the issue is what is the company like. Everlane has done really really well with jeans and they’re not a jeans brand – but they have done well. It’s about the company and what’s
inside it and most of all how it fits and performance. Performance is everything and that means that you have to step out and find new ways of doing things.

EO: I completely agree. People know more about the product and want to know more about it. They have to have a reason for its existence and it just can’t be another piece that’s lined up
on the shelf. Something in it that’s different than something else and that’s outstanding.

AO: Like, when you go to Selfridge’s. The jeans shop is huge and there isn’t one sign but the brand name – what is that? That is like having this table with bananas and then saying, which one do you want? This one is $105, this one is $98, this one is made in LA – I mean really? They’re bananas!

AM: Just so our readers are clear, in addition to having your tradeshow within the supply chain - Kingpins as well as a festival denim show - Denim Days; you also work with brands that want to become denim brands?

AO: Yes, we have 3 actual business models. In addition to the shows, we develop fabric and then we sell the fabric. That division would help small brands that we believe in. Scott Morrison he was doing Paper Denim – we helped him with that. We’re happy to help those that are looking to get into the business - to a point. You can give someone food, but you can’t help them chew it!

PHOTOS COURTESY | Olah Inc.

Read more from the July Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Denim Factor in mag.

WHAT CAN I BRING?

Our Style Director grew up in a suburb in the Midwest at a time where everyone knew their neighbors in their subdivision and events were celebrated together. When her father mowed the lawn, it was a time to gossip with other fathers in the neighbhorhood and their wives planned ways to come together. The highs and lows were celebrated through food. Now more than ever, the need to bring warmth to the everyday through food is an essential. We had the opportunity to sit down with Elizabeth Heiskell, who just released her lifestyle cookbook, What Can I Bring, to talk about how she got into the culinary industry, a Today Show Contributor, a caterer and how we can approach incorporating food into lifestyle situations. We laughed more than any interview we can think of and the food and the presentation of it from this book is from a place of love.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us how you came to this journey as a cook, TODAY SHOW contributor and writer.

ELIZABETH HEISKELL: I started in highschool with a catering company and my mom was really good friends with the owner of the company and so I would go and cater on the weekends. I would work during holidays and when I came home from college and I would work for her. So when I finished school, I was looking for a job and ended up finding a husband instead of a job and then very quickly had a baby right after we got married. I hadn’t planned on working as I was just going to raise children and my family and that was just what I was going to do. Then I had this friend that I just adored and she had just moved back to town. She didn’t have a job and she would just come over to my house and literally every morning, we’d visit and have so much fun!

Her husband was making her get a job. So it was so bad that I would load up the baby and then sit in the car while she would go off to do interviews and then we would go eat lunch – it was awful! Finally, I said, “this is ridiculous, we just need to start our own company and then you don’t have to get a job and we can still hang out!” I told her that I had this idea call Instead of Flowers. So basically instead of getting flowers, you called us and we would bring you food. If you had a friend that died or someone who had a baby or sick – we would take food. So we did that and of course our husbands called it, “Instead of a Job”, but it was really successful and it moved into catering almost immediately. 

Then we moved from Memphis back to the Delta in Mississippi where I’m from originally and I slowly started catering again and then I became the head chef at Viking Corporation – which of course is the stove company. I was there for 8 years while still catering and then we were approached by this couple that owned a farm in Oxford. They had just bought it and were going to develop it with house, but then the market turned and they thought they were just going to hang on to it. In the meantime, they had started a farm down in Louisiana and they were servicing New Orleans with some of the most beautiful vegetables that you have ever seen. So they decided to shift plans with the property that they were holding onto and to work with someone to do the same things that they were doing there. 

So my husband came home from work (he was a builder at the time but had grown up as a farmer) and started talking to me about all of this. We had just built my first house as we had lived in rental after rental after rental – it was my first house. We were going to live in that house, we were going to die in that house – I wasn’t going to go anywhere – they were going to have to lay me out on my dining room table when I was dead for people to see me - that was it! I wasn’t going to go to Oxford Mississippi! He wouldn’t shut up about it and I agreed to look at the property in Oxford. We went down to Lousiana at their other farm and they started pulling out vegetables that I had never seen before! This was 7 years ago before we even had a WholeFoods. You’d see these vegetables in magazines but the thought that you could harvest them and cook them took me to a whole other level.

So we ended up selling my beautiful house and moved to Oxford and started growing them. The plan was that Luke would grow the vegetables and that I would sell them. That’s the way it was going to be because I was a chef and knew what the restaurants wanted and what they needed and I was connected to them in Memphis and in Oxford. 

