Sunday, October 18, 2009
Food, Q&A, Atlanta

Living it up at Livingston

 

Spark St. Jude
Gary Mennie

By Hope S. Philbrick

Attracted by the history of the property, Chef Gary Mennie is now helming the kitchen at Livingston Restaurant + Bar at The Georgian Terrace—a place he describes as “a beautiful building with charm but also nuances of sleek lines and a progressive, sexy interior.” After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Mennie worked with French Master Chef Maxime Ribera at Maxime’s, French Master Chef Jean Francois Metinger at the Mobil Five Star L’Orangerie, celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck at Spago, and renowned Chef Gunter Seeger at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. He has also headed the kitchens at Canoe and Taurus Restaurant, his first solo venture.

 What considerations went into creating the menu at Livingston?

 The inspiring part was that there’s nothing I could do that the owner would say, “That’s too progressive or too much.” He loves to eat out, loves wine, loves service, loves the restaurant business and hotels, and wants great, inspired local organic—it’s a playground for cooking! It’s flattering, rewarding, exciting. Early in the process, I had probably 300 different ideas; he picked 60 of the 300 and was in love with 30.

The cuisine is inspired American cooking. Farm to table is not a trend; it’s a way to do things. Now it’s more respect to the farmer because menus will name the farm. Ten years ago, that wasn’t the case, but today you’ll see “Riverview Farms Berkshire Pork” or “White Oak Pastures New York Strip” or “Ashley Farms Chicken”—it’s great.

Does your cooking philosophy here differ from previous restaurants?

The only difference here is more refinement. I’m not 25 anymore. Refinement becomes real the longer you cook—simplicity of cooking, as well. You want three big punches; you don’t want a lot of different things going on a plate. It’s still the goal to keep pushing the envelope.

How do you support sustainability?

There’s a lot of perception about what fish you can or can’t eat. In the summertime, swordfish is controversial. Certain people argue sustainability; the whole purpose of that was [that] it was overfished in Haiti. It raised awareness, but it’s not banned and was never an endangered species. Some beautiful swordfish come up the coast of Rhode Island for six to eight weeks. As long as you buy wild product in moderation, you support sustainability. Farm-raised fish from Vietnam or South America is very bad. Some products are in ample supply. You want to do your part in the food chain. You’re fine as long as you’re not affecting the whole sustainability of a species.

I loved your creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup. Is it a menu staple?

We have it in the spring when the artichokes are nutty, sweet and intoxicating. In the summertime, we have great squash blossom soup or squash minestrone. Soup is a fun thing; there are a million ways to make a soup. I love vegetable-based soups with the essence of the season.

What are some of your favorite ingredients to work with?

I love all seafood. In the fall, I can’t get enough game. I love pheasant and venison and rabbit. The owner was a bit hesitant about putting rabbit on the menu, but it’s one of our more popular dishes. I love turnips, rutabaga, shell peas—I could eat my weight in shell peas, they’re delicious!

If you could have any meal prepared for you, who would prepare it and what would it be?

That’s a tough one. It’s a tie between Julia Child or Fernand Point. I’d love a whole roasted goose with sherry with Julia Child—that would be a whole lot of fun! With Fernand Point, a simple whole roasted leg of lamb and an old bottle of Burgundy—wow! SP