Tupelo Honey, located at Warehouse Row, is a North Carolina-based chain that serves up a taste of the South with a hefty dose of Appalachian appeal thrown into the mix. So it’s little wonder that on any given day, there’s a crowd of folks hankering for a plate of Southern fare, such as a bowl of grits. But, says executive chef Gavin Fair, a native of Johnson City, Tennessee, from time to time, guests come through the doors never having had them.
“They end up trying them at my suggestion, though,” he says. “I get the ball rolling usually by asking if they’ve ever had polenta and giving them the comparison between the two if they have. It’s always a great experience having people trying new things under our roof here at Tupelo.”
Gavin Fair is executive chef at Tupelo Honey inside Warehouse Row in downtown Chattanooga.Here he talks about his favorite menu item at Tupelo Honey, how cooking became second nature and the musical instrument he plays.
Q: So what do they think of grits once they’ve tried them?
A: They usually love them – especially our interpretation with goat cheese grits. The goat cheese adds a delightful tartness that works really well with the creaminess of the grits.