The crates were a thousand pounds because there were crates of squash and tomatoes. It wasn’t feathers that we were selling and it was the hardest 5 months of my life. I went to Memphis 3 days a week and sold these vegetables and then we had a barn on the farm that we were redoing so that I could get back to catering and of course we’d use all the vegetables in the catering company. 

It was a perfect marriage and then I had wanted to be on the Today Show for 17 years. I remembered sitting in my house back when I had Instead of Flowers seeing Martha Stewart on with Matt Lauer with a Turkey that she was making. I told my friend, “One day, I’m going to be on the Today Show and I am going to show my grandmother’s Pillowcase Turkey and it’s going to be fantastic.” My children would always ask me if I could take them to New York and I’d say, “we can go to NY as soon as I get on the Today Show.” 

So I was asked to do a dinner for Andy Lack in Oxford at Roanoke. I cooked out of William Faulkner’s kitchen and I was the first one to cook out of his kitchen since his death. It was 12 people at the dinner and he was coming back out of retirement to take over as the head of NBC and that was on a Thursday and he was taking over on Monday. I knew that this was my chance. Honey, we put the dog on!

AM: So wait – what was this dinner like?

EH: It was the most magical thing that I had ever done. We had silver on the lawn, the oak trees were uploft, beautiful bars and we served mint juleps out of sterling silver cups with sterling silver straws as that is what Willian Faulkner served. We passed ham and biscuits because he always had a ham everytime he had a party. They were seated at his table – it was a magical night and at the end of it, Andy just held my hands and said, “you need to understand that you are wildly talented.” And I said, “Oh Andy – you tell all the girls that!” 

I sent him a package reminding him of my interest to be on the Today Show and I didn’t hear anything for about 2 and a half months and my fingers were bloody from hitting the email button!

I wasn’t going to let it go and we have a Bloody Mary mix called Debutante Farmer Bloody Mary Mix that was born on the farm with Luke growing 10,000 tomato plants and me having nothing to do with them as we only had 6 restaurants. 

I knew that Andy loved Bloody Marys as I had already put some in his room at the hotel and he drinks the mix every morning – not with the vodka but he loved it. 

So I FINALLY got a call from the Senior Producer of the Today Show and I talked to her for 2 hours as I was headed to Nashville. It didn’t dawn on me how long it was as I was driving to Nashville and I know she didn't get a word in edgewise and my Suburban was filled with tomatoes. So at the end of the conversation she said, “we’re going to send a crew to you and I really want to see what you’re doing there. We’ll get one of our anchors to come down to be with you.”

She said, “I know, you want to be on the Today Show with Matt Lauer – there isn’t a person up here who doesn’t know what your dream is. We will get you on, but if you don’t mind we’d like to come and do a segment on you.”

They came down with Erica Hill and did a beautiful segment and it was nominated for a James Beard – which I didn’t know until after the awards happened. Then she called and it was about a month before Thanksgiving and she let me know that they wanted me to come up and to do the Thanksgiving Turkey. She didn’t know that that was what I wanted to do – just my friend. So I came on and did the turkey in 3.5 minutes with Matt and I thought that that was it. That was my dream – we went to Tavern on the Green, had champagne and went shopping with the girls. 

That’s how we got to all of this and because of the Today Show, Sid Evans (Editor in Chief of Southern Living Magazine) called and said he wanted me to come to Birmingham to do Facebook Live and webisodes. We then had lunch with Katherine Cobb the Editor at Time Inc and Oxmoore House had this idea of What Can I Bring which is based on a column that they already have in the magazine and with that column they wanted to do a book. I had already thought about doing a book about 3 months before this and my prayer was that I wanted to do one but it had to be simple and easy as I didn't have time to find an agent, a publicist etc. I just wanted it to be the easiest book that I could write. So Katherine told me about it and I was like "Katherine that was my first job – ‘Instead of Flowers’ that’s what I did.” I can do that with my eyes closed – lock me in the room for 2 hours and I’ll have a book for you. 

After that I agreed and I wrote a little bit and Sid said we’ll see if you can write and if not, we can get someone to help you write. I let him know that I thought I could write it and he said, “we’ll be the judge of that.” I sent him a few things so that he could pitch it to Time and they said the book went through. I asked Katherine if Sid thought that I needed someone to help me write and she said, “oh no no you’re doing this all by yourself.” It’s so funny as English was my worst subject and to see this book sitting here, I can’t believe it! It’s beyond! I just wrote what I was thinking and I figured that Katherine would fix whatever needed to be done and she never called – and now there is a book.

AM: Tell us more about the Debutante Farmer.

