Saturday, October 27, 2007
Food

Historic harvest

Talking with Peter Golaszewsk of The Feed Store

Located in downtown College Park, the Feed Store is a restaurant housed in a building that first opened in the 1850s, and is now listed on the National Register of historic places. The space is a former feed store, hence the name of Celita Bullard’s restaurant that serves Southern nouveau cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal, local produce. Serving as executive chef since June is Peter Golaszewski, a Detroit native with an impressive résumé. The Sunday Paper recently met with Golaszewski to learn more about him and his menu at The Feed Store.

Q What sparked your interest in a culinary career and what brought you to Atlanta?
A I was born and raised in Detroit. I went to Michigan State and earned a bachelor of arts in journalism. I was cooking at a bistro called Dusty’s Wine Bar—it was named ‘best bistro in the Midwest’ by Santé magazine for four years in a row—and I fell in love with cooking. So I went to culinary arts school at Grand Rapids Community College—in my opinion, it is the best culinary value in America. I got to train with French pastry chef Gilles Renusson, who at the time was one of the best 15 pastry chefs in the United States. In fact, while I was going to school, he was chosen to be captain of the U.S. Olympic Pastry Team that would compete in Germany. I got to be an apprentice, and that was a whole lot of fun. While in school I also was working at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s 1913 Room, which was and still is Michigan’s only five-diamond restaurant. There I worked with German Master Chef Josef Huber, who was absolutely incredible.

About three years ago, I sent my résumé online to Ritz-Carlton. Not 12 hours later, I got a call. I moved down here and was chef de partie at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. I worked with Chef Christophe LeMetayer, probably the best chef I ever worked for in my entire life. I can’t say enough great things about the man.

I got hired as chef de cuisine at the Epicurean and was there about a year and a half. We did a lot of great things there, turned out some of the best food, had a lot of fun with the concept. It was an absolute blast working there.

Then I came here to the Feed Store. The food is a Northerner’s perspective of Southern food. I love what I do here. I love creating something that maybe people haven’t tried before. It’s impossible to reinvent the culinary wheel but I like to put my own twist on food and not mess up the wheel. I try to keep it simple.

What’s your perspective on Southern food?
Up North, it’s very meat and potatoes. They really don’t like to stray much from the norm. Southerners are more open-minded and more receptive to a little change with their food—but not a lot; I noticed Southerners don’t like their food messed with to the point of not knowing what it is.

When I moved down here I decided to put my nose in the Southern cookbook and start learning. My new fall menu has some fun things like a country fried braised short rib served with buttermilk mashed potatoes, heirloom beans and mushroom gravy. On my last menu, I had buttermilk biscuit sliders. Sliders are very big up North. I put my own special twist on them. I like to Southern-fy certain things.

Your menu showcases local, seasonal produce. What’s best about the Georgia harvest?
Field peas are great and obviously Vidalia onions. I’ve gotten some beautiful Swiss chard, strawberries, bok choy, blueberries and watermelons. I go to the State Farmer’s Market. I drive my Buick there, see what’s fresh and beautiful and buy it. I want to see all the produce that’s coming into the restaurant. If I can stand behind it, I feel confident. SP