Few would dispute that biscuits are one of the great icons of Southern cuisine since at least the beginning of the 1800s. But the secret to perfect biscuits is hotly contested: Lard or butter? Milk or buttermilk? Baking powder or soda? (Or both?) Most cooks have a stance, but there’s one thing that all biscuits have in common: They can trace their roots to right here in the South and are a staple food that’s loved as much as our grits and greens.
Chef Cornelius Lathan wears several hats as a local caterer, cooking show personality and master of the pop-up, giving him ample opportunity to showcase his talents, such as the art of biscuit-making he learned from his grandmother.
“She was my cooking mentor, sharing all her biscuit-making secrets that she had gathered over the years,” he says. “Her grandmother took the time to teach her the art of cooking, including how to make tasty biscuits.”
Now, Lathan considers biscuits one of his primary comfort foods.
“For someone like me who grew up in the South, biscuits have always been a source of comfort,” he says. “Even during tough times, it seems everyone manages to keep some butter, flour and milk on hand — the essential ingredients that are always available, no matter the circumstances.”
Serve them at breakfast with honey or jam as a sweet start to the day or turn them into strawberry shortcake for an equally sweet finish. Make them into rounds or cut them into squares for a sturdy biscuit sandwich, such as those served at Kenny’s Southside Sandwiches.
Kenny’s “Greedy Farmer,” with housemade sausage, grilled ham, Gruyère cheese, arugula, apple butter and an egg your way is the most popular of all biscuit creations at this breakfast/lunch eatery on Market Street, says its new owner, Caroline Curtis.
“People crave the complementary flavors of sweet and savory in that biscuit,” Curtis says.
Granted, the Greedy Farmer is over-the-top, but they “can also make a simple egg-and-cheese biscuit with your choice of protein, such as Benton’s bacon,” Curtis says.
Or take your biscuit to a simple level with butter and jam made from scratch in the kitchen.
Breakfast and lunch are served throughout the day, so have your biscuit your way anytime you want, and, Curtis adds, keep your eyes on the menu for new biscuit specials.
There’s a trick to making fluffy biscuits, but once you have the knack, it’s almost as if you were born to do it. And as a Southerner, perhaps you were.
“Biscuits may be served all over the country these days,” Curtis says, “but we believe the Southern art of biscuit-making is the most coveted style of baking and will remain a prominent piece of our history and culture, no matter where it has traveled.”
Lathan says one needs look no further than the tables of your favorite farmers market or even your own pantry to find the perfect accompaniment to your biscuit.
“Traditional Southern cooks are known for preserving fresh summer fruits like berries and peaches, transforming them into delightful jams, jellies and preserves,” he says. “What better way to enjoy these treats than alongside warm, flaky biscuits? In my view, nothing embodies the essence of the South quite like a homemade biscuit.”
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Biscuit
There’s a bevy of biscuit options around town
It’s not hard to find good biscuits in the Chattanooga area. We’re blessed with cooks and chefs who have carried the time-honored art of biscuit-making into this generation. Here are some suggestions for when the craving for a big, fluffy biscuit hits.
Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Phyllis Cabe Blevins at the Big Biscuit Barn in Rossville, Ga.The Big Biscuit Barn
1391 Lafayette Road, Rossville, Ga.
Biscuits plain or with bologna, Polish sausage, rib-eye or tenderloin, or opt for a breakfast strawberry shortcake biscuit.
Wimpies Country Restaurant
9826 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy
Biscuits with chicken, ham, pork tenderloin, sausage, egg or gravy.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Caroline Curtis holds the Greedy Farmer biscuit at Kenny’s Southside Sandwiches.Kenny’s Southside Sandwiches
1251 Market St.
Chicken biscuits with Nashville hot chicken, the Greedy Farmer or biscuits and gravy with egg and fried chicken.
Milk & Honey
135 North Market St.
Creative biscuit sandwiches, such as the Holy Mess with hot pepper jam, bacon, avocado, pickled red onion, chipotle crema, pepper jack cheese, a sunny-side-up egg and cilantro.
Maple Street Biscuit Company
maplestreetbiscuits.com/tennessee-locations/city-center
407 Broad St.
Biscuit sandwiches, such as the Squawking Goat — with fried chicken, goat cheese and pepper jelly — which was featured on the Food Network. Or try the iced cinnamon biscuits.
Big Bad Breakfast
313 Manufacturers Road
bigbadbreakfast.com/locations/chattanooga
Over-the-top biscuits, like the Mother of All Biscuits with crispy fried chicken and gooey melting cheddar.