Jordan Fleetwood of Twain’s
Jordan Fleetwood has enjoyed a long brewing career here in Atlanta. He’s a humble guy who brews with good sense and strong technique. He currently mans the brew side of things at Twain’s Billiards and Tap in beercentric Decatur. Every time I sit down with Fleetwood I learn something new. I recently caught up with him … here’s what he had to say.
Q: Nearly all great brewers have a signature or flagship beer that defines their career. What would you consider your flagship beer?
A: Geez, that’s a tough one. I’m not sure I can say I have a flagship beer. At different times, I tend to go through periods where I focus more on one style than an other. Not to say that the other beers in the Twain’s lineup will suffer, just that at one time I might be concentrating on how the Brown Ale can be improved. Or maybe I’m interested in how the Pale Ale will turn out using different hops. When often asked what is my favorite beer, I rarely have an answer. That answer changes so frequently and to define a career with a flagship might only detract from the freedom of brewing in an environment such as Twain’s. (Although I do really enjoy a well made Pale Ale)
Q: What is the biggest challenge you’re currently faced with brewing at Twain’s?
A: Well, I think this question might have answered itself. The biggest challenge I am currently faced with is, well, the challenge I am currently facing. That’s always my biggest! It doesn’t really matter what the current one is because there will always be another. Once one is tackled, hopefully it is no longer a challenge. But I guess one might be just overall equipment sizing. Sometimes that mash tun just won’t fit all the malted barley that I wish to stuff in there! And that can be a challenge! All in all, being faced with hurdles is part of the fun in brewing. It can force me to become inventive and keeps the daily grind interesting. Read more
Donna Rodriguez, Dishing with Donna
Donna Rodriguez, Dishing with Donna
Dishing With Donna Food Radio Show
WGKA 920am
Saturdays at 2:00pm
Sundays at 11:30am
www.dishingwithdonnashow.com
twitter.com/dishingdonna
Listen online: www.920wgka.com
Q: Food radio, as sexy as it sounds, hasn’t been a successful business model for the many souls who tried and failed before you. However, your show is sizzling hot. What do you think you’ve done differently?
A: Maybe it’s because my boss is the Big Guy upstairs! I’ll tell you what, DwD has been truly blessed from the very first week we even went on air. And it’s been a roller coaster ride of surprises ever since. I pinch myself and give thanks every single day.
I think a lot of the success can actually be attributed to timing. When DwD first aired, we were up to our necks in presedential election drama, the economy seemed fatal, fear and negativity were running rampant across all talk radio and it was ugly for a while. In the midst of all that, suddenly, here comes a new show on the a.m. format that is strictly entertainment driven, rather than business/political/news based. And not only was this entertainment quality—but it’s a lively, upbeat, humorous, and amusing little show, which offers a delicious form of escapism. It gave even the most controversial political ranter a 30-minutes mental break. So I do believe timing helped me stand out amongst the rest and be noticed as the one show who was happily just off in my own world. Read more
Jeff Varasano of Varasano’s Pizzeria
Varasano’s Pizzeria
2171 Peachtree Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-352-8216
http://www.varasanos.com
Now that the flour dust has finally settled after his highly-charged opening of Varasano’s Pizzeria, I thought it would be a good time to catch up with Jeff Varasano to get his perspective into what it’s like to suddenly find himself in the restaurant business, and instantly under a microscope by the most scrutinizing critics.
I finally caught up with Jeff, and here’s what he had to say.
Q: Never being in the restaurant business how difficult has it been to get your restaurant up and running? …and what has been your biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge? Can I just list the top 100, LOL…
At first a lot of landlords didn’t even want to deal with me because I had no industry experience. So it took a long time to find a spot. But overall, as with baking at home, the biggest challenge is the dough. A customer asked my pizza chef Willie if he was the boss. Willie pointed past me towards a rack of dough and said, “No, that’s the boss.”
Without ever switching ingredients or proportions you can make a zillion variations on dough. We use a natural sourdough culture instead of factory produced yeast. A hundred years ago everyone did it that way but now only a handful of pizzerias, even in Italy, still do. Now I know why. It’s a living thing and it can be quite temperamental in a commercial setting. The flavor is much deeper so we keep at it, but it has made consistency our biggest challenge. Read more
Justin and Johnathan Fox of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
Q: How difficult was the transition from caterers to restaurateurs?
A: It was one of the most difficult things to do. Fox Bros. literally went from one day being only me doing a majority of the cooking, with my brother Justin doing the desserts, to being open and having to stand over a staff of folks I barely even know, to take my passion and trust it to them. Another huge obstacle is the amount we are cooking. I was basically cooking small batches of pork, ribs and brisket on my own, it was much easier to control. Today we are opening up with having cooked upwards of 1,300 pounds of pork and brisket on a Saturday morning — and that’s before we even put on any ribs or chicken.
One of the difficulties of that is that each cut is different, one brisket might be 5 lbs smaller than the rest, and will be done well before the bigger ones, and making sure the person running the smoker understands that. Training and trusting that person to basically be like you. Do it how I would do it. Read more
Poll
Have chefs quite being chefs during this bad economy?
- Some, but not the majority (79%, 22 Votes)
- No, none of them (11%, 3 Votes)
- Most, but not all (11%, 3 Votes)
- Yes, all of them (-1%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 28
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