EH: So, we started with the Bloody Mary Mix and started canning it. So we had big stove pots we would mash the tomatoes down and cook them, strain them and then add what you do – Wooster, Garlic, Salt and Lime – that’s it – nothing else. We canned and canned. I’d take it to friends and then people started asking for it and it became this thing. So then we found this wonderful guy that makes it for us and he uses local tomatoes and does right by the product. So now it’s a really great product. The next step will be to work on the Pimento Cheese, Pickled Green Beans, Pickled Okra - all of those things will follow suit with this. Because there is nothing better to me then Cheese Straws and Bloody Marys and Pimento Cheese and a Pickled Okra. 

The Bloody Mary is the only thing that can drink at 9am and no one is going to roll their eyes at you or to put you in the Betty Ford Clinic! They just think that you’re getting in your vitamins.

AM: What foods are classic to the Mississippi Delta?

EH: Well just the ones we were talking about. We have such notoriety for our fried foods and things that aren’t healthy like Pimento Cheese and Chicken Dumplings which are fantastic. But what a lot of people don’t understand is that we have the vegetables and the produce and the ability to grow it with the land that no one else has. We have beautiful Farmer’s Markets and people are moving back to this seeing this huge resurgence. When I grew up, we had a vegetable patch and most of my friends did. We had big lunches everyday and it’s going back to that but it wasn’t very long ago. So I still remember this as it’s not 2 generations or 3 generations – like it is in a lot of other places. There was a meat and 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 including sliced tomatoes, creamed corn, wonderful black eyed peas – oh my God! So although we’re famous for the fried chicken, it’s moving to a healthier aspect and I honestly think that we will be known as almost the vegetable basket (just like the bread basket in the midwest) – because we do know how to grow the vegetables and they flourish there.

AM: What Can I Bring debuted this month, what can people expect when reading this book?

EH: Number one it’s funny. I wrote it just like I’m sitting here talking to you talking about my favorite pound cake recipe. 

Even though I am going to promote vegetables and healthiness all day long, there is sometimes a need to take a shortcut to get to the end result! The whole point of this book and why it's important is that when people are sick or hurting or celebrating – if you stop your world and take your time to care for them, by bringing them something that you made, it’s like God magnifies it and impacts them in ways that are lasting and memorable forever. I have a friend and I talk about this – my youngest daughter had an eye surgery and she was only 6 months old and we had to go to Baltimore. She was blind in one eye and it was terrifying. We came home and my neighbor saw me getting out of the car and she came over and hugged us. A few hours later, she brought back a beautiful roast chicken with lemon rice, asparagus and muffins. That was 19 years ago and I can still tell you everything that she brought. I can’t remember what I ate yesterday or where I was but I remember every single thing of what Lee Fife brought me that day. That is the reason why this is so important. Especially in our day and time today – there’s nothing more important than sharing your time with someone else. That’s what this all boils down to and that’s why the book is doing so well.

AM: So can anyone give you a lifestyle situation and you can give them a dish/dishes that can pair well with it?

EH: I can – that’s the catering background that I came up in!

AM: Oh great as we have some Athleisure situations that we’d love to know what it can be paired with! We always like asking 3 things and this seemed perfect! First up, what’s a great meal for a girls night in?

EH: Ok [laughter] Ok Girl’s Night In – now this is funny because usually with a girl’s night in or at least my friends, the wine starts flowing first. So what happens is that everyone starts talking and their mouths are moving a mile a minute. I mean, we're the loudest group in Oxford, Mississippi and you want things that are easy - easy- easy to pick up. So a gorgeous charcuterie board with beautiful cheeses and bread and honeycombs are perfect because you can just eat it. Just a little nibbles and noshes is what I call it. So a wonderful tiny BLT – things that you don’t have to fix and make a plate to stop that energy. Because the energy of those kinds of parties are so fun that you don’t want people to have to stop, go sit down, get a fork and a knife to eat – because the mood is ruined. 

AM: Second one – your friend just moved out of her home office and her business has its first space and you want to bring her her first lunch – what can we bring?

EH: Mmmm ok so if you’re traveling with anything, you want to make sure that it’s easy and portable. I love Chinese To Go containers. I think that they are the most adorable things in the entire world. So I would have the most beautiful marinated vegetables and put that in and then I love salad.

So we have the marinated veggies in the to-go containers because packaging is fun and it makes it. Do another to-go container lined with Bibb lettuce and put your chicken salad in there and tie it up with some crackers and bread and then have some finger pimento cheese sandwiches. Honey, that is the most delightful lunch ever! But then put it in a great basket and take it to her and then she has something to remember the lunch by and the food is always going to be fantastic, but then you want to take it to the next level and consider what it looks like, how portable it is and what is the impression that you’re going to make when you give it to somebody. If you threw that into an old to-go container, yes it’s going to taste great but is it going to be spectacular? You want to put an exclamation point at the end of that lunch, not a period.   

AM: And finally a tailgating - 

EH: Oh shut up – you don’t know nothin' about no tailgating! I mean …. That’s all we do down in Oxford, Mississippi and right now we’re in the throws of it with LSU being home this weekend. Our tailgating is very different than most. Because we put a lot of effort into it but there are things that you have to remember. Number 1 – it’s weather dependent, you want to make sure that if it’s boiling hot you don’t want to do a bunch of mayonnaise and shrimp – things that go bad. Because people are drinking so much and talking so much (much like the Girl’s Night In), you want to make sure that things are already assembled like the hangover slider and you can pop it in your mouth. You don’t want to have to set your drink down to fix something. You want to be able to hold onto that drink and pick it up whether it’s chicken tenders – fried chicken all day. Same thing with wonderful roast beef sandwiches with bleu cheese. I have a wrap that’s a flank stank wrap that I love that has carmelized onions and bleu cheese and it’s easy to pick up and put in your mouth.

This is not the time for crudité or no damn marinated vegetables – we are all in on this tailgate. And a lot of pick up sweets like cookies that have you theme on them, tent name or greek name. That’s a ton of fun! 

It’s so easy to pull in the car right there, unload everything, set it up, cars go out and then the cars come back in to load it up at the end of the night. So we do it up! There are a ton of tents that have chandeliers and candleabras – we’re talking tablecloths, overlays and everything. You have to come – you’d die and everyone is dressed up, I’m talking cocktail dresses. Huge flower arrangements although many times I do my own but last weekend, I didn’t have time. 

When I started tailgating, that’s when I realized I’m competitive. My tent, I'm going to know that I won because when I walk by every other tent, I can tell you that it was me. I mean we kill it every single time. We’ve made gameday twice! 

AM: For the holidays, what are things that people should have on hand in terms of gifts to give delivery men?

EH: Delivery men, I give them beers – just kidding but I do give it our trash guys and put a bow on it, they love it! You want something that is easy and portable and that they can snack on when they are driving around. I love Rosemary Cashews which is one of the recipes in the book and Fried Walnuts will make you swoon. Put them in a great bag and tie them with a festive ribbon and they can take them home and serve them to their friends.

AM: So what’s a typical holiday dinner like at your home?

EH: I was raised that my Great Grandmother, my Grandmother and my mother all had beautiful beautiful holiday dinners – they’re always perfect. They were PERFECT. The thing that is difficult for me is that my house is where everyone comes and I wouldn’t have it any other way – I love it more then anything. But with the catering company by that point, I’m a little exhausted. But still, it’s 25 people for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter – whatever the holiday is and everyone comes over. 

I am really funny, I don’t usually let people bring things to my Thanksgiving or Christmas because I want them to enjoy themselves and it’s how I can give back to them and … I don’t trust them! There are some people in your life that you can’t entrust them with key parts of your dinner, there are some people that just need to bring the rolls an the wine - or just the vodka!

AM: What charities do you support?

EH: St. Jude – We have the Taste of St. Jude which is an unbelievable event in Oxford, Mississippi and I have been on the board for about 5 years. We raised over $237,000 last year – this is in Oxford! We get things donated like trips and I do a lot of the culinary packages. We auctioned off a dinner for 40 people on the 50 yard line in the stadium the night before the LSU game. 

We will be in the stadium, we bring in a Celebrity Chef Ryan Trimm is going to be cooking. Literally, they will sit on the field and have dinner with the stadium lights on – nobody is in there but them. That went for $10,000 this year. 

We do a Pig, Pizza and Produce event. We have a great chef in town that does barbecue with amazing pigs and then we have an amazing wood fire pizza place that brought their ovens out and I did all the produce. We auctioned that off for $8,000. 

I auctioned off a VIP tour to the Today Show. So there are tons of trips and events and our team is second to none.

Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude, the LeBonner House, Young Life, Doors for Hope – there are so many. It’s weekly that we’re doing something because I honestly feel that I have been given so much and blessed beyond that God will give back. 

One year, my husband figured out how much we as a company had given out in time and money and he said, “we can’t afford this” and I said, “we can’t afford not to do this.” God will give it back to me a million times over. It doesn’t matter what it is but the moment that I feel that I don’t have enough to give to someone that is in need, that’s the minute that I will not have enough to give. That’s how I believe. We give a ton and we get a ton!

Read more of the Oct Issue and see What Can I Bring? in mag.

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On Aug 21st, we will experience a solar eclipse; however, you can visit NASA's site to see the best cities where you will see the total solar eclipse. We suggest viewing it from Westin Nashville's L27 Rooftop Bar to enjoy this phenomenon and to rock this look!

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Read more from the July issue and see #TRIBEGOALS Recommended for your Tribe to eat, work and play in mag.